Tennis Warehouse Playtest: 2017 Babolat Jet Shoe

TW Staff

TW Staff

Administrator
Attention Talk Tennis Members:

We will be sending out a very limited number of Babolat’s 2017 Jet shoes for a playtest. Playtesters will be responsible for wearing the shoes for the given time and writing a thorough review. Playtesters who are picked will be notified via email. This playtest is open to both men and women in the USA only.

*Application period is now closed. Emails to those selected will be sent out in the next day.**

We select playtesters based on a number of factors, including past performance on playtests, user history, posting in topics similar to playtest, etc. Due to the very limited number of samples, we will not be able satisfy the large majority of requests. It is absolutely essential that everyone who receives a pair of shoes posts a review.

***This playtest is FREE of charge. Your review is due by April 14th***

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

PS: We request you not post "Email Sent" posts to this thread. All of those posts will be deleted. Feel free to post questions or comments.
 
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Very excited for this! I held back on the older Babolat Jet because of durability, and I hope it has improved more. Even if I am not picked, I will certainly enjoy getting feedback on this shoe! Also, @TW Staff, what has been changed from the 2016 version? Thanks.
 
@RafaBabolat,

The new 2017 Jet is primarily a cosmetic update to the 2016 Jet. However, it has a slightly updated rubber toe piece, and the sole is made with more durable rubber, so it should be 15 – 20 grams lighter than the 2016 Jet.

Thanks,
Brittany, TW
 
TW Staff said:
@RafaBabolat,

The new 2017 Jet is primarily a cosmetic update to the 2016 Jet. However, it has a slightly updated rubber toe piece, and the sole is made with more durable rubber, so it should be 15 – 20 grams lighter than the 2016 Jet.

Thanks,
Brittany, TW
Click to expand...
Impressive. That makes the shoe 12.2-12.3 oz.... WOW!
 
TW Staff said:
@RafaBabolat,

The new 2017 Jet is primarily a cosmetic update to the 2016 Jet. However, it has a slightly updated rubber toe piece, and the sole is made with more durable rubber, so it should be 15 – 20 grams lighter than the 2016 Jet.

Thanks,
Brittany, TW
Click to expand...
So, the shoe gets lighter and more durable? Seems counterintuitive but great if true! The only real knock against the original was extremely low durability.
 
tkziol,

This playtest will be for the all court version (modified herringbone version). However, there will be a clay court specific version launching as well.

Thanks,
Brittany, TW
 
Looks great! I've had one pair of Babolats in the past and can't remember what I thought about them. Do we get to keep the shoe after the review?
 
@TW Staff Will it be this one?
search


https://www.google.com/search?q=bab...gC&biw=383&bih=560&dpr=4#imgrc=u2wUnkWVwBkrfM:

Or this one,
search


https://www.google.com/search?q=bab...4#imgdii=o_xLAYqtJfJGoM:&imgrc=u2wUnkWVwBkrfM:

I feel like it is the second one, has new design changes. But, the colors don't match so...
 
Thanks Brittany-- had a buddy flying those black 38s out of Beale AFB just east of Yuba City.

Hope you liked the video. [emoji846]
 
Hoping that I get picked! If these are anything like the Propulse Fury, then this will be such a dope playtest. Fingers crossed!
 
g4driver said:
Will these Jets come in black ? [emoji848]

Click to expand...

The playtester samples will be red/blue, but the Jets will come in black/white as well. (An orange colorway will launch later in the Spring)

projectone7 said:
Hoping that I get picked! If these are anything like the Propulse Fury, then this will be such a dope playtest. Fingers crossed!
Click to expand...

The Jets and Propulse FURYs are different. Whereas the FURYs are built for support and durability, the Jets are a minimalist shoe built for lightness.
 
Thanks TW and Babolat for this opportunity to playtest! When will the final decision be made for who is selected for playtest? And when will the shoes be shipped to those selected?

P.S: can I still submit to be selected for this playtest? I usually am always late and the application period is usually over but I don't see that stated anywhere at the moment.
 
I am a newbie at this forum and likely a bit older than most. I am hoping that I get selected for the playtest as I can provide a review from a bad knee, Achilles tendinitis, yet full-court covering perspective.
 
Attention Talk Tennis Members,

We have sent out emails to those who were selected. For those who were selected, congratulations and make sure you read the email and respond back.

For those of you who were not selected, thank you so much for wanting to participate in the playtest. There will be many more playtests in the future so keep on applying and don't give up.

Thanks,
Brittany, TW
 
Thank you TW and Babolat! I appreciate the opportunity to playtest this shoe. Since the tennis season is starting next week, I will be able to log many hours. I hope to satisfy everybody's questions about this shoe. I look forward to the playtest!
 
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aw man I missed it! Oh well...

