Diadora Speed Blushield Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.1

Our playtesters loved the plush comfort and soft feel of the Speed Blushield, but they also noted a lack of support through the arch area. "These shoes were really comfortable right out of the box," Andy praised. "They were easy to slip on and had a very soft, plush feel right from the first wear. There was a lot of cushioning underfoot to go along with the soft upper materials that wrap over the top of the feet. The lightweight uppers allowed the shoes to vent nicely, which kept my feet relatively cool and dry during play. However, with the shoes being so soft, I didn't find there to be much arch support through the middle of the shoes. While they were plush and comfortable all around my feet, long hours in them lead to some aching through the arch area due to the lack of support. That was my only issue with the comfort, though, and the issue only became apparent after wearing them for a long time."

Chris also liked the shoes' comfort from the very first wear. He shared, "I found the Speed Blushield AGs to break-in pretty quickly. Even my first hour of hitting in these shoes was fairly comfortable. After that initial hit I found the uppers flexible and comfortable. I liked the level of cushioning, and I felt light and springy on my feet. I would have liked more arch support -- both in height and stiffness. To cure the arch issues I installed a pair of Cadence insoles, and from then on I was good to go. We didn't have much in the way of hot weather during this test, so I didn't feel like I got to put the ventilation to the test."

Echoing the other's thoughts, Mark said, "From the first time I laced these shoes up I knew this was going to be a comfort story. After 10 hours of play time the comfort story was still intact. Now, after 25 hours of play in them, I would have to say they are even more comfortable than when I first put them on. Similar to other Diadora shoes I've worn, they have lower than average arch support."

The soft upper and low arch support suited Jason's wide, flat feet really well. "Excellent comfort right out of the box!" Jason raved. "The wider fit, especially in the forefoot, really fit my feet well. I thought the uppers were plush, flexed without any pinching and provided ample ventilation. These were shoes I would put on for tennis and leave on afterward because they were so comfortable."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.1

While the soft feel of the shoes was extremely comfortable, our team would have liked a bit more support and stability from the Speed Blushields when they were scampering around the court. Chris' narrow feet were sliding around inside the shoes a bit too much for his liking. He critiqued, "My areas of struggle in this test came with support and stability. The shoes were not very stiff through the chassis, and they flexed more than I liked during aggressive lateral cuts. The issue was compounded by a fit that was too wide for my feet. When I was running around on court my feet were sliding around inside the shoes too much. Even with two pairs of socks I was unable to truly lock my feet in. I need a very glove-like fit when I wear shoes with uppers as flexible as the Speed Blushield AGs, otherwise my feet slide around inside the shoes too much, which was the case here."

Mark's suspicions about the soft upper material were confirmed when he put the shoes' stability to the test. He said, "With such a high level of comfort, I figured that there was going to be a slight compromise in terms of support. In most instances my feet were held securely in place, but harder lateral stops did stretch the uppers enough to allow my feet to slide over the outside edge of the shoes."

Like Chris, Jason didn't feel locked in during play, even though his feet are quite different form Chris'. He shared, "This is where it all went wrong for me. With such soft uppers, the Speed Blushields didn't provide the necessary support I needed for moving around the court. It was especially noticeable when I had to stop and change directions laterally. When I planted my foot and pushed off I could feel the shoe give and twist instead of remaining rigid and preventing my foot from doing the same. I thought the front to back support was OK, since I didn't have much toe jamming, but not the lateral support. These shoes could've used a more rigid shank and stiffer uppers."

