Nike Zoom Cage 3 Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 3.8

Sporting redesigned uppers and familiar Nike cushioning technologies, the Zoom Cage 3s required a break-in period. Chris found a comfortable ride in these shoes. He began, "When I first tried on the Cage 3s the toe box felt very shallow, which made the shoes feel like they were fitting short and bothering my toes. I went up a half-size since I like to play in two pairs of socks and to give my toes a little more wiggle room. I thought the uppers broke in nicely, and I was enjoying a comfortable fit within my first hour on court. The shoes feature a very rigid chassis design, so I had some heel slippage at first. The Zoom Cage 3s simply would not bend and flex with my feet until I had a few hours on them. The arch fit felt great, and my arches felt comfortable, safe and supported. I liked the level of ventilation, and my feet never felt overheated. There was just the right amount of cushioning, too. My feet felt protected without feeling too elevated from the court."

After testing quite few different high performance tennis shoes over the years, Mark categorizes shoes into three levels of comfort. He explained, "Some shoes offer a high degree of comfort right out of the box, others require some break in time, and then there are only a few that have been uncomfortable on my feet from start to finish. I would put this newest evolution of the Cage shoes into that second category. The initial entry into the shoes was a little challenging. I had to use my thumb as a shoehorn and stretch the rear of the shoe out as I slipped my foot inside. The bootie design offered a very comfortable and snug fit, and after a break-in period (approximately ten wears), that process got much easier. The more I wore the Cage 3s the better they felt, as they formed to my feet with wear. I now have around 20 hours of play on them, and the comfort has only increased with wear."

Jason commented, "It took some wear before the Zoom Cage 3s felt comfortable to me. The Kurim material in the uppers and the midsole felt pretty stiff at first and didn't flex well during play. I thought the cushioning felt firm and responsive. It's not nearly as plush as the Air Max Cage or Breathe Free II shoes of the past. Fit wise, the shoes felt a little narrow through the midfoot for my wide feet, but surprisingly, they weren't too narrow for me in the forefoot."

Based on the previous versions of these shoes, Troy had high expectations for the comfort. He said, "I found the Nike Air Max Cages and Nike Zoom Cage 2s to run slightly long, and I wore a men's size 9.5. I found a snugger fit with the Zoom Cage 3s and chose to wear a size 10. The full bootie felt comfortable around my feet but also made it somewhat difficult to slip these shoes on. I needed a shoehorn to slip my feet into these shoes effectively. The rubber cage material on the uppers was stiff and placed some unwanted pressure on my big toenails. The uppers finally broke in after a week of wear and contoured to my feet. The midsole cushioning was similar to the previous version but slightly better in the forefoot, which was a positive since I like to have a good level of padding underneath the balls of my feet. The width of these shoes felt like a snug medium, which worked for my foot type, but the arch support was slightly lower than what I prefer so I added my Superfeet Premium Insoles to get it where I wanted. The uppers offered good breathability compared to other durability guaranteed shoes I have tested. The one knock that kept these shoes from being as comfortable as the previous versions was the stiff feel of the cage material on the top of my toes, although this discomfort went away after a break-in period."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.3

Historically, the Cage line of shoes has excelled in terms of support and stability, and these Zoom Cage 3s fell right in line. For Mark, if the shoes are comfortable at the onset but are not supportive enough during play, discomfort can result. He explained, "After my first few sideways lunges to the tennis ball in the new Zoom Cage 3s I was confident enough to make any combination of directional changes. In fact, I can say the same thing about the stability level that I did about their comfort level. They became more stable the more I wore them as they sort of molded around my feet."

"I think this is the area where the Zoom Cage 3s really shine," said Jason. "Once I had my feet in these shoes I felt very secure and locked in. The Kurim overlay in the uppers definitely put the 'cage' in the Zoom Cage 3s. I could move aggressively all over the court and could start and stop without fear of rolling an ankle."

Since Nike reduced the weight of these shoes by an ounce-and-a-half, Troy was surprised to find a high level of support and stability. He said, "With the previous versions I experienced a bit of heel slippage. With this update the full bootie construction was difficult to put on, but it did a great job of locking my feet in and providing a high level of support. The bootie offered such a glove-like fit I barely needed to lace the shoes up. The TPU shank provided a rigid feel in the midfoot and arch region, and when I changed directions aggressively the shoes maintained good torsional stability. My one knock is that they didn't have the best court feel. Compared to shoes like the Nike Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour, the Zoom Cage 3s put my feet a little higher off the ground, and I felt less connected to the court. During the playtest I never rolled my ankles, but compared to the Asics Gel Resolution 7 shoes, the court feel wasn't as good."

