LPShanet's Review of the Wilson Trance All Court

LPShanet

Banned
Sorry for the long delay in getting this review posted. I've been traveling, and was on four different continents in the past three months. Luckily, that gave me a chance to try the shoes out in a variety of conditions.

Me
To give you an idea of how my review applies to your use, here’s a brief description of my playing style, level, etc. I’m a former college and satellite player who now plays mainly for fun. I was ranked as a junior, college player and adult, though I haven’t played enough open tournaments in the last few years to qualify for ranking. I still play some USTA open and age group tournaments, and am probably equivalent to someone ranked in the middle of the sectional rankings. My game is in the 5.0 range these days, although it used to be higher. I’ll typically play about 2 hours at a time, or slightly longer. I play both doubles and singles, and spend time practicing/drilling/hitting as well as playing sets, though I prefer an intense drilling session to a meaningless set. I’m an all-courter and hit with fairly heavy spin off both sides. Two handed backhand. One handed slice. I’m still quite fast, but am more of a shotmaker than a retriever. I’m about 5’10” and 150 lbs.

Now on to the shoes….

Styling
If you’re into high tech looks or current styling, appearance is definitely not the reason to buy these shoes. The color scheme, cosmetics and overall look of the shoes is pretty conservative. They’re pretty average looking overall, but at least they won’t offend anyone. The color scheme doesn’t take any chances, going with the typical tennis combo of white with navy accents.

Fit
My initial impression was that the shoe felt nicely contoured and “foot shaped”. Unlike some shoes, which just feel like flat, hollow empty spaces inside, the Trance All Court provided good internal support and conformed to the shape of my foot. The arch was medium height, and the heel fit well, allowing very little movement and sliding around in the shoe. Personally, I like an arch on the medium to high side, and this shoe was very comfortable for me. However, those with really flat feet might find it slightly too high. The length was true to size, and felt about the same as adidas in terms of sizing. The forefoot was slightly wider than the heel, allowing room for the ball of the foot. Overall, the fit was very good for a shoe in this price range.

Comfort
While the shoe was quite comfortable to put on due to its good fit, it did require some break-in. The synthetic leather used in the upper was fairly stiff, although it wasn’t particularly thick. This meant that although the shoe was comfortable out of the box to put on, it did have a few pressure spots during actual play. I wore the shoes for a few days to break them in before playing in them, but this didn’t do much. Particularly, the crease where the forefoot bends tended to dig into the top of my foot during the first few times I played in them. While this got somewhat better as the shoe broke in, there are definitely shoes on the market made of softer, more flexible materials in that area. The use of softer leather or even mesh over the tops of the toes (at the flexpoint) would have been an improvement.

Cushioning was just decent, and not as robust as on some top of the line shoes, especially in the forefoot. Since this shoe is referred to as an all-court shoe, I’m guessing they were trying to make it tough enough for hard courts while not making it too bulky for clay use. I’m pretty sure its predecessor was a clay court specific shoe, and the cushioning falls somewhere in between: more than absolutely necessary for clay, but not quite as much as would be optimal for serious hard court pounding by high level players. Still, for lighter weight players, and those of recreational level, the cushioning should be adequate on all surfaces. Jack of both trades, master of neither.

Durability
I’m pretty sure this shoe comes with a 6-month durability guarantee on the outsole. That’s a nice surprise at this price point, as outsole guarantees are usually reserved for $100+ shoes at the top of the line. My personal experience indicated that the durability of the shoe is excellent. I’m not someone who typically destroys shoes in a matter of a few weeks, so I don’t know how those ultra-destructive folks will find it, but I do wear out shoes in a pretty typical amount of time for a tournament level player, and these showed almost no signs of wear after several weeks of play. I would compare their durability to the adidas Barricades, and the fact that the sole wraps around the toe to form a rubber toe cap suggests that it would be good for serious toe draggers.

