Have Nike Just made the Best Turf shoe in 2026?

Vapor 17 Pro turf. Is it any good? Look, if you want the new Mercurials, but you play on older artificial grass pitches or turf pitches, what do you do? Well, you go and buy the Vapor 17 Pro turf and pray that they're good, right? Or you could watch my review where I'll tell you what they do well and also where they could be better to hopefully help you decide if you should buy these bad boys or not. And if you decide not to, I'll also give you my favorite alternative in the end. Let's kick it. So as the name suggests, this is not the top tier Vapor 17 Elite with a turf outsole on. No, you will have to settle for the Pro version, which means that you get the Flyknit upper instead of the Atomknit upper from the Elite. That's not all bad though. So basically Atomknit is a stretched out variation of regular Flyknit where you have the yarn stretched to a point where they lose their elongation, so basically their elasticity or their ability to stretch. And that also means that you get a really thin and very light upper that also still has a good amount of structural integrity to it because, well, it can't really stretch anymore. And that's really cool. It's a very nice upper. But the thing is that when you play on artificial grass or turf, the boots are gonna take a proper beating because of all the abrasion that you get from playing on a plastic pitch basically. And with my experience from playing in both the FG version of the Vapor 17 Elite with the Atomknit upper and the Vapor 17 Pro with the Flyknit upper, it does seem as if while Atomknit is super nice, Flyknit is just a little bit more sturdy and feels a little bit more durable to me. So while I would normally complain that we can't get the Elite versions of the turf boots, in this instance, it's cool. But the upper package that you get is actually quite solid, if you're into that sort of fit at least, because the fit in the Vapor 17 Pro TF is it's snug and it's close and relatively tight and really sock-like. And the thing is that while the Flyknit upper here is it's relatively nice and somewhat pliable, I would say, it doesn't quite have the same like premium, really easygoing, very straightforward way to kind of like mold to the shape of your foot. But once you get it broken in, it does soften up quite well. And initially, it does have a slightly, you know, plasticky, slightly structured, rigid feel to it and you can kind of get it to have that plasticky poppy sound. But again, that's just the top film layer here that needs to soften up a bit. And once it does, it gets soft enough to feel relatively accommodating. In a restrictive way, I would say, because the toe box here, it doesn't look like the most low-pointed thing in the world. But because you have an insole that's on the thicker side, the volume overall in the Vapor 17 Pro turf feels a little bit lower than it does in the FG boot. And that also means that I do have a little bit of space to kind of like wiggle the tip of my toes, but it's not a lot. And overall, it feels, it doesn't feel restricted, but you feel more focused inside of the boot. And for me, I have a slightly high bump right here on my foot. And it just feels overall a little bit tighter than the FD version of the Vapor 17 Pro does. So, it's not uncomfortable, but you have to appreciate this more, you know, focused, personal, snug fit. Now, when it comes to the lock down, I do mis-admit a little bit here, because while I find it does soften up quite well, I also feel that it's too soft in the midfoot, lacks a little bit of structural integrity, meaning that it doesn't really lock your foot that much in place when you make those lateral movements. Especially because also while the heel is, it's okay, when it comes to like locking, because of the shape mostly, it pinches nice up top. Personally, I also do have a little bit of depth space right here, where it simply opens up too much for my taste around the foot. And admittedly, I have a relatively slim heel, so if you have a wider or wider, wider or larger heel, it might be a little bit better. But personally, when I plant my foot on artificial grass or turf, the shoe kind of gets stuck. It doesn't move much. So, if my foot moves inside of it, because it has extra space to do so, and it's not fixated in place, it can lead to some slipping, and it can also just lead to not feeling completely responsive inside the boot. And for a speed boot or speed shoe, to me, that's relatively important. And personally, I would probably have swapped the feel in the heel and the toe around, if I could do that. Slightly more free feel in the toe, and a bit more fixation in the heel. Maybe it's just me though. Size-wise, I've gone true to size with my usual Nike size US 7, UK 6, Europe 40 and Japan 25. For my foot, that's 24.8 centimeters long, and I would say slim to medium width. And true to size is definitely the right move for me. It is a little bit snug in the forefoot, yes, but going up half a size, I feel, would just leave too much depth space lengthwise, for me to feel like properly connected with the boot. And going down half a size is not an option for me. That would be, that would be straight up torture. Now width-wise, it is, it is on the more snug side, and definitely not the widest thing in the world. So while you can open it up, because the tongue is a little bit stretchy, you can fit in with a wide foot, but you have to be okay with a really snug and personal, and like very skin-tight feel. If you like that, cool, but just keep it in mind. It's under On the outsole, Nike have gone for a diamond-shaped traction pattern, which is optimized to give you enough grip to avoid slipping or sliding when you plant your foot, but still allow you those little micro-movements or slips, that can mean the difference between getting injured or not. Also, Nike have gone