Tennis Warehouse: Babolat Jet Tere Playtest

TW Staff

Administrator
Attention Talk Tennis Members:

We will be playtesting a very limited number of Babolat Jet Tere shoes for a playtest. This playtest is for USA playtesters only.

{Application period is now closed. Selected participants will be emailed on Monday February 24th.}

The shoes shipped on March 4 via UPS Ground to the selected playtesters.

If you are selected, you must reply to our confirmation email and confirm that you are able to perform this playtest.

We select playtesters based on a number of factors, including past performance on playtests and message board participation

*** Please turn in your comments by TBD**

If you do not post a review or if your review is clearly lacking effort, you will be excluded from future playtests.

Please use the following to write your review:

Tennis experience/background:
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Current shoe:
How many hours did you play with the shoe?
Normal Size:
Playtesting Size:

Comments on shoe performance:

-comfort:
-arch support:
-stability/support:
-ventilation:
-sole durability:
-toe durability:
-traction:
-weight:

General reaction/comments on overall performance:

As always, we ask that this thread to be used only for questions, discussion and playtest reviews. Extraneous comments will be deleted.

Thanks,

TW Staff
 
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M Pillai

Semi-Pro
Looks like a shoe made for speed. Even though it looks tempting, I am going to skip this playtest, and look forward to reviews from other play-testers. Bookmarking to see the reviews later.
 

mhkeuns

Hall of Fame
Babolat shoes are very nice. Surpringly, Head, Wilson and Babolat have all exceeded my expectations. I used to be all about having the heaviest & most protective shoes, but there are lighter shoes with just as much support & protection as the heavier shoes.

Looking forward to the reviews.
 
Attention Talk Tennis Members:

We will be playtesting a very limited number of Babolat Jet Tere shoes for a playtest. This playtest is for USA playtesters only.

If you would like to apply for this playtest, please email discussadmin@tennis-warehouse.com with the following info exactly as laid out below. Please only provide the requested information (no extraneous comments, impromptu resumes, etc).

Email Subject: Babolat Jet Tere playtest

Name:
Mailing Address (one line):
TT Username:
Email:
Gender:
Size*:
*We have found the Jet Tere to run slightly small. We recommend sizing up a half size (example normal size 9, playtest size 9.5).

If you are selected, you must reply to our confirmation email and confirm that you are able to perform this playtest.

We select playtesters based on a number of factors, including past performance on playtests and message board participation

*** Please turn in your comments by {check back later for the date}**

If you do not post a review or if your review is clearly lacking effort, you will be excluded from future playtests.

Please use the following to write your review:

Tennis experience/background:
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Current shoe:
How many hours did you play with the shoe?
Normal Size:
Playtesting Size:

Comments on shoe performance:

-comfort:
-arch support:
-stability/support:
-ventilation:
-sole durability:
-toe durability:
-traction:
-weight:

General reaction/comments on overall performance:

As always, we ask that this thread to be used only for questions, discussion and playtest reviews. Extraneous comments will be deleted.

Thanks,

TW Staff
Applied. Very interested in trying Babolat Shoes.
 

Faris

Professional
Good looking shoe! I'll pass this time since I have a bunch of shoes I have to go through but I'll keenly monitor this thread as well. @TW Staff when will you guys finalize playtesters and any idea when the deadline for posting would be? Thx
 

djNEiGht

Legend
I looked up the description of the shoe and it is listed as narrow. Please dismiss my email as an applicant.
 

Rohith Kolli

New User
I am very interested in trying this shoe. I have used the babolat sfx in the past and did enjoy it, but the durability was simply not there. I want to compare this one and hopefully I can give you all a review if selected.
 

haqq777

Legend
Good luck to all playtesters! I didn't get the email so I dont think I got in. Nevertheless good looking shoe and hope to hear some great feedback.
 

TW Staff

Administrator
Emails have been sent out to the selected playtesters. If you have been selected, congrats and please respond to the email. If you haven't been selected, thank you for your willingness to participate and we already have a couple playtests lined up for the next couple months.

Thanks,
Brittany, TW
 
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Cyclone

Semi-Pro
Just got these in the mail, thanks @TW Staff! First impressions: very cool cosmetic (got the all black pair), comfortable to walk around in and flex well, great padding around the heel collar, uppers are pretty soft, feel light and responsive. Tongue is well padded. Pretty substantial drag guard material on medial toe side that extends vertically a good bit.

I went up a full size (8.5 --> 9.5) per TW's recs, fit like a charm! Will post more once I break them in and take them out on court.
 

OnyxZ28

Hall of Fame
Just got mine too! I am normally a 9 but sized up to 9.5. They still fit slightly short but not excessively so. The toebox is narrower than the solution speed 2, barricade 2018, and the SCB, but not as narrow as a size 9.5 Nike Zoom Zero. The right shoe weighs 324g and the left shoe weighs 330g. I like the front and rear lateral outriggers and the harder toe material that extends down from the toe to the sides. It looks like the shoe will not rely as heavily upon upper materials to provide lateral support as other shoes. I imagine the knit upper will stretch over time but the structural supports will still do their job. The provision of an extra lace hole for a runners loop is also a nice touch.
 

