Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Babolat SFX EVO

TW Staff

Administrator
Attention Talk Tennis Members:

With spring comes some new shoes launches, including the Babolat SFX Evo. We have a very limited number of the SFX Evo shoes in men’s and women’s sizes to playtest. This playtest is for USA Talk Tennis members only.

NOTE: This is a wide fitting shoe. The men's is measuring around an E width and the women's around a D width.

Application period is now closed. Selected participants will be notified via email by Thursday, March 21st.

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, user history and postings in topics similar to playtest category.

*** Your review is due by April 26th by 5 pm PST.***

Posting a full review by the deadline is necessary to remain in good standing for future playtests. Reviews lacking sufficient effort will resort in disqualification from the playtest program.

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 (3-5 sentences per category):
-comfort:
-arch support:
-stability/support:
-ventilation:
-sole durability:
-toe durability:
-traction:
-weight:

General reaction/comments on overall performance:

We encourage a lively discussion on Babolat shoes. We will remove extraneous posts, e.g., “email sent”.

Thanks,
TW Staff
 
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d-quik

Hall of Fame
Attention Talk Tennis Members:

With spring comes some new shoes launches, including the Babolat SFX Evo. We have a very limited number of the SFX Evo shoes in men’s and women’s sizes to playtest. This playtest is for USA Talk Tennis members only.

Please send an email to discussadmin@tennis-warehouse.com with the following information:

Title: Babolat SFX Evo Playtest
Full Name:
Shipping Address (one line):
Email:
Username:
Shoe Size (M7-13, W6-10):

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, user history and postings in topics similar to playtest category.

*** Your review is due by {check back soon}.***

Posting a full review by the deadline is necessary to remain in good standing for future playtests. Reviews lacking sufficient effort will resort in disqualification from the playtest program.

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 (3-5 sentences per category):
-comfort:
-arch support:
-stability/support:
-ventilation:
-sole durability:
-toe durability:
-traction:
-weight:

General reaction/comments on overall performance:

We encourage a lively discussion on Babolat shoes. We will remove extraneous posts, e.g., “email sent”.

Thanks,
TW Staff
May you tell us the weight of these for men's 10.5US please?

Thank you!
 

dandruffkb

Rookie
I'd love to be a part of this playtest as a person who struggles with wide-feet syndrome, hopefully I get in o_O fingers crossed!
 

Humbi_HTX

Professional
I'd love to be a part of this playtest as a person who struggles with wide-feet syndrome, hopefully I get in o_O fingers crossed!

Yeah I have pretty wide feet for a short guy and the toe boxes can feel cramped up. Have never used Babolat shoes.
 

Devil_dog

Hall of Fame
Add me to the demographic of tennis players with wide feet! I've been mostly a Nike guy going from from Vapor 9/9.5 which seemed to offer my feet a snug feel but with it's flexible uppers they allowed me to feel pretty fleet of feet. I then struggled until the Court Zoom NXTs came out. Then moved over to the ON Roger Pros which also fit my wider feet very well but wasn't completely happy with it's cushioning and price point. I'd been genuinely curious if the Babolats could be that Goldilocks shoe and be just right... haha.
 

StringStrungStrang

Professional
This, the Babolat SFX Evo, is a good looking shoe! Black and red or white and navy.
I've always had good luck with Babolat's shoes, especially the JET series, so it will be interesting to see how these stack up.
Nice that these are wide shoes too. I find this to be extremely beneficial, especially as the weather heats up because they tend not to pinch or trigger pressure points that cause foot pain so easily.

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norcal

Legend
Haven't worn Babolat shoes in a while (Propulse 4 maybe?) but I'm always on the lookout for wide toeboxes and have heard good things about the SFX line. Been using Solecourt Control and Hypercourt Supreme 1 lately. That pic above looks good!
 

Cowboy

Semi-Pro
Add me to the demographic of tennis players with wide feet! I've been mostly a Nike guy going from from Vapor 9/9.5 which seemed to offer my feet a snug feel but with it's flexible uppers they allowed me to feel pretty fleet of feet. I then struggled until the Court Zoom NXTs came out. Then moved over to the ON Roger Pros which also fit my wider feet very well but wasn't completely happy with it's cushioning and price point. I'd been genuinely curious if the Babolats could be that Goldilocks shoe and be just right... haha.

Interesting. I feel like I've always (within the last 2 years or so) read that Nike are made more toward people with narrow feet.
 

StringStrungStrang

Professional
Interesting. I feel like I've always (within the last 2 years or so) read that Nike are made more toward people with narrow feet.
Generally, that has been my experience too, but it depends on the model. Some have actually been wider and others painfully narrow - that's where reviews and trying things on makes a difference !
 

Devil_dog

Hall of Fame
Interesting. I feel like I've always (within the last 2 years or so) read that Nike are made more toward people with narrow feet.
No, you're right. I struggled to find a suitable Nike shoe for me from the Vapor 9 (really nice fit) to the 9.5 (a little snugger but okay) up until the Court Zoom NXT (discontinued but these were as close to a wide toe box I could get). I am currently wearing the Vapor Pro 2 which again are back to a slightly snug feel but I like the overall performance.
 

dandruffkb

Rookie
Interesting. I feel like I've always (within the last 2 years or so) read that Nike are made more toward people with narrow feet.
Yep, heard this as well, have never even gave them a go. Stuck in New Balance/Asics/Fila phase right now, but have heard great things for wide-feeters from Babolat and K-Swiss!

Tried Adidas Cybersonic recently, and my foot almost gave out. Didn't want to waste money, so I squeezed my feet in every time, but I'm so happy I wore those down so I can give myself a reason to stop wearing them haha
 

Cowboy

Semi-Pro
Generally, that has been my experience too, but it depends on the model. Some have actually been wider and others painfully narrow - that's where reviews and trying things on makes a difference !

No, you're right. I struggled to find a suitable Nike shoe for me from the Vapor 9 (really nice fit) to the 9.5 (a little snugger but okay) up until the Court Zoom NXT (discontinued but these were as close to a wide toe box I could get). I am currently wearing the Vapor Pro 2 which again are back to a slightly snug feel but I like the overall performance.

I've never tried on a pair of Nike due to the reports of them being narrow, so I don't know. I've never worn a pair of Babolat shoes either, for that matter. I seem to recall previous playtest reviews of other Babolat shoes lacking cushion in the forefoot. That's what has sort of held me back.

A guy on my ALTA team said that he has traditionally only worn Nike but recently stopped because they were giving him blisters. I went with Adidas Ubersonics as my first tennis shoe and have sort of stuck with them.

Yep, heard this as well, have never even gave them a go. Stuck in New Balance/Asics/Fila phase right now, but have heard great things for wide-feeters from Babolat and K-Swiss!

Tried Adidas Cybersonic recently, and my foot almost gave out. Didn't want to waste money, so I squeezed my feet in every time, but I'm so happy I wore those down so I can give myself a reason to stop wearing them haha

So I'm kind of in a same boat. Never tried the Nike. I don't have an overly wide foot, but I was noticing that my foot sort of overhangs the side of my newest pair of Ubersonics. I've had two pair of the 4 and now the 4.1, but haven't been able to bring myself to wear the 4.1 on the court. Every time I try to wear them around the house, I don't like them. Maybe they need to be broken in, or maybe I need to move on from Adidas.
 
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M Pillai

Semi-Pro
SFX series had been a good break for the folks with wide forefoot. I am hoping this new EVO would also continue that trend. I always gets questions from club members for recommendations on shoes which give them a bit more space in forefoot, and unfortunately we don't have many options for that in the tennis-shoes world.
 

ekucheraw

Rookie
Been burning through and testing a ton of different shoes like crazy ever since I started being a teaching pro full time, would love to see if these are a good fit for durability and comfort!
 

Chairman3

Hall of Fame
Been burning through and testing a ton of different shoes like crazy ever since I started being a teaching pro full time, would love to see if these are a good fit for durability and comfort!
If not selected you should grab a pair of the Prince Venom.
I playtested those and found them to be very good all-around. I commented that they'd likely be good teaching shoes. Comfortable, enough cushion, and durable outsole. If you use orthotics it would be even better.
One of the colorways is also $59, so hard to pass on that.
 

McLovin

Legend
Been flipping between Yonex Sonicage 2 Wide & K-Swiss Hypercourt Supremes for the last couple of years, but the latest updates for both are a tad bit narrower. I don't necessarily have wide feet, but I wear ankle braces on both ankles all the time, so I like a wider fitting shoe. Even if I don't get selected, I'll be interested to see if anyone on the playtest can compare to those two shoes.
 

StringStrungStrang

Professional
I've been using the Babolat Jet Series and the Fury in addition to Asics among others and the wider fore foot toebox is definitely welcome! I didn't realize what I was missing til someone insisted I try a wider shoe and it was love at first sight!!
Hope these SFX Evo live up to what the other Babolat lines deliver!!
 

