RipD1Hander
New User
This amazing and informative thread has motivated, inspired and compelled me to delve into this topic first-hand. I'm an older fellow playing 2-3 times a week, and when I was 25 I really didn't much care about tennis shoe cushioning, but it's become more and more an important consideration in recent years. It had gotten to the point where I could barely get out of my car and walk into my home, my feet were hurting so bad after 2-3 hours on the court. So over the past six months I've done a lot of reading and wearing, and here are my conclusions so far for anyone who may be interested.
For me anyway, cushioning is a crucial component of comfort, but of course not the only component. To use a running shoe example, Asics has a line called the Cumulus and a line called the Nimbus. While I find both to be very comfortable, the Nimbus is clearly designed to be more cushioned (or perhaps more precisely, softer) than the Cumulus. Of course no tennis shoes (at least any that I've heard of) are as cushioned as the softest running shoes, but to be comfortable they don't have to be. Also, the addition to the shoes' cushioning provided by the insole is a factor that warrants inclusion in any such discussion. In my experience I have found Sof Sole Athlete insoles to work really well for me. They provide a good deal of cushioning and have been quite durable, but if the forefoot of the shoe has meager extra space, they can make it pretty snug for someone with a wider foot and higher arch as I have.
On to my findings...
IMO, any discussion about somewhat contemporary well-cushioned shoes has to start with the Babolat original SFX and the K Swiss Hypercourt Express. Both these shoes are pretty generous in the forefoot so they do allow for plenty of insole room. The Babolat comes with a surprisingly good insole, and although I do prefer the Sof Sole to the stock Babolat Ergo-Motion insole, both work very well in this shoe. A good insole can really help a shoe's cushioning, but it cannot make a hard footbed into a soft one, unless I suppose you had an insole that was an inch thick. The shoe's midsole makes a big difference in any case. The Hypercourt Express also comes with a really excellent insole, underneath which is a comparatively soft midsole. The combination of good midsole cushion, stock insole cushion and generous accomodation for wider feet make these the best cushioned and most comfortable tennis shoes I've ever worn.
Adidas CrazyLight Boost 2016...I agree that these shoes are probably the best-suited basketball shoes for tennis, and the full-length Boost midsole is very cushiony, a pleasure to have underfoot. Unfortunately for me, this shoe's forefoot is just a bit too narrow, so even with the relatively thin stock insoles I never was able to run comfortably in these.
Nike Lunar Ballistec 1.5...Feels lacking in the cushioning, which isn't surprising since this is designed primarily as a fast, light shoe. Forefoot is too narrow to allow enough room for a quality insole for anyone with a wider foot. Someone also mentioned the Nike Court Lite, which really isn't a bad tennis shoe, but this is one of the examples where a good insole can't quite overcome a fairly hard midsole/footbed. And this applies to the wide version--the regular width version is just way too narrow to use any aftermarket insole.
Yonex Power Cushion Pro...I really wanted to like this shoe. Of all the shoes I tried, this one required by far the most break-in time, and when you take into account the substandard (well, why sugar-coat it, garbage) stock insole, this is one of the lesser cushioned footbeds I've tried. The good news is that the forefoot is pretty generous, so here again, once I swapped out the stock insole for the Sof Sole it became a good deal more comfortable. The jury is still out on whether I'll be able to make these work for tennis or just wear as casual shoes, but for cushioning they aren't in the same ballpark as the Babolat SFX or the K Swiss Hypercourt Express.
Asics Gel Resolution 5...Definitely have to swap out the thin stock insole for an aftermarket one, but these are certainly pretty decently cushioned; I'd put them one level below the Babs and Swiss's. Hard to say exactly where and how much Gel these have, and they call the midsole SoLyte, which, if you're after good cushioning, is a bit disconcerting since your concern is not primarily how "lyte" the midsole is. I was considering the Gel Court FF because of the good comfort and FlyteFoam reviews, but with the almost universal consternation about the difficulty of getting one's foot into the shoe, along with my wider feet, I figured I'd pass.
Prince T22...This may be a contender with the Bab and the Swiss, felt well-cushioned with a high quality stock insole. In order for me to conclude that a shoe's cushioning is on the highest level, I not only have to walk around in it, I have to play in it, and I could not play in the Prince T22. I ran into the same problem so many other wider-footed people have, those darn stability straps (particularly the front outside ones) which dig into the sides of your feet...too uncomfortable for me to play in.