Uncoil

Semi-Pro
Received my Black pair today. I wear a 9.0 but went up to 9.5 as suggested. Out of the box impressions are they feel light. Build quality looks decent and materials feel pretty good. The upper materials feel light and flexible but could be durable. Heel area has thick cushioning compared to the rest of the shoe. Left shoe weighed in at 317g on my kitchen scale. Right shoe at 326g. I slipped in a pair of Superfeet Carbon insoles under the original Ortholite insoles. No issues with comfort so far walking around my backyard. Fit and length is close to my pair of NB Lav's in 9.0.
 

haqq777

Legend
Any testers with wide feet?
I will let you know when I receive mine on Tuesday. I have medium to medium-wide feet. Previous 2018 Barricade user, currently using SCB. Have also used Vapors, original Sprint Pros and other lighter and faster shoes in past as well. I requested half a size bigger for Jet Tere, as suggested by TW.
 

joah310

Professional
Got my shoes today! just putting it on, it feels like a narrower fit shoe. cushioning is ok, but arch support seems a bit low. lots of padding on the heel. BTW does anyone know if durability is good on babolat shoes?
 

joah310

Professional
played in the shoes. They feel great. Good traction, low to the ground, and decent support. Like them a lot so far.
 

TAB90

New User
Played in the shoes yesterday for a couple of hours. They were pretty great. Comfy right out of the box, super light and no break in period. Definitely on the narrow side, not a problem for myself though. Good traction. Will see how the outsole holds up, I tend to drag my toe on my serve.
First time wearing babolat shoes. I’m very impressed so far.
 
Received my shoes late yesterday! I tried them on and walked around the house for a bit... I'm glad we were warned about the sizing! I got a 1/2 size up and could probably go a full size up, especially with a thicker pair of socks or for some that wear 2 pairs of socks. Could definitely tell they were comfy, but not sure about quick movements in them. It's raining here all week, but will hopefully get some playing time in them this weekend!
 

haqq777

Legend
Got my pair yesterday (thanks Tennis Warehouse folk!) and already fiinished an intense, indoor, two hour session today. Initial feelings are great. No stability issue as I was fearing due to very soft upper. And comfort is fantastic. Shoe is light and fast. I'm glad @TW Staff told us to go half a size up. The shoe fits great but if it was any smaller, I'd be in trouble. A much better fit for my medium wide feet than Nike Zoom Zero, which I found to be very narrow.

LgVXBWI.jpg


Will start taking in detail notes and hopefully will have some useful insights soon.

Cheers
 
Had my first match play in these last night... Comfort is still the stand out feature of these shoes. I noticed a little bit of instability on lateral movements trying to slide into a shot, but other than that, I haven't noticed many downsides. Going to put some more time into these with match play and drills before I do a full review.
 

kevonian

Semi-Pro
@TW Staff Hi TW, I'm one of the playtesters but due to covid-19 i'm unable to get out and play. Will there be an extension to this review? I've been able to wear them but just haven't gotten out on the court.
 

TW Staff

Administrator
Attention playtesters,

We have extended the playtest two weeks. The due date is now April 22nd for your comments. Please send us a message if you will be needing additional time.

Thanks,
Brittany, TW
 
R

red rook

Guest
Tennis experience/background: Been playing around 8 years. Generally decent athlete but on slow decline, heavy basketball player in youth, golf, triathlon, football, track. Played 4.0 and now 4.5 tournaments. Goal is 5.0.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): At 6’3” main weapon is serve. Built game around that, which means trying to develop forehand. Backhand is a little scoopy but reliable. Aggressive baseliner but recently working on developing my net game.
Current shoe: I have MANY shoes. Being around 200 pounds and spending at least 15-20 hours a week on hard courts I go through a bunch. In the last year I have had three pairs of Nike Cage 3’s, three pairs of Nike Zoom Zero, a pair of Adidas Ubersonic 3’s, Asics FF2, Asics Gel Resolution 7, and Wilson Rush Pro 2.5. Yes, TW must love me. I have also ordered (but returned) the New Balance 996v3’s. I did have a pair of babolat propulse way back in the day, but I vaguely remember them.
How many hours did you play with the shoe? 20
Normal Size: I fluctuate my size with most of the above shoes between 11.5 and 12. Cage 3 12, zoom zero 11.5, uber’s 11.5, ff2 11.5, gel res 12, rush pro 12.
Playtesting Size: 12

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IMG-3219-1.jpg


Here is a few minutes of light hitting with the Babolat Jet Tere before I played a set with a friend:


Comments on shoe performance: First I would like to say these comments are based on my foot and my preferences. I have a pretty good tolerance for shoes but prefer a certain fit/drop that gels with my body.

-comfort: When first thinking about how I was going to write the comments for this shoe I thought it would be useful to compare the shoes to ones that I have worn in the past. As far as comfort goes, I’d say these are a performance-oriented shoe and low to the ground. Where the comfort excels in this shoe is the heel cushioning and very good padding around ankle and achilles. I believe this is why people find this shoe to be small at first. The cushioning around the ankle is so abundant that it pushes your foot forward. After continued use this reduces a little and opens up space for the front of your foot. When you first put them on, they will feel small. I’d say go up ~0.75 from your normal to smaller fitting shoe. That means I’d like probably a 12.25. 12 was the way to go, and after 3-5 hours they didn’t feel as small. I have a narrow foot and feel just fine in cage 3’s and zoom zero’s, which many find as too narrow, and I’d say they are comparable to these shoes in width. There are many great things about this shoe, my main knock is that the forefoot cushioning is lacking. However, that might not be a fair gripe, but I feel I should mention it. It might be because these are fairly flat shoes that the impact on the balls of my feet are more pronounced. Think forefoot of NB 996v3, but without the big drop that NB shoes have. The heel cushioning on impact is definitely servicable, and the cushioning of the upper around your ankle and heel is sublime.

