Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II Vs Nike Mercurial Vapor VI SER Opinion

With the release of the cheaper and lighter Adidas F50 Adizero on the horizon, Nike need for this cleat to be a success to maintain their dominance on the speed part of the football boot market. The new top dog of the Nike Mercurial range, is the Superfly II worth it?

James Batchelor looks at the issue and leaves no rock unturned!

First look wise;

The Superfly II is 100 times better looking (my opinion- though not that different!) than the Vapor VI. The Flywire and the lack of lace cover really help to enhance the look of the Superfly II. What would you rather wear, silver or gold (I won’t explain under the assumption you know which one is silver and which one is gold)?

Performance wise;

Obviously $160 has to make a difference performance wise, and that’s exactly what Nike promise with the Superfly II. Carbon fiber is a much higher-quality material then glass fiber; it’s stronger and lighter. The two new Nike Sense studs on the Superfly II are the biggest difference between the two soccer cleats. The difference between a soft and firm ground stud is 3mm. For those players who play on all surfaces, Nike has developed a new stud that extends those 3 mm when ground is soft for increased toe-off acceleration and traction. These two longer studs in the forefoot also prevent slippage and create the most comfortable feeling Mercurial ever (remember these are all Nike’s claims as we haven’t yet fully reviewed either football boot.).

Price:

The question on everyone’s mind- Is it really worth buying a $400 cleat? To be honest I do not believe it is worth it. The Superfly II may be one of the coolest and nicest (not to mention most prestigious) looking cleats on the market, but $400! I believe that is way over priced for a football boot and it does not help you with anything but speed (according to those who’ve already had the opportunity to review it) and that is definitely not the most important part of football. Even the Mercurial Vapor VI is over priced. $240 is very expensive for a boot with technology that’s already been seen before. There are many different boots on the market that offer a lot more then the Mercurial line as well as being a fraction of the price, so I believe Nike really have overpriced these boots.

Conclusion:

The Superfly II looks better and has more performance enhancing technology then the Vapor VI however, the price of the Superfly II soars way above the other categories and is the first thing you notice about the soccer shoe (other than its color that Drogba claims gets him the ball more!). Obviously the Superfly II is better, but it all depends on how much money you are willing to spend. I do not think you should spend $400 on a cleat unless it makes you a professional at first use (or if you are a pro). All in all, if you are looking for a speed boot from Nike the more economical choice is the Mercurial Vapor VI. With the Vapor line, you buy the boots because they are light, but o.2 oz will hardly make any difference at all. So, the Nike Mercurial Vapor VI topped the Superfly II in this edition of SER Opinion, but remember we haven’t yet had the opportunity to test either boot, so this is all opinion and speculation! We hope Nike prove us wrong yet again with another great soccer shoe, but until then, this is what James Batchelor thinks of the Superfly II vs the Vapor VI! What do you think of this match-up? Please let us know by dropping a comment!