Wilson Tour Shoe Review

Wilson performance tennis shoes have evolved, literally.

Part of the Evolution series, the Wilson Tour shoes bring a new performance design concept to tennis. Each shoe in the Evolution Series features key elements and support features designed to meet the needs of a certain level of player.

As the Tour name would suggest, the Wilson Tour shoes are designed to meet the needs of tournament level players. In this shoe, support through the midfoot and forefoot has been emphasized, as advanced players spend the majority of their playing time on their toes. Cushioning has been increased in the heel to take the shock out of tough landings, while the forefoot offers a lower profile cushioning system for increased stability.

Loaded with performance inspired technologies and backed up with a durability guaranteed outsole, the Tours look to be an impressive performance offering. To put them to the test we hit the courts to see if they could handle the heat of competitive play, as well as the grind of long practice sessions.

Comfort

The combination of lightweight synthetic leather and breathable Air-Mesh uppers coupled with Wilson's DST 3x Heel Technology made for a very comfortable ride in the Wilson Tours. Finding a comfortable fit was Jon. "I thought the comfort was great. I felt I could play all day in these shoes without any discomfort. The shape of the shoes fit my feet perfectly." Finding a solid and comfortable fit was Granville. "These are comfortable shoes. The heel cushioning seemed very good while the forefoot cushioning was minimal. I like being low to the ground and in the forefoot the Tours offer that kind of feel. The Tours are also very roomy in the forefoot. Heel fit was good with a solid and stable feel. As with most of Wilson's shoes, the 'stable wrap' or equivalent stability system held my feet solidly in place."

Paul found the Tours ready for the courts out of the box. "The Wilson Tour shoes required no break-in period. They fit true to size, and the width opened up quite generously. My medium-wide feet had plenty of room in these shoes. I liked the way they fit my feet and I didn't experience any rubbing, pinching or poking." Chris also found out of the box comfort in the Tours. "I liked the comfortable fit of the Tours. They felt great out of the box and I played in them comfortably on my first wear. The heel cushioning felt very plush when landing and felt responsive when transitioning from heel to toe. In the forefoot, the cushioning felt very responsive and the level of comfort was also impressive. The fit was a little wide in the forefoot, but with two pairs of socks my feet filled the shoes nicely. My feet never even contemplated getting a blister in these shoes and overall upper comfort was excellent. I thought the level of ventilation was good and my feet never felt over-heated."

Arch Support

For the most part our team found the medium-height arch support of the Wilson Tour shoes a good fit for their feet. Finding a solid level of support was Chris "I liked the level of arch support. I have a medium arch and only have problems if the support is too low. In the Tour shoes, the arch fit my feet well and I felt well supported when running hard to chase down a short ball." Granville found the level of arch support to fit better after break-in. "The arch support seemed just about right. The arch support was evident at initial wearing but has grown less evident as the testing continued. While I am one person who does not generally like to feel the arch support in my shoes, I do enjoy the placement and very slight added support - subtle but good."

Foot Support/Stability

The Wilson Tours are built on a contoured last which is designed to hug and support the feet. A soft molded TPU Stable Wrap attaches to the lace system to offer support and stability through the midfoot. A ventilated TPU arch bridge further protects the arch and midfoot area making for a supportive ride. Jon found the Tours to offer a supportive fit. "The Wilson Tours felt snug in the midfoot and supported my feet well. The lacing system provided good support and I felt secure from the forefoot to the ankle." Paul found the Tours a little roomy for his feet. "The fit for my feet wasn't the greatest. My feet slipped around a bit on lateral movements. The shoes were pretty stable though, and I didn't feel like I was going to roll an ankle."

Both Chris and Granville wore two pairs of socks to help fill out the wide forefoot of the Tours. Chris said, "With two pairs of socks the shoes held my feet well, otherwise the fit was too roomy in the forefoot. While the uppers feel soft and comfortable in play, I also found plenty of support and stability. The midfoot shank seemed to do its job of keeping the midfoot nice and stable. The shoes showed good resistance to twisting and I felt very secure from the heel to the toe." Granville offered, "Wearing two pair of socks was the solution to the roomy forefoot fit. I did have some sliding around with only one pair of socks on my feet. Once the other sock layer was added, this shoe fit like a glove. The shoes offered a very stable feel on court. I really had no 'roll-over' issues and I did not wear my ankle braces."