-arch support: I felt these shoes are made for folks with low arches, and unfortunately I was “blessed” with high ones. I threw a pair of superfeet oranges in them to help here. I would like a bit better either heel to toe drop or a “rolling” effect than these shoes gave me. They are fairly flat and I have started trend towards the zoom zero sole. Again, that’s me and my preference.

-stability/support: Being that the upper is a fairly soft material I had my doubts that the stability would be there, but I never had any issues. The shoe’s outsole is pretty grippy, so if you’ve ever played basketball on a newly waxed and treated basketball court you know that it can make you faster with cuts but be a little hard on your legs. Even with the grippy outsoles I never felt I was in danger of an ankle injury. Good job here Babs.

-ventilation: This is always an area that other people are very mindful of, but I don’t really pay much attention to ventilation to be honest. I’m usually a sweaty mess no matter what, especially over 75 degrees. That said, the mesh-like material Babolat uses is very breathable and I wouldn’t be surprised to see people really talk up this section. I can say my socks never felt really heavy afterwards so the breathing must be there.

-sole durability: After many hours this shoe has actually held up very well. It does not have a sole durability guarantee, but these are a lightweight shoe, and will show more than say a barricade. I was pleased with the durability. I do like that the shoes' traction design is conducive to both hard and soft surfaces, a big plus for me as I play mostly on hard and most tournaments happen to be on clay.

-toe durability: I use a pinpoint stance on my serve and drag my foot there as well as on my forehand. It usually culminates in my right toe first. For a shoe in this category I’d say it’s bang on to slightly better than other shoes. Another kudos to Babs in this category.

-traction: I would say these are definitely on the grippy side. Now to me, that’s not necessarily a great thing, although many people prefer that. I prefer the sole of say the cage 3’s if I were to choose. These are grippier than the zoom zeros, which is actually my shoe of choice right now. Actually, these are probably the grippiest of all the shoes mentioned in my history above. It does make you very quick around the court, but was hard on my lower extremities. After 20 hours they are just now starting to slick up a bit and have gotten more to my liking. That is a preference thing, I know that, but felt I should mention it as it makes a big difference in my choice of a shoe. If I was going for a big match and needed sharp movements I would consider suiting these up - well sharp movements for me anyway :D

-weight: This is another one of the categories where the shoe will shine. They are listed at 12.4 ounces for size 10.5 and I don’t doubt it. They are light and quick. I use superfeet routinely in my shoes, which makes shoes in the 14-15 ounce range even heavier. Using this shoe with the superfeet helps to cancel out the extra weight I put in them to make them more comparable to your off-the-rack stock shoe. Good job Babolat!

General reaction/comments on overall performance: The last comment I would say are on the cosmetics. I like the black and white colorway, but think the yellow colorway might even be better. For the right foot I think these shoes could be dynamite and definitely worth a look!

I really enjoyed the experience of learning about Babolat shoes. Makes me want to dive into the other shoes in the Babolat family which I really haven’t taken a look at, including the jet mach series and propulse.

Finally, I would like to give a big shout out and thank you to Babolat and TW for the playtest!!
 
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haqq777

Legend
Babolat Jet Tere Playtest Review



Tennis experience/background:
37 year old former Div II college player. I usually hit with local DII college team kids at least twice a week in summers and time-permitting in winters and colder months. I have played with a variety of tennis shoe brands and I'm currently using Adidas Solecourt Boost. My backup in my bag right now is a pair of Babolat SFX3 which I love for the comfort. I was lucky enough to playtest those and purchased later as well from TW at a killer price. I have a ton of other tennis shoes in the closet as well which I rotate depending on my mood mostly.

Would like to mention that last summer I found out that I had torn meniscus in my left knee. Went for arthroscopy in Sep and even though was back on court after 4 months, it is still recovering and I'm still not feeling fully back to 100%. But definitely getting there. Has not been a quick sort of recovery as I expected. Many ups and downs even though everyone said it is just a meniscus tear.

My preference since then has shifted a bit from pure performance based shoe, to maybe more of a balance between performance with cushion/comfort.

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
I am an aggressive baseliner with a consistent game. Tend to avoid netplay and usually consider that as my weakness. I rate my forehand as my primary weapon. I hustle a lot all over the court. Have good movement. Even though my serves are not extremely huge, I have decent groundies.

My game mostly relies on well-placed flatter 1st serve and I can generally get away with a slower but well-placed 2nd serve setting up a put-away forehand. I have a one handed backhand that will always be a work in progress. My favorite shot is the inside-out forehand which very rarely lets me down. I am a chronic toe dragger on serves and splits, and that is where I can tell how durable the shoe is going to be.

Current shoe:
I am wearing Adidas Solecourt Boost these days. Was using the Barricade Boost 2018 before that. In lighter and faster shoes, I liked the Vapor 9 and 9.5, and original Head Sprint Pros before the Vapors. That said, I have played with nearly every flagship shoe of the current major brands available in US.

How many hours did you play with the shoe?
Twenty hours total on indoor hard. Out of the twenty hours, roughly 14 hours were singles play, rest were practice, drills and and warm-ups.

Normal size:
9.5

Playtesting size:
10 (thank you to TW for advising to go up half a size). I will recommend the same to everyone because this shoe runs a bit short.

Comments on shoe performance:

Comfort:
Right out the box, this shoe was extremely comfortable. I got half a size bigger as advised by TW and fit was great. Not snug, not loose, just perfect. I have medium wide feet and width was just right as well. I heard that it ran narrow but surprisingly, my feet were happy with the width.

