kabob
Hall of Fame
I got a pair for $80 shipped from **** and I am a consistent NTRP 4.0 singles/doubles player for some background 
Day 1
After two hours of play, I'm a little disappointed. And the problem is one thing but that one thing might have me chalking up this purchase as a loss and scrounging around online for a pair of Breathe Free IIs.
First, the good aspects. I think the design is fabulous; by far the most good-looking pair of athletic shoes I've ever owned. I have a neutral arch that tends to pronate under pressure and these shoes seemed to accomodate. The fit is comfortable but extremely stiff the first time I put them on due to the shoe being a more classic construction of a leather upper with a sewed in tongue. I prefer the sock style one-piece inner liner of the Breathe Free II, though, as that design conforms to your foot. Fortunately, I wore the shoes all day before stepping out on the court and they did break in quickly. Around the court, they didn't prove to be so light that I felt my foot was on the verge of rolling or so heavy that I felt bogged down. My lateral movement and footwork actually felt improved. Traction was excellent on a straightforward concrete hardcourt surface. I didn't slip or slide even once. As for cushioning, despite the Shox technology, I didn't feel that these cushioned especially well or especially bad; more of an inbetween feel which was perfect for my personal philosophy on how a shoe should compromise between cushioning and providing good feel.
And now I come to the bad. The leather upper is a multipiece construction. I think a few of you have already guessed my complaint and are groaning. The toe box portion of the upper is a separate piece from the middle and there is a seam that runs across the shoe where the two pieces join. On my left foot, this seam is rather thick and rubbed against my pinky and ring toe (?) rather excessively during play... enough so that I might have potentially developed blisters if I were playing a league match rather than drilling and a doubles match as I had last night. The right foot I could feel the seam but it didn't seem as prominent and didn't bother me.
I would really like to give these shoes a fair chance. Partially because I spent so much on them, already
I'll continue to wear them in a non-tennis setting to allow them to break in more properly and will update this thread as I get in more court time with them.
Any questions, feel free to ask :mrgreen:
Day 1
After two hours of play, I'm a little disappointed. And the problem is one thing but that one thing might have me chalking up this purchase as a loss and scrounging around online for a pair of Breathe Free IIs.
First, the good aspects. I think the design is fabulous; by far the most good-looking pair of athletic shoes I've ever owned. I have a neutral arch that tends to pronate under pressure and these shoes seemed to accomodate. The fit is comfortable but extremely stiff the first time I put them on due to the shoe being a more classic construction of a leather upper with a sewed in tongue. I prefer the sock style one-piece inner liner of the Breathe Free II, though, as that design conforms to your foot. Fortunately, I wore the shoes all day before stepping out on the court and they did break in quickly. Around the court, they didn't prove to be so light that I felt my foot was on the verge of rolling or so heavy that I felt bogged down. My lateral movement and footwork actually felt improved. Traction was excellent on a straightforward concrete hardcourt surface. I didn't slip or slide even once. As for cushioning, despite the Shox technology, I didn't feel that these cushioned especially well or especially bad; more of an inbetween feel which was perfect for my personal philosophy on how a shoe should compromise between cushioning and providing good feel.
And now I come to the bad. The leather upper is a multipiece construction. I think a few of you have already guessed my complaint and are groaning. The toe box portion of the upper is a separate piece from the middle and there is a seam that runs across the shoe where the two pieces join. On my left foot, this seam is rather thick and rubbed against my pinky and ring toe (?) rather excessively during play... enough so that I might have potentially developed blisters if I were playing a league match rather than drilling and a doubles match as I had last night. The right foot I could feel the seam but it didn't seem as prominent and didn't bother me.
I would really like to give these shoes a fair chance. Partially because I spent so much on them, already
I'll continue to wear them in a non-tennis setting to allow them to break in more properly and will update this thread as I get in more court time with them.Any questions, feel free to ask :mrgreen:
