Vapor 9.5 vs Lunar B 1.5 vs Zoom Cage 2

How would you compare these 3 in terms of fit, breathability and durability? I don't care about cushioning.

Vapor: for me little too narrow and too hot. First shoe ever that makes my feet burning hot and crazy wet. Also they smell disgusting and it doesn't get better by leaving them in fresh air.

Zoom Cage: Same size but feels way bigger. They are too loose if I play with thin socks, but with socks like Nike Crew they feel perfect. Better breathability for me, but not sure about the overall performance of the shoe. Only thing is I'm really glad my shoes don't get so wet from sweating like in Vapors.

Haven't tried the Lunar Ballistecs yet because of mixed reviews, but I really like the cosmetics of the black/lava and black/volt. Are they really even hotter than vapors? And how is sizing since TW says they fit long, but I assume they won't fit even bigger than Zoom Cage?
Of course easiest way to find out is to check them in a store, but there is none close to me.
 

Tuskarr

Semi-Pro
Having worn both the vapors and lunars for the past year, if you think the vapors are too hot and narrow then you probably wont like the lunars.

I wouldnt say that the lunars are noticeably hotter than the vapors. My feet dont sweat in either so might want another's opinion.

Go half a size down on the lunars. I wear the same size in the lunars as i do in the air max cages, which iirc fit about the same as the zoom cages
 

Rosstour

G.O.A.T.
Love Vapor and Zoom Cages. Can't do the LBs, they are really uncomfortable.

And yeah, Cages are notably bigger--I take a 7 in Vapors, 6.5 in Zoom Cages and even those can be a little big.
 

Lukhas

Legend
No real reason, just like how they look. I've had asics gel resolution and barricades in the past.
Well if the Vapor are too narrow and hot, don't buy the Lunars. I can confirm on the fit, and others can confirm on the ventilation... You're probably better off looking at other brands.
 

ArliHawk

Hall of Fame
I've used all 3, and like the cages and vapors. In my experience, the Lunars are too mushy at the beginning and then bottom out quickly. Love the Vapors for game day, and like the cages for longer days. Guess I am just a fan of the firmer feel in shoes.
 

swizzy

Hall of Fame
have used all three..and the zooms with double sock has been extremely great for me.. they wear well, roomy, comfortable.. double the sock and the comfort is only enhanced.. love the look of the other two.. they both are ovens though.. the mesh vent on the lunars helped.. but still some of the sweatiest shoes ever..
 
have used all three..and the zooms with double sock has been extremely great for me.. they wear well, roomy, comfortable.. double the sock and the comfort is only enhanced.. love the look of the other two.. they both are ovens though.. the mesh vent on the lunars helped.. but still some of the sweatiest shoes ever..

Well if the Vapor are too narrow and hot, don't buy the Lunars. I can confirm on the fit, and others can confirm on the ventilation... You're probably better off looking at other brands.

I've used all 3, and like the cages and vapors. In my experience, the Lunars are too mushy at the beginning and then bottom out quickly. Love the Vapors for game day, and like the cages for longer days. Guess I am just a fan of the firmer feel in shoes.

Thanks for the input. Seems like I can rule those lunars out :) Might look further for maybe asics or adidas then.
 

swizzy

Hall of Fame
adidas for me last half as long as nike.. one of the best shoes for me were the yonex.. i am very loyal to nike since their durability warranty is the best by country mile.. i have bought many a shoe for under $50 only to cash them in for full retail through the website.. have 3 fed hats and 6 pairs of shoes that i would not have if not for the kindness of..and ridiculous retail prices of their top shelf tennis shoes
 
adidas for me last half as long as nike.. one of the best shoes for me were the yonex.. i am very loyal to nike since their durability warranty is the best by country mile.. i have bought many a shoe for under $50 only to cash them in for full retail through the website.. have 3 fed hats and 6 pairs of shoes that i would not have if not for the kindness of..and ridiculous retail prices of their top shelf tennis shoes

I cant wear out shoes in a couple of months cause I mostly play on synthetic clay and clay. Yonex is something I'm considering too.
 

DanFuller

Rookie
I have had the cages and lunars. Cages first, they are good outdoor shoe which wear our very slowly. Double sock is required as they are very roomy. Toward the end of the life of the shoe they became very hard.
Lunars are a dream, perfect out the box good grip and fit like a glove with the adaptive feet. Yes they make you hot but with some drifit socks that eliminates that issue.
 