By comparison, I was in actual pain wearing Zoom Zeros of my true size because of how narrow that shoe is. These Jet Tere are not as wide as Solecourt Boost, but still comfortable for anyone with medium wide feet or even slightly wide feet. The upper knit material is very soft and conformed to the shape of the foot (posted pictures underneath). Overall cushioning is also good. It is a minimalist sort of a light and fast shoe but even then, the shoe did not feel hard.

Arch support:
I have medium/normal arches and I had no issues whatsoever. I used the stock insoles and felt very good support. I might think about swapping out to more thicker gel insoles later on.

Stability/support:
My biggest concern as soon as I put these shoes on was the stability aspect because the upper part of the shoe is very soft. I was worried that the foot was move inside too much on lateral movements and also on sudden stop and go sort of movements. I do not think that the stability was sacrificed however in any way. The foot felt secure throughout the shoe from the heel to toe. Lacing system was doing its job. Cinched up, the foot wasn't going anywhere.

Ventilation:
Even though I played indoors temp comtrolled environment for the duration of this playtest, I could tell that the shoe had great ventilation and breathability. The upper soft mesh lets air pass through keepin feet cool good. Gets full marks here.

Sole durability:
If you have read my views on Babolat shoes in the past, you know that I am a fan of the Michelin tread Babolat uses. Having used SFX and Propulse in the past, I knew that these shoes will be able to take a beating. This shoe does not come with a six month warranty and is light and fast. You would expect it to wear quick (*cough Vapors cough*). But the sole held it's own. As I mentioned, I hustle alot and even drag feet at times. These shoes took it like a champ. Obviously they won't last like say the Propulse, within their weight class, they punch above their weight.

Toe durability:
The toe was extra enforced with rubber and durability was great in the toe area as well.

Traction:
As expected from Michelin tread in my experience, it had the right amount of give and grip whenever needed. Traction was very good. I was very confident in all movements. Lateral movement was issue free, and front and back movement for serves and reaching for drop shots was fantastic as well. Shoes were noisy in the first few hours but slowly became a bit quieter.

Weight:
I measured on my kitchen scale and the left shoe is 321g and right shoe is 326g. This is a light weight and fast shoe.

General reaction/comments on overall performance:
Here are a few additional thoughts I would like to share:

1. For a light weight minimalist sort of a shoe, the Jet Tere is remarkably soft and comfortable. In fact, I would give it the highest marks for shoes in the light weight slash fast category. That said, you do feel a lack of cushioning if you are coming off more thicker, heavier shoes like say Solecourt Boost or Barricade Boosts. As mentioned in the beginning, after my knee arthroscopy I put a premium on cushioning now and will definitely be investing in some good quality insoles to compensate.

2. About the width. While the width may be average, it didn't feel to me that the shoe was excessively narrow. The shoe in fact was a comfortable fit for my medium wide feet. For comparison, the Zoom Zeros are much more narrower for me and the metatarsal area starts pinching on sides. The Jet Tere stretched after a few hours of intense play as well making for a comfy feeling forefoot. Just do make sure to order at least a half size up, as TW advised. The length will be most definitely short otherwise.

I am also putting up a few pictures so readers can see what they look like from different angles.













Finally, I would like to say thank you very much to Tennis Warehouse @TW Staff and Babolat as well for this great opportunity. As always, very much appreciated.
 

Cyclone

Semi-Pro
Tennis experience/background:
4.5/5.0, practice/compete with Open level players

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
all-court, look to come to net when possible, serve/volley 1-2x per service game

Current shoes:
Asics Gel Resolution 8, New Balance 996v3, Adidas Solecourt Boost

How many hours did you play with the shoe?
15 hrs, both indoor hard and outdoor hard, also did agility drills and lifted weights in them

Normal Size:
8.5

Playtesting Size:
9.5 (going up a full size led them to fit perfectly, both length and width);


Comments on shoe performance:

-comfort:
really comfortable underfoot, great padding in the heel, good cushion under the forefoot that felt soft but not mushy, never felt shock/sting on hard landings. Lots of cushioning around the heel/ankle. Upper wrapped the feet well and didn't dig in to feet or cause any discomfort

-arch support: relatively low, though overall my arches felt fine. I can imagine someone used to a Barricade might have an adjustment period. I found the lower arch to allow my foot to move naturally. I sometimes used Black Superfeet for the days I wanted some more support.

-stability/support: great court feel in forefoot, low to the ground which enhanced stability. Upper material was supportive and did its job well; felt a little soft at times and I could feel it give a little on really hard cuts/changes of direction, though never felt like I was even close to rolling an ankle. There was one instance while serve/volleying I made an unexpected cut and the shoe felt overly flexible in the chassis, though I wasn't injured in any way.

-ventilation: very breathable, which added to the comfort level

-sole durability: held up very well, I'm not a slider so it takes me a while to put a dent in outsoles

-toe durability: held up well, I don't really drag my toes

-traction: I really liked the traction, it was grippy and responsive without being sticky. I don't like slick outsoles or outsoles with "give" and this outsole was one of my recent favorites!

