Double Fault
Semi-Pro
Clay courters! A brief comparison between Babolat Team Clay II and Yonex SHT306CL
Hey there! If you're a clay courter looking to try some new shoes, you might be interested in this opinion.
Keep in mind at all times that I absolutely love Yonex as a manufacturer of anything related to tennis, so yes; I might be biased. Also, before buying Babolat or Yonex shoes I used to play with any shoe that seemed to have a tread suited for clay. I usually ended up with basic Nike shoes. Now that we got that out of the way, lets proceed!
First of all, I don't really believe in bs technologies. I don't believe in Microgel, in ElasticTI, Aeromodular Technology, Aerogel, and I especially don't give a rat's ass if shoes have Michelin rubber, Super Ergoshape, Power Cushion, or whatever. I wan't to know how they feel and if they provide what I need.
Babolat Team Clay II
I got these on sale when Team Clay III arrived to my country. The distributor had some left over stock and he was nice enough to give me a nice discount.
Right off the bat, you could tell this shoe had your heel covered. Somehow, the shoe embraces and lifts your heel into an extremely comfortable position. I was coming off from a sprain and this shoe (and ASO ankle braces) was great in getting my confidence for using that foot. Basically, I knew I could focus on my game and forget worrying about spraining it again. When I tried it on it was extremely comfortable; probably one of the most comfortable I've ever tried because of the heel lifting thing.
However, on the court, the story changed slightly. There was bad finishing on the inside of the shoe and there was a little spike somewhere in there that rubbed against my toes and it opened a wound. It took me like 3 weeks of heavy use (and a lot of damage to my toe) to wear down the spike with the foot's friction. There was some serious breaking in to do. Also, keep in mind that if you're buying Babolat shoes, you're going to need to order one full size bigger than your normal size.
Other than the breaking in and the little spike which caused excruciating pain for weeks, this is an overall great shoe in the comfort department, not so performance-wise. I could never trust the sole of the shoe. On several occasions, my foot would lock when sliding, causing me a lot of sprain scares and sometimes knee pain when I had a lot of momentum.
Visually, I like the design of the Team Clay II over the design of the SHT306CL.
Yonex SHT306CL
This is the clay court specific version of the SHT306. I guess the CL stands for CLay.
Anyway, there was no breaking in needed for this shoe. It is a slip on, tie and hit the court thing. There was no discomfort from anything on the inside of the shoe.
In the comfort department I found it quite disappointing, not because there's anything wrong with it, but because it doesn't have anything spectacular about it. It feels like a regular shoe with no ankle support like the Team Clay II's have. They felt just like my 50 buck Nikes that I used to play with (and still have, by the way).
The huge advantage that the SHT306CL has over the Team Clay II (and probably over any other shoe) is its sole. I had to step in a court and start playing to actually appreciate the full potential of this shoe. I don't think I've ever been as confident on the court as now. The shoe slides when it has to, stops when needed and gives traction when you need it. It is like if it had a microcomputer inside telling it what to do under any given circumstance. I cannot emphasize enough on how pleased I am with the performance the sole give the shoe.
Since I've already had two sprains, I don't like risking my feet. The Team Clays gave me great ankle support which complemented the ASO ankle braces nicely. However, since an ankle brace is enough to give the foot proper support I prefer a shoe that does what I need it to do and fortunately, the Yonex SHT306CL delivers.
Designwise, the SHT306SL's are not that nice. They have this shiny material (looks almost like that horrible shiny crap on Federer's Wilson bag) and quite honestly, they seem a bit too spacial for my taste. The Team Clays have a much more sober design and it look a lot more simple and down to the point, even though the color pallet of the SHTs is a lot nicer.
Conclusion
I'm liking the Yonex shoes a lot better, even though I'm not too comfortable with the overall comfort and design. Sure, they're new and I'm stll popping their cherry, but it doesn't seem like they're going to give me trouble any time soon. The sole alone is worth the entire shoe, even though some people might mistake it for a grass shoe.
I'm keeping the Team Clays, but I can guarantee that I won't use them as often as the Yonex ones.
