NIKE MERCURIAL VAPOR VIII

The message is simple; Be faster. How? That’s the easy part – the Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII.

Nike's latest Mercurial Vapor - The Vapor VIII - launches 19 / 3

Gone is the FlyWire, the Sense Stud and the Carbon Fibre. What remains is the purest expression of the' Nike Mercurial Vapor range since the Vapor III – and it’s quite the sight to behold!

Mercurial Vapor 8 in Mango / Dark Grey

Lightning quick and lighter than ever before the Nike Vapor is back. Sleek and dynamic, the way the' Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII is presented this time out completely different to it’s predecessors.

Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII in Mango / Dark Grey

Nike say that the synthetic leather upper is super-soft, and it’s low-profile, thin structure is designed to shape to your feet to put next-to-nothing between you and the ball – a message normally reserved for a K-Leather football boot!

Mercurial Vapor 8 heel detail

As everyone knows, when it comes to the battle of ‘speed’ football boots, weight is key and the make-or-break of a boot can be in it’s gram count. Thankfully, Nike have delivered, and are completely upfront that the two models of' Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII have a variance in weight.

FG Soleplate on Nike's Mercurial Vapor VIII

The firm ground model weighs only 187g, whilst the soft ground SG-PRO version also comes in an interesting 216g.

SG Pro soleplate on the Mercurial Vapor VIII

With no carbon fibre on this model, Nike have opted for a full-length Tepex glass fibre soleplate, designed to offer the perfect level of lightweight structure and stability.

Heel detail of the Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII

Twin studs at the back allow for a quick release from the turf and the asymmetric design of the stud configuration delivers an explosive start. Sharper blades cut through the turf, allowing for game-altering changes in direction.

Mercurial Vapor VIII - worn by Neymar

Cristiano Ronaldo has always worn the Mercurial and the boots have once again met his very exacting standards śThis boot is perfect for me. I can get an edge on defenders, knowing that the boot will give me the speed and traction I need without compromising support, control or, of course, style.ť

Available in Mango / Dark Grey or White / Blue at launch on April 1st, expect to see the' Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII retail for $220.

Let us know in the comments!

NIKE MERCURIAL VAPOR VIII, 9.1 out of 10 based on 513 ratings https://www.footy-boots.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/NIKE-MERCURIAL-VAPOR-VIII.jpg


Written By
More from Kyle Elliot

BOOT REVIEW: MIZUNO MORELIA JAPAN (AS)

Footy-Boots guest writer Charlie gives the Astroturf version Mizuno Morelia Japan a...
Read More
Join the Conversation

36 Comments

  1. says: Samakafuzzy

    Yawn, so to move forward, Nike have just admitted that all the crap they had on the boot before was gimmicky and not needed, and they are now trying to copy Puma and Adidas by making the boot as low profile and as light as possible…… Sorry Nike but in the Speed boot race, you are like Mertesaker trying to keep up with Messi

    1. says: misterbroom12

      After it took adidas 8 to respond to the Vapor I… It’s all the same trend, the company (whether Nike, adidas or Puma) they make a boot that’s made from next to nothing and people love it until they fall apart and have no support. So the next gen is a bit heavier and has some more bulk and people go with it but still want less falling apart until the boot is no longer a next to nothing and weightless slipper. People go back to wanting that shoe, likely by swapping to the brand offering that closest option until it happens again. Valor from ’02 to ’06, v1.06 to v1.10, now adiZero from ’10-’12 (most likely assuming Nike have done well with the material on the MV VIII)

  2. says: PapaSmurf

    Wow. This look wonderful. Idk if the carbon fiber or the flywire wasn’t needed, but rather, i think that a change in what the public wants from a boot has led to Nike dropping both of those from the Vapor VIII.

  3. says: Ly5x Legend

    the vapors WAS the first ever speed boot of it’s kind,it was there idea to make the boot as low profile and as light as possible as the early models show.

  4. says: Barracudaddan

    So the “new vapor” now weighs the same as the mviii?! Genius! I’ll continue to buy the iii’s thank you!

  5. says: The Man

    I think I might wait for the vapor 9, the design this time just doesn’t look nice and speedy, it has to have a speedish look but this just looks a bit boring. The design is still the same like the past five years just that they changed the logo on the outer part of the boot smaller and the inner bigger. And these don’t make anyone faster, and most of you probably know that already I hope becuase if you believe these are going to make you run faster, you need to wake up becuase there is no cleat that makes you run faster, it improves your running time by a slight second but doesn’t make you any faster. Overall if Nike want to be good speed boot sellers, then you got to step up your game, the vapor 3 is quite possibly the best of them all so far, you need to design a boot like that once agean, the design on the vapor 3 was just simple and perfect for the beautiful game, this just doesnt look right.

  6. says: Sswarts007

    so glad nike finally went back to the simplistic style of the vapor III which is what everyone really wanted in the first place. I had a pair of SL’s, and they were probably the best boots I’ve owned, but I love the new (or old) low profile super light weight style which is what they should have stuck with instead of messing around with the gimmicks.  Great boot.

  7. says: American.

    my favorite vapors were the iii’s and older… these have the same sleekness too them and the simple look is very nice, I cant decide whether to buy these or the black and volt ones that are coming out!! good job nike!

  8. says: Jsadhjadsjhkdasjhk

    Adidas is just a crappy gimic in the speed bood market. They focus on light weight boots that have terrible touch, have poor build quility (wear out quickly), no traction and ugly colourways. Nike have alway had the best traction and support with an amazing touch for a synthetic. 

    1. says: IT'SCOMMSENSE

      Your really wrong about the Adidas being all crappy an that they only focus on light weight which is a lie. Nike cares more about lightweight than Adidas, and nike cleats are actually the ones that get worn out faster than Adidas. Nike cares a lot about lightweight because all the shoes that they have now is really light with good feel of the ball, but the only problem is that in 2 months they start to rip from the top. Both brands are good but they both have some problems, just because this brand had this problem doesnt mean the other brand is better ALL BRANDS HAVE PROBLEMS NOW GET THAT IN YOUR GUYS HEAD!!!

  9. says: channo7

    agreed with Samakafuzzy, nike have just admitted that all of those previous crap was not needed.

    within the four popular silos, imho speed boots is the weakest in terms of actual advantage given to the players; ex: heritage would always give players the best leather quality, nuffsaid here. power comes in close second with advantage from more material protection that comes with its extra weight, or control that usually give better boots to ball contact with its gimmicky upper.
    the best thing that speedboots does is giving psychological advantage; we pick up the super light boots and believe that we could run faster.
    seriously, a soldier wearing boots 10 times heavier than this proves that they could still run like a footballer -may not as fast though…

    vapor series has stoop down so bad, all nike have right now is loyal fanboys that will buy vapor anyway whether it’s good or bad.
    may as well as gave up to the lightweight trend, who knows they could steal a percentage of the popular market with the cheaper price and their big name.

    PS: nike’s worst mistake would be ronaldo’s signature line. if i look at beckham, at least he’s wearing his own signature line.

  10. says: Smiffylfc

    i really like these boots, i think the new upper is awesome, what other boots can you take from the box straight into a game and have no problems? they are as close to custom boots as you can get, as they mould to your feet almost straight away. no, they are not going to make you usain bolt, but the studs and soleplate do give you very good grip, which will give you the edge in most sprints with other boots. yes, they are expensive, and yes, they are a silly colour, but given what boots you can buy from other companies at the moment, i think these badboys look pretty sleek. ive just purchased the sg version and couldnt be happier, beats the F50 synthetic hands down. top boot

Leave a comment
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.