Ok lads, today was the big day. I play tested the Vapor 11's and the Vapor Pro 2's. Very interesting, very different shoes.
Vapor 11
As someone with a slightly narrower foot it was the most comfortable and enjoyable shoe I've ever worn. Maybe the Vapor X was similar purely in terms of comfort, however it's been some years I can't say for sure. For me these felt amazing with two socks. I went half a size down from what I was wearing in the Vapor Pros which I think was a good idea. They definitely run bigger.
Aside from the general comfort of the shoe I noticed a few things:
- You don't feel as supported in your lateral movements as compared to the Pros and Pro 2's. That's to say I felt a little more like the foot was tipping over the outside of the shoe, however not in a bad way. Beyond observing this when testing the shoe prior to play by doing some side movement drills, in match play it was never something I noticed or paid attention to.
- The shoe is super responsive. It has the best energy return of any shoe I've ever worn. It felt like it gave me so much spring in my step and helped me be light on my feet. I don't know why exactly, but this might be due to the plastic shank and zoom in the forefoot. Either way, it really helped me feel light on my feet. I should mention too that I would consider myself a decent mover on court, I've got good footwork, so the energy I'm putting out might be higher than the average rec player (but no at all a pro level). I think the Vapor 11's are going to help you the most on your service, having a better split step etc.
- For the aforementioned reasons, despite being heavier than the Pro 2's, they were far more enjoyable to wear and never felt heavy. I wore Cage 4's before and they were noticeably heavy and impacted my movement. These are not at all like that and I doubt club players will notice or care about the difference.
- The lock down on the shoe was excellent for me. Just make sure to loop the outer lace around the extra lace hole and it's really good. Also, despite the top of the tongue looking like it lacks padding, the tongue itself is padded and has more padding further down. It's also inelastic and avoids the issues faced by the NXTs where the elastic tongue was harming movement and jump height.
- Overall the fit and feel was "snug". I felt very locked in with incredible bounciness and energy return. I can't stress that enough. They felt great.
Vapor Pro 2's
Deep down I was worried I was going to like these more, having come from playing with Vapor X's and then Vapor Pros. I like my shoes light and low to the ground, but was a bit bummed with how ugly the Pro 2's are compared to the 11's. I promise this didn't bias my opinion though.
The differences I noted between the two were as follows:
- Pro 2's are noticeably lower to the ground. I mean REALLY low to the ground. Compared to other Nike shoes this is the most connected I felt to the ground. It was almost like being barefoot. Night and day difference to the original Pros. So if you love that feeling I think these would be the shoes for you.
- Despite coming from the same mould, subjectively I felt like the Pro 2's are more accommodating for a wider foot. I felt a bit more slippage in my foot when compared to the 11's, but only minor.
- The shoe laces on the Pro 2's are not as good as the 11's.
- When you have both shoes in hand, it is clear the 11 is a more premium model and the Pro 2's are a bit of a budget model.
- The lateral stability of the Pro 2's is superior to the Vapor 11's for reasons mentioned above. It's a lower shoe.
- Although I felt padding was very similar between the two, I felt a little more enveloped and cushioned in the Pro 2's when standing and walking around. They were quite nice actually.
From a playability standpoint though I really didn't like the Pro 2's. Despite being so low to the ground they felt extremely dull to me. I didn't feel like I got anything close to the energy return in the Pro 2's as I did with even the Pros. The difference switching back and forth from the 2's to the 11's was huge. I would say the Pro 2's are totally adequate to play in, I had no issues, they didn't bother me or impede my movement. However, when I had the 11's there to directly compare and change in and out of, I found the 11's far more enjoyable to play in.
Speculation on Pros avoiding 11's and going to Pro 2's
I'm no expert, but I think both shoes are not well suited to a professional player. I think a pro would enjoy the qualities of the 11 but likely would want something lower to the ground and with a little less weight. Custom shoes could probably achieve this through use of a carbon shank.
On the other hand, I can totally see that a custom Pro 2 with some kind of solution to improve energy return would make it the superior shoe. Therefore, it makes sense if you're with Nike and have both options, it's going to be easier to get Nike to add something to a model to make it better, rather than trying to re-engineer the 11's.
I also did my testing on an outdoor hardcourt that isn't suited to sliding, so I can't comment on how both shoes handle in that regard. I would think the Vapor 11's are not good for that due to being higher off the ground. This could explain why some women on the tour stick with the 11's, whereas many of the men are going to the Vapor Pro 2's. Something to think about and test.
Conclusion
I'd be very interested if someone reviewed the Pro 2's with a good orthotic, maybe one that could act as a shank. Maybe the Pro 2's would get the edge in that case. However, as far as both stock shoes go, if you are someone who's light on their feet and moves well, I think you'll find the 11's to be a more pleasant shoe to play in, that gives you more back. The 2's are an acceptable alternative, but you might want to consider ways to make them more responsive.
and my $$. Another good thing to consider, is accommodating my wide orthotics without sacrificing too much responsiveness and cushioning.