-weight: feels very light, probably one of the lightest feeling shoes I've played in. Also feels light due to the fit, zero clunkiness and they wrapped around my feet very well, which made them feel like extensions of my feet


General reaction/comments on overall performance:



Compared to Asics GR8
- The Jet Tere felt faster (due to less weight/padding), less overall cushioning (especially in forefoot, since the GR8 has quite a bit of cushioning throughout), lower arch support, less stability/support from the uppers, better court feel


Compared to Adidas Ubersonic 3 - The Jet Tere felt more flexible, felt faster (likely due to being more flexible), less firm/solid underfoot, traction was more responsive (the Ubersonics don't have as much grip to me)


Compared to Adidas Solecourt Boost - The Jet Tere was far more flexible and quick, far less of a tank-like feel, not as wide overall (even though I play an 8.5 in SCB and a 9.5 for Jet Tere), less substance/support, less stable


Compared to New Balance 996v3 - The Jet Tere is more flexible and conforms more to my feet, less stable, less heel-to-toe drop, softer forefoot cushioning



Overall, all around great shoe, emphasis on SPEED and flexibility, at a relatively low price point! I ultimately prefer a more intrinsically stable shoe like the 996v3, though I really enjoyed this playtest and will continue to use the Jet Tere on court and in the gym (makes essentially the perfect cross training shoe given its mix of comfort, stability, and flexibility).



Huge thank you to @TW Staff and Brittany in particular for being incredibly helpful throughout the playtest process! I'm thankful I got to playtest this shoe, it was a lot of fun.

Please let me know if you have any questions, happy to help!
 
Tennis experience/background:
Computer rated 4.5 at the end of 2019. Was headed to Indian Wells for Tri-Level Nationals as a 4.0 until that was cancelled :(


Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
I used to be more singles baseline basher, but have moved to playing more doubles and playing serve and volley. I have a pretty decent serve and try to get to the net on the serve or soon after.

Current shoe:
I have used Asics Gel Resolution for the majority of my tennis career. However, over the past year or so, I have been using Ubersonic 3's.

How many hours did you play with the shoe?
Over 30 hours of singles, doubles, drills, and footwork practice.

Normal size:
12

Playtesting size:
12.5 (thank you to TW for advising to go up half a size). I will recommend the same to everyone because this shoe runs a bit short.

Comments on shoe performance:

Comfort:
To me, this was the highlight of the shoe along with the weight. Super comfortable right out of the box, no break-in required.

By comparison, I have developed some pain wearing ubersonics, especially brand new ones. These Jet Tere are not as wide as Ubersonics in the forefoot, but I had no problems with the width at all. The cushioning throughout the shoe was 10/10.

Arch support:
I have low/medium arches. I never had any issues with pain or discomfort with the arch support.

Stability/support:
There were times that I felt unstable in these. It was always on side-to-side cuts and it was always a quick direction change. I never felt as if I was going to roll an ankle or get injured, but sometimes it felt like the shoe gave a little more than others.

Ventilation:
There were only a few days in the 70s and low 80s, but I don't feel like my feet sweated more than normal.

Sole durability:
After all the abuse I have put these through, I have zero complaints about the durability. These aren't going to have the durability of the Gel Res, but the Michelin rubber on these have held up very well. The only place I saw premature wear was on the outer sides of the shoe where I probably drug the shoe.

Toe durability:
Zero problems with toe durability so far.

Traction:
Same comments with the stability/support here. The only issue I found with traction was on quick direction change lateral movements. And it was kind of weird, sometimes those movements felt great and then out of the blue, I would feel some instability on a side-to-side movement.

Weight:
Lightest shoe I have ever worn for tennis. I actually enjoyed the speedy, lightweight feel of it.

General reaction/comments on overall performance
Absolutely loved the comfort and lightweight performance of this shoe. I could see swapping to this shoe especially if there were more/better colors.
 

Ft.S

Semi-Pro
Tennis experience/background:

NTRP 4.0C. I have been playing for about 5 years.

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):

Over-aggressive baseliner. I mostly play doubles, but enjoy playing singles more.

Current shoe:

Babolat SFX3

How many hours did you play with the shoe?

As expected, I had limited chances to use the shoes in tennis matches, actually I only used them in two competitive matches, one drill and two social matches before tennis was shut down in our area. All matches and drills I participated in were on hard courts.

Normal Size:

My feet are between 8.5 to 9.0 sizes. Some 8.5 fit tightly but comfortably, most often I buy size 9, which leaves me room for thicker socks.

Playtesting Size: 9, at this size it is a tight fit without being uncomfortable, I would buy size 9.

Comments on shoe performance:

Overall the shoe’s on-court performance was at the level I came to expect from Babolat, which is ‘superb.’ However, the Jet Terre has taken the lateral performance and stability one notch up from all other shoes I wore previously, including the SFX3.


Comfort:

There are few shoe brands that fit me well and provide long hours of comfort: Puma and Babolat. I just cannot wear Adidas, Asics, K-Swiss, etc. I wore Nikes for a long period of time for tennis, but none of the models were quite comfortable, just bearable for 2-3 hours of use. Babolat shoes have been tremendously comfortable for me playing tennis and I always look forward to trying different styles. My feet are larger in the toe area and have a shallow arch. Finding the right shoe model and size are sometimes challenging. With the Babolat brand, every single model I tried has fit me well.

Arch support:

I don’t feel it at all. The support is seamless and the integration with all of the others of the shoe makes it a perfect fit for me.

