Head Prestige Women's Shoe Review

Achieving the level of "prestige" is tough to do. Not only in common parlance, but also in the world of tennis.

According to Merriam-Webster: prestige: commanding position in people's minds

In tennis: Prestige: the racquet choice of pros, past and present, Henri Leconte, Thomas Muster, Goran Ivanisevic, Guga, Jose Acasuso, Sebastien Grosjean, Gael Monfils, Marat Safin... is there any need to go on?

Prestige is a storied name in terms of top-level tennis that carries a lot of weight. In other words, HEAD making a performance shoe and naming it the Prestige, well, means HEAD has some big shoes to fill, no pun intended.

The playtest team went out and put the women's Prestige shoes to the test for one month on hard courts. Here's a look at what our reviewers had to say:

Comfort

The Prestige features HEAD's CXG Comfort Grid technology, which offered a soft ride that pleased the majority of our playtesters. "The cushioning felt just right throughout the whole shoe," Kana said, "still giving stability that felt extremely comfortable." Myrna agreed, "The Prestiges had great overall cushioning."

Tiffani needed some time to break-in the Prestiges. "I found the forefoot flex to be a bit stiff at first, but it only took me about an hour to break these in. I was also slipping in the heel, so I just laced them up a lot tighter. After that, I found the Prestiges to be quite comfortable. These had some plush cushioning, especially in the tongue. I enjoyed the soft ride, but the padding also made the shoe a little warm."

The shape of the toe was problematic for DeeDee. "The Prestiges could have had a lot more cushioning. My pinky toes were pinched in the toe box. The width at the front of the shoe was great for the balls of my feet, but they were too narrow for my little toes to be comfortable. The heels of my feet rubbed on the outside because the shoe felt wider at the heel."

Arch Support

The medium height arches of the Prestige offered good support for the team. Myrna was pleased not to need extra support. "I have an extremely high arch and these shoes supported it perfectly. These may have had the best arch support of any shoe that I have worn. I usually need to add supplemental arch supports to my shoes to alleviate foot pain, but in this case I didn't." DeeDee found the support adequate. "The arch support was all right, but I can always use a little bit more for my high arches."

Those with lower arches were pleased, too. Kana said, "The shoe itself felt like it had a low-medium arch that fit my feet very well." Initial discomfort wore off for Tiffani. "With my flat arch, I just worry about pain from an arch support. I experienced discomfort during my first outing with them, but every time after that initial session the shoes have been extremely comfortable."

Foot Support/Stability

Our playtesters felt their feet were locked in and were impressed with the on-court stability provided by the Prestiges. DeeDee never questioned the ankle support. "While playing, because of the reinforced area at the balls of my feet and the heel my ankles never rolled over, nor did they feel like they were going to roll over." Kana found a glove-like fit. "Because of the comfortable cushioning in the ankle area the support felt very stable. As cushioning seemed equally distributed, not only did the ankle feel supported, but there was also no sliding of the foot."

Tiffani's feet were secure as well. "The lateral stability was great. I could make cuts and never have to worry about turning an ankle. However, I did experience some toe jamming on some more extreme movements. Quick stops and changes of directions caused my feet to slide forward inside the shoes. I found them a tad on the long side, but not enough to change sizes. This might have contributed to the sliding inside the shoes. The sliding wasn't an everyday occurrence, as it happened only a handful of times over a month or so in the shoes." Myrna moved with grace across the court without worry. "At no time did I feel that my feet could roll over or slide around. This shoe is high enough to provide ample ankle support, thus preventing ankle rollover, but not so high to appear to be a shoe designed for basketball. This shoe was a good fit, with no hint of my foot sliding around as I dashed, gazelle-like, across the court. The shoe actually seemed to run true to size, rather than smaller than the size indicated, which is often the case."

Overall Sole Durability

With a six-month durability guarantee, the Prestige promises to last. Our playtesters found the shoe to be heavy duty enough for hard courts. Tiffani was happy with how the shoes were holding up. "After a month I was starting to see wear on the outsole under the balls of my feet. I was thoroughly impressed with how the Prestige was holding up to pounding on hard courts. The last durability guaranteed shoe I tested, the Wilson Trance All Court, showed slightly more wear than the Prestige in the same length of testing. I don't think I would challenge the six-month durability guarantee of the Prestige, but it's a nice backup plan."

