Tennis shoes today suck

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Deleted member 768841

Guest
The way the tread pattern gripped the court was just better. It was a modified herringbone that left a lot in contact with the court and provided tons of grip. The new X feels like there's not enough rubber touching the ground because of the wonky pattern and it doesn't go back as far in the forefoot. I actually really like the Wilson Rush Pro 3 and even the 2.5. I wish the 3 was more stable in the upper. It stretches out a little much by the time you wear out the sole so you have to keep tying them progressively tighter the more you wear them. The traction and padding is great though! Haven't worn the Amplifeel. I need the 6MO guarantee.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have the same problem that yo-yo has with the rush 3’s with the cage 3’s. I wore them to where they stretched so much I had a bubble forming at the end of the laces because of how tight I had to tie them. Bad design, but I tried a half size down and it’s working.
 

blablavla

G.O.A.T.
Do you play on carpet? Last time i played on it was in 1989. For clay, yes, you need specific shoes. But most of the season most of the people play on different hard courts. Basketball shoes can be use on it for sure.

yes, I play on carpet, and actually they do request that you have shoes designed for carpet.
clay shoes will destroy the carpet.
 

vandre

Hall of Fame
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does anyone else remember these? i had a pair of the blue/green ones back in the 90s during my college days. they survived that season and the next few years. the midsole broke down long before there was obvious wear on the soles. they were comfortable until they fell apart...they were all kinds of heavy though so don't skip leg day! ;)
 

vandre

Hall of Fame
yes, I play on carpet, and actually they do request that you have shoes designed for carpet.
clay shoes will destroy the carpet.

i hate to be ignorant but what sort of shoes do you use that are designed for carpet? i've never played on it.
 
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Deleted member 768841

Guest
I wish shoes costed less, however back in 2007-2009 there was a crash, so prices would change I think however I’m not an economist. However compare these prices to Nike’s insane overflated prices.

 

mctennis

Legend
@galahad
Great question!

I was actually thinking of doing a video on this-- but for now, I would say yes, the SoleCourt Boost, possibly even the Stycon (it is beefy and stable!), the Gel Res 8, the Lav...I can't personally recommend the Vapor Cage 4 yet as I have not worn them...stay tuned!

Michelle, TW
That would be great to have you do an informational video for us. Lots of misinformation out there.
 

Sardines

Hall of Fame
i hate to be ignorant but what sort of shoes do you use that are designed for carpet? i've never played on it.
Yes as mentioned, 'indoor' carpet or some places call them 'omni', which does outsoles are basically groveless smooth. Outdoor carpet is basically artificial grass with sand, and those require either clay, all court or even grass court shoes.
 

1stVolley

Professional
Is it not possible to buy tennis specific shoes that don’t feel like you are wearing cinder blocks??? I have worn vapors for years but these new ones are starting to feel clunky. Every shoe I have tried feels about the same. I have started to just play in running shoes. I know they aren’t made for tennis movement blah blah but these new “tennis” shoes companies are putting out are terrible. Yet, prices are higher than ever. We tennis players are quickly becoming the red headed step child of the sports world. We don’t seem to get the good stuff. We can’t buy shoes at footlocker anymore so it’s hard to try things on. Pro shops overcharge. But, man alive we have 1000 different poly choices we can pick from. Yay. End of line.
Good running shoes are expensive, too. In addition, many don't have non-marking soles so you can leave some nasty streaks on hard courts. The biggest problem with running shoes IMHO is that they are built for forward momentum and have less lateral support than tennis shoes (to keep their weight down). Tennis, of course, requires more total lateral movement than forward movement.
 

1stVolley

Professional
@galahad
Great question!

I was actually thinking of doing a video on this-- but for now, I would say yes, the SoleCourt Boost, possibly even the Stycon (it is beefy and stable!), the Gel Res 8, the Lav...I can't personally recommend the Vapor Cage 4 yet as I have not worn them...stay tuned!

