white vapors or lunar manias? background(optional to read): im a pretty quick forward leaning toward the vapors. i like the minimalistic nature of them and the simplicity, though i cant try a pair on, as no stores in my area carry them. however, ive always been an adidas man, and the manias look beautiful, but i dont know if i really need the vamp things, and the vapor seems jsut more appealing.
i personally like the vapors because they are lightweight. They conform to your foot and fit real nice.
Man this is like having to choose between Pepsi and Coke. I'll take Mountain Dew uh I mean Adidas Supernova. Like the Manias but no pred. stuff and just a bit cheaper.
if youre leaning towards vapors, then get vapors. you can always send them back. why do you need other opinions to make a decision...they are only just that, opinions...other peoples thoughts on something.
these are two different shoes. you should try on both before coming to a decision. i have worn both, and they both have their strengths and weaknesses. vapor - lightweight, great fit and touch mania - glove like fit, better cushioning once you get used to the vapors, they are pretty comfortable. if you decide to buy the mania's, buy some shorter laces with it, the laces that come with them are ridiculously long. i prefer the vapor, the mania's aren't as great during wet weather because the leather absorbs the water, making it heavier; cleaning isn't as fast, the width of the tongue on the mania is quite small, i can see my socks sometimes. i dunno, its all preference, i want to try the new k-leather vapor and the new umbro xai.
basically, i just wanted to see if there were any horror stories , like our team having 4 different pairs of kelme master whites rip out last year in less than a month, or anyone thinking one is the greatest shoe ever.
i know 3 people with vapors and all 3 complain of blisters all the time. that swayed my decision away from those, i ended up getting the new supernovas.
I personally think that you if the Mania's are anything like the Manics, go with em. I love my Manics, they are so flippen comfortable right off the get go! I'm on my second pair (wore the champagne ones last year) They are sweet cleats but i did have the shoe rip off its platform on the inside of the foot area.... which was very disapointing. I just busted out some shoe goo however. But the comfort of the cleats convinced me to buy new ones
I have had two pairs of vapors( the first black pair and the chrome R9's) the black ones got the tounge ripped out becase some jack ass wearing metal tipped screw ins tried to take my leg off below the knee and got his stud stuck under the small tounge attachment and it ripped and the chrome ones i sent back because they didn't have as much extra support as they said they did from the first series. I coach a kid who just got teh white vapors and they do look sharp but you have to get use to striking the ball in them because it will come off your foot different at first. I also have had the maninas in black and red and the black ones fit well in the store and I really liked them untill i played in them and they killed my toes i tired everything even getting them streched at a cobbler and it didn't work so i went up a half a size and they fit in the sote as well but when i was sprinting in them my foot felt like it was sliding around. If I had to recomend one or the other I would say Vapor because I am a Nike guy. I would say a good compromise is the Total 90 ll's in KNG-100 those are the best boots on the market in my view they are lighter than the Mania and just a few ounces more than the vapor and they don't hold water at all and you can wear them right out of the box due to the slightly wider last and erognomic fit of the shoe plus they cost less money Eastbay has the black and royal blue for $109 and the New white ones that just came out look real nice since you seem to be leaning to a white boot as your color of choice.
Having worn and used both I'd have to lean towards the Vapors, for much of the same reasons as pointed out by other guys. They're superlight and problems like kicking,touch,blisters can all be overcome by wearing them in and getting used to them. The heel area is definitely a problem at first but I put some soft rubbery wetsuit material on the heel and now I've been blister free eversince. I know you may say why waste time with boots like that but now I feel I have the best boot the market has to offer with no pitfalls. The preds were nice at first but they soon felt like I was wearing Clogs come winter and felt very sluggish in them. Theyre excellent if you're a midfielder for tackles long balls but lack the required sharpness of a forward (despite the fact Del Piero, Raul etc wear them but these guys rely on their skill more so than pace). Thu in the end it comes down to shape of your foot, what role you play and your requirements.
to someone who has the vapors - how is the comfort? that seems to be the one little thing with them, but i would think after breaking them in they'd be ok?
Havent tried or even seen the K-leather round my parts thu they do sound in theory more comfortable though theyre slightly heavier according to various sites. The vapors are very comfortable once you break them in and get used to the stud pattern. Mind you theyre pretty uncomfortable on very firm pitches in late spring and summer. On the other hand Manias are comfortable right out of the box and never caused me any grief. Anyone know whether the Vapors will ever come out with a coating on them like the Total 90's or Lotto's X-Grip?
I have the Chrome R9 Vapors from the world cup that Ronaldo wore. For a while, I had to wear bandades and blister pads just to keep from getting them and I still got them. Now they are Fine. But I am a center midfielder and I wish that I had the Predators. I would say a forward would like the Vapors better. So since you play forward, I guess go for the vapors but be sure to wear them alot and get them broke in.
Believe it or not it is actually not a bad idea to listen to other peoples thoughts and opinions about something.
I do not own them but I was Hershey PA earlier today before the whole tournment I was coaching in got called off due to the the weather so before the two hour drive home I stopped by a soccer store I know in the area called Angelo's soccer Corner www.soccercorner.com which has one of the best selections of top end boots in a true store setting around on the East Coast I tried on the K-Leather Vapor and it was very nice I liked it more than the Nike Skin one and it was only about an ounce heavier which is nothing really once you have the boot on your foot and are running around. I am like I said partial to the total 90 and tiempo permier series so I didn't pick them up even though I was kinda debating about it but the last thing I really need is more boots but if you are looking for the vaopr with more foot protection go with the K-leather and i would guess the break in time would be about th same as nike skin because the nike skin does shape quickly to your foot.
The current crop of vapor's the black/red, white, and chrome R9's do not have control coating but the nike skin on them is a bit "tacky" compared to the other vapors and seems to have more of a sticky surface which I am guessing is why they have a bit more shine to them then previous models. As far as I know the Total Control for nike is reserved for the KNG-100 boots and that is all as of right now the only mercurials I know of with touch coating are the first two models and then the match mercurial which are about 2 ounces heavier than then the current vapor model and about even in weight with the Kng-100 Total 90 ll's.
I started out with Mercurial Talaria, a cheaper version of the vapors, as a practice boot. At first I hated them... they were very comfortable and light, with excellent grip and feel, but I could not get under the ball to take goal kicks if my life depended on it. Kicking as I used to would seem to shank off to the left. Someone above me was right... you have to get used to the way they strike different. When my other shoes ripped in half (bottom-of-boot-completely-gone-beyond-the-repair-of-Shoo-Goo) and I didn't have another choice, I got the opportunity to break them in and get used to them... now they are, in my opinion that will not be easily changed, the best cleats ever now that I learned how to hit the ball correctly with them. I even decided to go out and get the +$100 Vapors (chrome, of course), and I like them even better. Go for what you're leaning toward... I guarantee you won't be disappointed. As for the mania's, while having never tried a pair myself, have heard of many ups and downs, many of which others have already mentioned.
if you are a forward, and you rely on your speed to beat defenders, DEFINATELY go with the Vapors. The stud design is design strickly for that purpose. Numerous times i have beaten defenders one on one because of the traction i can get and how quickly the cleats release from the ground, unlike my old pair of Diadora Brasil's (which i loved). The blisters comes, and they go away eventually. Also, if you wear white socks, the boot will stain your socks. I have a bunch of soccer socks that are lightly dyed blue. I've never tried the Manias, so i can't say anything about them, but i always understood that Adidas is for the players who create, Nike is for those who finish. But no matter what, you'll be gettin a great pair of boots.