Chairman3

Hall of Fame
Also got picked...now we play the waiting game. Always like the surprise of what colorway we get.

Not particularly wide-footed although I've come to realize my forefoot may be a little wider than I thought. But my feet are skinny top to bottom whereas I used to think they were narrow. Very interested to see how they fit and always good to get different perspectives.
 

d-quik

Hall of Fame
Well there goes the neighborhood, I got chosen as well.

The picture looks like a lot of mesh which usually is great for wide toes. Also the price point seems very reasonable which makes this shoe immediately more attractive lol. Looking forward to comparing it to my stable of shoes.

Thanks @TW Staff
Thank you @TW Staff and @Babolat Official for being chosen! Super exicted to venture out on some shoe choices. Typically Ive been using Nike or New Balance so itll be nice to try other brands.
Just received notification of my participation in the playtest.

Thanks @TW Staff for the opportunity!
I'll be joining you! Perfect timing as my Babolat Fury just suffered a "fatal blow" this afternoon.
Also got picked...now we play the waiting game. Always like the surprise of what colorway we get.

Not particularly wide-footed although I've come to realize my forefoot may be a little wider than I thought. But my feet are skinny top to bottom whereas I used to think they were narrow. Very interested to see how they fit and always good to get different perspectives.
May be too late if it has been shipped already but a few of the reviews on the product page says it runs long :(

 

norcal

Legend
Got my Evo's today (black colorway) and they are comfortable out of the box. I was wearing some Hypercout Supremes when the mail arrived so I switched them out - initial observation is there is a lot more room (everywhere) in the Evo compared to the HS (both size 10). btw I wear aftermarket insoles (Dr Scholl's Running).

My foot is narrow around the ankle and wide in the toebox so I will definitely be using a runner's loop to lock down the ankle (extra eyelet provided for runner's loop!). Toebox is noticeably wider than the HS.
May be too late if it has been shipped already but a few of the reviews on the product page says it runs long
I can wiggle my toes a bit so maybe should have gone down 1/2..but impossible to tell until you're all locked down and playing tennis.

I generally walk the dog a couple miles before I play in shoes but I may play in these tomorrow as they are pretty flexible.
 

StringStrungStrang

Professional
Mine came today.
They are definitely roomy, so if you are buying a size up because you want the extra width - you won't have to!
Raining here, but they feel good around the house. I like the soles; the tread seems like it will do the job.
They feel light and I will be wearing thicker socks, while enjoy the extra room these Babloat SFX EVOs provide. Did I mention good looking and who doesn't like Michelin soles - but no Michelin Man ! He is waving, but no full bodied tire guy.
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Chairman3

Hall of Fame
Mine came today.
They are definitely roomy, so if you are buying a size up because you want the extra width - you won't have to!
Raining here, but they feel good around the house. I like the soles; the tread seems like it will do the job.
They feel light and I will be wearing thicker socks, while enjoy the extra room these Babloat SFX EVOs provide. Did I mention good looking and who doesn't like Michelin soles - but no Michelin Man ! He is waving, but no full bodied tire guy.
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Did you order your normal size and if so how do these compare?

TW Europe already had the product info, so I saw where it said they ran long (@d-quik) but opted to submit with my normal size instead of playing the guessing game.
 

StringStrungStrang

Professional
Did you order your normal size and if so how do these compare?

TW Europe already had the product info, so I saw where it said they ran long (@d-quik) but opted to submit with my normal size instead of playing the guessing game.
I am in between sizes so IF shoes are roomy I'll take the size down, but if shoes are narrow I'll take the larger size. These are roomy and TW sent me the larger size. No problem though.
In this case I will supplement with a custom insole as the stock one is very minimal. I would do this anyway and I always add a custom arch support. These shoes have ample room for both.
These seem to be a touch bigger (wider maybe longer) so don't go up in size.
Sizing is always a leap of faith !!
While these are not Babolat's premium shoes, they seem well-made and I think they are going to hit the nail on the head for their intended market. Will they hold up well on the court?
I think they will, but let's find out. So let the playtest begin!!
 

norcal

Legend
Played 4 sets of dubs this morning in the Evo's with very little break in (which I never do) and was surprised how comfortable they were when so new.

Comfort was the stand out characteristic today, after tennis I did some shopping and chores in the shoes so 7 hours straight and no foot fatigue/pain.

Support/stability was fine; I was wondering about lateral support cause of the mesh-heavy design (and I move a lot) but never gave it a second thought while playing. Turns out the length is fine, with my thorlos and insoles the length was not too much.

Evo definitely has more volume that Hypercourt Supreme (1) and Solecourt Control. Will be interesting to see how much the Evo 'relaxes' once broken in.

I play 80% singles and I'm hard on shoes (for my age demo lol) so we'll see how the Evo does on the singles court next week when I return from spring break. So far so good, super good shoe for dubs (which is what I was hoping for).

Oh also my 20 y/o daughter said they look 'cool', something she rarely says about anything I wear. :-D
 

vndesu

Hall of Fame
Got my pair last week and cant wait to try them on the courts. I wore them around work yesterday but was surpirsed with having no break in period really. Just like other posters said it does run a bit bigger but nothing too bad for now.
 

Devil_dog

Hall of Fame
The Babolats came in today!

Initial reactions are:

1. They run big. I wear an 11.5 but I'm pretty confident I can go down a half size and these will fit just fine. I cinched up my laces as snug as I could without bunching the forefoot area of the shoe and it's a comfortable, roomy fit. I laced the shoe all the way to the last eyelet for a better fitment.

2. I really like the padded tongue and generous length of the laces.

Mine were the black tops with white outsole. The look BIG and a tad long-ish. I have a wide forefoot but my feet went in just fine and with some room to spare.

I had to walk my dog so I wore them out for about a 20 minute casual stroll around the neighborhood. The cushioning is nice and plush. With the lacing all up to the last eyelet, my heels felt secure and the forefoot area was roomy but my feet weren't necessarily swimming in them.

They're an attractive shoe but not overly designed. I'm playing a match tomorrow so I'll wear them for at least a set to get better feedback on playability on court.

WW0VM4L.jpeg
 

StringStrungStrang

Professional
So to give some point of reference on the Babolat SFX EVO I playtested them side by side with my Babolat Propulse.
Both are size 9, but the SFX Evo is longer and wider. I included picture s and measurements to illustrate.

Size 9 in the Propulse fits me perfectly.
Size 9 in the SFX EVO is on the edge of being too big for me. Even with the insertion of an additional (leaving the stock one in) Babolat insole and my own arch supports, wearing thicker socks and cinching up the strings tightly - the shoes were a touch big.

Is one better than the other? Well it depends on what you need from your shoes. Both have their strengths and shortcomings, but all in all I like them both. If the SFX Evo fit better I am confident I'd have no problem using them as an all-around comfortable, good-looking tennis (maybe even pickleball) shoe. Get your size right and you will love these. Don't get me wrong they are not as performance oriented as the Propulse or Jet lines, they weren't designed to be, but they do perform well. Even too-big for me they do a good job and I enjoyed wearing them and they ARE comfortable. Light enough, nimble, good support and grip - all very nice.
The toe box is much roomier and stays wide.

I'll go into more detail later, but the key take away is they are longer than most shoes so take that into consideration when ordering.


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Chairman3

Hall of Fame
Is the Evo supposed to be a budget variant of the SFX line?
The price would suggest this and the uppers just seem very plain and what you'd expect on a budget model.

My shoes arrive tomorrow however I do not arrive home until Friday :cry:
 

Djinn

Semi-Pro
I have wide feet with high arches and insteps. Because of this, I always wear 2E tennis shoes. At the moment I am using the Asics Gel Resolution 9 10.5 2E Wide shoes as my main shoe with Nike Air Zoom Vapor AJ3 10.5 as my back-up pair. So I will make direct comparisons to those. Its been raining in NorCal for the past few days so I haven't been able to play in the SFX Evos yet. However, since I usually wear my new tennis shoes for daily use for a couple of days to help break them in, I did just that with these.

Initial thoughts:
  1. They are VERY spacious horizontally and vertically when compared to my other shoes of the same size and 2E width. They feel longer as well. My Gel Res 9s leave my feet less room than these vertically and probably horizontally as well.
  2. My feet are moving around a bit as I walk in these, so Ill probably need to utilize a runners knot when I play in them.
  3. The sole feels a bit thin? I might put in my insoles from the get go, but I would like to try them without insoles first.
Looking forward to being able to test them during play soon.

Thank you TW and Babolat for providing the playtest!
 

Chairman3

Hall of Fame
I finally arrived home to receive the shoes...
First things first...
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Size 11 weighs in at 394g, left and right were the same.
 

Chairman3

Hall of Fame
Not sure if this is helpful but you're getting it anyway....
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As you can see from my foot on the insole, length is pretty normal size 11, it is the uppers that makes these feel larger.
 
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