Converse Jack Purcell -- Are they suitable for court use?

[Raul_SJ]

Converse Jack Purcell CP Navy

Once a performance court shoe, the Jack Purcell lives on as a stylish yet classic casual shoe.

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/catpage-MSCON.html#

Does "Casual Shoes" mean that these shoes are not meant for on-court use?

[Bobby Jr]

I played a guy who was wearing them a few weeks ago and asked him the same thing. He said they're good for tennis and more stable than you expect. Not sure how stable.

[gavna]

Well up until about 1980 you would see them all over the place.......these and tretorns and other canvas shoes were the norm. Cant compare to what we have now but still a good solid shoe and when broken in do fit really well. I wear my Purcells with jeans and khakis now

[slymule]

Back in the 70's, when I was playing tennis in college, I bet the majority of the players on our team used to wear Jack Purcell's. Haven't bought a pair since then but I've also been out of the game for the last 37 years. I wouldn't be afraid to try another pair.

[db10s]

Suitable for sure; they were produced in collaboration with Nike and I THINK, they are similar to the Vapors.

[canadad]

You could use them for tennis, but I would not. I have a pair and I have never gotten so many compliments about how cool my shoes look. I would never wear them on the court, they would kill my feet and shins. After a few hours of wearing them, I have to walk around barefoot because my feet start to cramp. I went for a walk with them this summer and after a kilometer I had to sit down and stop because my shins splints flared up worse than they had in years. Basically, they are some of the coolest shoes I have ever worn, but definitly the worst comfort wise.

[Raul_SJ]

Originally Posted by db10s

Suitable for sure; they were produced in collaboration with Nike and I THINK, they are similar to the Vapors.

Yeah, I was just wondering cause the description says "Once a performance court shoe, the Jack Purcell lives on as a stylish yet classic casual shoe."

So it looks like it's being touted as a casual shoe, NOT a tennis shoe.

I am not really shoe-knowledgeable on what features it lacks that make it unsuitable for play.

I do know it looks great. And I picked up a pair on clearance and it feels comfortable to walk in but it's half a size too large for me, so I haven't yet been inclined to use it on court.

Converse, IMO, has made a marketing error by not marketing and updating their retro tennis shoes. They could have had success with them as they have had with the retro Chuck Taylor basketball shoes

[TW Staff]

The Jack Purcell CP is more of a casual shoe, though the Jack Purcell Evo is built for court use.

Tiffani, TW

[Rabbit]

Originally Posted by db10s

Suitable for sure; they were produced in collaboration with Nike and I THINK, they are similar to the Vapors.

Nike owns Converse. sucked 'em up some time ago.

[Borrelli]

From my experience just wearing Purcell's and tretorn's casually I could never imagine how people played tennis in them back in the day.

Those Purcell Evo's do look pretty comfy for modern tennis though. Think I'm gonna grab a pair myself.

[tennisinoc]

I would not use them for match play. Perhaps for casual hitting I would but definitely not for competitive play. They are a bit bulky and heavier than a performance shoe. Not as snug and supportive as I would like. Outsole is so-so. But if you care more about looks vs. performance on the courts, go for it. I wear them out casually with jeans all the time and get compliments on them.

[teckid]

I've played in mine only once when I went to watch some friends play and I was in street cloths and they asked me to hit a few. They felt similar to an Oscillate but not as soft. They do have Nike's Lunarlon cushioning but are built pretty solid and have a decent amount of stability. I would not rank them on the 'tour' vibe of the Vapor Tours or the CB .3s but more a Vapor Club and CB .2.

Definitely usable on the court, but for anyone who actually knows what they are enough to own them would probably be serious enough to own a more elite level shoe for play.

I do get a lot of complements on them when wearing casually. They have enough of a classic sneaker vibe to pair them with jeans and not look like you are wearing court shoes, nice jean-lay as they say. Big fan of traveling with them as they are very comfy and neutral colors to can wear with a lot of things and walk around in them all day.

[tennisoh]

I can't tell which JP shoe people are talking about in their posts. Some sound like they are talking about the Evo, which comes with a 6-month guarantee, while others seem to be talking about the more stripped down model.

On a somewhat related note, has anyone worn out their Evos and sent them in for a replacement? I wondered how that works with Converse.

[2ManyAces]

I'd love to have an old school match in khakis, polo shirt, complete with wooden racquet.

I might do this and make a video.

[Borrelli]

Originally Posted by tennisoh

I can't tell which JP shoe people are talking about in their posts. Some sound like they are talking about the Evo, which comes with a 6-month guarantee, while others seem to be talking about the more stripped down model.

On a somewhat related note, has anyone worn out their Evos and sent them in for a replacement? I wondered how that works with Converse.

Pretty positive the OP was talking about the original canvas purcell's but somewhere people confused it with the Evo. With a 6 month sole warranty there shouldn't be any confusion as to whether the Evo is good for tennis...

[teckid]

I was speaking of the EVO, can't imagine walking a mile in an original/classic JP pair let along play tennis.

(although I did have a pair of John Varvatos JPs that were extremely comfy, as those editions add a much nicer sole than the classic JPs)