Its official the Mercurial Vapor IX has launched and every boot nerd on the planet is going crazy to find out what the new Vapor IX is all about. Lets be honest, the Mercurial series was the launch pad for Nike soccer entering the market back in the day when 9 oz was a big deal.Furthermore, with the release and success of the lightweight boot/series it ideally created and gave birth to the speed boot race we have seen in recent years. Different brands have taken a crack at developing a lightweight boot but really it has been a two horse race between the F50 and the Vapor. I think that the reason that consumers freak out around every new Vapor release is because the Vapor is kind of like the Micheal Jordan of soccer shoes. In terms of soccer i can see the OG R9 being a legend in the game. On the other hand, a similar iconic boot that drives a lot of interest/hype is the Predator series from Adidas which has always been a boot that pushes the limits of the game through technology. In my opinion, the latest Predator was 2012 boot of the year... Not because of the zones but because of the lockdown affect and fit the boot offered.
Furthermore, the Vapor/Mercurial series is also surrounded by hype because some of the greatest players on the planet wear the boot on the global stage around the world. You look at the players and the word that comes to mind is speed so when you look at the boot and the player the term speed goes hand in hand. It does not hurt that the buzz that Nike creates around every boot release is ginormous with fancy cars, flashing lights and million dollar athletes. However, sometimes the release party hype does not match the boots performance on the pitch. The past couple Vapor releases have been very average in my opinion. The Vapor 6 and 7 releases were average because the upper on the boots were stiff and the out-sole/flexibility of the boot was very poor. But then came the birth of the Vapor 8 which was lighter, more flexible and offered a more comfortable/sock like fit.
However, when the Vapor 8 dropped it had durability issues and Nike quickly changed the delamination problem. Only time will tell how durable the new speed control upper is compared to the Vapor 8 synthetic/leather option. As a boot nerd and an OG Vapor fan you better believe that I tried on the new Vapor IX today to see how it compared to the last release. In terms of fit of the upper I noticed that the new speed upper offered a better fit compared to the last upper almost like a second skin which is not what i thought was going to happen. In addition, the speed control/golf ball upper did seem to grip the ball when I was juggling but it is nothing to say that is why i would buy the boots. If anything the new Vapor IX should have an improved durability and a better upper which improves the comfort/fit of the overall boot. With the Vapor 8 upper the boots quickly lost its form/fit and the upper seemed to stretch which sucked because as a boot nerd you want a boot that delivers a consistent new boot fit that is tight and keeps its form. But the new Vapor IX upper with the speed control dimples seems to be more elastic in that it will not stretch like the Vapor 8 upper did over time. Time will tell regarding the durability/fit of the Vapor IX... I have emailed a handful of people at Nike and everyone has said they are working on getting me a pair but if it does not happen I will buy them myself and review them for you followers. Thanks for reading boot nerds!