Wilson Trance All Court Shoe Review

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Wilson Trance All Court Tennis Shoe Review

At first glance, the Wilson Trance All Court looks -- to borrow a line from a well-known automaker -- like it's "Built Wilson Tough". The Trance comes in two versions: one for clay and the All Court, which is tested here. The Trance All Court is designed to stand up to the unforgiving nature of hard court play.

It is immediately obvious that the Wilson Trance All Court is designed to be durable and supportive. With deep tread in Duralast Supreme rubber, the shoe comes with a six-month outsole guarantee. The built-up toe bumper and an outsole that wraps up the shoe on both sides are further testament to the shoes' durability. For support, an external Stable Wrap surrounds the shoe and is designed to provide optimum lateral stability. In the heel, a TPU heel counter cradles the foot during extreme movements.

While heavily focused on support, Wilson didn't forget that comfort is also paramount in a tennis shoe. The Trance All Court aims to please your feet on a comfort front by being built on a relaxed comfort last. Wilson's DST Foam cushioning in the midsole promotes a plush ride.

Our playtest team went out to test whether the Trance All Court was not only tough enough, but also comfy enough, for serious hard court play.

Comfort

Wilson's DST Foam cushioning is designed for comfort and to provide good court feel with better energy return. Our playtesters found good cushioning in targeted areas. The heel was the standout area for Kana. "The cushioning is very supportive in the heel area, but there is a lack of it in the front foot area. Because there is less cushioning in the toe area, I felt some pinching where the laces end as it easily creates a bend on top of the shoe. This could possibly be fixed by wearing thicker socks." Eileen was impressed overall. "I liked the cushioning of this shoe, especially the tongue; it felt really padded. The shoe is nice and light. I found only a short break-in period of 1-2 hours was needed in these shoes. They were easy to just put on and go."

Wanting more help in the forefoot was Tiffani. "The shoe was just OK in the comfort category for me. Inside the shoe, near the midfoot area, they felt hard like there was a seam. I'm not sure what, but something was causing me to feel pressure on the lateral side of the midfoot. When playing, I felt a lack of cushioning in the forefoot as well. On one particular hard run from the baseline to chase down a drop shot, I stopped hard and felt the shock run up to my knee. Heel cushioning is nice, however. The fit was pretty good for me, too. I have a wide foot, and this opens up nicely in the toe box." Myrna noted some discomfort. "I felt slight pinching in the toe box when I put on the shoes." Dee Dee had similar experiences. "I felt the shoe poking me on the outside of the balls of my feet. I could feel the sole, and it actually hurt my foot to wear them for more than two hours. There is definitely a seam on the inside of the shoe on the outside of the balls of my feet that made the shoe very uncomfortable to wear."

Arch Support

Our playtesters for the most part found the arch support in the Trance All Court to be good. With high arches, fit can sometimes be tough for Myrna. "I have an extremely high arch and usually have problems with the arch support. This shoe, however, provided more than enough arch support." Dee Dee had no problems either. "I have a high arch, and arch support was actually OK."

Eileen, though, found the arch supports uncomfortable. "The arch supports weren't fitting my foot well, and they felt too high. It forced my foot into the front of the shoe."

The support fit the low arches of Tiffani well. "For the most part, I was comfortable with the arch support. I have a flat foot, so sometimes the arch supports can make my feet ache. That wasn't the case with the Trance All Court." Kana, too, was comfortable. "Having a low arch, this area of the shoe fit extremely well."

Foot Support/Stability

The Wilson Trance All Court is built for tough tennis movements, featuring an exterior TPU Stable Wrap. The shoe provided nice all-around stability for Tiffani. "I was secure in all my movements. The Stable Wrap must have been doing its job because I never worried about rollovers. The shoe feels a little stiff initially though, on heel-to-toe movements, but not as stiff as other Wilson shoes I've worn. The break-in time was just about an hour on court for me."

Also finding the shoe taking some time to settle was Kana. "My heel area was very stable, but there was room to move around in the forefoot area. At first it was uncomfortable, but after some break-in time my feet became used to the feel of the shoes." Eileen, too, was impressed. "I found great stability with great ankle support. I didn't feel my feet sliding around at all." Myrna agreed. "The Trance All Court is a very stable shoe."

For Dee Dee's narrow foot, the wider fit in the forefoot was a problem. "My foot slid around on the balls of my feet. I felt like the shoe was too wide, which caused my ankles to feel like they were going to roll over."

Overall Sole Durability

This all-court version of the Trance features Wilson's Duralast Supreme rubber on the outsole and a six-month durability guarantee. Our playtesters saw little wear on their shoes. Eileen found the beefed up sole didn't translate into beefed up weight. "The sole wore evenly throughout. This shoe has a pretty hefty sole without making the shoe too heavy."

Tiffani experienced only slight wear. "I was impressed with the shoes' durability. It took about 15 hours to see slight wear on the ball of the foot, which is one of the areas I usually see a lot of wear. By the end of the playtest the ball only showed moderate wear and the rest of the shoe looked like there was no wear, with the tread still plenty deep." That was the case for Dee Dee as well. "I wore these shoes for 40 hours, and the shoes started to wear very slightly on the outside of the balls of my feet."

Kana was impressed with the softness of the outsole. "Compared to the Wilson Tour II, the sole felt softer and was absorbing ground vibrations better. I prefer the softer, more vibration absorbing shoe, as it feels better for the knees and hips."

