This week had the distinct pleasure of getting a hands-on look and test with the all new Nike Superfly III. The Nike Superfly III is perhaps one of the most anticipated boot releases of the year, with many new design features that are sure to please its most faithful users. This football boot does not make a big leap from the Superfly II in terms of technology, although Nike did make a few changes “under the hood”, but rather focuses on design innovations – which is rather new for the football boot market.

Visual details are always important, and it’s one of the biggest selling points of the Nike Mercurial line in general. The Mercurial boots have always included bright colours, flashy designs, but never used specific elements to enhance player visibility on the pitch.

More on that and our opinions on how they performed on the pitch later in the article, but first, how the Superfly III looks out of the box:

1. Design Innovation

The visual impact of the new design is quite big, and Nike designed the shoe bag with netting on the sides, to show off their bright new heel designs in full glory even when you’re not wearing the boots. According to Nike, the new heel design is an important feature because it helps identify players easily from peripheral vision, due to the bright flash design popping out amongst a sea of black boots. I do think that the back design on the Superfly III is more attractive than the frontal dark design on the Superfly II, so it’s understandable that Nike do have a basis for their claims.

Here are some more pictures from our experience with the all new Nike Superfly III:

2. Comfort

The boots felt very comfortable, and the steps taken to ensure comfort above just having the lightest boots are well observed from Nike with this boot. The heel support is definitely great on the Superfly III, while in earlier Mercurial models, the heel area was not only sometimes uncomfortable, but rather painful. Slipping these babies on gives you a sense of control and comfort that earlier models did not give.

On the other note, the flywire technology and the synthetic upper are a bit rigid until broken in, which was our experience as well throughout our run-out with the Superfly III purple model. Many people take hot baths or showers with their Mercurial collection boots to get the perfect fit and mould them on their feet for most comfort. I for one, did not do this, so breaking them in and getting the perfect fit took longer.

More snaps with the Nike Superfly III – in the air:

3. Technology

Another part that we absolutely loved with the Superfly III, which was loved with the Superfly II as well is the beautifully engineered bottom of the boot. The studs really help you turn and pivot quickly, which is maybe why players like Ronaldo and Ribery wear these boots. Also the small teeth at the front of the boot help give more grip and control on the ball, which we appreciated a lot when testing the boots. A good experience controlling the ball, which is ironic, because this is not Nike’s “control” boot. Alas, the attention to detail on design on the bottom is to be appreciated from Nike, who have shown that compromise in design is not something they’re comfortable doing.

More snaps of the Superfly III – in the air:

Nike Mercurial Vapor IX – FireberryNike Mercurial Vapor IX – FireberryNike Mercurial Vapor IX – FireberryNike Mercurial Vapor IX – Fireberry

Overall, the Superfly III experience was a memorable one. Although not the lightest boots, Nike’s Superfly III are visually pleasing and honestly sexy in design, with a heavy touch of technological innovation. As mentioned in the beginning, we appreciate the innovation from a design aspect, rather than only technologically, because sometimes that’s equally important.

Compared to our Adidas Adizero experience in the Adizero review we did not long ago, the Nike Superfly III is a boot that is slightly heavier, but offers more support to the foot and takes a bit longer to break in. Not everyone is a Superfly III player, so to end the review and introduction to the Nike Superfly III, we’ll ask you the question: Are YOU superfly

They cost £279.99 from our friends over at Kitbag. You can order your pair today, and get unique embroidery for only £10 extra. Click the image below to find out more, and to see all available colourways:

Theo Walcott modeling the Arsenal 11/12 home kit & Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly III

Also see: Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly III Introductory Post | Who is Superfly