Myrna had a similar experience. "The sole still looks fine after 30 hours, but the area of most wear is the ball of the foot. This is the norm for me. If the toe is invulnerable (as it is in this shoe) the primary area to show wear first is the ball of the foot." Kana liked the balance of a softer outsole and durability. "Because the sole absorbed shock very well, the sole seemed softer than other shoes such as the Wilson Trance All Court, which sometimes means the sole can wear out quickly. Nevertheless, the sole of the Prestige kept up through the playtest."

DeeDee experienced some moderate wear. "I saw slight wear on the inside of my heel. The reinforced heel actually caused me to pronate my feet so I wore them out on the inside. I didn't care for the extra thickness of the sole because it made the shoes too heavy, even though they were durable."

Toe Durability

The HyBrasion rubber on the Prestige's toe provides protection against toe dragging. Myrna was confident these would stand up to some serious tennis warfare. "As a confirmed toe-dragger, I am always concerned with leaving bits of my shoe on the court after unleashing one of my powerful first serves. Much to my delight, this shoe has a formidable toe cap, able to withstand the abuse of the most aggressive toe-dragging serve and volley player." Tiffani didn't damage the toe either. "I was again impressed with the durability. HEAD's HyBrasion rubber comes up onto the toe for plenty of protection. Perhaps it makes the shoe appear bulky or beefy, but if that's the price I have to pay to have a shoe that lasts, then so be it. After a month, I had plenty of rubber to grind through. All I had done is simply smooth out the texture."

Traction

The all-court tread of the Prestiges helped our playtesters keep their footing. For DeeDee, though, the CXG Comfort Grid in the forefoot and heel got in the way. "The shoes were too heavy for starting, however, when I stopped there was no slipping or sliding on the court. As long as I stayed on the balls of my feet, changing directions was fine. If I was caught flat-footed I had a hard time moving sideways, and an even more difficult time moving forward, because the reinforced toe area kept getting in the way." Kana enjoyed the fit and grip. "Traction was good. The outsole rubber wasn't too hard and was helping to grip the court. Because the shoe seemed flexible and conformed to the movements of my footwork, my movement on the court felt faster than other shoes that have a harder outsole."

Tiffani felt like she could zip around. "My opponents can try to pull me from side to side all they want, and I know I'm going to have the grip on the court to stop and sprint the other way. I have no worries that I'll slide in the Prestige, so I all have to think about is getting to the next ball." Myrna agreed. "These shoes provided excellent traction. At no time, even when the court surface was slightly damp, did I feel that my shoe would slide from under me. As a matter of fact, I commented to one of my cohorts, 'These shoes grab like a tenacious pit bull.'"

Weight

With the extra padding, the Prestige weighs a healthy 14.8 ounces (women's 8.5). Some of our playtesters wished for a lighter shoe. Kana had mixed feelings. "The shoe seemed a little on the heavy side, but it fit so well that I could overlook the weight." DeeDee, though, prefers lighter shoes. "The Prestige was too heavy for my liking. Because of the extra reinforcement at the balls of my feet and heel, I felt like the shoe was a little heavy."

Expecting the shoe to come with some heft was Tiffani. "Checking the weight on the description page, I was shocked to see what looks like a relatively heavy women's shoe. I was shocked because these don't feel heavy to me for what I'm getting out of them. I found the shoe to be extremely durable and well padded. I still was able to move easily around the court, though, and didn't feel like the shoes were too heavy. The weight is easily comparable to other shoes with a durability guarantee." Myrna, though, could still glide. "These shoes seemed very light when I was playing, yet they seemed extremely substantial in comfort and support. Even after 3 hours of hard play, when even the lightest of shoes become lead-like, these shoes felt light."

Overall Most of the playtesters found that the Prestige shoe lived up to its name. Overall, the testers were pleased, finding that the Prestige provided excellent support and traction, and noticeable comfort. Durability was another standout aspect for our team, but because of the beefed up outsole, weight became a concern. However, it's clear the Prestige is meant to withstand the grind of hard court tennis, and is a solid choice for players looking for a long-lasting performance shoe.

Head Prestige Scores
The Up Sides	The Down Sides	Play Test Scores
Durability guarantee Traction Lateral stability	Weight	Comfort 3.9 Arch Support 4.4 Foot Support/Stability 4.2 Overall Sole Durability 4.3 Toe Durability 4.5 Traction 4.2 Weight 3.7 Overall 4.2 Scores (1-Horrible 2-Poor 3-Average 4-Good 5-Tremendous)

Playtesters' Foot types: DeeDee: Narrow width / High arch. Myrna: Wide width / High arch. Kana: Medium width / Low arch. Tiffani: Wide width / Low arch.

Review date: May, 2008. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

All content copyright 2008 Tennis Warehouse.