I have recently received a delivery of Nike Mercurial Vapor VIIIs in the new Seaweed/Volt colourway. Following on from the post by Andrew about how Nike have fixed the durability problems with the new colour release, I have decided to create a post urging every single one of you out there not to buy any models before the Seaweed/Volt colourway.
Taking them out of the box, straight away you can feel the difference. The pair I received from Nike to test were made in Bosnia, whereas the Seaweed/Volt pair are made in Italy. They feel like VERY solid boots. I never thought I’d say that about the Vapors, but as Andrew attests to in his post, these feel durable which is something not many boots are able to boast.
But while the durability is all well and good, it is the fit and quality of the upper that is far superior this time. I complained about the longer fit in my review of the Clash Vapor VIIIs, but this has been completely fixed now. The boots feel tight and hug your feet wonderfully well. There is no longer that longer fit in the toe area, which is just fantastic. Dribbling the ball feels far, far better in these now and I’m intrigued to know how Nike have brought this change about.
Interestingly, there hasn’t been an official statement from Nike claiming these changes, but in my eyes they are fantastic improvements. However, they do have some drawbacks.. The Seaweed/Volt Vapors are now EVEN narrower than before, pretty much ruling out any wide footed players. It’s also worth bearing in mind that these are most definitely NOT black boots, and even appear pretty bright green in certain lights.
Although, if you are in the market for some Vapor VIIIs, do not look for any boots other than the Seaweed/Volt ones. They are so much higher quality than past Vapor VIIIs, and, in my opinion, are the best boots on the market. I don’t say that lightly. In my full Vapor VIII review, I highlighted the fact that really, the only real drawbacks to the release were the elongated toe and poor durability and the fact that Nike have fixed these problems pretty much makes them an essential purchase.
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Could you please post an updated full review on these vapors after testing them? Would be extremely helpful!!!!!
Thank you very much for this info!
Are you sure that they’re not just a model made specifically for professional players since they’re made in italy. I’m just saying this because you received them straight from Nike
just bought these in the seaweed colourway. was also surprised to see that they were made in italy. top boots!
Omg now you tell me haha, Ive got the orange colourway AND the clash colourways, the clash colourway fit is definitely longer than my orange ones but I tried to turn a blind eye to it.
exactley the same case with me but i have the white/blue/sail red instead of the mango & the clash colorway feel & seem to look abit longer D:
I friggin love my white and blue vapors!!
The Pair of seaweed volt i bought were made in china i just checked the label and i bought them directly from soccerpro.com Is Nike making same model Vapors in different countries at the same time?
Yep
Hey Giancarlo,
Correct, Nike do make their football boots in different countries, and while you won’t know where your boot was made before you buy it, it generally should be the same quality product. However, Nike are not the only company who do it, Mizuno make boots in Japan and Indonesia, and there are normally slight differences between boots made in Indonesia and boots made in Japan
So the boots that I have, are they the corrected version? I just recently came back to nike after switching over from adizero’s which I loved until the changed them. I love the durability I get fro them and the touch is nice, but i feel that Nike has them beat on this one plus the weight difference isn’t noticeable any more. Any ways will the durability be there in these Seaweed Volt? That was my main concern which held me back from purchasing the Vapor VIII.
Yep
dude All 4 current colorways of my VAPOR VIII got ripped just 2 hours,yes 2 hours. Fuc*kin poor quality by Nike
I’ve got Legend IV Elites made in Italy (SG) and another pair made in Bosnia (FG), quality is exactly the same. Also Italy has some real strange laws when it comes to claiming something is made in Italy. For eg a shirt can be just about fully made in China, then shipped back to Italy just to have the buttons sewn on and it can be claimed “Made in Italy” even though 95% of it wasn’t. So don’t get caught up in the whole “Made in Italy” BS. It doesn’t mean what it use to.
if i buy vapor 8s from nike ID, will they be as durable as the seaweed vapors?
Yeah I have the same question, I was looking at the safari finish
Hey Raoul,
The Vapors on NikeID come with the leather-like finish we have seen on the ‘Clash’ and seaweed Vapors. So yes, they should have the same characteristics of the seaweed Vapors
Are the Nike ID products made in Italy?
thank you
After reading this post, i went into my local store and tried on 4 different pairs of seaweed/volt with my only purpose being to check where they were made – i told the guy my sizing was weird and i wanted to try a few. I can tell you that not 1 pair said made in italy – all made in asia!! Somehow i think Nike have made a special pair for the review to win some points because i’ve been reading bad things about the fit and durability all over the internet. Time to move to the LZs.
These boots have received absolute phenomenal ratings everywhere I do not know where you are looking.
Fully agree that the initial reviews and ratings of the boot were great..but over a period of time it seems like they dont fully live up to expectations. Would this blog article exist if there wasn’t some truth in the matter? I know 10-15 guys from the local teams who’ve all had durability issues, mainly with the tearing of the upper from the soleplate. And lets not even start on the impossible task of cleaning them – thankfully they got rid of the suede finish so that should sort this problem. As for the fit, its well known that they’re not the most friendly to those with wider feet.
10-15… really?
Yes..most i’ve seen have been SG versions played in the UK on very soft pitches but regardless, they should last longer than 2 months.
I’d like to point out that I bought the Seaweed pair myself from a famous online retailer. I however received the Clash Vapor directly from Nike to test.
Are all nike ID products made in Italy?????
I think that the reason that you had durability issues with previous releases of vapor 8 is because you tested them on an artificial ground.
I understand that nike have fixed some durability issues with the model, but you had them after a short while because you were wearing them on a surface that ruins your cleats.
I have never worn Vapor VIIIs on artificial ground, just natural grass.
How is the sizing? Is there a different between this and the one before? (the mangos and the white)
I’d say the sizing remains true to size throughout the entire range.
Too many horrible reviews, do not buy you will be throwing away your money. Not buying any vapors until they are redone by Nike and in turn are reliable lasting boots
i got the seaweed vapors a month ago and they are ripping allready