T22, T22 Lite, or Speed FF for Knee Comfort?

[TripleB]

After reading through a good number of posts about shoes (and shoe qualities) that help ease the pounding on 'older' or/and surgically repaired knees (mine have 45 years of playing tennis on them and the left knee has gone through microfracture knee surgery) it seems like there are a couple models that keep being mentioned: Prince T22, Prince T22 Lite, Asics Solution Speed FF, and Adidas Barricade Boost.

The T22, T22 Lite, and Speed FF are the three in this group that interest me the most. The reason being is that many years ago I used to only wear Prince tennis shoes (mainly because at the time I was worried about my ankles and they were one of the few companies that offered 5/8 height shoes). Before the Asics Challengers that I currently have (and can't stand) I wore the Asics Gel Solution Speed 2. I loved this shoe (although a tad more cushioning might have helped, so I bought a couple pair on closeout, but didn't care for the Speed 3 model. I've tried Barricade's in the past and they never seem to fit my sort of flat overpronating feet.

So, for anyone who has worn any of these three shoes, what are your thoughts on comfort, support, ease on the knees, and durability?

I think of a "Lite" shoe being under 13 ounces or so but I noticed that the T22 is 16.7 ounces and the T22 Lite is 15.6 ounces...so the T22 Lite isn't much lighter than the regular T22 and not nears as light as I was expecting.

So as far as the T22 is concerned, does the T22 Lite really offer a great deal more quickness on the court than the T22? And if so, what do you lose in cushioning, stability, and comfort by going with the T22 Lite?

Even though the Speed 2 was pretty light, I never felt like my knees paid the price for their lightness...pretty comfortable and quick (so I know knee comfort out of a mid weight/light shoe is possible). For anyone who has tried the Speed 2 and the Speed FF, can you please give a comparison of the two as far as support and fit?

Thanks for any help you can give me in finding a quality shoe to help my knees!

TripleB

 

[TahoeTennis]

Asics ss2 are GOAT in every way yo

 

[markwillplay]

I like the t22 lites better than the t22. I have a pair that I wear. I bought another pair in same size and they felt too big. I am currently wearing the sfx2 but if I decide to go back to the prince shoe I will order two sizes

 

[AllTennis01]

I am not familiar with the new Asics FF shoes so can't comment there other than they seem to be getting quite favorable feedback.
As for the T22, I still think this was the best tennis shoe I used. They were nice and wide in the toe box, not too wide just very comfortable
in that area. I don't believe I have wide feet, just like the feel of roominess without excess space, also being fairly low to the ground this combines
very well creating stable and comfortable feel. Just saying this is not just for people looking for "wide" shoe.
The cushion of the insole was great, so was the upper material. One drawback was these shoes were not
very sexy looking, lol. Another was that they started changing the shoe a bit, I guess depending where they were made the fit
was not exactly the same. The variability of that made me look elsewhere. Not sure if this is still the case, so yes you could order
two different sizes to check. I suppose with TW return policy you can give them a shot and even if that don't work out still can
end up trying others if needed. Only other shoes I liked as much was the original SFX. The new SFX 2 while still having great insole,
and good outsole, the upper material is not as comfortable for me, a bit rubbery feel. Still a great shoe, just not as good as original.
i still use GR6 in the rotation as well as Barricade Boost, none of those provide as much comfort as the T22.

For T22 vs Lite, I did like the Lite version very much, one difference between them was the upper material, the Lite's had even more comfort there.
The insole on the Lites was also slightly less beefy than the ones on the regular ones.
So you do loose a bit of stability because of less stiff material in the uppers, which also slightly affects durability.
Having gone thru ACL reconstruction on both my knees, I think I'd choose the standard T22 over Lites, even if I liked
Lites better overall from comfort perspective.

Yeah, T22 was a great shoe, I should stop looking for all other more flashy shoes and just go back to them, hopefully they fit the same.
Btw, while the T22 does look bulky, and the Lites did feel a bit lighter and responsive, I never thought they were too heavy.

 

[TripleB]

Thanks to everyone for your input!

I ordered a pair of the Prince T22 Lite shoes - I'll let you know how it goes once I get them in tomorrow and wear them a bit!!!

TripleB

 

[The Big Kahuna]

Knee pain is most often caused by shoes that do not have enough support. I have tried about everything and I would rate them as follows in terms of support and cushion for tender knees:

• Adidas Barricade Boost
• Nike Zoom Zero

Other good options:
Asics Resolution
New Balance 1296
Prince T22
Babolat Propulse Fury
Diadora Speed Blueshield 2 AG

 

[TripleB]

Wore my T22 Lite shoes to the courts for the first time today and played about 2 hours of singles. I must say I'm pretty impressed by these shoes!

I was a bit worried because wearing them around the house there was a slight slippage on my left heel and when I tried to tighten them up they were a bit too tight on the top of my foot. I'm not sure what clicked this morning, may have been the fact that I wore a newer pair of Adidas socks, but I had no slipping at all at any point wearing them. They offer great support (moreso than my Ascics Speed 2, or my current Challengers), excellent grip, and excellent cushioning. They run a bit taller and a bit heavier than my Speed 2s that I loved so much, but I didn't' notice the extra height or extra weight once I started playing.

As far as my knees, it's tough to compare these to the Asics Gel Challengers I wore the last couple times I played. I played two hours on hard courts this morning and the last times out with my Challengers I wore them for about three hours each night but on clay courts. My knees definitely feel much much much better today than when I wore the Challengers.

Again, just first time on the courts with them but am very happy with my choice right now. Will update after a few more times out!

Thanks for all the advice!!!

TripleB

 

[a10best]

Wore my T22 Lite shoes to the courts for the first time today and played about 2 hours of singles. I must say I'm pretty impressed by these shoes!

Thanks for all the advice!!!

TripleB

Good to hear.
Problem,....!!!! This shoe is being discontinued. I can't find the black and alien blood green anymore.
It feels so much liter than the regular T22 which felt like bricks.