Genuinely curious about these shoes and cant wait for the reviews! (rhyme not intended)
 
Wasn't selected for the playtest but best of luck to those who were. Really looking forward to reading the reviews :)
 
Got mine already here in Europe for 2 weeks now... regarding weight: my vapors 9.5 had like 340 g (size 40) and the new jets have 260 g (size 40.5)
 
Just got mine! Very nice looking, and light. One concern that I already have is the support though. These shoes don't come high up as the Vapor 9.5 do, and the heel of the Jets do slip a lot easier. I'm sure that tighter lacing will solve the problem though. Rubber seems much more durable than XDR, and upper material is very nice. Looking forward to playing with them tomorrow! Thank you @TW Staff and @Babolat Official for this playtest.
 
I had my second session with the Jet today. Very good looking indeed. Fastest shoes I have played with any time recent. It feels like a performance category shoe, and so I would be surprised if it is durable (too early to comment on durability).Will come back with detailed review after using it enough.
 
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Thanks for the playtest. Received them Monday. 1st lightweight shoe I've worn with support and cushioning, will wear them tomorrow.
 
Didn't get to play today, with wind chill it was 26 degrees F. Will play tomorrow tho, and I will post my thoughts. (lol, if you saw my mistake... I said 226 F on accident)
 
So got to hit with them for 4 hours. Really nice shoes, and soo light! It is a supportive shoe, no trouble sliding, and makes huge squeaks ;). Love the colors, match with a Nike shirt that I have. But, I am already seeing wear on the sole, near the back part of the heel. Might last longer than my vapors, have to see. Also my feet hurt after an hour of play. It is probably still breaking in, but cushioning lacks a bit. Looking forward to playing with it more!
 
I also had a first hit the other day. First impression wasn't great but not bad either. The heal was slipping for me, so I had to tighten then down more than usual. The toe box seems pretty narrow... not uncomfortable but just more narrow than I'm used to. They felt pretty good right away, so no significant break-in required. Overall comfort was good, but honestly its not even close to the comfort of my current shoe (the Ubersonic 2). Traction was really good.
 
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Received my shoes last Monday and have put 6+ hours on them and am impressed. I was lucky enough to Playtest the original Jet and must say Babolat has definitely improved on an already great shoe. Most noticeable so far is they are a bit wider in the toe box than last years and I needed that extra room. More to come. Again thanks TW and Babolat for this opportunity!
 
appdach96 said:
Most noticeable so far is they are a bit wider in the toe box than last years and I needed that extra room. More to come. Again thanks TW and Babolat for this opportunity!
Click to expand...
That's interesting. Are you play-testing the men's shoe? I wore the women's 2016 Babolat Jet last year and this year's women's model is narrower in the toe box. I even double-checked by pulling out and comparing the insoles from both years and this year's is narrower. This year's insole is also not as dense, so a little bit less cushioning underfoot :(
 
No I've got the women's shoe. Maybe it's that it has stretched out more in the toebox? Not sure just know that my pinky toes doesn't feel the rubbing like it did on the previous model. I did however experience a slight break-in period with this shoe. I just like this one better so far as far as comfort.
 
Tennis experience/background: 30+ years of tennis. USTA 4.0 5'10 and 165 lbs
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court player --played mostly singles until my 40s, now playing singles and doubles
Current shoes: Asics Speed Solution 3 (Hard and Clay) , Asics Gel Resolution 5 (Hard), Asics GR 6 (Hard and Clay), Adidas Barricade 7 (Clay), Nike Lunar Ballistic, Lotto Stratosphere (Clay)
How many hours did you play with the shoe? 40+ hours with 8 hours of singles and over 32 hours of doubles so far...will update the hours at the end of the playtest.
Normal Size: 11.0 US
Playtesting Size: 11.0 US

Comments on shoe performance:

-Comfort: 5/5 with Spenco Inserts. As comfortable as the Asics Speed Solution 3 or maybe more comfortable. But the comfort is a 2/5 as shipped due to the terrible inserts Babolat provides with these shoes.

-Arch Support as sent: 1/5. This isn't a knock on Babolat's Jet shoe. Nike, Asics, Addidas, Lotto all use cheap inserts. IMO they are all garbage. And that's where they belong.

I used these Babolat Jet shoes as shipped for 6 hours and that was too long. So after 6 hours, I replaced the blue Babolat inserts, which are lighter than most and offer little to no support, with my standard Spenco Total Support inserts and I replaced the flat shoelaces which are as bad as the supplied inserts.

Flat shoelaces are another thing I don't care for as they don't stay tied as well as round laces even when double tied, but that is easily fixed. Sorry but after a 3rd back surgery, I don't use cheap inserts. But please don't take this a reason to pass on these Jet shoes. For $28 each , I have a few pair of Spenco Total Support inserts that IMO are better for my tennis than Superfeet in any color. Tennis Warehouse sells Superfeet and yes they sell Spenco's.

