Too much plastic!

ls206

ls206

Hall of Fame
After another painful outing with the Asics Gel Res 7 it has led me looking for alternatives. However, looking at all the flagship shoes it’s hard to find one that’s not coated in plastic?!

It seems that all this plastic is advertised as offering stability but in reality it just results in a shoe that fights against the movement of your foot, makes them sweaty and leaves you counting the blisters at the end of a session.

Searching the forum, the trend was noticed a while back but I think since then all the manufacturers have now moved to plastic.
 
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loosegroove

loosegroove

Hall of Fame
I thought the Resolution 7s were really comfy for a while. But after using them for about a year (multiple pairs), I've been feeling some sore spots on my feet, which means I may be looking for something new as well.
 
DJTaurus

DJTaurus

Hall of Fame
Res7’s feel comfy except heel area with almost zero shock absorption (bad shoe for Achilles injuries) and in general their lock down/supporting is subpar. Re6>Res7
 
Kalin

Kalin

Legend
The problem with tennis shoes, especially nowadays when many people shop online (hence, mostly by looks), is that a lot of the effort goes into fancy, eye-catching design and marketing which doesn't always help performance.

I mean, one would think that after all those years shoe-makers would have figured out which part of the shoe needs reinforcement and which doesn't. Yet, we often see patches of suspect-looking material appearing at random places and disappearing from others... just to re-appear a couple of years later as a major 'innovation'.

Can someone please re-introduce the Lotto Boris Becker from centuries ago? That thing had all the strength and support it needed (and more) and still looked like a beautiful, streamlined tennis shoe. Some of the new efforts look like they were designed to climb Everest in... :mad:
 
ls206

ls206

Hall of Fame
naturallight said:
Agree, not a fan of the plastic at all. I have switched over to New Balance.
Click to expand...
Yep, having a shop around, New Balance do seem the most promising.
I used to play with the Vapor 9 but it didn't offer much in terms of cushioning, that at the outsole wore out super quick.

DJTaurus said:
Res7’s feel comfy except heel area with almost zero shock absorption (bad shoe for Achilles injuries) and in general their lock down/supporting is subpar. Re6>Res7
Click to expand...
I think part of that is because they took all of the padding out of the tongue. It's really thin and does nothing to help lock the foot in. I agree, the Res6 was far better.
 
T

TforTommy

Semi-Pro
I agree, I had really bad midfoot pain when I wore them. Not sure what it is but even when i broke them in after 6 months I get pain in my midfoot (feels like tendons are aching) was super painful
Also not a fan of the plasticky upeer, i found that mine stretched alot

I actually quite liked the gel res 6 alot, some heel slipping if you got a size too big. but mine were perfect
 
K

kblades

Semi-Pro
I’ve been playing with the Court FF’s and recently developed severe pain around the ball of my left foot. I’ve had to take a couple weeks off to let it heal, but I’m shopping for another option as well.

I dug out an old pair of Babolat Propulse 3s yesterday to play with. They seem to fit the shape of my foot so much better, the Asics seem too long and narrow. But the weight difference between them was really noticeable, the Propulses felt so much heavier on my feet.
 
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airchallenge2

airchallenge2

Hall of Fame
Kalin said:
The problem with tennis shoes, especially nowadays when many people shop online (hence, mostly by looks), is that a lot of the effort goes into fancy, eye-catching design and marketing which doesn't always help performance.

I mean, one would think that after all those years shoe-makers would have figured out which part of the shoe needs reinforcement and which doesn't. Yet, we often see patches of suspect-looking material appearing at random places and disappearing from others... just to re-appear a couple of years later as a major 'innovation'.

Can someone please re-introduce the Lotto Boris Becker from centuries ago? That thing had all the strength and support it needed (and more) and still looked like a beautiful, streamlined tennis shoe. Some of the new efforts look like they were designed to climb Everest in... :mad:
Click to expand...

100% agree with you here. And I very much appreciate the old school reference, too!
 
ls206

ls206

Hall of Fame
Putting the res7 away and using an old pair of challenger 8s. Man they are so comfy!

My shortlist for the next shoe is:
- Vapor X
- NB Lav
- Ubersonic 3

I’ve read mixed reviews on the Zoom Zero but I’m intrigued, same with NB 996v3

The Babolat Jet II might be worth a look too but there's almost no info on these
 
TagUrIt

TagUrIt

Hall of Fame
As far as comfort goes the Zoom Zeroes are amazing. They are a little tough to get into, I sized a full size up when I had mine. Once you get them on though, you will feel like a pro tennis player. They propel you forward and support all at the same time. Find your size and pull the trigger on them. Just don’t cinch the laces too tight, they lace eyelets will break.
 
T

TforTommy

Semi-Pro
I'd skip the vapor x, very disappointing. Sole feels very plasticky. Both the midsole and outsole, midsole feels theres hardly any cushion and feels like a block of plastic and the really hard outsole while being more durable then the old 9.5s is much worse

Loving my zoom zeros, great arch support. Love the neoprene tongue, lace system is similar to the x and 9.5, and the zoom unit is awesome. Love the sole, very plush

There is a slight breakin but even fresh out of the box they;re not uncomfortable at all.

If you can get a pair of zoom zeros on sale i'd absolutely get them. The gel court ff's are awesome aswell
 
mad dog1

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
ls206 said:
After another painful outing with the Asics Gel Res 7 it has led me looking for alternatives. However, looking at all the flagship shoes it’s hard to find one that’s not coated in plastic?!

It seems that all this plastic is advertised as offering stability but in reality it just results in a shoe that fights against the movement of your foot, makes them sweaty and leaves you counting the blisters at the end of a session.

Searching the forum, the trend was noticed a while back but I think since then all the manufacturers have now moved to plastic.
Click to expand...
Give the Wilson rush pro 3.0 a try. No plastic upper. Super comfortable assuming it fits the shape of your foot.
 
K

kblades

Semi-Pro
I went with the Uber 3’s as my next shoe, they don’t have a lot of plastic like many of the shoes on the market currently. I’ve only played with them a couple times so far, but I’m really liking them. No break in required, but the toe box is really wide. I have medium to slightly wide feet, and I still have to wear 2 pairs of socks with them to get a secure feel in the toe box. Other than that, no complaints with the Ubersonic 3’s thus far!
 
Holdfast44ID

Holdfast44ID

Semi-Pro
I'm using the Asics Solution Speed FF (with little room to spare at 10.5) and I put in my own $80 sports orthotics. While these shoes feel good, overall, they feel "mushy" when pushing off laterally. I'm looking for something with a little more stability but am not liking what I'm hearing about the other Asics shoes now! Something similar to my shoe would be fine with more stability (maybe a little more room in the toe area). I also need a shoe that locks my heel in. I HATE tennis shoes where I feel my heels coming up, especially if they come out of the shoes! It would be nice if companies would focus more on fit than anything else.
 
ls206

ls206

Hall of Fame
I’m still keen to try out the zoom zeros but in the meantime I’ve found some Res 5s going cheap. I think prefer them to the 6s.
Edit: they don’t dig in around the ankle like the 6s but the insole is paper thin and def needs replacing.
Hoping the NB Lavs will drop in price by the time I need another pair
 
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