Michelle, TW
I think the K-Swiss Ultrashot 2's fill in that gap, Michelle. They have more lateral support than the Gel Res IMHO and the width is better suited for medium width feet than the Barricades.
 

romurr

New User
I’ve been solely wearing cage 3 for year and half now and while they do the trick it could be better

I’m starting to consider looking into basketball shoes for tennis. Sane grip for court but more comfortable and stylish than anything in tennis at the moment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I quit wearing “ court “ shoes period .
“ outdoor “ low top / mid basketball shoes for me here on out . Unless some manufacturers can figure out a way to make a tennis shoe that actually follows the natural shape of the foot , instead of making a rectanglur box with the shoe material hanging off the inner side arch area
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
I quit wearing “ court “ shoes period .
“ outdoor “ low top / mid basketball shoes for me here on out . Unless some manufacturers can figure out a way to make a tennis shoe that actually follows the natural shape of the foot , instead of making a rectanglur box with the shoe material hanging off the inner side arch area
She quit too,
versatile-footwear-range.jpg
 

40L0VE

Professional
I quit wearing “ court “ shoes period .
“ outdoor “ low top / mid basketball shoes for me here on out . Unless some manufacturers can figure out a way to make a tennis shoe that actually follows the natural shape of the foot , instead of making a rectanglur box with the shoe material hanging off the inner side arch area

Adidas done something close to that in the 90s with the FeetYouWear (FYW) range. Best low to the ground tennis shoes I ever wore discontinued along time ago unfortunately. Everything I've tried since is bad in comparison.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Adidas done something close to that in the 90s with the FeetYouWear (FYW) range. Best low to the ground tennis shoes I ever wore discontinued along time ago unfortunately. Everything I've tried since is bad in comparison.
Recall NB Minimus shoes. Prince had a low-to-the-ground shoe too, NFF
MNFFLN-big.jpg
 
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Subway Tennis

G.O.A.T.
Lebrons and Hardens are soooooooooooo much more comfy than tennis shoes.

The Harden 4.... What a shoe. I know it's an acquired taste, but I also love the unusual silhouette of the design.

I think my only complaints would be the lack of ventilation, and some of the slightly-too-wacky-for-a-40-year-old-to-wear colourways in the synthetic versions of the shoe.
 

airchallenge2

Hall of Fame
The Harden 4.... What a shoe. I know it's an acquired taste, but I also love the unusual silhouette of the design.

I think my only complaints would be the lack of ventilation, and some of the slightly-too-wacky-for-a-40-year-old-to-wear colourways in the synthetic versions of the shoe.

Could you share a photo? I checked all their images on Google and didn't find any that I could wear and feel good about how I look. Maybe the all black one could work, and still cant' tolerate the wonky eye stay shape.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
I do not wear Lebrons/Hardens but my wife/kids/grandkids live in basketball shoes. Can feel the difference. Will wear the Sole Court Boost on clay this year if lucky. So many lightweight shoes with little cushioning.
 

airchallenge2

Hall of Fame
I do not wear Lebrons/Hardens but my wife/kids/grandkids live in basketball shoes. Can feel the difference. Will wear the Sole Court Boost on clay this year if lucky. So many lightweight shoes with little cushioning.
On clay you don't need that much cushioning, no? Personally I'm okay with less cush if feel close to the ground. More stable and faster this way on hardcourts.
 

Subway Tennis

G.O.A.T.
Could you share a photo? I checked all their images on Google and didn't find any that I could wear and feel good about how I look. Maybe the all black one could work, and still cant' tolerate the wonky eye stay shape.

I don't mind the black history month colourway, I replaced the bright blue laces.

I like the cookies and cream colourway, too.

The performance can't be beat, and it's led me to really stock up on these. I even grabbed a pair of the Gila monster colourway, which is substantially brighter in person than it looks in photos and is often nominated as one of the uglier colourways.

The shoe's cosmetic has really polarized people. Like you say, the lacing system is unusual. There is also a big "blob" of outsole on the medial side of the shoe, which is highly irregular and adds some weight to the shoe, but really locks the foot in.
 

Rosstour

G.O.A.T.
I may be in the minority, but I like weighty shoes. That's not necessarily the same as "clunky" - which suggests that the shoes are burdensome. I just like some decent weight, which often helps stability - not always looking for the lightest shoe.

I realized at some point that I preferred the feel of my Vapor 9.5s but that I actually played better in my Zoom Cage II.
 

Sardines

Hall of Fame
On clay you don't need that much cushioning, no? Personally I'm okay with less cush if feel close to the ground. More stable and faster this way on hardcourts.
The Stycon has a very responsive, low to ground feel. The all black clay Stycon works well on all courts.

Close to the ground with little support? Forgetaboutit
Have you tried the Stycon? It has excellent support and stability, good cushioning. and the weight of the shoe isn't as noticeable than the SCB.
 