Construction
The upper is made primarily of fairly stiff and “plastic-y” synthetic leather, with nylon mesh in the tongue and on the rear section of the sides. There is a thermoplastic stability strap that provides good lateral support and a rigid plastic piece over the heel counter as well. Thermoplastic is also used in the arch area, presumably to maintain support and stability. The outsole, as described previously, continues up the front of the shoe and over the top to form a toe cap/bumper. The outsole is made of something called “durlast supreme”, which feels similar to other durability compounds. The tread pattern is a wide herringbone which seems intended to work on both hard and clay courts. It held pretty well on a clay court and slid in a controlled way, although overall the shoe feels slightly more like a hard court shoe to me.

Stability/Support
Stability and support are among this shoe’s strong points. While they weren’t Sherman tanks, they were very solid. It would be tough to roll these over, and changing directions felt very secure. The plastic support straps definitely work. Because the fit was fairly contoured, it helped keep me in place during play.

Weight
For a shoe as durable as this, the weight wasn’t bad at all. I’m not sure what the actual measured weight is, but it felt fairly light for a hard court shoe. It definitely didn’t feel quite as light as the Feather or other clay-specific models, but of its type, it was very reasonable in the weight department. Once points got going, I didn’t even notice the shoe’s weight in particular, which is a good sign, although it didn’t seem super-light despite a low measured weight.

Overall
In general, I think of this as a good “value shoe”. Yes, there are shoes that are tougher, lighter, more cushioned, etc. But as a combination of elements, and at a “take-down” price point, the Trance All Court is a really good value at $79. It’s light, strong, supportive and fits well. This would seem to bode well for Wilson’s top of the line shoes, as I think it compares very well with other brands’ take-downs.

Pros: good fit, solid support, light weight, excellent durability.
Cons: Stiff synthetic leather can compromise comfort and requires break in, cushioning could be better for hard court use, doesn’t play quite as light as its weight would suggest.

NOTE: For those who don’t know, a “take-down” is a shoe based on a top of the line model that has been modified to come in at a somewhat lower price point, usually by removing some features or using slightly less fancy materials. A good example is the adidas Tirand, which is a takedown of the Barricade.

Grades
Appearance 6
Fit 8
Support/Stability 9
Cushioning 5
Traction 8
Weight 9
Durability 9
Value 9

Overall Impression 8
 

bertrevert

Legend
"Take-down" explained... thanks.

Overseas customers cannot benefit from an outsole guarantee, whcih seems US specific, hence a "take-down" shoes appears a better option since we don't pay a premium for something we can't access.

How did you find its heat retention/dissapation?

As stable as a mid cut shoe?
 

LPShanet

Banned
"Take-down" explained... thanks.

Overseas customers cannot benefit from an outsole guarantee, whcih seems US specific, hence a "take-down" shoes appears a better option since we don't pay a premium for something we can't access.

How did you find its heat retention/dissapation?

As stable as a mid cut shoe?

Although you can't take advantage of the actual guarantee itself if you live overseas, when a manufacturer offers one, it suggests that the shoe probably has better durability than average (which I indeed found it to). Apart from the small group of players who actually trash guaranteed shoes enough to get a replacement, most people using any of the durability guaranteed shoes on the market never wear them out during the warranty period anyway.

A takedown is worthwhile only if the materials used aren't inferior enough to compromise performance. Usually it's not the warranty itself that makes a shoe "premium"...rather, it's the superior materials or construction that allow them to offer the warranty in the first place.

In terms of heat, I didn't find the Trance to be uncomfortable in temperature regulation, but I'm not super sensitive to heat in a shoe. The material used in the upper isn't particularly breathable (although it is perforated in spots), so it's possible that someone who really values ventilation won't love it.

In terms of stability, I found the Trance pretty strong. Comparing it to a mid-cut shoe is mostly a matter of perception, since studies have found that mid-cut shoes don't actually provide better support, they just provide the impression of support. I happen to like mid-cuts personally, but you'd have to specify which shoe you'd like me to compare its support to. In general, I think you'd find the support of the Trance All Court to be one of its strong features.
 
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