Stability/support:

This is where the Jet Tere shines in my opinion. There is noticeably improved stability in both forward-backward and lateral movements with Jet Tere compared to the SFX3’s I use. The shoes never buckle, slip or exhibit any delay in responding to direction changes. I also never felt any stress or pressure to my ankles. The shoes provide very comfortable support without restricting movement, consequently they remain comfortable throughout the match and I never felt the need to change shoes following a match. With Nikes or Asics, sometimes such stability and support comes at the expense of comfort, which is not the case with Babolat for me. Comparing stability and support to SFX3, the Jet Tere is an absolute winner hands down. Although the SFX3’s traction is equal to Jet Tere, its lateral stability is nowhere as good as the Jet Tere.

Ventilation:

One of the top reasons I chose the SFX3 as my primary tennis shoe is ventilation; it is just superb. Unfortunately, it appears the Jet Tere made some compromises in this area. It is not as well ventilated as the SFX3, so my feet sweat a bit more and retain the sweat as well. So, they will likely require more upkeep in this area with cleaning and sanitizing the shoes. Regardless, ventilation is still far better than other brands I tried in the past, so it is not an area of complaint for me, but clearly the SFX3 sets the standard in this area.

Sole durability:

I haven’t had enough time to intelligently comment on this as I haven’t used it long enough; however, assuming soles of both the Jet Tere and SFX3 are made by Michelin, I would expect them to endure significant abuse. I play, almost exclusively, on hard courts, and my very first SFX3’s soles finally started to disintegrate after straight 8 months of use (3 to 4 matches per week on average). That is great value besides the level of traction they offer.

Toe durability:

I expect them to be excellent; Jet Tere is not showing any signs of use at this stage, nor I had any issues in the toe area with the SFX3.

Traction:

Perfect. It is so good that the level of traction amplified the weakness of SFX3’s stability on the upper side of the shoes, and with the Jet Tere that problem has been solved, providing nearly perfect overall performance for me, save for slightly lessened ventilation.

Weight:

The Jet Terre are lighter than most other shoes I used to date, I just do not feel them on my feet. How they have been able to keep the weight down, while providing such high levels of traction and stability is beyond me frankly.

General reaction/comments on overall performance:

Nothing is perfect, and it is the case with the Jet Terre. One area where I am disappointed is the laces. They are as low quality as they can possibly be. Every single tennis outing I had with the shoes, the laces came undone multiple times. The first opportunity I get I will be getting new laces. I would recommend not to even try out the original laces as they can be dangerous. Comparing the laces to all other Babolat shoes I have, Jet Tere has it the worst. Besides the laces, I just cannot find anything wrong with this shoe, great performance and value, I'd spend my own money even if it was priced 50% more.

Since our tennis has been limited, I wore the shoes whenever I had the chance, going to the grocery store, walking and biking now. The shoes are not flashy, they easy to wear under jeans and their stability has been a wonderfully unexpected surprise while biking with flat pedals. Even if you choose not to use the shoes for tennis, I would still recommend them for non-sporting activities, just change out the laces.

The color of the shoes match bike nicely as well as an added bonus:


And I managed to match my new biking helmet to the shoes too, unintentionally, so loving the combination (umm, yeah, don't use Lysol spray on helmets):


Although the SFX3 has better ventilation, the Jet Tere has such stability during direction changes that it will be my new favorite pair of shoes moving forward. I can feel and experience the performance difference, even though the SFX3 has performed superbly for me for a long period of time.
 
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TAB90

New User
Tennis experience/background: 3.5 NTRP, should be moving up to 4.0 after this year.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court game. Baseliner, but likes to come to the net when I get my chances. Play both singles and doubles.
Current shoe: Adidas adipower barricade 7.0 & adidas solecourt boost
How many hours did you play with the shoe? 20
Normal Size: 6.5/7
Playtesting Size: 7

Comments on shoe performance:

-comfort: The shoes were very comfy right out of the box. I feel like tennis shoes tend to be pretty stiff and need a break in period. These did not. Custioning in the heel was fine. But towards the front of the foot, I felt like it was lacking. I think swapping in a different insole could help out. Lots of padding on the upper and around the ankle area.
-arch support: I have a medium arch. No issues with the support.
-stability/support: Low to the ground feel. I thought these shoes were really stable for being light weight. Didn't have any issues with support.
-ventilation: I felt my feet got pretty hot after playing for awhile. I also tend to wear two pairs of socks with my other shoes, where these I only wore one and my feet were burning up.
-sole durability: Soles held up well, no visible wear of them.
-toe durability: No problem with toe durability.
-traction: Great traction. Not too sticky. No problems getting stuck or give when making quick movements.
-weight: Very impressed with how light weight the shoes were.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: These were my first pair of Babolat shoes that I've tried. I wasn't sure I would like them because of how light they were. I tend to wear a heavier shoes, just feel like I have more support. I will definetly be adding these shoes into my rotation and might look into adding some more Babolat shoes. I think my only negatives would be ventilation wasn't that great and the shoe tends to run on the small size. I would probably go a half size up on what I playtested. Also these seem to run on the narrow side, which wasn't an issue for me.
 

kevonian

Semi-Pro
Tennis experience/background:
4.5/5.0, practice/matches with Open level players.
50/50 singles/doubles

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
all-court, 80/20 baseline/net, serve/volley 1-2x per service game

Current shoes:
Babolat Propulse Blast All Court. I only use Babolat shoes for the past 3 years.

How many hours did you play with the shoe?
- 2 hours of wearing for just break-in
- 5 miles of running.
- 2 hours of court time. Hardly any open courts due to Covid-19

Normal Size:
9

Playtesting Size:
9

Comments on shoe performance:

-comfort:
really comfortable underfoot, great padding in the heel, good cushion under the forefoot that felt soft but not mushy, never felt shock/sting on hard landings. Lots of cushioning around the heel/ankle. Upper wrapped the feet well and didn't dig in to feet or cause any discomfort

-arch support: I have never exactly needed arch support or it was never an issue for. I would say this has medium level support.

