Nike Flare Men's & Women's Shoe Review

Overall Comfort - Score: 3.6

The co-ed playtest team stepped up to the plate to try out the new Nike Flares and their minimal ride. Chris described these unique shoes, saying, "The fit and feel of the Flares were very different from anything else I've worn. It took me a couple of hitting sessions to get used to how these shoes rode on court. It's somewhat hard to explain, but the Flares made it feel like I was hitting almost barefoot, with just an outsole to protect my skin. The rest of the shoes felt very minimal. After a couple of sessions I learned to love how the shoes flexed and moved with my feet. I have never felt as low to the ground as I did in the Flares, yet I also felt very comfortable. The uppers secured my feet comfortably, and I found just enough cushioning from the thick insoles (the shoes seem to have no midsole). My only knock on these shoes in this category was that they ran hot. My socks were drenched after every hitting session."

Michelle agreed with Chris, saying, "These are minimalistic shoes, so they were never really plush or cushioned. They aren't the easiest shoes to slip on, but once they were on they felt good. Also, I found that my feet had to take some time to adjust to them. My feet have become slightly high maintenance over the past year, and my high arch and slightly wider forefoot have become sensitive to many of the shoes we have been playtesting. So, after the first few initial wears, I did have a bit of soreness in my feet, but nothing was rubbing and nothing was painful, just more of an ache. Once my feet adjusted I found the Flares to be pretty comfortable. I have to admit, these have become my favorite shoes to wear in the gym because they are so low to the ground -- they are perfect for lifting and perfect for agility and jumps. I was concerned that the ankle strap would be weird and uncomfortable, but it wasn't. It kind of gave me the reassurance of extra support, but in all honesty, it didn't seem to be super effective one way or another. Breathability wise, I thought these shoes ran a bit hot. I do sweat a lot, but whenever I wore these shoes the neoprene ankle collar ended up soaked in sweat."

"First things first, these shoes take some effort to put on. I spent a lot of time loosening the laces and adjusting the ankle collars," started Brittany, "but once on, these shoes provided a glove-like fit around my narrow width feet. The shoes and uppers are incredibly flexible, so there was no need to break in the Flares. However, I would say there was an adjustment period since my feet didn't feel comfortable when I was moving around the court during my first couple of hitting sessions. The Flares caused my feet to flex in ways they were not used to, and this caused some pain. My feet slowly got used to the shoes, but I would definitely need a lot more time with them if I was going to play in them a lot. There is little to no cushioning, so I would describe them as more minimal shoes. Lastly, these shoes ran hot! After every hitting session my feet, socks and the shoes were soaking wet, and I would immediately need to change out of them and let the shoes dry out."

Andy struggled to find the fit and comfort he was hoping for. He said, "These shoes had a unique feel that I could just never get used to. Slipping the shoes on is a little difficult with the funky ankle collar, but once I got my feet in them the Flares molded to my feet pretty nicely. I think this is as close to barefoot tennis as you can get. I sat very low to the ground, and I didn't feel like I had much of a shoe on. Ventilation is OK, but I did think the shoes retained a lot of heat. The arch support is where I really ran into problems. As a player who likes a good bit of support in that area, I kept getting pain in my feet, knees and back after wearing these shoes for as little as 30 minutes on court."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.2

The Tennis Warehouse playtesters were pleasantly surprised with the amount of support and stability they received from the Nike Flares. Michelle had some doubts at the beginning of the playtest, but they quickly vanished. She explained, "I was really hesitant going into this playtest regarding the support and stability because there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of support in these shoes. I have heard Serena talk about them, and she mentions how mentally, just with that ankle wrap, she found support, and I would have to agree. Whether it was all mental or that ankle support did offer some extra support, I ended up feeling pretty comfortable in these shoes at all times. Toward the end of the playtest, when I was doing drills, on court conditioning or even playing a set, I wore these because I knew I'd feel faster, and I never felt like I was unstable or losing support."

The glove-like fit left Brittany's narrow width feet feeling secure. She detailed, "There was no room for movement within the shoes, and my feet were held firmly in place. The ankle support surprised me and was much better than I expected. There wasn't much distance between the ground and my feet in the Flares so there wasn't any way to rollover the edges of the shoes. The ankle collar (even though I am not a big fan of it) also contributed to the ankle support. Overall, I would have liked just a tad bit more 'shoe' underneath me."

"Surprisingly, the Flares do hold the feet well and provide plenty of stability during play," Andy said. "They don't look like much, but since you are so low to the ground there really isn't any concern of rolling over the top of the shoes. I was able to slide aggressively on hard courts and never really felt in danger of not being protected enough. The shoes flexed with my feet and moved with me nicely, leaving me feeling totally connected to my on-court movement."

