The Best Unknown Tennis Shoe - Nike should bring it back and reclassify it as a Tennis shoe

[patrick graves]

Nike Zoom Crusaders. I have owned 5 pairs of these things and they are awesome tennis shoes. For context, I play serve and volley/all court style at about a 4.5 level. When they hit the market (2012-2013 I believe), they were targeted for outdoor basketball. I tried on a pair at a Nike outlet in OR and fell in love with their snug fit. When I got them on the court, I was blown away by how fast and agile they were. I have owned other Nike tennis shoes (Vapors, for instance) and I believe the Zoom Crusaders are every bit as good if not better.

Anyone else used these?

 

[Ronaldo]

Is this your model?

 

[patrick graves]

Yep. It came in about 10 colorways....this is one of them.

 

[Deleted member 768841]

Is this your model?

Dang, weartesters really do go back.

 

[patrick graves]

Keep in mind he's evaluating it for basketball....for hard courts, it's an awesome performer with lots of grip and good cushioning and stability.

 

[Ronaldo]

Keep in mind he's evaluating it for basketball....for hard courts, it's an awesome performer with lots of grip and good cushioning and stability.

Is the Crusader still available?

 

[patrick graves]

Only used. You can find them on ****, Poshmark and similar sites.

 

[Tennis_Hands]

Actually, the review is not all that favourable: the talk is that along with some positives (good traction for going forward and backward which would be consistent with a S&V satisfaction) it also lacks stability so far so that they guy recommends using ankle braces. He also says that the middle of the sole lacks traction, and there are inconsistencies in the traction itself, which is terrible and could lead to injuries. It is good that you found something that works for you, but that shoe is not a readily usable tennis shoe. Yes, the shoe tech has gotten so much better that we need not go back in time to find good shoes to play in. Plenty of choices to lust after a discontinued and possibly not a full equipped for modern tennis shoe (and yes, plenty of shoes designed for other sports could be used for tennis to one extent or another: basketball, padel, volleyball, table tennis etc).

 

[patrick graves]

note that he is on a wood basketball court - very different from a hard court. I get what he said, but the surface does matter.

 

[Ronaldo]

note that he is on a wood basketball court - very different from a hard court. I get what he said, but the surface does matter.

Btw, this was AI, Iggy's shoe BITD.