-stability/support: Great court feel with a lot of grip. I did not find myself sliding around on it. I could potentially see that after some time the shoe can be slide on hard court, but I typically get new shoes by the time the sole is worn down. I even went on a quick 2 mile jog with these shoes and they felt great. A bit heavy for the running aspect but they worked out and helped break in the shoes.

-ventilation: no question. Very breathable and aero

-sole durability: I could see these lasting me 1+ years with 2x/week singles play. I typically switch shoes at the slightest signs of sole durability loss. Unless you are playing daily in the hot weather with very gritty courts I could see these lasting quite some time.

-toe durability: Cannot comment. I do not toe drag.

-traction: The traction was very grippy which is something I need. I do not want to be sliding on hard courts. During my runs, the shoe felt grippy on asphalt as well. It is a good sole and I have not seen any traction loss with the few hours I have put on the shoe.

-weight: lightest shoe I’ve ever worn for tennis which still feels like a tennis shoe. It came in around 317g per shoe. Even with it being very light, it feels as durable as those extra duty shoes which offer the 6-month guarantee.

316 grams for one shoe Jet Tere


349 grams for Babolat Propulse Blast - current shoe

General reaction/comments on overall performance:


Compared to Babolat Propulse Blast All Court

The Jet Tere more flexible, lighter, and quicker.
A way cooler color scheme!
Overall fit is the same I wear a size 9 in both.
It feels like the same support in a lighter shoe.


Overall, this is the best tennis shoe I have ever used.


Huge thank you to @TW Staff and for the Covid-19 extension. I'm thankful I got to playtest this shoe, it was a lot of fun.

Please let me know if you have any questions, happy to help!
 

joah310

Professional
Tennis experience/background: 17y/o probably around a 3.5 player. Played on Top JV for my school
Describe your playing style: (i.e. serve & volley): All court player. Generally stick to baseline, but am trying to transform into s/v player
Current shoe: Previous shoe was Asics Solution speed ff, pretty much play with whatever is on sale. Shoe before was head revolt pro 2.5, and adidas ubersonic 3
How many hours did you play with the shoe?: From the day I got these shoes I have been wearing them everyday for not only tennis, but also daily wear. So this would probably be 200+ hours of general wear and 50+ hours of tennis wear
Normal Size: 9.5
Playtesting Size: 10 (thank you TW for recommending to get half a size larger)

Comments on shoe performance:

-comfort: Very comfortable. Low to the ground feel without it being hard on the feet. Lots of ankle cushioning.
-arch support: Decent. A little on the lower side, but it was not uncomfortable.
-stability/support: Stability was surprisingly great for this shoe. I was expecting for the lightness to mean less stability, but this was very stable.
-ventilation: Lots of ventilation. Compared to my previous shoes, the SS FF, air just went through the shoe. This did mean less waterproofness when I walked into wet grass or on rainy days, but as for tennis, my feet never felt like it overheated, and the great ventilation kept my feet comfortable.
-sole durability: Durability was great, I cant seem to tell how much of the sole I actually wore because of the pattern on the bottom, but even with much wear, the grooves are still there and lasting me very well. I was very surprised by the durability of this very light shoe.
-toe durability: Pretty Durable. I am a major toe dragger when I serve so I did experience a lot more wear on my right toe than my left. I would have hoped for some more durability as the Michelin logo was worn out quite quickly, but I have yet to wear through the toe.
-traction: Traction was great. I dont feel like it was too stick on court.
-weight: Very light! This was in my opinion the highlight of this pair of shoes. These are by far the lightest pair of shoes I have owned so far.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: Very light and speedy, without sacrificing stability and good durability. Genuinely one of the best performing shoes I have owned.

Thank you TW and babolat for providing shoes for us to playtest.
 

Uncoil

Semi-Pro
Tennis experience/background: NTRP 4.0C
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court, singles and doubles
Current shoe: NB Fresh Foam Lav
How many hours did you play with the shoe? 4-5 hours of court time, practice only. Did not get to play any matches or practice matches due to Covid-19 situation.
Normal Size: Men's 9.0
Playtesting Size: Men's 9.5

Comments on shoe performance:

-comfort:
I found this shoe to be very comfortable after a slight break in of about one hour. I tend to have some small issues with discomfort with most tennis shoes especially in the heel and toe box area but I did not experience any discomfort from this pair.
-arch support:
No issues here. I have normal/medium arches. I had Superfeet Carbon insoles on the bottom plus stock insole on top of the Superfeets.
-stability/support:
Very good stability/support once I laced up the shoes fairly tight. Toe area had enough room where I did not have any issues with toe jamming or rubbing with the inside of the upper material. I did not experience any heel slippage.
-ventilation:
I did play once in about 90F and did not notice any issues with lack of ventilation. The soft uppers performed quite well.
-sole durability:
I've only put in about 5 hours of court time so I can't really comment on sole durability. They seem to be wearing normally for a lightweight speed tennis shoe.
-toe durability:
I'm not a toe dragger and have never worn out the toe area in any of my tennis shoes.
-traction:
Traction is very good. Combined with its lightweight, moving around the court was a blast.
-weight:
They definitely feel light on feet and on court. Left shoe weighed in at 317g. Right shoe at 326g.