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Spenco_Total_Support_Replacement_Insoles/descpage-SPTSRIN.html

Inserts are like replacement grips. Once you find the one you like, it's hard to use the "as issued" version. Better inserts are the equivalent of Fairway Leather grips to me. Both are outstanding aftermarket products that make another product better.

arch support with Spenco Inserts: 5/5

-stability/support: 4/5 maybe 4.5/5...No issue at all on Har-Tru or hard courts in 4.0 single's matches and 4.0 doubles.
-ventilation: 4/5 This is hard to tell, as it is March and pretty cool out still, but yesterday hit 80 even with Stance socks these shoes felt great.
-sole durability: 5/5 I am simply not hard on my shoes and they last much longer than normal people's. These shoes are showing very little wear on the bottom.

-toe durability: not sure how to rate this as I am easy on my shoes, especially the toe. I will defer to the toe draggers.

-traction: 5/5

-weight: 6/5 These shoes feel super light even with replacement inserts.

I am very thankful to have been selected for this playtest. Very kind of both Babolat and TW to do this. I really like these shoes. I liked them enough to order a pair of the black clay court version which Babolat sells in the US. Sorry but Asics doesn't get it. Some guys like me DON'T like white shoes, but we do want clay court shoes for Har-Tru courts that are commonly found in the southeastern US. Thanks Babolat! I didn't really want to match frames and bags and shoes, but your bags are the best out there and I used Babolat bags with my Wilson sticks since 2010. Now I look like a gumba with matching bags, frames and shoes. :mad: But I can make my clothes clash.

So thank you Babolat for selling a Clay Court shoe in the US that isn't white or orange. I don't own any orange clothes at all, so no apology as I am not a fan of orange. :(I will update this playtest, but I am digging these shoes. They are far better than I expected, incredibly comfortable, with nice stability. I like the colors, but would stick with two colors on a shoe personally, blue/grey or the Babolat Red/Orange/grey.

1e5eac296d6f817a0d05f34057e99e82.jpg


And here is TW's reviews of shoe inserts:

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Insoles_review/catpage-INSOLEREV.html

The review of the shoe inserts is probably the most important upgrade most players could make in their shoes, but don't Here's my tip. Buy two pair of your favorite inserts, throw the ones that come with your shoes in the recylcing bin and rotate through your inserts. I toss mine in them washer about every two weeks and let the air dry. The Spencos and Superfeet last me for years.
 
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Hey WisconsinPlayer,

A friend of mine's son committed to play at Wisconsin. Hitting with his dad on Sat. I watched his son play yesterday in a high school match. This is a humble and very good young man. Not sure if you ever get to Madison, but send me a PM and I will send your the guys name. His dad is a smooth 4.0 player and his son is easily a 5.5 player.
 
Got to hit with this shoe quite a bit, for about a solid 30 hours of match play. Regular shoe is Nike Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour. All play was on hard courts. Size 9.5

Tennis experience/background: 4.5 player, in high school team. Play at my club year round, and compete in USTA.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Counter puncher style, but I step up and drive the ball quite a bit.
Current shoe: Nike Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour
How many hours did you play with the shoe? 30 hours now. All play was on Decoturf hard courts.
Normal Size: 9.5 men
Playtesting Size: 9.5 men

-comfort: Not the best, the soles of my feet were hurting a bit. Did not break them in, but the comfort was lacking. I know that I'm comparing this to Vapors, but it still lacked some cushioning. As @g4driver said, replacement insoles can probably fix this problem. g4driver had no problem with comfort with his replacement insoles.

-arch support: Arch support was also a bit off, the shoe was very low to the ground, and not much support. On the inner side of the shoe, the insole doesn't come up like the Vapors do. This, and the lack of cushioning probably led to some discomfort.

-stability/support: This shoe was pretty stable. However, the stability comes at the cost of extremely tight laces. Without this, the heel slips quite a bit. This shoe rides very low, and doesn't come up as high as the Vapors. The medial side of my ankles do not get covered, and this may be a problem for others that have trouble with rolling ankles. I did not have problems with rolling ankles, but others may have this problem when playing with this shoe.

-ventilation: Ventilation was perfect. Although I never played in heat (highest was around 70's), my feet never got hot.

-sole durability: Most amazing part of this shoe. I am utterly amazed at how nothing can make a dent in the sole. I am not a constant slider, but do grind soles out pretty quickly with Vapors (lol Nike). These shoes still have a lot of tread left in them, and I can foresee it lasting at least 30-40 more hours. I usually wear soles out under the balls of my feet, but barely no wear at all. Picture will show how amazing durability is. Michelin rubber must do the trick! (Listen to this, Nike...:)) Update: Sole is starting to show wear, but still a lot of tread left.

-toe durability: I am not a toe dragger, and toe durability was fine.

-traction: Slightly less traction than traditional herringbone patterns, but grippy enough. S-shaped pattern is very interesting.

-weight: Lightest tennis shoe that I have ever worn. Weight was 302 g, insane. Very fast shoe, and light.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: Thank you at @TW Staff and @Babolat Official for this wonderful opportunity. Although I was picky on some parts, this is a product that I would definitely refer to friends needing, a durable, but fast shoe. Will update this review, but overall, a wonderful shoe that I have been looking for years!

6403136026229179202
6403136262921685266

https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/Y6eKGE
 
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