On THE ROGER Pro 2

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they look great, probably one of my favorite tennis shoe aesthetic ever visually, but I can't possibly see that being worth it or outperforming other more worn and tested popular tennis shoes.
 
Did anyone notice the little black piece on the lateral side of the shoe? Thoughts on this?

Also, the Speedboard piece on the mid/outsole, i've seen pictures where it is a carbon fiber piece, but other pics show a plastic/CF look. What does the actual product have?
 
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So, I made the poor financial decision to get these and I regret it after I played in my brand new ASICS Solution Speed FF 3s last night. Both hurt the lateral side of my feet. The RP2‘s plastic lateral piece only hurts my left foot. The SSFF3 hurts the RIGHT foot on lateral movement. Go figure.

Speeds feel like I’m just walking on a slightly cushioned ground (think yoga mat) whereas the RP2 feels like I’m walking on corporate-office carpet (with a sock on). This probably only makes sense in my head - but I prefer the ASICS cushioning. There’s more give even if it’s a minimal.

The only thing the RP2 has going for it is that it’s cool looking (to me). You’re just buying the cachet. The performance isn’t horrible or anything.

Just initial thoughts - they might evolve (like my feelings towards the NB CT Rally).
 
Wore these for the first time tonight. I like them better than the original, and I liked version one. It is a bit tighter which I like a lot, and they do feel a bit lighter and faster. Feel similar to the Vapor 9/9.5 (my favorite shoe) but not quite slipper-like to be as good as the Vapors. But when I’ve worn through all the 9.5s I bought last year, this will be my shoe.
 
ATX Tennis said:
Wore these for the first time tonight. I like them better than the original, and I liked version one. It is a bit tighter which I like a lot, and they do feel a bit lighter and faster. Feel similar to the Vapor 9/9.5 (my favorite shoe) but not quite slipper-like to be as good as the Vapors. But when I’ve worn through all the 9.5s I bought last year, this will be my shoe.
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And if you're my size... look in the FS section!

I actually think these uppers are more luxe looking. The Vapors do have a more adaptive fit overall, though. I think function wins over form in this case.
 
I ordered a pair of the clay version because I got a credit from ON for my problems with the Roger Pro. (Go read that thread if you're interested)
Long story short, ON handled the situation exceptionally.

Now...their order processing leaves something to be desired.
Ordered Monday (7/15) STILL has NOT shipped.
CS simply said the warehouse has it and is working on it, with no real useful input given.
 
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Chairman3 said:
I ordered a pair of the clay version because I got a credit from ON for my problems with the Roger Pro. (Go read that thread if you're interested)
Long story short, ON handled the situation exceptionally.

Now...their order processing leaves something to be desired.
Ordered Monday (7/15) STILL has NOT shipped.
CS simply said the warehouse has it and it working on it, with no real useful input given.
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that's funny you write that. I ordered something earlier last week and I got a follow up email thinking they had arrived but it was days later and just shipped. Nike light years ahead. i have also had a quality issue on a pair of Ons and they were flawless, just had to send them a picture and I received an apology and credit within hours.
 
chapmpe said:
that's funny you write that. I ordered something earlier last week and I got a follow up email thinking they had arrived but it was days later and just shipped. Nike light years ahead. i have also had a quality issue on a pair of Ons and they were flawless, just had to send them a picture and I received an apology and credit within hours.
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Interesting, apparently the order processing is a weak link for ON.
I gave huge kudos to their customer satisfaction team though.
 
ollinger said:
By all means, $199 for shoes that TW consumers gave an average rating of 3 out of 5, with numerous complaints about lack of comfort. I'll take that money and buy 4 pair of very comfortable leading brand shoes on clearance.
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I’m pretty sure that it’s including the reviews from the first generation as the reviews go back to multiple years ago.
 
ollinger said:
By all means, $199 for shoes that TW consumers gave an average rating of 3 out of 5, with numerous complaints about lack of comfort. I'll take that money and buy 4 pair of very comfortable leading brand shoes on clearance.
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They were free for me, that's the only reason I got the Pro 2.
I already like the Pro but agree they're too expensive.
I use them on clay so do get more time than hard court users would.
 
FINALLY...
Got my shoes (I'll post pics later)

So the score for ON is
+1 on customer satisfaction
-1 on order processing time (ordered 7/15, shipped 7/23)
<shrug emoji>

Only wore these around the house for a few minutes, ordered my normal size 11.
I feel like I might need an 11.5, they are definitely less roomy in the toebox. Sometimes I think with the Roger Pro I could go a half size up too, but I think the toebox being more open helps them feel like I've got enough room. With these though, the 11 feels a little tight. I like the way they hug my foot but feel like there's a distinct possibility I'll want more toe room once actually on court. The hard part is I have to decide that before I know whether it's true.

