The Mercurial Superfly 6 is a soccer cleat offering brought out by Nike in 2018. These soccer cleats are reported to be an extremely lightweight, form-fitting, highly responsive soccer boot, that has been built for speed, and is considered one of the best currently on the market today.
History
The Mercurial line of soccer cleats was originally brought out to the market in 1998 and has since seen 11 progressively improved versions of this product. The Superfly model is actually a variation of the original Vapor model, which is now on its 12th version.
Technology and Differences
Both the Vapor and the Superfly soccer cleat models share the exact same technology in their general construction, with the only difference between the two models being the height of the ankle collar. Where the Vapor has no ankle collar to speak of, the Superfly 6 has a Dynamic Fit Collar added to it that is really no higher than an ankle sock and, for some, provides a little more stability while still providing ease of movement. Obviously, there are going to be some who prefer a more shoe-like look and feel, so no collar, and that would be the Vapor model.
The Design
The design of the Superfly 6 has all been based on fit and features a one-piece upper created from brand new Flyknit construction, and a new outsole, which combines to provide a custom feel and 360° fit. The split plate on the outsole, or “podular plates,” as Nike likes to call it, are said to provide a lighter more natural feel along the bottom of your foot. The inspiration for this design was actually taken from a cheetah’s paw, which nature has designed to provide better traction and agility at high speeds. Given the focus of speed and agility that the Superfly 6 has been built on, these cleats would be ideal for wingers and strikers whose main focus in a game is being able to exhibit these attributes.
Construction
Overall the construction of the Superfly 6 creates a snug but comfortable feel, as though they are a natural part of your foot, or at least a more sock-like feel as opposed to actually wearing shoes. Another bonus to this technology is that because the cleat is so flexible and molds around your foot, they readily adjust to basically any width of foot and maintain their high level of comfort.
Concerns
So far, we have discussed a lot of pros to the Superfly 6. However, there have also been concerns voiced about these cleats. The main concern being that the Superfly 6 takes quite a while to break-in; they are very stiff right out of the box. This also creates the issue for some people of developing “new shoe” blisters, which is considered generally to be a thing of the past and, therefore, a little surprising. That said, once you have broken-in your Superfly 6 cleats, they are reported to be one of the most comfortable and responsive soccer cleats currently available on the market.
Cost
Obviously, the Superfly 6 cleats are not going to come cheap…what does these days? However, compared to anything else on the market, they are still not overly expensive either. After checking a number of sites, we found that the average cost is between $100 and $350. Now the huge gap in cost comes from the different models of Nike Superfly 6 that are available, with the Elite EG being on the cheaper end.
Colors
And when it comes to color options, this will also depend on the model of Superfly 6 that you choose. There are a variety of color options, but here a few:
Model Colour Available
Superfly 6 Academy Orange
Superfly 6 Elite FG Black
Black/Orange
Ice Blue
Hyper Crimson/White/Metallic Silver/Black
Wolf Grey/Armoury Blue/Hyper Crimson/Black
Superfly 6 Elite FG Volt Yellow/Black
Superfly 6 Pro LVL UP FG Pure Platinum/White/Black
Changes
There are four obvious changes from the previous version, the Superfly 5, to the Superfly 6 version:
Lower/Scooped Collar – about an inch lower, and a slightly scooped shape, with a small pull tab at the front. Some say this new design makes the Superfly 6 pull on.
Outsole – full sole plate has been replaced by the two-part, centre-split “podular plate”, which was enabled by the new Flyknit 360 construction is thought to provide a lighter boot.
Texture/Touch – the outer design of the boot in the Superfly 5 featured “Speed Ribs”, which have been replaced by a new microtexture structure in the Superfly 6. This new feature is said to provide an improved “touch” when running with the ball full out.
Swish/Branding – the swish on the Superfly 5 was very large, it actually took up most of the outside of the boot, where the swish on the Superfly 6 is much smaller and placed across the toe box. This, however, only appears on the first two colorways. Also, the “Mercurial” trademark information, found on the entire insole of the Superfly 5 is now compacted into the heel section of the Superfly 6, making all of the information easily visible when you look into the boot.
New Releases
Although Nike generally seems to aim for a two-year gap between release of their next version, in July of this year, Nike released the newest version of their Superfly brand, the Nike Superfly 7. There are some new design changes, and a few changes to the technology, although not as many as in the Superfly 6.
Conclusion
In the end, it appears that the Nike Superfly 6 cleats are ultimately a reliable product that delivers a comfortable, form-fitting but natural feel, and hi-tech, high performance, provided you are willing to take the time to break them in properly. And with such soccer greats as Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, and Alexis Sanchez, just to name a few, wearing the Nike Superfly 6, this would surely suggest that the Nike Superfly 6 is worth a try. But you will have to decide that for yourself.