Overall Sole Durability

For the outsole of the Tours, Wilson has used its Duralast Supreme durable rubber compound. Outsole durability is backed up by a six-month durability guarantee and our team found the shoes to live up to their durable billing. Finding good durability was Jon. "Durability was good. I had no issues with durability during this playtest. The sole showed normal wear and there were no weak spots." Also impressed with the durability of the shoes was Paul. "The outsoles were very durable. They began to wear first at the inner edge, but demonstrated very good durability overall."

Granville said, "I noticed very even wear across the entire outsole, which is very normal for this tester. The outsole looks very durable overall." Recommending the shoes for durability was Chris. "The outsoles were very durable and resisted wear in all areas. The first signs of wear came in the forefoot, but it was minimal. I put a lot of hours on the shoes and they held up very well. I would definitely recommend these to someone who was looking for a durable performance shoe."

Toe Durability

On the Tours, the durable rubber outsole compound wraps up over the toe of the shoe in what Wilson calls 180 degree Toe Drag protection. As with general outsole wear, our team found excellent toe durability from the Tours. Finding plenty of durability for his toe dragging tendencies was Chris. "The toe bumper offered lots of protection. I drag the toe of both shoes when playing, and these shoes proved to be durable. I tend to drag the tip of each shoe rather than the medial side, and the toe tip area was still in great shape at the end of the test." Jon found the Tours to keep on kicking after an extended playtest period. "The reinforced toe of the Wilson Tours will take a lot of abuse. The Tours showed little wear after many weeks of play."

Granville was impressed by the design of the toe area. "The Tours offer plenty of toe drag protection. As a former toe dragger, I will attest to the very beefy toe on this shoe. Toe draggers take note, this shoe looks like a good choice."

Traction

To provide traction on multiple court surfaces, the Wilson Tours feature a modified herringbone tread pattern. Overall, our team was impressed with the level of traction offered by the shoes. Finding audibly good traction was Granville. "These shoes felt very sticky on court. The tight herringbone pattern provided impressive traction. Not only could I feel the grip provided by the shoes, I could hear it, too, due to some squeaking during aggressive on-court movement." Finding good traction from all areas of the court was Paul. "The Wilson Tours gripped the court quite well. I found good traction on stops, starts and lateral movement."

Jon found improved traction after break-in. "The Tours performed well overall. Initially the outsoles felt a bit firm, but they softened quickly with play and offered very impressive traction." Most impressed by the level of traction was Chris. "I gave the shoes top marks when it came to traction. I never felt like I lost grip in these shoes and can't recall sliding out once. Whenever I needed to make an aggressive turn, stop or start, the Tours offered all the grip I needed."

Weight

The 15.6 ounce weight of the Wilson Tours felt well distributed and our team found them to feel well balanced while on court. Enjoying the ride in the Tours was Jon. "I thought the weight of the Tours was good and the shoes seemed well balanced." Paul found the shoes a good fit for his weight preference. "These shoes fell right into the weight range I like. Anything heavier seems to be too bulky, while anything below 14 ounces is much too light for my personal preference."

Finding a lot of performance for the weight of the shoes was Granville. "These shoes fall right into the middleweight category. A lot of shoe for such a modest weight in this performance category." Chris was in agreement, "The shoes felt well weighted. There seemed to be enough there for support, stability and durability, yet I never felt slowed down."

Overall

Our team was impressed with the overall performance of the Wilson Tours. Offering out-of-the-box comfort, impressive durability, some great traction and a cushioned and responsive ride, the Tours pack a lot of performance into every step. We found an impressive blend of comfort and performance. While the uppers were soft and user friendly, there was also plenty of support to keep our players locked in during aggressive on court movement. The wider fit in the forefoot makes this a great choice for players with wide feet. The outsoles offered both traction and durability, making the Tours a great choice for both long practices as well as competitive play. Lastly, the Tours offered impressive ventilation, making them a good choice for hot conditions.

Wilson Tour Summary Sheet
The Up Side	The Down Side	Play Test Scores
Traction Durability Stability Comfort Ventilation Forefoot accommodates wide feet	Forefoot roomy for narrow feet	Comfort 4.3 Arch Support 4.3 Foot Support/Stability 4.2 Overall Sole Durability 4.6 Toe Durability 4.6 Traction 4.4 Weight 4.2 Overall 4.4 Scores (1-Horrible 2-Poor 3-Average 4-Good 5-Tremendous)

Playtesters' Foot Types: Jon - Medium width/Medium Arch Paul - Medium width/Medium arch, Granville - narrow width/low arch, Chris - narrow width/medium arch

Review date: May, 2006. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

All content copyright 2006 Tennis Warehouse.