a3 accelerators: initial impressions

[d]ragon

[d]ragon

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wore through my babolat AC3s and so i ordered a pair of these. came in the other day and some observations:
  • pretty narrow fit. read TW's review and they said it was "snug fit" but i thought it was definitely narrow. im gonna exchange for a 1/2 size larger and see if that helps
  • length is true to size
  • looks like a sturdy shoe. the silver along the bubbles looks cheap but the rest of the shoe seems pretty well built
  • also in TW's review, they mentioned a problem with heel slippage. i found the same thing. walked around the house and my heel would slip out of the shoe alot. still
    thinking of a way to counter this (chime in if u hav any ideas)
  • the sole pattern looks pretty good. of course i wont know how good traction is until i;ve actually played with them
  • laces are shorter than im used to. normally my tennis shoes come with ample shoe lace length. im thinking this might be because i tied the shoes up very loosely to
    counter the narrow fit
  • the high arch support is definitely noticeable. not recommended for flat footers

all i can think of right now. i;ll definitely post more info on how the shoe plays once i exchange them for a larger size. if u;ve got any other questions, i;ll try my best
to answer them but i;ve already put the shoes back in the box and taped it so im not sure how much i can help

UPDATE: i really did not like the heel slippage so i;ve exchanged these for another shoe (vapor 5s). so no review will be coming, sorry guys
but if you;re interested, see http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showt...50#post2575650 for my impressions of the vapors

cheers
 
Last edited:
The sole didn't last long for me. I've had Barricades and they lasted 3+ times longer than these did. Also, the stitching on the leather toe-cover came undone every 2 weeks on mine. I just took them to a shoe repair place every once in a while and that did the trick. Overall, the durability is terrible. I liked the shoes performance, but it didn't last.
 
I've been using the shoe for about 4 months now. The fit is indeed narrow and there's a little slipping in the heel, but it's not bad when you're playing. I do like the traction, though. For my money, I think the a3 prevail is a better fit but not as good looking.
 
I agree that they aren't as durable as Barricades. I'd also like to add that I find them lacking forefoot cushioning, which is why I don't wear them on hardcourts.
 
yeah they definitely dont have that much forefoot cushioning. The barricades are a bit heavy to me but not by that much. I play on hard courts and burn through these shoes every 4 months, usually holes develop on the top of the shoe and the traction wears off really easily in my opinion. But overall a very good shoe (if you can purchase new ones frequently).
 
mendozer said:
yeah they definitely dont have that much forefoot cushioning. The barricades are a bit heavy to me but not by that much. I play on hard courts and burn through these shoes every 4 months, usually holes develop on the top of the shoe and the traction wears off really easily in my opinion. But overall a very good shoe (if you can purchase new ones frequently).
Click to expand...

Try the Barricade II if you find the IV and V to be too heavy. The II is lighter and more cushioned than the Accelerator.
 
Yo Dragon, I have these shoes and I think they're great. I'll admit like everyone else the traction isn't as well as the barricade, but this is a shoe that is slightly lighter, built for comfort, and has a warranty. So you have to look at the reasons why people would opt this instead of the barricades. And the heel slippage thing I sort of found a solution that works for me, maybe you can try. If you use one of those ultra thin athlete socks, try using a regular sock then. Also where you wear out on the sole does count as well. I tend to wear out my shoes evenly, but on my first pair of these the bottom wore out the quickest and it was eating through the plastic really bad. I slid a couple of times on hard court as if it was a clay court. I really like this shoe and would prefer these over the barricade IV, but I have yet to try the Barricade V. Hope this helps.
 
ambro said:
The sole didn't last long for me. I've had Barricades and they lasted 3+ times longer than these did. Also, the stitching on the leather toe-cover came undone every 2 weeks on mine. I just took them to a shoe repair place every once in a while and that did the trick. Overall, the durability is terrible. I liked the shoes performance, but it didn't last.
Click to expand...

The stitching on mine lasted about three weeks. These shoes are crap. Had they not been a gift to me and had I had the original receipt, I would have returned them if not thrown them into the counter. I keep telling the person that gave them to me for a gift that they work great to pacify them.

Yes, I scramble on the court and play four to five days a week. But the 6 month guarantee should be about 6 weeks to the normal player. I have played Barricades for years and took a chance on these when asked what I wanted for my birthday. I'll NEVER play anything outside of Barricades.

These shoes fell apart in what seemed like minutes compared to the Barricades. I can still cut the grass with the Barricades I bought four years ago. These shoes in mention were in the trash two months after purchasing them.
 
so i got 1/2 size up and it definitely helped with the narrowness. the length is a bit longer than I would like buts its not a big problem. the fit went from too narrow to glove-like, nice and snug. the laces are still abit shorter than i'd like.

the heel slippage is still very noticeable. i cinched the top lace and it helped abit but my heel still slips out and its very distracting. not something i look for in a shoe and i will probably return these/exchange for another shoe.
 
I have had a couple pairs of these shoes and i have found the same problem with the heel slipping; however, they feel more comfortable than the barricades and they are lighter which is better for someone like me. I move around the court a lot and they are a maneuverable shoe. But, that's just my opinion.
 
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