Faker

Semi-Pro
My experience with the 3:
Vapors: My shoe for the past almost 2 years now. Love the low to the ground feel, it really doesn't get better than this in terms of performance. Excellent breath ability. You probably know this, but wears out REALLY fast. Cushioning is okay, but it does have the worst cushioning of the 3.

Lunar Ballistec: Wore this for 1 match. Great cushioning and still lightweight. Breath ability is passable. In my opinion the "hotness" is a little exaggerated by some users. Unless you are consistently playing in 90 degree Fahrenheit plus weather it shouldn't really be a problem. If you slide on hc then this shoe is great for that too(better than the vapors). I couldn't make the switch to this shoe since the vapors just have that addictive feather-like feel to them. Can't really comment on durability since I didn't use it for an extended period of time. It does fit slightly long like TW describes.

Zoom Cage/Air Max Cage: I never wore this, but I did wear the air max cage for a period of 2 months last year. Slightly wider fit than the vapors. This is my opinion, but I don't see how someone could switch to this shoe. It is just okay is everything. Not as lightweight as the other 2 and more clunky feeling. Durability is great and breath ability is okay. Nothing spectacular about it at all.

So at the end of the day it is between whether you want to low to the ground feel of the vapors or the more durable and cushioned lunars(you said you don't care about cushioning, but the lunars really are the best in terms of cushioning+lightweight enough feel). Honestly, I haven't found ventilation to be an issue for any of the 3, but to each their own.
 

darklore009

Hall of Fame
love the vapors of their comfort and lightweight. for the air max cage, the air unit on the heel poses a problem for me. LB you should stay away. The cushioning and traction dies out to the point you cant wear it anymore. Now I wear it just to walk around.
 
Having worn both the vapors and lunars for the past year, if you think the vapors are too hot and narrow then you probably wont like the lunars.

I wouldnt say that the lunars are noticeably hotter than the vapors. My feet dont sweat in either so might want another's opinion.

Go half a size down on the lunars. I wear the same size in the lunars as i do in the air max cages, which iirc fit about the same as the zoom cages

Hello, I am currently a 5.0 player using Pure Aero Plus & Solinco Hyper-G (1.25mm) and wear men's (10-10.5), have experience with every shoe (multiple pairs of each)
From 3 months of experience with the zoom cage 2, I can firmly say that they are next to unusable. They have lots of heel slippage and have terrible cushioning. They are uncomfortable shoes but they lack stability.

The lunar ballistic 1.5 is by far the best shoe on the market, they have good ventilation, cushioning, durability, and are extremely stable, equally as stable as Adidas Barricade Boost (2016). However, unlike many stable shoes, they are moderately light (13.8 ounces). They are basically the zoom vapor 9.5 tour with better durability and a 6-month durability guarantee. (You get two Lunar Ballistic 1.5s for under $90, which is a great price for performance shoes).

The Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour is the second best shoe on the market, (a 3-way tie between the barricade boosts 2016 and ubersonic 2). They have great ventilation,cushioning, and stability, and are light weight. Unfortunately, all of these come at a cost, durability. Theses shoes simply do not last longer than a month, 5.5 weeks at best. I would not mind this; however, they are expensive shoes ($100 at cheapest, and they don't have the 6 month durability guarantee.)

My top 3 shoes are 1. Lunar Ballistec 1.5 & Asics gel res (6&7). Tie. 2. Zoom Vapor 9.5, Adidas Barricade Boosts, Ubersonic 2. 3. Asics gel speed solution 2&3, Head Nitro Pro, Zoom Cage 2.
 

Fintft

G.O.A.T.
The lunar ballistic 1.5 is by far the best shoe on the market, they have good ventilation, cushioning, durability, and are extremely stable, equally as stable as Adidas Barricade Boost (2016). However, unlike many stable shoes, they are moderately light (13.8 ounces). They are basically the zoom vapor 9.5 tour with better durability and a 6-month durability guarantee. (You get two Lunar Ballistic 1.5s for under $90, which is a great price for performance shoes).

Let's stop advertising for them lol:
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...roper-cushioning.502040/page-11#post-11196837

And I agree with your first two choices as I actually prefer Asics GR on clay.
 
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