I was really looking forward to these boots. Their predecessor, the Mercurial Vapor 13, nearly struck gold, but like many boots, there were a couple of hitches which ultimately meant they missed legendary status.
Nike missed a trick too, Adidas, their direct competitor had the Ghosted series, which was also beset with fit and durability problems and Puma had just entered the speed boot market with the Ultra, so they were still a little low on the learning curve.
This could of been Nike's opportunity to corner that niche market, but does the Vapor 14 succeed where it's father didn't ?
Well yes and no.
The biggest complaint of the Vapor 13, apart from the ridiculously, complicated and confusing name, was the fit. It was cramping in the mid-foot and toe-box (were they designed for cloven hoofed players??? C'mon Nike), restrictive and in some cases, it caused nasty injuries, nothing long lasting but blistering, sores, cuts, nail issues etc.
The Vapor 14, has to a certain extent, sorted this, which is a massive boon. As I slipped the boot on, I could feel it was tight fitting, but after 15minutes, I didn't feel any pain coming on, ker-ching. There's this feeling you get, I don't think you could explain it to anyone who isn't boot-mad, but sometimes you lace up.....and everything just fits......there's this euphoric feeling that builds up within you, as the realisation that these boots are sick, settles in. You don't need to check yourself in the mirror, as they feel good but you do, and the mirror shouts "Noice".
I got that feeling with the Merc Vapor 14s.
The flyknit upper felt flexible, the weight was so light (not as light as the almost cardboardy feeling Puma Ultra 1.3s) and the stiffness of the 13s were truly banished to history (the bad kind of history). This boot felt less synthetic too, although flyknit is the buzz word these days, if you were to look at pics of the the Vapor 13s and 14s side by side, there doesn't "look" like there's a huge difference, but I felt the difference. It's only possible to feel it too, by touching it, wearing it. The material seems far superior, and had felt more textile, clothy and knit-like than synthetic plastic as per most boots these days.
I was very impressed. But this is where the praise kinda stops. Believe me, they look so good, and they wear well. I performed great and didn't even think about my boots, it was that invisible. I actually feel really bad, in coming to this part of the review. It's a very similar narrative to the Puma Ultra 1.3 one. This is partly because I'm somewhat biased. Despite my recent 5-goal haul, I primarily see myself as a midfielder. Anyone who knows me, knows that I've spent a lifetime battling the chobb, so speed isn't really a stat I would score highly with, on FIFA Ultimate Team.
"What nonsense is this, they speak of..."
As such, I find it hard to reconcile that a boot's main selling point is it's weight. It's always been a bug bear of mine. I've always taken issue with the much utilised "barefoot feel" comments when other people review boots. I've only played football with shoes, trainers or boots.....so trying to reach the sensation of playing with the feeling of not wearing boots....well....it doesn't really add up or make sense, in fact.
I totally concede this is my personal opinion, I guess all reviews are. Football is fine margins, I don't believe the BS, that this only applies at elite level. TOSH. The same small differences make for game changing results at grassroots levels too. So if you're a striker, you'd want whatever advantage you can get. The lighter the boot, the faster you are, that's the whole premise of the speed boot.
But even then, Adidas' Speedflow are lighter...and the Puma Ultra 1.3, insanely even lighter than Messi and Salah's favourite Mercurials.
So, as a speed boot it doesn't quite come up good against it's direct competitors for a start. I think because of the 13's historical issues, it's quite easy to be impressed with the 14s, but get yourself a cld shower, brrgggh. You're almost convinced into thinking this is potentially one of the greatest.....but it's not. It's a good boot. It does the job. Any boot which is comfortable, is brilliant in my opinion, and I'm quite strict, in that I will never call those cleats bad.
But nowadays, with the tech available to manufacturers, it's not quite enough to just deliver on the comfort front. I can hear the Vapor 14 fan boys chastising me now, that the boot is purely trying to deliver on speed. I understand that, and I've already mentioned its a fast car dumbolios....but its just slower than other fast cars. Unfortunately there's nothing else it can bring to the party to make it stand it out from other boots.....it loiters on the fringe of the school disco, and never really gets asked for that slow dance. I'm talking, hmm, let's say the touch and cushion of the Copa 20+. The power and control of the Predators, the lushness and moulding to your unique foot shape of leathers.....
I review boots, against their direct competition but I also bring them into comparison with all boots on the market. And although I was ultra excited trying these on, feverishly sending pix to Jumbo, once on-field, as I mentioned before, I didn't really notice them. That's good, in that they caused no pain for me to get worried....but it's also bad, well average in all honesty (bad is too harsh a word), in that I didn't feel like I had any edge over my opponents. I was really shocked how much punch the Predator Mutator 20.1s and Phantom GTs had. I was chuffed how much my touch improved with Copa 20+. Placebos? Maybe, but isn't that the effect the boot has, which again the Mercurial didn't deliver on.
I was rather "meh" about the Mercurial. Reading back, I'm probably sounding a bit harsh, as I would like the idea of a pair as "go-to" boots. If I was in a rush and needed to guarantee focus on the football, I'd grab these and whack them into my Nike Pro Elite backpack. I know I could rely on them, they are the Geography of GCSEs, a guaranteed "A". But if I had to sit down and think about it, I'd go for my Nike Phantom GTs, or Adidas Predators 20.1s. They aren't as light, but they deliver too many bells and whistles, to the extent that it's quite noticeable, the lack of grunt that the Vapor 14s have under their hood.
The other thing I'd take umbrage with, is the price. To get a boot so light, you are using the best of the best materials. Leather may sound luxurious, but it's quite cheap compared to the manufacture and R&D that goes into the speed boots. I understand the price, you are purely paying more for less (weight). I've touched on it before, maybe it's me, maybe it's personal preference, but I don't put as much skew towards weight as a boot attribute, as much as say, the big guns like Nike do. I want GT (generative texturing), I want demon skin. I want these fantastical marketing terms to deliver on-pitch. But coming in at £220-250 rrp, the Nike Mercurial Vapor 14s just don't seem worth it. Sure they made massive strides (and necessary ones) from it's predecessor....just not enough.
Price: £250
Fit: True to Size
Tech: Ultra light, but still not as light as the Speedflow or Ultra
Comfort: Luvverly. It's come on sooo far from the narrow restriction of the Vapor 13
Look: Nice, understated, but with killer streaks of colour. There are some vivid colorways for the more daring too, and most of them are great.
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