General reaction/comments on overall performance:

I was very impressed with this model from Babolat. Great traction and stability in a lightweight package. Materials and build quality was better than I expected. I could see myself using this model as my match/tournament shoe or even my practice shoe if durability holds up.
 

OnyxZ28

Hall of Fame
Tennis experience/background: Aspiring 4.0 in the Before Times, probably have forgotten which end of the racket to use now.

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Aggro berserker baseliner

Current shoe: Solecourt Boost. I wear a 9 in the SCB but find them to be a bit too wide, especially in the instep.

How many hours did you play with the shoe? About 8 hours, in the Before Times. Lately I have only been able to test them in my driveway playing with Red balls with my 5 year old.
Normal Size: 9
Playtesting Size: 9.5

Comments on shoe performance:

-comfort:
Other than the length, the shoes were very comfortable. The heel padding is excellent and provides good Achilles support.
My biggest gripe with the shoe is that it fit smaller than a half size for me. If I were to buy these shoes again, I would buy a size ten. The size 9 was snug with thin socks and I felt some pressure in the toe with thicker socks. I wore 9.5 when I had Cage 3s, and I found that the Jet Tere fit even shorter than the Cage III (but not as narrow, and easier to put on, of course).

-arch support:
No complaints here. I have relatively high arches and did not find the Tere to lack support or protrude in the wrong places.

-stability/support:
The lateral support was very good. I would have liked to have more time with the shoe to see if the knit uppers stretch out and lose support, but in the limited time I spent with the shoes I found the lateral and medial support to be exceptional. The plastic outriggers on the lateral side of the shoe kept my foot in check when I was sliding. The shoes are fairly low to the ground with a slight heel-toe drop. I did not feel like I was going to roll my ankle. (FWIW the worst shoes in this regard that I have ever, ever tested was the old Pro Staff eXtreme 300 from the 90s -- the Ford Exploder of tennis shoes)

-ventilation:
No complaints about the ventilation -- the shoes did not feel hot at all.

-sole durability:
Unfortunately this is a TBD. In the 8 hours I played I did not manage to wear the soles flat.

-toe durability:
See supra

-traction:
Traction was excellent. I previuosly tested the Propulse Fury and found those to the the grippiest shoes I'd ever worn, which wasn't necessarily a good thing since I like to slide. I was able to slide on the Jet Tere when I wanted to but also plant and stop without worrying either.

-weight:
These are much lighter than the Solecourt Boosts. One of my shoes weighed in at about 10g heavier than the other out of the box, but this was not noticeable on the court. I tend to wear out my right shoe faster than my left shoe, so given more time I would expect the right shoe to ultimately become lighter than the left shoe.

Thanks again to TW for the opportunity!
 

colan5934

Professional
Day late on this. Wanted to get a chance to actually play in them yesterday.

Tennis experience/background: Played DII and have been teaching full time since. Still play 5.0 USTA league and some local open tournaments.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Used to be an aggressive baseliner. Have incorporated more counterpunching elements lately.
Current shoe: Nike Vapor Cage 4 and Zoom Zero
How many hours did you play with the shoe?: Actual play: 2 hours. Training at home/on court: 10 hours.
Normal Size: 9.5
Playtesting Size: 10

Comments on shoe performance:

-comfort: The upper sat around my foot well. Very breathable and no hot spots in the mesh. Not a ton of padding under the forefoot, so I wouldn't teach in it all day. But, on a hot day for a couple hours at a time or on the clay, I think I would like it a lot. The overlays caused a hotspot or two right away--I almost should have gone 10.5 on the size and double-socked--but they went away by the time I got them on court.

-arch support: Never really worried about arch support. I have a slightly narrow foot with a medium arch and almost every shoe I've worn has agreed with me. On these, they seemed to twist just a little extra through the arch but seemed stable enough through that area for most play for me.

-stability/support: Pretty solid. I moved around in the shoe a little when practicing side to side movements, and I felt fine cutting out of the corners and coming out of slides, though my foot doesn't feel like it's hugged into a combat boot or anything like the Court FF2 or Vapor Cage 4, but it's probably stable enough...I just prefer to feel stable too.

-ventilation: Fantastic. The mesh is airy and light. Never experienced sweaty feet. A nice change of pace from the shoes I'm currently used to.

-sole durability: A little bit of balding on the tread because most of my training was done on a tennis court--I run an indoor club and have been the only person allowed in all shutdown--and I think that it would hold up similarly to a vapor, solution speed, Uber 3, etc. The rubber is soft and grippy for me but not as soft as the Zoom Zero, so it seems it will be better than those.
-toe durability: Seems solid. Again, not much actual playtime on these, but the thicker rubber at the front and the rubber toe guard have held up well when I've worn Babolat shoes in the past, and I'd have to assume they would again.

-traction: Nice and sticky with a little bit of give when I wanted it. I prefer a little more slickness when I'm actually playing--Vapors are too often too slippery, Court FFs are perfect--but if you're not a hard court slider, these will probably please you. I'd imagine they'll slide a little more once worn down too. Tough to say for sure when I was unable to test them in actual play until yesterday.

-weight: Nice and light on the scale and they felt that way. Almost like a running shoe in that sense.

-Overall: Pretty nice shoe at a second-tier price point. Good comfort from the upper, airy and breathable mesh, sticky and reliable traction, and enough stability for most players. If you prefer a shoe that feels a bit more stable and hugs your foot, you might not prefer this shoe. But, if you're prioritizing comfort and breathability from the upper while keeping the weight low, this could be a great option!
 
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