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Deleted member 768841

Guest
For those wanting to wear basketball shoes, the kd13 looks to have some pretty awesome durability, considering how thick the outsole is. I may give it a try, but the pattern may not be good.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
The Stycon has a very responsive, low to ground feel. The all black clay Stycon works well on all courts.


Have you tried the Stycon? It has excellent support and stability, good cushioning. and the weight of the shoe isn't as noticeable than the SCB.
Thought about the Stycon Wed when it was $75 but not playing so why bother
 

Sardines

Hall of Fame
For those wanting to wear basketball shoes, the kd13 looks to have some pretty awesome durability, considering how thick the outsole is. I may give it a try, but the pattern may not be good.
KD13s are not XDR outdoor soles. So they will be shredded on a hard court. I forgot my tennis shoes once and used my KD13s and it got trashed.
Those were the clay version in black
Haha rub it in, will you!
 
D

Deleted member 768841

Guest
KD13s are not XDR outdoor soles. So they will be shredded on a hard court. I forgot my tennis shoes once and used my KD13s and it got trashed.

Haha rub it in, will you!
Wow, That’s crazy. I thought due to the rubber thickness it would be better, thanks for the heads up.
 

Sardines

Hall of Fame
Any love for the latest Nike Zoom Zero?
It's a very good cushion shoe, but not much feel on the court with the full air zoom cushion. What I like most about it is the curved outsole bottom which puts you on your forefoot naturally, sort of like a pronounced heel drop, but more natural. Durability isn't great and stability is good but not great. My least favorite part are the laces, which slip and have to be retightened to maintain the right fit.


Wow, That’s crazy. I thought due to the rubber thickness it would be better, thanks for the heads up.
It's rubber for hardwood floors. I have the glow in the dark ones, which look great in a night club dance floor, but not at a tennis club 'dance' floor, aka the hard court! You can order a custom KD13 with XDR. It's actually decent breathability, so wouldn't be a bad choice.
 
D

Deleted member 768841

Guest
It's a very good cushion shoe, but not much feel on the court with the full air zoom cushion. What I like most about it is the curved outsole bottom which puts you on your forefoot naturally, sort of like a pronounced heel drop, but more natural. Durability isn't great and stability is good but not great. My least favorite part are the laces, which slip and have to be retightened to maintain the right fit.
Yup, same thing with the air max wildcard. The upper gets the job done but isn’t barricade stability support.
 
D

Deleted member 768841

Guest
Same here. Court feel is a must.
I prefer having the heel well cushioned, the vapor x cushioning is great, but I love the gel resolution 8. Don’t know about court feel but it is hella comfortable.
 

Subway Tennis

G.O.A.T.
I prefer having the heel well cushioned, the vapor x cushioning is great, but I love the gel resolution 8. Don’t know about court feel but it is hella comfortable.

Have a look at the Adidas Harden 4. A big blob of lightstrike cushioning at the heel. And still has the best court feel of any shoe I've ever tried.

It's scary how far ahead of the curve these basketball shoe lines are.
 

Subway Tennis

G.O.A.T.
Put these plus 40 yo basketball players on cement in these shoes. See how they and their shoes hold up.

You don't like them? What issues did you have?

I've been wearing these as my hardcourt tennis and basketball shoes since they came out. The only complaint I have is the breathability (there isn't any lol)
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
You don't like them? What issues did you have?

I've been wearing these as my hardcourt tennis and basketball shoes since they came out. The only complaint I have is the breathability (there isn't any lol)

Basketball shoes have better cushioning but sketchy soles and toebox space. Easy to break toenails.
 

Sardines

Hall of Fame
Basketball shoes have better cushioning but sketchy soles and toebox space. Easy to break toenails.
Unfortunately, toe jamming is prevalent because many wear shoes for the look and fit of the shoe, but forget the most basic of criteria, foot shape to shoe shape in the front of the shoe. Basketball shoes, by virtue of a bigger market, has a lot more choices in terms of toe shapes. Unfortunately, basketball is mostly played indoors in the US, so there are fewer basketball shoes which have durable harder rubber outsoles, like Adiwear/XDR etc. As someone else said somewhere, outdoor soles are more prevalent in Asia.
 

Clash Ah ah

Rookie
The Asics Outlet website in the UK and Europe (not sure if the US has one) is always great for a bargain. I usually buy four pairs in one go and then buy again when I need to.
 
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