KSwiss Hypercourt Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.0

Very comfortable shoes overall, the Hypercourts' step-in feel was applauded by the entire team. Jason wore these shoes on and off the court. He said, "These Hypercourts are very comfortable. There was ample cushioning underfoot to help lessen the blow from harsh landings. I found the padding around the tongue and ankle collar to be plush as well. Really, my only knock on the comfort was the little bit of toe jamming I experienced during the playtest."

Sebastian enjoyed the plush, out the box comfort, pointing to the heel and tongue areas of the shoe in particular. He explained, "Throughout my playtest hours I felt these shoes to be exceptional in terms of comfort and feel. I really enjoyed the added cushioning in the heel areas and tongue, which provided a soft and comfortable feel while playing. I felt the cushioning throughout these shoes was plush, especially around the ankle collars."

Chris was zipping around the court in these shoes. He praised their comfort, stating, "These were very light, fast and comfortable shoes. They never really required any break-in time. While they got softer and more comfortable over time, they flexed and fit comfortably from the first wear. The fit was narrower than the Hypercourt Express so they were a better fit for my skinny feet. I also liked the cushioning. The ride was soft enough for me to feel protected from the hard courts, but I also felt low enough to have solid footing. For the duration of the test the uppers remained comfortable, and I didn't have any rubbing or blister issues of any kind."

Although Andy also found these shoes to be immediately comfortable, he had a few issues arise as the playtest wore on. He explained, "These shoes have a natural fit right out of the box and were comfortable right away. When I took them down to the court they flexed naturally with my feet from the very first shot, and the lightweight, low-profile design took nothing away from my speed and agility when moving around. However, there isn't a whole lot of cushioning in these shoes, so over time my feet began to get fatigued during play. They're a fast, speed-oriented shoe, but the Hypercourts aren't among the more comfortable options out there for me."

Ventilation - Score: 3.8

Like with the Hypercourt Express model, our playtesters didn't have any issues with ventilation in the Hypercourts. Jason was pleased, saying, "Breathability was not an issue for me. My feet never felt hot or suffocated while I was wearing these shoes on court. If I was comparing these shoes to the Hypercourt Expresses I'd give a slight edge to the Express model, but the Hypercourts are still very well ventilated."

Chris was satisfied with the level of ventilation in these shoes. He said, "Ventilation was pretty middle of the road for me. My feet never got excessively hot, but they never felt truly cooled either. The Hypercourt Express offered a cooler ride, but compared to most other shoes, these were pretty standard."

Once into his hitting session, Andy felt these shoes ran a little hot, preventing his feet from breathing as much as he would have liked. He offered, "I found that these shoes ran a bit hot during play. After some time on court I'd notice my feet would get a little sweatier than usual, resulting in some discomfort and slippage inside my shoes. The only area of exposed mesh is on the medial side of the forefoot, and that was the only spot where I felt hot air was escaping."

Sebastian found the Hypercourts offered less venting than the Hypercourt Expresses. He said, "I felt ventilation to be about average in these shoes and not as impressive as the more breathable Hypercourt Express. I was missing some mesh holes and perforations along the uppers to let some of the hot air out."

Arch Support - Score: 3.7

Sebastian was happy with the arch support in the Hypercourts, saying, "I am usually looking for an average to low arch support, and I felt the arch support level in these shoes was just right. When I first started playing in the Hypercourts I felt they offered medium arch support. However, I noticed that the arch got lower the more I played in my shoes, probably because of the soft plush cushioning molding to my feet."

Like Sebastian, Jason found the arch compressing after initially sitting too high for his liking. He said, "At first, the arch did feel too high for my foot, but luckily, they wore down pretty quickly. I felt like the midsole and outsole in the Hypercourts are softer than most, which is why the break-in period was so fast."

Andy enjoyed the level of arch support right from the start of his playtest. He offered, "There was adequate enough support through the arch area for me during play. I like to have some pressure up through the midfoot, and these shoes offered some of that. While they're not the most supportive shoes for arches, they certainly have enough to offer to avoid causing discomfort in that area."

Chris found the arches wearing down over time, which affected his stability within these shoes. He explained, "The arch support got a passing score from me, but barely. I would have liked a stiffer and more supportive midfoot shank. As the test wore on I felt like the midfoot section was getting more and more flexible. Stability felt solid at first, but toward the end of the test my arches were feeling a little taxed. I had a couple of instances when I could feel the midfoot area of my shoes twisting on a change of direction, and that added some stress to my arches as I pushed off."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.4

Our playtesters were left wanting a little more stability from the Hypercourts. Andy enjoyed the fit and feel when he was out on court, but he would've liked more support. He explained, "I had mixed emotions when it came to the support and stability of these shoes. For starters, the low-to-the-ground profile had me feeling very connected to my movement and provided a nice low, stable ride. The upper material was also stiff enough to grab my feet during lateral cuts and provided the stability I needed to move quickly and recover after a tough defensive shot. However, I thought the ankle support was really low and would certainly not be sufficient for players who like having a lot of protection in that area. I also never got a 'locked-in' fit that left me feeling confident and secure all the time."

Chris felt like these shoes didn't have quite the right amount of stability and stiffness to them. He explained, "While the fit was nice and supportive for me, I wanted more stability from the guts of these shoes. I would have liked a stiffer chassis to help stop the shoes from twisting so much. My feet felt a little stressed toward the end of the test because the shoes just felt a tad too flexible. On the plus side, the uppers continued to offer a supportive fit so my feet were never sliding around inside them."

Jason liked the way these shoes hugged his feet compared to the Hypercourt Express. He said, "This is where the Hypercourt separates from the Hypercourt Express. I found I could cinch up these shoes more securely. I did notice that they would loosen up during play to the point where I would need to re-lace my shoes once or twice per hitting session. I also had some heel slippage with these shoes. On the plus side, they felt pretty stable on side to side movements."

Sebastian wasn't impressed with the support, stating, "I noticed some issues in regard to foot support and stability. I never had that locked-in feel I was hoping for. I felt my feet sliding around laterally at times, which took away from the confidence and stability I was hoping for. I consider myself an aggressive mover on the court and therefore pretty hard on my shoes."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.1

For the majority of our team the Hypercourt soles held up very well throughout the playtest. Sebastian was satisfied with the durability of these shoes. He said, "I thought the sole durability was much better than the KSwiss Hypercourt Express. After about 20 hours of tennis the outsoles still looked great and didn't show too much wear. The sole durability was one of the standout features of these shoes."

Jason was similarly pleased with how his shoes looked after spending a goodly amount of hours hitting in them. He offered, "For shoes that are on the lighter side, I was pleasantly surprised with their durability. They held up well during the 12-15 hours of playtesting with only minimal tread loss around the toe box."

Andy also praised the outsole durability. He said, "Although the outsole tread pattern is a bit strange, it held up surprisingly well throughout the course of the test. I put about 20-30 hours of wear on my pair, and there is very little sign of wear to the outsoles. This was definitely one of the strengths of these shoes."

Chris paid compliment to the fact that light shoes often wear through quickly, but not the Hypercourts. He said, "The outsoles lasted better than expected. The Hypercourts are very light and fast on court. Such a light feel is more often than not a sure sign of a lack of durability since the outsole is the heaviest part of a shoe. On the first few wears I was concerned that the light feel meant a lack of rubber and a potential early death for these shoes. However, they held up well and still have plenty of life left at the end of the test. Outsole durability was better for me than with the Express version."

Toe Durability - Score: 2.0

The Hypercourts have little protection in the toe area, causing significant wear and tear. Chris stated, "The toes of my shoes took a beating during this test. The synthetic upper covering on the lateral side of the toe box became torn through on the first hit. Fortunately the shoes feature a more durable material underneath, but toward the end of the test I had started to wear through that as well. The combination of the soft synthetic material wearing away so quickly and the material underneath being a different color made the shoes look more thrashed than they were. They were not looking good after the first hour of play simply because the toes of my shoes had big rips in them."

Andy found signs of wear after a few hits. He said, "Contrary to how well the outsole held up, the toe area had very little protection. After just a couple of hits there was some serious scuffing in that area. I'm not the biggest of toe draggers, but I fear that these shoes would not offer enough durability in that area for more avid toe draggers."

Traction - Score: 4.2

Gripping the court was not a problem, and our playtesters found plenty of grip and give from the Hypercourts. Jason explained, "I thought the traction was very good with these shoes. The tread gripped the Tennis Warehouse court well and I felt confident in my footing, whether moving side to side or forward for a drop shot."

Chris found just the right amount of grip from these shoes and enough give to pivot quickly and slide with confidence. He stated, "Just like the cushioning of the shoes, the traction did its job well. I found a good blend of grip and give. I liked the traction when I was looking to take a quick first step, yet I also found enough give to comfortably slide out of a shot."

When Sebastian takes to the court he really puts his shoes through the ringer. The Hypercourts passed his test. He said, "Since I enjoy sliding on hard courts I always expect good traction from my tennis shoes. I felt the traction was good, but not great. I felt that the traction could have been a bit better, particularly when I was moving quickly from side to side."

Andy also likes to slide around the court, and he had mixed feelings on how these shoes performed. He said, "Traction was good, but not great. I never felt really uncomfortable moving around at top speeds, but I certainly had a few instances of slippage when I least expected it. The strange outsole tread pattern seems to be built more for added durability rather than supreme traction on hard courts."

Weight - Score: 4.3

The weight of the Hypercourts was well received by our playtesters. Andy was all praise, saying, "Another strength of these shoes was their lightweight, fast feel. I felt very low to the ground during play, and there isn't a whole lot of material that inhibits movement at top speed. These shoes are certainly going to appeal to the player who takes a more minimalistic approach to their tennis footwear."

Chris, too, felt the shoes came in at a great weight. He said, "I thought these shoes felt very light and fast. I moved exceptionally well in them. The supportive fit helped make the shoes feel at one with my feet, and I could have easily handled more weight if it came with improved stability."

Sebastian was seen flying around the court in the Hypercourts. He said, "I felt the 14.2 ounces (size 10.5) was the ideal weight for the KSwiss Hypercourts. These shoes were light enough for me to chase down balls quickly and move efficiently from side to side. At the same time there was enough cushioning for them to feel comfortable."

Jason didn't get quite get what he was expecting from the Hypercourts. He explained, "I actually weighed both my Hypercourts and Hypercourt Expresses, and they were identical in weight. However, I didn't get as much of that low-to-the-ground feel with these shoes as I did with the Hypercourt Expresses. I didn't feel as fast and the heel to toe transition wasn't as silky smooth."

Overall - Score: 3.7

Playtester Foot Types:
Chris - Narrow width / Medium arch
Sebastian - Medium width / Medium arch
Jason - Wide width / Low arch
Andy - Medium width / Low arch

Review date: June 2015. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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