This being the first takedown of the Mercurial series right below the Vapor, this fairly well priced, slightly "dumbed down" version of the vapor is a very good boot and will offer most of what everyone wants from a light weight football boot.
Fit/Comfort
To begin with, this shoe is very narrow cut, all the way from the heel right to the fore foot. So, wider footed players are better off looking elsewhere.
The narrow cut is very beneficial to the players that can fit into the boot, what this offers is an almost one to one fit with your foot. I say almost for one reason, this shoe fits very similarly to the Vapor with one exception, the toe box is a little more boxy than the Vapor. Its not to say that the shoe fits sloppy, because it doesn't at all, it is just a little awkward to have a very tight fitting shoe all the way through except for the toe box. This is just nit-picking though, so there is nothing to worry about. The upper on the shoe is very high quality, it is the nearly the same Teijin synthetic used on the Vapor, except it is a little bit thicker and has a cloth-like lining on the inside, while this is very comfortable, it does take away from the touch a little bit, and that is something to be expected from a takedown model. Overall, very comfortable shoe, granted that you can fit in it.
Traction/Soleplate
This shoe features the exact same stud pattern used on the vapor, with the exception that the studs are a tiny bit thicker than those found on the top end model. What the Veloce uses is basically a soft ground stud pattern, specialized for firm ground. By that I'm not saying that the shoe has metal studs, but it has basically four studs in fore-foot, and two in the back, which is not many as compared to shoes like the Tiempo or the CTR360 Maestri 3. All the studs are very sharp and penetrate the ground easily which makes for very hard push-offs and tons of stopping power. My only gripe about this shoe is the soleplate, compared to the Vapor, it is very thin and very flimsy in the forefoot, offering about zero stiffness, for some this isn't a problem, but for me, it was. A boot marketed as being made for speed, has to have some sort of stiffness in the forefoot for the push offs, this felt like i was running barefoot with no support in the fore foot, but this problem occurred after about 2-3 months of using them 5-6 hours a day. Realize that this isn't the normal amount of playtime someone would put into a boot, it is way more. I would say that the average competitive player would have to worry about this after about 5-7 months. I would like to remind you again, this is not a major problem, but can be based on the players style. The mid-foot has what appears to a carbon fiber or glass fiber stiffener but i will assure you that it is just plastic with a sticker under it, it does offer some decent stiffness, but just keep in mind that it does not contain and carbon or glass fiber in the soleplate.
Touch/Shooting
With the thin Teijin synthetic used on this shoe, the touch you get is fantastic! You can pretty much feel every panel on the ball moving against your foot. Something that needs to be mentioned is the speed control finish used on this shoe, it is a golf ball like dimpling that gives you more grip when you need it and less when you don't. The reason it is coined as "Speed" control is because of how players tend to touch the ball at certain speeds. The slower you go, the more control you have, and the less grip you need, but when you are running at full sprint, you tend to have a lot less control of the ball because you are moving very rapidly and concentrating on multiple things, so this being given, you will need a lot more grip when touching the ball. To explain this further, the softer your touch is, the less grip you have, but the harder your touch is, for example when sprinting, the more grip you have. So think of this speed control finish on the upper as sort of an all over control element.
Shooting with the Veloce is just like shooting barefoot, you can feel your foot sinking into the ball when you strike it and it is a very satisfying feeling when you can feel the ball leave your foot at good pace. Passing was a very similar experience, it is just like being bare foot, but keep in mind that this does offer a larger margin for mistakes because of the upper has no give, it is just ball to foot, and if you have a bad touch, it will show.
Durability/Protection
The shoe feels very solid in hand and it feels as if the shoe will last a seasons worth of play, nothing really worries me as far as something going wrong with the shoe. The protection on the other hand is where this boot suffers, it is a very thin and light weight shoe, so don't expect much in the way of protection, unless you wear a very thick pair of socks with the shoe, then maybe you will be protected a little. Keep in mind, if you are going into the market for a light weight shoe, then you are sacrificing on protection, regardless of the model.
Weight : 7.75 Oz in a size 8.5 US (USED)
Overall
The Nike Mercurial Veloce is a very good boot given the price tag of $115 US, it is not too far from the
top end vapor in terms of quality, touch and weight, and it is pretty much half the price. So if you are in the market for a speed boot take down model, don't look any further than this.
Comfort 4/5
Fit 4/5
Touch 5/5
Shooting 4/5
Traction 3/5
Durability 3/5
Protection 2/5
Overall 3.5/5