for their React X midsole here in the heel, which is quite snappy. You've got a really firm response, which on a speed shoe like this is really nice. It's definitely not as cushioned as you would get if you have, for instance, a Lunalon foam. But again, it's soft and cushioned enough, and then again, it's made for speed, so you want to have that kind of responsive sensation as you push off. The outsole is nice, too. The traction pattern here is actually really good. It's nicely balanced to the point where you feel that you have enough traction. There's very, like, a nice spread-out bite, I would say, where you have all these little edges that are constantly in touch with the ground. So you have this really, like, it's both local, but also, like, very uniform in the way that it bites in a really, really good way. It might not be the most responsive turf outsole that there is, but I really like that it gets you enough traction to feel really responsive and efficient on both lower artificial grass pitches, but also on turf pitches, and still it feels safe. And I feel that Nike have found a very, very nice balance on this outsole. I never had any problems with slipping. It felt responsive, and again, I felt safe wearing these on short artificial grass pitches and on turf. And to me, that's what matters. As for the touch, you get a very, very straightforward feel on the ball. Yeah, that Flyknit upper is really straight to the point, to be fair. It's very close to the ball. It's really thin, feels rather sharp, and because you have this slightly matte coating on top of the Flyknits or the film we talked about earlier, you have a little bit of tactility, just a little bit of grip on the ball, where it's not too sticky either. 95% of the time, at least. On a really hot, very dry day, especially if you play with a new match ball, it can feel a little bit stickier than you would expect, but most of the time, it is just very no-nonsense, like you would expect a speedball to feel. Now, obviously, you also have a little bit more bulk and, like, solidity in especially the toe, because you have that higher toe lip that's there for durability and protection, but honestly, it didn't take me that long to kind of get used to and adjust to, and still you have the very low, nimble feeling of a regular football boot. So, for those of you that are used to wearing FG or AG boots, it's a very nice turf shoe to transition into, because it feels like a regular football boot and not this, like, really chunky shoe that you also see. So, yeah, you get the point. However, there are actually a few things in the way of me completely and utterly loving these. So, here are four annoying things that you also need to know about. And the first thing is that these gaps on the side of the heel, they frankly annoy me a little bit. I want it to love the heel and it's decent in places, but having these dead spaces and meaning that my foot can move around inside the heel is just some missed potential. Look, when you play on an artificial surface, you want that feeling of secure locking, of that, you know, the boot just holding your foot in place. And even when I wear grip socks, that's just not really the case here. So, giving us the heel from the Vapor XVII Elite, where it's just tighter, I would have loved it, but they didn't and and as a result, I don't love it as much. And look, out of all the things the Nike could have adapted from the Vapor XVII FG variation, they took the flexibility in the midfoot and transferred it to the turf version. And look, I understand that a lot of players like to have a little bit more, like, freedom on their turf and artificial grass boots, but for me, like, having no stiffness and stability in the midfoot also means that I just lack that secure anchor underneath my midfoot and the feeling of being able to efficiently transfer power from my midfoot to the toes as I accelerate. And again, I just, a little bit more structure, a little bit more firmness would have gone a long way. And also this thicker, more padded insole, which kind of takes up a lot of the volume inside the boot, which means that next time I'm wearing these, I'm going to swap them out for a thinner insole. And the fact that I have to do that annoys me because I'm lazy. And finally, midfoot lockdown, not the strongest. So, for your own sake, wear grip socks. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that the Vapor 17 Pro Turf is a solid turf shoe and actually a really, really solid option if you're used to wearing regular FG Mercurials and you want that familiar feel, that sleek feeling of a regular football boot, but of course with that added and optimized safety and grip turf outsole that you get on this variation. However, personally, I will say that I expect to spend more time in this, the Jumbo Leggero Pro Turf, which to me, it does many of the same things. However, it's softer, it's more comfortable, it has a stiffer midfoot in the outsole, it's a little bit heavier, 40 grams in my size doesn't really matter, and then it's just way more durable as well. So, does many of the same things. Lockdown is a little bit better too. The heel, I think, is better because it has the suede liner. So, to me, it's just a little bit more of a holistic experience than this. However, still, the Vapor XVII Pro Turf, I think it's better than anything you can get from Adidas or Puma and a very speedy turf shoe as well. So, definitely a lot to like and at the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference. So, if you want this, you can get it in the link to this post right over there, but don't go and buy it until you tell me what you actually think of the Vapor XVII Pro Turf. Let me know in the comment section right down below. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel with the notifications on and with those words, I'll be signing off. Cheerio!