Some days ago, we reported that the revolutionary, high-end Mercurial Touch goalkeeper gloves are being sold at an outlet for a measly $20 instead of $150. The reason for that is that they rip very easily, often after just a few sessions. Now Nike announced that they have fixed the problems with the strapless gloves.
Strapless Nike Mercurial Gloves Sold for $20 - Have They Taken Off AT ALL?
The first-ever strapless Nike goalkeeper glove, the Mercurial Touch, was launched last summer. The Nike Mercurial Touch gloves brought cutting edge Mercurial technology, speed and agility to the goalkeeper glove. However, while goalkeepers couldn't wait to get their hands on them, they soon found out that this glove had some seam tearing issues.
Revolutionary 'Strapless' Nike Mercurial Touch Goalkeeper Gloves Fall Apart
Nike Fixes Tearing Issue Of Strapless Nike Mercurial Touch Goalkeeper Gloves
When Nike was alerted to the issue, they set out to find where the structural breakdown occurred, then they assessed how to reinforce the glove to prevent future tears.
SOCCER.COM received exclusive access to Arthur Molinari, head of the Nike Equipment Innovation and Test Lab. Molinari walked SOCCER.com through his team’s investigation into why the Nike Mercurial Touch Glove had torn.
"Our team’s goal was to maintain the spirit of the Merc glove being lightweight, conforming and agile, while also strategically reinforcing it. Our investigation process included the following three-step approach to efficiently reach the best solution possible."
1.Investigate and measure the glove on the goalkeeper. We wanted to know how much force goalkeepers used to take the glove on and off, as well as how it performed on-field to find the weak points.
2.Replicate our observations on-field in our lab. We used our machine to mimic how the gloves were pulled on to measure how much force it takes for the glove to fail.
3.Iterate new design concepts and test. With each redesigned element we ran multiple tests, both on our machine and with performance trials on goalkeepers, to make sure the glove can withstand certain movements.
Nike Mercurial Touch Glove Reinforced
"We ran this process, creating and testing hundreds of prototypes within a matter of weeks, to make the glove 3x stronger. At the same time, we were able to maintain the original designed fit and performance for the glove.
The improved design features strategic reinforcements where they go unnoticed to the athlete but add strength to the cuff, fingers and seams of the glove. The Mercurial Touch Gloves with the reinforced structural improvements look and feel the same on the outside, but if you turn the wrist inside out you will notice black material on the palm and along the seams."
Nike Releases Nike Mercurial Touch "1.5" Keeper Gloves
The Nike EQ Lab team’s dedication to quality has resulted in the Mercurial Touch Glove “1.5,” which lives up to the Mercurial namesake - cutting edge technology, speed, agility and dependability.
The re-launched strapless Nike Mercurial Touch "1.5" goalkeeper gloves are available on Soccer.com.
In Summer 2019, Nike will release the next-generation Nike Mercurial Touch 2.0 keeper gloves. It is safe to assume that they will also the fixes.
Will you give the fixed Nike Mercurial Touch goalkeeper gloves a try? Let us know in the comments below.