For Chris, the Zoom Cage 3s felt very firm and stiff through the midfoot. He added, "I thought the arch support was great, and the shoes resisted twisting well. I had some heel slippage at first due to the shoes not flexing well at toe-off, but it got better as the shoes broke in. Lateral support and stability were also very good. The shoes held my feet well, and I definitely found that locked in feeling on lateral moves."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.1

As the lone durability guaranteed model in the Nike tennis line, the Zoom Cage 3s promise to hold up well on the hard courts, and they delivered. "The durability was impressive," said Jason, "especially considering they only weigh 13 ounces. Between tennis and pickleball I put close to 15 hours on these shoes, and they show very little signs of wear and tear."

Troy found the durability to be on par with the previous iterations. He said, "Compared to most durability guaranteed shoes, I found these shoes to hold up for an average amount of time. The only two pairs of shoes I found to hold up longer were the adidas Barricade 17 BOOST and the Asics Gel Resolution 7 shoes. Those two shoes are in the upper echelon in durability ratings for me. The rubber outsole of the Zoom Cage 3s held up well throughout the heel and forefoot region. The area near the very tip of my toes showed the most wear. I think they have good protection on top of the toes, but the rubber material on the toe cap wore a bit too fast for my liking."

The playtester who is the hardest on his outsoles is Chris, and even he was satisfied with how these shoes held up. He noted, "I put a lot of hours on these shoes, and they took the all the abuse my footwork could dish out. At the end of the test I had a lot of wear under the big toe on my right shoe, which is my highest wear area, but I still have some outsole rubber to work through — it looks like Nike beefed up that area significantly. The tips of the toes are also holding up well."

With his all-court grinding style of play, Mark can get through a sole warranty in less than six months of wear on hard courts. He said, "These shoes offered a pretty high level of durability for me, and I still have a decent chunk of rubber left. I spent well more than 20 hours playing in these shoes, and the toe area is still holding strong."

Traction - Score: 3.3

While not everyone on our team enjoys sliding on hard courts, our playtesters agreed that the Zoom Cage 3s have a slick outsole, making it an ideal option for any player who slides or wants to slide. Finding the XDR rubber outsole to be a little more slick compared to other Nike tennis shoes was Troy. He said, "Once I got used to the slick feel I liked how I could gradually decelerate into my stops. There were a few times when I wanted to take off toward the ball but didn't quite get the grip I wanted to make a powerful first step. Despite these outsoles being more slippery, I enjoyed that I could slide into shots without necessarily losing my footing. I could see how the modern, speedy baseliner could put these to good use when sliding into their shots on hard courts."

Chris had one area of concern during this playtest, and that was getting enough traction. He noted, "I had several instances when I slid too far out of a shot or lost my footing on a quick lateral cut. The issue was worsened anytime I was pulled wide onto the dustier sections of the court. I felt like it cost me a point here and there as I just couldn't get going quick enough to chase down the next shot."

"On every hard court I played on with these shoes I had an almost perfect combination of grip on quick starts and the proper amount of slip on hard stops," added Mark. "Where the midfoot shank is located on the Zoom Cage 3s there is a large gap of tread missing, so my guess is that traction on clay courts would not be stellar."

"These are some of the slickest outsoles I've tested in a while," Jason confirmed. "I found myself sliding to a stop or when I tried to change directions. It didn't end up being a big deal, but I had to mentally prepare for the slipping and sliding during play. Luckily, I didn't have too many instances of the shoes slipping on my first step toward the ball."

Weight - Score: 4.1

At 13 oz, the Zoom Cage 3s are actually lighter than the previous iteration, but if you ask the testing squad if they felt light and quick you won't get a consensus. Chris liked the weight of these shoes and felt pretty light and fast in them (when he found traction). He offered, "After the shoes broke in I thought they transitioned well from heel to toe and offered a nice fast feel. The midfoot remained stiff and stable, but it didn't hinder my movement at all."

On the other hand, Mark felt the shoes were heavier than their actual weight, but that wasn't necessarily a negative. He said, "That was good news for me because I actually prefer the feel of sturdy shoes on my feet when I play tennis. I wasn't too concerned with the weight since I look for how shoes allow or inhibit my normal movement on the court. Suffice it to say, I had zero problems with the weight of the Cage 3s."

At 13 oz, these shoes would typically be considered lightweight, but for Jason,they didn't feel as light and speedy as the weight would indicate. He said, "I'm not sure if it's the heel-to-toe transition that made the Zoom Cage 3s feel not as fast, but there are heavier shoes out there that feel lighter. However, at the end of the day, I didn't find the weight to be an issue and didn't think much of it once I had them on."

Troy definitely noticed a drop in weight compared to the previous versions. "Even with a significant drop in the overall weight, I found the rigidity of these shoes caused them to feel heavier than the scale would indicate. During the break-in period they felt stiff and didn't transition well from heel to toe while I was sprinting. After I fully broke these shoes in I began to have a better appreciation for the reduction in weight. These shoes felt similar in weight to my shoes of choice, the Asics Gel Resolution 7s. The problem for me is that my Asics Gel Resolution 7s feel much more plush and cushioned."

Overall - Score: 3.9