Toe Durability

The shoe also features Duralast Supreme on the toe. The toe draggers on the playtest team appreciated the added protection. Eileen couldn't put a dent in the shoe. "I drag my toe on my serve, but there was no noticeable wear in the toe." Tiffani couldn't put a chink in the armor either. "The toe of this shoe is made for toe draggers like me. There's plenty of extra rubber on the toe bumper, so I feel like I barely scratched into the rubber. Wilson also brought the outsole up on the sides of the forefoot, which is great because I also drag there for certain shots. The only problem is that it's all white, so where I drag my feet the shoe looks pretty dirty. I can wipe it clean, though, if needed." Myrna, too, found the extra protection a plus. "The outsole extends over the toe area, thus ensuring toe durability."

Traction

Our entire team found the herringbone tread pattern to grip the courts very well. However, court movement was hindered somewhat by other aspects of the shoes. Fit again was an obstacle for DeeDee. "Changing directions bothered my feet because I could feel the sole part dig into the outside of the balls of my feet. Stopping and starting were OK, but shuffling from side-to-side bothered my feet." Eileen struggled with a different aspect. "The starting and stopping became uncomfortable after a while because of the arch feeling too high for me. My toe was being pushed into the front of the shoe when starting and stopping."

Kana was more confident with her footwork in the Trance All Court. "I feel with harder soles the start and stop vary. With a hard sole, the starting is easy due to the grip, but stopping is too drastic and can cause the footwork to get caught up. With the Trance sole feeling softer, I felt starting, stopping and direction changes came with ease, and the shoe was very maneuverable." Myrna liked the traction, too. "I never had a problem changing directions." There was no slipping or sliding going on for Tiffani. "I felt the traction was excellent for hard courts, but maybe just a little too good. It was so sticky that I felt like I got tripped up a few times. Though, I knew I was never going to slide into the splits with these on my feet."

Weight

At 12.8 ounces (size 8.5), the Wilson Trance All Court is among the lighter shoes that feature a durability guarantee. Eileen appreciated that. "The Trance All Court had a great weight with enough comfort. They were on the lighter side for having such a hefty sole." Kana agreed. "The lightness of the shoes was great."

The light weight feel was a refreshing change for Tiffani. "I was never bothered by weight. Because I'm pretty hard on shoes, I often choose durable ones like this. Durable usually means heavier, but this Wilson Trance All Court didn't have that feeling. I was still able to get going and move pretty well."

DeeDee felt, though, the weight was not evenly distributed. "The shoe felt just a little heavy in the forefoot. I felt I couldn't maneuver side-to-side with my usual speed." Myrna wasn't bothered by the weight of the shoes. "The Trance was about average in weight. I certainly don't think it's heavy."

Overall

The TW playtesters were satisfied with the overall performance of the Wilson Trance All Court. Durability and stability were standout features, proving that this shoe is indeed "built tough". Cushioning in the heel and the light feel also impressed the crew. Aside from some width issues for some playtesters, our crew was very happy with the shoes. Players who are looking for durability in a light weight package should step into the Trance All Court.

Here's what the playtesters had to say:

The "Likes" of the shoe.

DeeDee: "I liked the feel and support around the ankle and tongue. It was very comfortable and didn't dig into my upper foot."

Eileen: "This shoe had a lot of padding for me but was still nice and light. I also liked the look of these shoes."

Kana: "The cushioning in the heel and arch felt great. The light weight allowed me to be agile and the cushioning was easy on the vibrations to my knees and hips."

Tiffani: "This is a pretty durable shoe. The durability guarantee is always a bonus."

Myrna: "It's a good looking shoe with great durability."

The "Dislikes" of the shoe.

DeeDee: "They were too wide for my narrow foot. Too much room on the inside, in the midfoot."

Eileen: "The arch felt too high for me and pushed my toe into the front of the shoe."

Kana: "The lack of cushioning in the toe area caused some pinching. The solution could be a thicker sock, but that might lead to too much cushioning in the heel area."

Tiffani: "The pushing on the lateral side of my foot made this shoe a tough one to wear, and I'd want more forefoot cushioning. I'm also not really excited by the cosmetic. It's pretty boring."

Myrna: "I found the toe box to be restrictive."

Comparing this shoe to other shoes or brands in fit, durability and cushioning our playtesters said:

DeeDee: "Maybe someone with a wider foot would prefer to wear this shoe. For durability, I think the shoe would last four months."

Eileen: "I wear the adidas Barricade V. I'll stay with the adidas because the shoe is a perfect fit for me. The cushioning was great in the Trance All Court. I liked everything except the arch was off."

Kana: "Compared to the Wilson Tour II, the Trance is lower to the ground and made for a wider/lower arch foot. The shape of my foot prefers the Trance, but those with a higher arch and narrower foot would probably prefer the Tour II."

Tiffani: "Like other Wilson shoes I've worn, the Trance has a stiff feel and compacted cushioning in the forefoot. However, compared to some ProStaff versions I've worn, this is more durable. With the Pro Staffs, I would put an actual hole in the upper in about a week and half."

Myrna: "Durability and cushioning were fine. I find that the Nikes (Zoom Air, for example) seem to have a bit more room and are less stiff."

Wilson Trance All Court Scores

The Up Side

The Down Side

Play Test Scores

Durability
Support
Cushioning

Some pinching from the uppers

Comfort	3.5
Arch Support	4.2
Foot Support/Stability	4.2
Overall Sole Durability	4.2
Toe Durability	4.5
Traction	3.7
Weight	4.0
Overall	3.8
Scores (1-Horrible 2-Poor 3-Average 4-Good 5-Tremendous)

Playtesters' Foot types: DeeDee: Narrow width / High arch. Eileen: Narrow width / Medium arch. Kana: Medium width / Low arch. Tiffani: Wide width / Low arch. Myrna: Wide width / High arch.