Andy didn't have quite as much of an issue with the stability as the others playtesters, but he did notice the flexible feel through the midfoot. He said, "Given how soft and flexible the Speed Blushields were, I was surprised at how protected I felt when moving around the court. I found enough stability to move confidently at top speeds and put on the brakes quickly when I needed to change directions. The low-to-the-ground ride kept me feeling connected to my movements and also provided a stable base for the shoes. Like I mentioned in the previous section, though, the lack of support through the arch area did cause the shoes to flex a bit too much for my liking through the midfoot. While there were never any dire repercussions during play, a little more rigidity in that area would've made these extremely supportive and stable shoes."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.0

The Speed Blushields proved to be very durable for our playtesters. Mark complimented, "I still have plenty of tread left in the toe area of the shoes after more than 25 hours of play on my pair. If you slide around the tennis court like Djokovic and get up over the top of your shoes, the Speed Blushield AGs have you covered with some extra material near the vamp."

Normally hard on his shoes, Chris could do very little real damage to his pair of Speed Blushields over the course of the playtest. He praised, "The outsoles of the Speed Blushield AGs proved to be decently durable. I saw wear in my typical high wear areas, but the amount of wear was well within my expectations. The grooves in the tread pattern run deep on these shoes, so even though I was wearing through the rubber under my big toes I still had lots of tread and grip left to go. The toe tips and uppers proved to be durable, too. I wore through the stitching at the toe tips, but it had zero effect on the integrity of the shoes. The uppers only feature a thin clear layer of rubber over the mesh uppers, but they were more than up to the task of resisting court abrasion."

Andy's pair of Speed Blushields passed the durability test. He said, "The Speed Blushields held up pretty well for me throughout the test. The tread on the outsoles of my pair showed no signs of balding even after 15-20 hours on court. The medial side of the uppers has taken a beating from a lot of sliding on the hard courts, but the extra protection in that area held up just fine. For as light and fast as these shoes felt, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they lasted out on court."

"For as lightweight and fast as they were, the Speed Blushields provided pretty good durability," Jason agreed. "I put more than 15 hours on these shoes and the outsoles have only slight signs of tread wear."

Traction - Score: 4.4

Everyone was very happy with the level of traction the Speed Blushields provided on the hard courts. "This was another highlight of the shoes," Jason said. "There was enough stick to the outsoles to give me a solid grip on the hard courts, but not so much that the shoes wouldn't budge or I'd catch an edge."

"I thought the traction was right on," Andy praised. "There was a nice blend of grip and give that allowed me to slide confidently on the hard courts yet still have enough grab to bite the court when I needed for quick changes of direction. No issues here!"

Chris thought the outsoles offered the perfect blend of grip and give. He explained, "I got great grip from the outsoles of the Diadora Speed Blushield AGs. I was able to quickly come to a stop, then move off for the next ball without losing grip. When pushed very wide and slightly off balance the shoes offered a controlled slide. I found that I could trust the amount of grip I was getting throughout the test. As I mentioned in my durability comments, the tread is cut deeply into the rubber and that meant I found solid traction even as the outsoles started to show wear."

Mark couldn't imagine the traction being any better, saying, "The rubber compound used for the tread worked about as well on a hard court as any other shoe I have ever tested. It's soft enough for predictable starts and stops, yet firm enough to make the shoes durable."

Weight - Score: 4.6

The whole team really liked how light and fast the Speed Blushields felt on court. Andy flew around the court at top speeds, saying, "One of the strengths of these shoes for me turned out to be how light and fast they felt out on court. I was never weighed down during play and felt totally connected to each step. The low-to-the-ground ride and plush feel gave me the feeling that I was driving around in a luxury sports car!"

Having no issues with being weighed down, Jason shared, "Not only did the shoes feel lightweight when I was just walking around, but they also felt fast on the court. I felt like there was hardly any delay time from step to step because the heel-to-toe transition was so smooth and seamless."

"My threshold number for light tennis shoes is around 15 oz, and these come in under that," Mark added.

Chris enjoyed the fast feel but felt the shoes could've benefited from being a little stiffer through the chassis. He explained, "The Diadora Speed Blushield AGs felt light on my feet. I liked the spring from the cushioning system, and the flexible uppers contributed to a light and fast feel, but I would have happily traded some added weight for better support and stability."