If you've taken the time to read this diatribe, I hope you've gotten something out of my views and observations. I have been able to play tennis longer, more often and more enjoyably thanks to shoes that have not yet succumbed to The Decline of Proper Cushioning.
For me anyway, cushioning is a crucial component of comfort, but of course not the only component. To use a running shoe example, Asics has a line called the Cumulus and a line called the Nimbus. While I find both to be very comfortable, the Nimbus is clearly designed to be more cushioned (or perhaps more precisely, softer) than the Cumulus. Of course no tennis shoes (at least any that I've heard of) are as cushioned as the softest running shoes, but to be comfortable they don't have to be. Also, the addition to the shoes' cushioning provided by the insole is a factor that warrants inclusion in any such discussion. In my experience I have found Sof Sole Athlete insoles to work really well for me. They provide a good deal of cushioning and have been quite durable, but if the forefoot of the shoe has meager extra space, they can make it pretty snug for someone with a wider foot and higher arch as I have.
On to my findings...
IMO, any discussion about somewhat contemporary well-cushioned shoes has to start with the Babolat original SFX and the K Swiss Hypercourt Express. Both these shoes are pretty generous in the forefoot so they do allow for plenty of insole room. The Babolat comes with a surprisingly good insole, and although I do prefer the Sof Sole to the stock Babolat Ergo-Motion insole, both work very well in this shoe. A good insole can really help a shoe's cushioning, but it cannot make a hard footbed into a soft one, unless I suppose you had an insole that was an inch thick. The shoe's midsole makes a big difference in any case. The Hypercourt Express also comes with a really excellent insole, underneath which is a comparatively soft midsole. The combination of good midsole cushion, stock insole cushion and generous accomodation for wider feet make these the best cushioned and most comfortable tennis shoes I've ever worn.
Adidas CrazyLight Boost 2016...I agree that these shoes are probably the best-suited basketball shoes for tennis, and the full-length Boost midsole is very cushiony, a pleasure to have underfoot. Unfortunately for me, this shoe's forefoot is just a bit too narrow, so even with the relatively thin stock insoles I never was able to run comfortably in these.
Nike Lunar Ballistec 1.5...Feels lacking in the cushioning, which isn't surprising since this is designed primarily as a fast, light shoe. Forefoot is too narrow to allow enough room for a quality insole for anyone with a wider foot. Someone also mentioned the Nike Court Lite, which really isn't a bad tennis shoe, but this is one of the examples where a good insole can't quite overcome a fairly hard midsole/footbed. And this applies to the wide version--the regular width version is just way too narrow to use any aftermarket insole.
Yonex Power Cushion Pro...I really wanted to like this shoe. Of all the shoes I tried, this one required by far the most break-in time, and when you take into account the substandard (well, why sugar-coat it, garbage) stock insole, this is one of the lesser cushioned footbeds I've tried. The good news is that the forefoot is pretty generous, so here again, once I swapped out the stock insole for the Sof Sole it became a good deal more comfortable. The jury is still out on whether I'll be able to make these work for tennis or just wear as casual shoes, but for cushioning they aren't in the same ballpark as the Babolat SFX or the K Swiss Hypercourt Express.
Asics Gel Resolution 5...Definitely have to swap out the thin stock insole for an aftermarket one, but these are certainly pretty decently cushioned; I'd put them one level below the Babs and Swiss's. Hard to say exactly where and how much Gel these have, and they call the midsole SoLyte, which, if you're after good cushioning, is a bit disconcerting since your concern is not primarily how "lyte" the midsole is. I was considering the Gel Court FF because of the good comfort and FlyteFoam reviews, but with the almost universal consternation about the difficulty of getting one's foot into the shoe, along with my wider feet, I figured I'd pass.
Prince T22...This may be a contender with the Bab and the Swiss, felt well-cushioned with a high quality stock insole. In order for me to conclude that a shoe's cushioning is on the highest level, I not only have to walk around in it, I have to play in it, and I could not play in the Prince T22. I ran into the same problem so many other wider-footed people have, those darn stability straps (particularly the front outside ones) which dig into the sides of your feet...too uncomfortable for me to play in.
If you've taken the time to read this diatribe, I hope you've gotten something out of my views and observations. I have been able to play tennis longer, more often and more enjoyably thanks to shoes that have not yet succumbed to The Decline of Proper Cushioning.