Other observations:

-They feel less substantial than the Roger Pros, makes sense with the more minimal upper and tongue.
-I wish they'd kept the Roger Pro tongue, not a fan of these thin tongues on shoes.
-They do feel good. They remind me alot of the Vapor X in the shape/size/fit. Main difference is I wore an 11 in those shoes. Also they don't feel as flat or close to the ground. These have a lower ride but kind of feel built up or like you're on a bit of a platform. To me the Vapor X just always felt flat, but in a good way.
-The outsole is different than represented in the pictures. Not sure if the pictures were pre-prod or what, but for these clay versions what you get is actually more aggressive than how it looks in the pictures.
-The heel counter doesn't seem as stiff/sturdy as on the Roger Pro. This is based just on me touching the material.

I do think if you wanted a slightly narrower toebox than what's on the Roger Pro, these would suit you well.

These are very preliminary observations. I'll wear around the house more to decide on sizing and try them on with my Roger Pro's.
 
Couple outsole pics, trying to get more definition so the difference is obvious

gOucMs.jpg

EjDQWL.jpg

So the tread is more aggressive than the pictures around the web show. This reminds me more of Asics.
Also, it is kind of a "tapered" design. The forefoot above the speedboard is definitely deeper than the mid and heel portion.
I like this because that's where you need the grip.
 
I also figured out the heel counter thing I mentioned.
8V2i05.jpg

The Roger Pro has almost a two-layer heel counter. The top part (1) extends around the heel and has a plastic piece inside and is then supported by the black piece (2). You can definitely feel a larger plastic piece inside the heel where (1) is.
The Roger Pro 2 doesn't really have the top layer. You can see from the (red circle) the aesthetic part of the heel counter ends much sooner. And when you feel the heel from the inside, there isn't the same thick piece of plastic.
Also when you squeeze the sides where the opening is, the RP2 is more flexible.
 
I think I'm keeping the 11. They didn't feel as tight today and side by side with the Roger Pro, were pretty similar. Still a roomier toebox on the original but the shape is a little different so that's not a surprise.
IF I were getting them for hardcourt, I'd probably want the extra room as I don't slide on hardcourt and would want the space to avoid toe jamming on hard stops.
On clay, where the movement is a little more fluid I can (and have) worn my shoes a little tighter without issues. As long as I keep my toenails trimmed [too much, bro :-D]

Anyway, as I start playing in them I'll update some more, so stay tuned or don't. I don't know it's the internet
 
Chairman3 said:
I think I'm keeping the 11. They didn't feel as tight today and side by side with the Roger Pro, were pretty similar. Still a roomier toebox on the original but the shape is a little different so that's not a surprise.
IF I were getting them for hardcourt, I'd probably want the extra room as I don't slide on hardcourt and would want the space to avoid toe jamming on hard stops.
On clay, where the movement is a little more fluid I can (and have) worn my shoes a little tighter without issues. As long as I keep my toenails trimmed [too much, bro :-D]

Anyway, as I start playing in them I'll update some more, so stay tuned or don't. I don't know it's the internet
Click to expand...
What about the insoles mate? can you take them out and put one insole over the other to see if there is any overlap? Would be interesting to see if they have the identical footbed. If there is no overlap, that means the tightness is derived from a tighter upper as opposed to any alterations to the footbed itself.
 
Well I kept the 11...

Got to use for a whopping 15 minutes on a slightly very puddled clay court.
The rain did not want me to get to try these.

So basically no significant observations but here you go...
Court feel is still good but different than the Roger Pro. You feel the tread more because it's so aggressive but you aren't insulated from the court.
I think they will probably open up a bit as they get used. They didn't feel too tight but I also wasn't really moving aggressively at all.

@d-quik so I did what you said. The insoles were exactly the same, at least to the naked eye. But the upper design/shape definitely makes them feel narrower. There isn't as severe a lateral flange shape like the Roger Pro so they don't feel as wide. I don't know how they accomplish this if the sole is the same but I tried them on side-by-side and they feel different.
 
At first, I found these pretty tight in the forefoot; disappointing. So I took out the insoles, and used a super-thin sock, and now they are quite a bit roomier. I like the shoe, it's low to the ground, great ground feel. It seems like a really beefed up/structured shoe; but it doesn't feel like one on the court. Barely noticed them once I got used to them. They are way too shiny white for me; scrubbed some dirt on them. Now they're perfect.
 
Chairman3 said:
Well I kept the 11...

Got to use for a whopping 15 minutes on a slightly very puddled clay court.
The rain did not want me to get to try these.

So basically no significant observations but here you go...
Court feel is still good but different than the Roger Pro. You feel the tread more because it's so aggressive but you aren't insulated from the court.
I think they will probably open up a bit as they get used. They didn't feel too tight but I also wasn't really moving aggressively at all.

@d-quik so I did what you said. The insoles were exactly the same, at least to the naked eye. But the upper design/shape definitely makes them feel narrower. There isn't as severe a lateral flange shape like the Roger Pro so they don't feel as wide. I don't know how they accomplish this if the sole is the same but I tried them on side-by-side and they feel different.
Click to expand...
the sole is narrower. 12 cm wide originally and slightly under 11 1/2 cm on the 2's.
 
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