drakulie
Talk Tennis Guru
Wilson Trance All Court Review (4 out of 5 stars)
Tennis warehouse link:
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageMSWILSON-WTACMWN.html
Taking these shoes out of the box was a pleasant surprise. Although they are not flashy looking like some other manufacturer shoes, they have an appealing look to those who enjoy a shoe that is classic looking with a bit of modern mixed in. Coming from the Nike Oscillates, I immediately enjoyed the look of the shoe. I slipped them on and found the shoe to be true to size.
I received the shoes on 2/1/08 and have logged in well over 40 hours of play in them on both hard courts and har-tru. During this time play has included playing sets to intense drilling with players ranging from 4.0 to pro level. Some of these hitting sessions lasted over 3 hours. I also wore these shoes exclusively for 5 days (up to 3 hours a day) during the Checket Cup Les Grandes Dammes Ladies Tourney, where I spent time going from court to court taking photos of the tourney. The shoes were always comfortable to wear on and off the court.
Break in time was minimal ( 1 to 2 hours). In order to soften up the leather and mesh, I wore the shoes for approximately an hour to simply loosen up the material before hitting the courts. Once I hit the courts I found a shoe with adequate cushioning, especially in the heel area, and a shoe that was not too heavy. Although they do not have a lot of cushioning when compared to shoes like Nike that sport a lot of cushion, they do on the other hand provide a more “true feel” that enables you to better sense what your feet are doing underneath you. The Wilson Trance AC are definitely better suited to players that prefer a “low to the ground” feel.
As stated above, there is less cushioning in the toe area, which results in a more low-to-the ground ride, which I really enjoyed. The arch of the shoe provides minimal lift to your foot, so for those who feel a lot of discomfort with this type of style, you may want to get an arch support.
The outer toe area sports a thick rubber outsole that wraps around the entire toe area of the shoes and adds both support and protection. This padding comes in very handy for those who are “toe draggers”. I for one found this to be one of the best features of the shoe, and did not feel one toe get bruised.
The other notable feature of the shoe is the outer mid section which has plastic lateral supports. I found the lateral supports of the shoe to be excellent. I did not have any problems with my ankles feeling wobbly or “giving” when making quick stops, and then changing direction. I also found no “slippage” when abruptly stopping. That is to say, “my foot did not slide around inside the shoe”.
The traction of the shoe is excellent on hard courts, and as good as any other shoe I have tried. On the other hand, the traction is “too good” on har-tru. Because it sticks so much, and the treading is so deep and pronounced you find yourself constantly smacking the side of the shoe to get all the dirt out of the treads. Still, the shoe performed very well as a hybrid between hard courts and har-tru.
After 60 + hour of wearing them, the outer material of the shoe is still very stable. The leather has softened up enough to not be too stiff, but has held together very well. Sometimes the leather on tennis shoes becomes too soft and begins to lack that extra support and protection. Not on this shoe. Additionally, the outer treads show virtually no wear on them.
I have definitely enjoyed wearing these shoes, and if it weren’t for the fact that I have close to 20 pair of oscillates remaining, I would absolutely switch to this shoe. I will continue to use these shoes exclusively until they wear out. From the looks of it, that will be a long time from now. It has everything I like in a shoe:
1. Low to the ground feel,
2. Adequate cushioning in the heel, and all-around comfort
3. Excellent lateral support,
4. Excellent traction,
5. Excellent protection in the toe area, and a
6. Classic look and design.
The only real minus I found in the shoe is the mid section not being high enough, resulting in having to wear arch supports.
I want to thank TW for choosing me to write a review of these shoes, and thank Wilson for providing an excellent product at a cheap price compared to other shoes on the market.
To read the review of other play-testers click on the links provided:
Kaptain Karl:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=180677
TheShaun
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=180594
goober
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=179472&highlight=wilson+trance
Craig Sheppard
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=181347
Tennis warehouse link:
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageMSWILSON-WTACMWN.html
Taking these shoes out of the box was a pleasant surprise. Although they are not flashy looking like some other manufacturer shoes, they have an appealing look to those who enjoy a shoe that is classic looking with a bit of modern mixed in. Coming from the Nike Oscillates, I immediately enjoyed the look of the shoe. I slipped them on and found the shoe to be true to size.


I received the shoes on 2/1/08 and have logged in well over 40 hours of play in them on both hard courts and har-tru. During this time play has included playing sets to intense drilling with players ranging from 4.0 to pro level. Some of these hitting sessions lasted over 3 hours. I also wore these shoes exclusively for 5 days (up to 3 hours a day) during the Checket Cup Les Grandes Dammes Ladies Tourney, where I spent time going from court to court taking photos of the tourney. The shoes were always comfortable to wear on and off the court.
Break in time was minimal ( 1 to 2 hours). In order to soften up the leather and mesh, I wore the shoes for approximately an hour to simply loosen up the material before hitting the courts. Once I hit the courts I found a shoe with adequate cushioning, especially in the heel area, and a shoe that was not too heavy. Although they do not have a lot of cushioning when compared to shoes like Nike that sport a lot of cushion, they do on the other hand provide a more “true feel” that enables you to better sense what your feet are doing underneath you. The Wilson Trance AC are definitely better suited to players that prefer a “low to the ground” feel.
As stated above, there is less cushioning in the toe area, which results in a more low-to-the ground ride, which I really enjoyed. The arch of the shoe provides minimal lift to your foot, so for those who feel a lot of discomfort with this type of style, you may want to get an arch support.
The outer toe area sports a thick rubber outsole that wraps around the entire toe area of the shoes and adds both support and protection. This padding comes in very handy for those who are “toe draggers”. I for one found this to be one of the best features of the shoe, and did not feel one toe get bruised.

The other notable feature of the shoe is the outer mid section which has plastic lateral supports. I found the lateral supports of the shoe to be excellent. I did not have any problems with my ankles feeling wobbly or “giving” when making quick stops, and then changing direction. I also found no “slippage” when abruptly stopping. That is to say, “my foot did not slide around inside the shoe”.
The traction of the shoe is excellent on hard courts, and as good as any other shoe I have tried. On the other hand, the traction is “too good” on har-tru. Because it sticks so much, and the treading is so deep and pronounced you find yourself constantly smacking the side of the shoe to get all the dirt out of the treads. Still, the shoe performed very well as a hybrid between hard courts and har-tru.

After 60 + hour of wearing them, the outer material of the shoe is still very stable. The leather has softened up enough to not be too stiff, but has held together very well. Sometimes the leather on tennis shoes becomes too soft and begins to lack that extra support and protection. Not on this shoe. Additionally, the outer treads show virtually no wear on them.
I have definitely enjoyed wearing these shoes, and if it weren’t for the fact that I have close to 20 pair of oscillates remaining, I would absolutely switch to this shoe. I will continue to use these shoes exclusively until they wear out. From the looks of it, that will be a long time from now. It has everything I like in a shoe:
1. Low to the ground feel,
2. Adequate cushioning in the heel, and all-around comfort
3. Excellent lateral support,
4. Excellent traction,
5. Excellent protection in the toe area, and a
6. Classic look and design.
The only real minus I found in the shoe is the mid section not being high enough, resulting in having to wear arch supports.
I want to thank TW for choosing me to write a review of these shoes, and thank Wilson for providing an excellent product at a cheap price compared to other shoes on the market.
To read the review of other play-testers click on the links provided:
Kaptain Karl:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=180677
TheShaun
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=180594
goober
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=179472&highlight=wilson+trance
Craig Sheppard
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=181347
Last edited: