Comments: I have wide feet, and so for me these shoes fit great. They were comfortable to play in and held up ok. The only problem I had was with cleaning them. Unlike normal white shoes, which you can wipe off if they get dirty, the flywire on these makes them impossible to clean. The dirt/dust gets in between the flywire and the white leather/fabric portion of the shoe, and the flywire blocks any attempts to get at it. These shoes go from white to brown quickly, unless you only use them for casual evenings out. Overall, these are great looking shoes to wear on a night out, and ok shoes for playing a match, just don't expect to be able to do both.
From: Josh, 12/12

Comments: I tried them on as soon I received the package (on carpet). What a shock, I should have read the reviews. Within 5 steps they were off and ready to be shipped back. The closest analogy I could come up with is try playing tennis in zorries, or as you say in the States, "flip flops".
From: Don, 11/12

Comments: Silly uncomfortable shoe; feels like a wooden clog with less heel stability.
From: Anon, 5/12

Comments: At over $100 when I purchased them, they are the most expensive and least favorite tennis shoe I have ever owned. Hard feeling shoe with POOR HEEL quality. The inside of the heel tore apart within 4 weeks of WALKING in it for work to break it in! On BOTH shoes! Never attempted to play in it after that, since just walking chaffed my heel from the loose and torn material. I would have tried to return them, but tossed the receipt.
From: JP, 1/12

Comments: Generally agree with most of the comments from other posts. It's not the most comfortable shoe there is. Upper shell and linings are a bit hard but feels better as you wear it. I do not have my feet slipping out of the shoe like others but it's probably because I do have a wider foot than normal. Shoe fits true to size. It seems well made and durable but that's to be seen in the coming months. Support is about average and traction is above average so far. It's a great looking shoe for casual wear. Everyone I see likes the look of the shoe and has commented on it. Very fashionable for walking about town. Bottom line, an average tennis shoe -- probably more towards casual playing but certainly not a bad shoe. Given its great style and that you are getting essentially two shoes for the price of one due to the six months sole guarantee, it's a keeper for me.
From: Doca, 1/12

Comments: Definitely a shoe designed for the looks but with some added tennis elements. On the court, the shoes do not have the same kind of performance from a tennis specific shoe. Although light the shoes feel as if the upper half is a hard woven shell with no real comfort from the uppers. Also, the shoe has a circular piece of foamy fabric at upper ankle portion to cushion. This design promotes slipping of the shoe and the foot so be careful when jumping because your shoe may dislodge itself slightly from your foot. When maneuvering around the court I did not feel comfortable running at top speed or stopping suddenly with these shoes. The reason for this is because there is very little flex in these shoes. Without the flex with the forefoot, shifting weight becomes rather unnatural. This shoe fits best for the person interested in style and plays tennis casually.
From: Jonathan, 12/11

Comments: I feel like this shoe is a two faced monster. Looks and styling are really slick, and very unusual for me. I think that the work put into making this shoe look great and perform well was lopsided in the favor of making the shoe look great. The execution, however, of blending a performance tech type shoe with a classic, but modern look was excellent. Individual rankings below: Looks: 9.5/10 - I really like the look of these shoes, although I'm not really a Converse All-Star/Chuck style guy, but these look great with jeans and I'd definitely wear them out to casual outings. They don't look out of place on the court, either. I'm usually not a big fan of patterns and stripes on shoes, but they're understated, and well designed. Room/Fit: 5-6/10 - I need to put a disclaimer on this rating!!! This rating is ENTIRELY subjective. For ME, this shoe fit really weird, way too much room in the front, and a little big for the size. Since I knew this shoe was designed in conjunction with Nike, I went with my normal size. With the width in the front being problematic for me, I would have liked to go down half a size at least. Stability: 7/10 - Stability itself of the shoe is very good, I don't feel any rolling or slipping. The problem in this area is all inside the shoe (see above). Lots of uneven footing because there was too much room, but the shoe was stuck on the ground pretty darn well. Traction: 8.5/10 - good grip, but I can't rate this a 10 due to the internal slipping. I can't be 100% certain if the shoe is slipping at all, or if it's just me. Materials/Durability/Toe: 9/10 - Good build quality, materials are very nice, the fabric of the shoe is coated, and is resisting abrasion very well. Good toe durability from my end, but I'm not really very tough on my toes. Definitely refer to other reviews if you're tough on your toe area. Haven't had enough time on court to really test the durability, but the wear looks pretty darn good in the toe for a high- arch player like me. Break-in: 7/10 - I felt like these shoes just remained a little too stiff/firm throughout the break in period, and lasted even after a few on-court runs. I think this was exaggerated in my case because the shoe was slightly too big, so the flex point was further up in my toe area, rather than the ball of my foot. Weight: N/A/10 - No problems in terms of weight. Shoe played lighter than I expected for a shoe built like this. Breathability: 6/10 - Unlike other reviewers, I was a little disappointed in the ventilation of this shoe. My feet get HOT, and not just during tennis. I'm not a big foot-sweater by any means, but even at work I'll take my shoes off occasionally to let them breathe. The JPEs are noticeably worse than a performance oriented breathability shoe (CBs, BFIIs, etc). Arches: I have a relatively high arch, but I've never compensated for them for any length of time (insoles). I had no problem with the JPEs, the insole was sufficient and did not cause any foot pain. The insole was cushy enough, and I never felt the urge to supplement the cushioning, and it held up well.
From: Anon. 5/11

Comments: The appearance of the shoes are VERY "Converse", but with a modern look to them. While wearing the shoes, many people at the club I live at immediately took notice and wanted to know where to buy them, so they definitely get a lot of attention. The shoes offer great stability laterally, but are a bit clumsy to wear due to the weight. I'm a bit biased on the latter, because I prefer a lighter shoe. On the upside, the shoes are low enough to the ground to provide better feedback in relation to moving around the court easily. Breathability on these shoes is excellent. A huge plus when playing in hot conditions in sunny south Florida. Overall, a nice effort by converse, although I prefer wearing them to walk around in, as opposed to the tennis courts.
From: Drakulie. 5/11

Comments: When I first opened the box I thought this was just going to be a casual shoe. An off the court jeans and t-shirt type deal. So the first couple times I wore them that way. I got a lot of compliments about how cool they are and people asked where I purchased them. So after having them for a week or so I decided to give them a spin on court. The first time I thought they were a little stiff but after the 2nd and 3rd time I was surprised at how comfortable they had become. I have not used them enough yet to have a say about the durability but for the most part they were better than I expected on and off court!
From: John, San Diego, CA, USA. 4/11

Comments: I was a bit apprehensive to wear these shoes out on the court to actually play tennis in as they looked more like a casual shoe, and also because of a few less than stellar reviews of this as a performance shoe that I read before trying them. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong! This turned out to be a very comfortable shoe to play tennis in with excellent cushioning, great stability, and good traction. The key with this shoe (and any other tennis shoe) is to find the right shoe/sock combo to wear. Yes, this shoe is a bit wider than most Nike tennis shoes (which makes Converse) and the material used on the inside heel area may be a bit slippery to the touch (as mentioned by others), but wearing a pair of Thorlo socks solved both problems. With the thick Thorlo socks, the shoe felt nice and snug in the forefoot area and my heel didn't slip out at all while running. I can see how with thinner socks this shoe may feel a bit wide and the heel may slip a bit. That's why I'm a firm believer that you have to find the right pair of socks to go with any particular shoe. This is such a nice looking shoe that I wouldn't mind also using them as a casual shoe to wear with jeans, but this is also a terrific shoe to play tennis in. The ample cushioning makes it feel like I'm walking on clouds and they seem to support and protect my feet pretty well. They didn't require much break-in at all and look to be well-built, very high quality shoes. In fact, I took them out of the box, put them on my feet, and immediately went out to the court and played tennis in them. Now this may not be as high performance of a shoe as the top-of-the-line Nike or Adidas tennis shoes, but they are nevertheless an excellent shoe to play tennis in in their own right. They are certainly much more fashionable and versatile than most tennis-specific shoes and definitely make a statement out on the court or on the streets. If you like an updated retro look, this is it.
From: Rich, San Jose, CA, USA. 4/11

Comments: Absolutely stellar looking shoe for walking around casually in shorts or jeans, but I wouldn't use these for serious tennis. They basically have the feel of Adidas shell-top shoes, pretty flat and heavy, decent enough comfort for casual wear but nowhere near a performance court shoe, at least for me. Granted I have a stubborn foot (wide with a high arch), but the fit on these is indeed very loose in the heel and pretty clunky overall. Have to walk around in them for a few days to break in, and I'm definitely going to keep them for casual wear as they're even better looking in person than in pics. But other than maybe feeding a few balls as a tennis coach, that's the only time I'd put them on a tennis court. Cool shoe, just not for the game.
From: Josh. 03/11

Comments: Does this shoe have a removable insole?
From: Mike, USA, 03/11
(Mike, yes the insole is removable.--TW Staff)

Comments: I saw the Harvard tennis team wearing the shoe and it looked awesome. I thought if it works for them maybe it will work for me.
I was pleasantly surprised at how great the shoe is. It looks totally different from any I have seen. It's very light and supportive. It took a little while to break in, but now it's my favorite shoe to play in. I have an average foot and I am not having the same width or heel issues that others on this site seem to have.
From: Jim, Utica, NY, USA, 03/11

Comments: Bought these and returned them immediately after trying them on. As some of the other reviewers have said it is a pretty cool looking shoe and would consider wearing it as an everyday shoe, but no way I would play tennis in them. My heel kept coming out of it just walking around my house and I thought they felt pretty stiff. And it's crazy what they are priced at, it's way too high.
From: Anon, OK, USA, 03/11

Comments: Good shoe for walking around. Priced too high. Not good for serious tennis. Heel slips too much.
From: Ken, Leesville, LA, USA, 03/11

Comments: These shoes are great for running around town and for looking good after tennis but aren't close to an athletic tennis shoe from Nike or Adidas. No way will I keep these for what I paid, they should be priced lower, then they would sell as a fun comfortable shoe, not a serious tennis shoe. Good looks but too expensive for what they are; wait until they are blowing them out on sale.
From: Jason, Sherman Oaks, CA, USA, 03/11

Comments: Just played an epic set in the outdoor wind in the Jack Purcell's.
The Jack Purcell's were hanging right in there on many weird short angle points due to the swirling winds of the Hudson River.
The courts are very smooth and the XDR soles were adapting pretty well. Not nearly as beefy as a CB and less traction than a XDR B2K10 or Vapor 8. Totally sufficient though.
Stability was sufficient as the shoe appeared to have the same comfortable edge around the openings as the B2K and V8. Actually they feel more smooth/spandex-ish B6-like. The heel has a nice beefy feel so these definitely measure up well on a tennis court. They are not a simple converse shoe and are heavily constructed all the way around for the court.
I'm a big toe dragger on my left foot and the Purcell's didn't feel awkward at all while I dragged and dragged on several defensive backhand shots.
The comfort of this shoe is very good. I walked in them for about 3 hours total to break them in before even playing on them. I did a lot of street walking doing errands and the shoes were very comfortable lugging around bags from various stores. I wore Thorlo L3 for walking in them and Nike Basketball Elite Dry Fit to play in.
I love the style of these shoes and would definitely use them in the cool spring to early Summer on hard courts.
Scores (out of 5)
Comfort 4.5
Ventilation 4.3
Arch Support 4.3
Foot Support/Stability 4.2
Overall Sole Durability 3.9
Toe Durability 4.2
From: Anon, 03/11

Comments: Might be a great fashion statement walking around the town while visiting the us open perhaps. As far as an on court shoe, no way this would work. Just wearing in my house the shoe was slipping on my heel and when tried to make it snugger the tongue guide tore and broke. I have worn many many shoes over the years with out this ever happening before. Think I will just stick with my favorites from Nike.
From: Marc, Lake Forest, CA, USA, 03/11

Comments: This is the most amazing shoe I have ever worn. I love the retro look and the updated technology. My favorite shoe of the year!
From: Anon, 03/11