Chris felt confident on the court. He said, "Because I felt like I was pretty much on the court with nothing under my feet, I found great support and stability from the Flares. There was essentially no midsole height to roll off, so rolling an ankle felt like an impossibility. I've never rolled an ankle barefoot, and that is how solid and stable I felt in the Flares. The uppers were very soft, yet they held my feet very well. I never thought it would be possible to feel this safe moving aggressively on court in shoes that were so soft and flexible. Moving in the Flares is a completely different experience."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.0

The durability of the lightweight Nike Flares impressed our playtesters. Michelle put her shoes to the test. She stated, "Surprisingly, these shoes didn't wear out as fast as I thought they would. I was expecting a hole in the outsole quickly. They are holding up much better than expected after a month of wear. I am seeing some smoothing, and the white uppers do look pretty worn and are getting dirty, but in all honesty, the Flares aren't horrible in the durability category! I've worn shoes out much faster than the Flares."

Brittany agreed. She said, "Considering how light these shoes are, I was impressed with the outsole durability. I was sure I'd be able to do some damage to the outsole, but after the playtest finished I was impressed with what I saw. I wore these shoes for more than 10 hours and there was just a little smoothing under the big toe, but nothing unusual. The toe durability could have been improved where the upper is exposed on the lateral side. I could see some wear just starting to show."

"The outsoles on my Flares held up better than expected," offered Chris. "At the end of the test I'm seeing some wear on the outsole under the big toe of my right foot -- my highest wear area -- but the rest of the outsoles are holding up very well. I did put quite a ding in the toe of my left shoe. I drag the lateral edge of the toe bumper where the Flares feature less protection, and the result is a pretty deep scuff to the shoe."

Due to some comfort issues Andy only wore his shoes for about three hours. He was unable to test the durability of the Flares.

Traction - Score: 4.3

Our playtesters enjoyed the traction they had with the Nike Flares. As a fan of low-to-the-ground shoes, Brittany could not have been happier. She exclaimed, "I loved the low to the ground feel! It basically felt like my feet were directly on the ground, so I felt extremely connected to the court when I was moving aggressively. The traction worked well for me. I felt like these shoes gripped the court when I needed them to, but I never felt 'stuck' in one place. I had no issues when I was moving, starting or stopping in these shoes."

Andy was in complete agreement. He offered, "These shoes offered a good blend of grip and give. I felt comfortable and confident sliding around on the court, but they also grabbed the court well and allowed me to cut aggressively when I needed to."

"I thought the level of traction in the Flares was spot on," Chris added. "I was able to push off aggressively and change directions very well, yet find enough give to slide out of an abrupt stop. The level of grip and give was a perfect match for me. When you combine the traction with the ultra low-to-the-ground ride you end up with some fast shoes. The outsoles of the shoes are a little loud on court, and each split step and quick stop is accompanied by some outsole squeaking. The noise never bothered me, but I know some players are turned off by loud shoes."

Michelle had only positives things to say. She praised, "Again, to my surprise, I had no traction issues in the Flares. I thought they would play super slippery, but they didn't. They offered good give and enough tack for me to turn and explode in a different direction."

Weight - Score: 4.8

The TW playtesters agreed that the best attribute of Nike Flares was their weight. Andy raved, "This is definitely a standout feature of these shoes! They feel very light and fast on court, almost like you're wearing nothing at all on your feet. They're super low to the ground and keep you feeling totally connected to your movements. These are easily some of the lightest tennis shoes I've ever worn - albeit a unique design."

Chris continued to be impressed, saying, "The Flares felt very light and fast on my feet. Once I got used to the very different feel of playing in these shoes I was able to completely forget about them and focus on my tennis."

"These are meant to be ultra light shoes, and they definitely play that way -- light and quick," stated Michelle. "I may not be the quickest mover, but it was easy to feel fast in these shoes. I loved them in the gym and on the court when I knew I needed to be quick. In the gym, when I was doing agility or box jumps, I could count on feeling quick and light on my feet in these while still having the support I needed."

The Flares are among the lightest tennis shoes Brittany has ever worn. She commented, "After slipping on the Flares I didn't feel like I had anything on. I felt like I was just wearing socks onto the court. I was so close to giving these shoes a perfect score, but the ankle collar held me back. I am not used to having anything around my ankle, and I could feel the weight of the ankle collar when I was moving around the court."

Overall - Score: 3.7