We'll see down the road about the durability of them...
Hey there! If you're a clay courter looking to try some new shoes, you might be interested in this opinion.
Keep in mind at all times that I absolutely love Yonex as a manufacturer of anything related to tennis, so yes; I might be biased. Also, before buying Babolat or Yonex shoes I used to play with any shoe that seemed to have a tread suited for clay. I usually ended up with basic Nike shoes. Now that we got that out of the way, lets proceed!
First of all, I don't really believe in bs technologies. I don't believe in Microgel, in ElasticTI, Aeromodular Technology, Aerogel, and I especially don't give a rat's ass if shoes have Michelin rubber, Super Ergoshape, Power Cushion, or whatever. I wan't to know how they feel and if they provide what I need.
Babolat Team Clay II
I got these on sale when Team Clay III arrived to my country. The distributor had some left over stock and he was nice enough to give me a nice discount.
Right off the bat, you could tell this shoe had your heel covered. Somehow, the shoe embraces and lifts your heel into an extremely comfortable position. I was coming off from a sprain and this shoe (and ASO ankle braces) was great in getting my confidence for using that foot. Basically, I knew I could focus on my game and forget worrying about spraining it again. When I tried it on it was extremely comfortable; probably one of the most comfortable I've ever tried because of the heel lifting thing.
However, on the court, the story changed slightly. There was bad finishing on the inside of the shoe and there was a little spike somewhere in there that rubbed against my toes and it opened a wound. It took me like 3 weeks of heavy use (and a lot of damage to my toe) to wear down the spike with the foot's friction. There was some serious breaking in to do. Also, keep in mind that if you're buying Babolat shoes, you're going to need to order one full size bigger than your normal size.
Other than the breaking in and the little spike which caused excruciating pain for weeks, this is an overall great shoe in the comfort department, not so performance-wise. I could never trust the sole of the shoe. On several occasions, my foot would lock when sliding, causing me a lot of sprain scares and sometimes knee pain when I had a lot of momentum.
Visually, I like the design of the Team Clay II over the design of the SHT306CL.
Yonex SHT306CL
This is the clay court specific version of the SHT306. I guess the CL stands for CLay.
Anyway, there was no breaking in needed for this shoe. It is a slip on, tie and hit the court thing. There was no discomfort from anything on the inside of the shoe.
In the comfort department I found it quite disappointing, not because there's anything wrong with it, but because it doesn't have anything spectacular about it. It feels like a regular shoe with no ankle support like the Team Clay II's have. They felt just like my 50 buck Nikes that I used to play with (and still have, by the way).
The huge advantage that the SHT306CL has over the Team Clay II (and probably over any other shoe) is its sole. I had to step in a court and start playing to actually appreciate the full potential of this shoe. I don't think I've ever been as confident on the court as now. The shoe slides when it has to, stops when needed and gives traction when you need it. It is like if it had a microcomputer inside telling it what to do under any given circumstance. I cannot emphasize enough on how pleased I am with the performance the sole give the shoe.
Since I've already had two sprains, I don't like risking my feet. The Team Clays gave me great ankle support which complemented the ASO ankle braces nicely. However, since an ankle brace is enough to give the foot proper support I prefer a shoe that does what I need it to do and fortunately, the Yonex SHT306CL delivers.
Designwise, the SHT306SL's are not that nice. They have this shiny material (looks almost like that horrible shiny crap on Federer's Wilson bag) and quite honestly, they seem a bit too spacial for my taste. The Team Clays have a much more sober design and it look a lot more simple and down to the point, even though the color pallet of the SHTs is a lot nicer.
Conclusion
I'm liking the Yonex shoes a lot better, even though I'm not too comfortable with the overall comfort and design. Sure, they're new and I'm stll popping their cherry, but it doesn't seem like they're going to give me trouble any time soon. The sole alone is worth the entire shoe, even though some people might mistake it for a grass shoe.
I'm keeping the Team Clays, but I can guarantee that I won't use them as often as the Yonex ones.
We'll see down the road about the durability of them...
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