Diadora Speed Blushield Fly 2 Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.6

The previous generation of Speed Blushield Flys had an opening that was too wide for our testers. To Diadora's credit, the Speed Blushield Fly 2 fixed that problem, and our testers were able to enjoy the plush underfoot cushioning and the supple upper without having to worry about the fit. Troy elaborated, "When I first slipped these shoes on my feet, they felt very plush. The material that makes up the bootie in this shoe is well padded and contours to my feet like a glove. The Blushield midsole cushioning protected my feet as I moved around the court. The midsole wasn't overly soft, and it did a good enough job of keeping my feet comfortable. I found the arch support a bit low for my liking; it didn't bother me during play, but I would have liked a bit more support in the arch region. Ventilation was slightly better than average, and an improvement in this update. I went a half size down from the 10.0 I wore in the previous version, which helped me achieve the proper fit."

Sean also found this update to be a much better match for his feet than the previous version. He said, "From the first time I squeezed my foot into the bootie of this shoe, I could tell it was going to be very comfortable. Although I had a little extra room inside, this fit was a huge improvement from the previous generation, and the sockliner helped me feel more secure. The insole was nice and padded, and the midsole was on the softer side. Even though there is a fair amount of mesh, I found myself using two pairs of socks to get a more snug fit, which really ups the internal thermostat. When I wasn't doubling up on socks, the ventilation seemed to flow through very well."

Jason's analysis was mostly positive. He said, "I found these shoes to be plenty comfortable throughout the playtest. I really enjoyed the full bootie construction and the soft padding around the ankle collar. I thought the cushioning was adequate, but it wasn't as plush as I would've liked, especially in the forefoot. The ventilation was quite good thanks to all the mesh panels in the upper. I especially enjoyed the slightly wider fit in the toe box and the lower arch support."

Granville had nothing but compliments for the Blushield Fly 2's comfort. He said, "These are some of the best fitting shoes I've ever worn! There is soft yet firm support in every millimeter of the Blushield Fly 2s. When playing in these shoes I felt as if I could stretch my toes out and grab the court! There's no extra padding to pinch or rub; it's just a great fit. The ventilation was good with the forefoot venting, and the shoes never felt hot on my feet."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.1

The Speed Blushield Fly 2s combine a full-bootie construction and CCB shank underfoot to offer a stable and secure fit while maintaining a naturally connected feel to the court. With the fit issues fixed from the outgoing model, our team happily found improvements on the stability front. Once he got his feet into the shoes, it was smooth sailing for Granville, who said, "Due to the tremendous fit, these Blushield Fly 2s have excellent support. The sock liner provides an almost high-top feel that accentuates the stability."

Jason felt the security of this update was much improved. He compared the models, saying, "In the original Blushield Fly the foot opening was so wide I couldn't lock in my feet. I'd pull my laces up tight and was still able to slip my foot right out. Not with this new version. Diadora addressed this issue, and now I'm no longer getting any heel slippage while playing. I thought the uppers were stiff and rigid enough to keep my feet from rolling and twisting when changing directions quickly."

Troy agreed that the Blushield Fly 2's improvements were obvious as soon as he took them onto the court. He described, "I found much better support, which resulted in better stability than the previous version. With the previous Blushield Fly, I had a lot of wiggle room within the toe box and never felt locked in around my ankles. The improved bootie construction of these Speed Blushield Fly 2s did a great job of keeping my feet secure. There was a decent amount of midsole cushioning, but I didn't feel like I was lifted too high off the court surface. I was always connected to the court when making aggressive lateral cuts, so I never felt like I was going to roll my ankles. The midfoot CCB shank created a high level of rigidity to help support my feet. Overall, I felt very comfortable when I was moving around the court."

Although he didn't feel stability was a standout feature of these shoes, Sean didn't see it as a glaring weakness. He said, "While the upper didn't offer much in terms of extra support, the underfoot chassis supplied plenty of stability for most of the hitting I was doing. The bootie construction also aided in making my movement feel more organic and connected, which largely made up for the more flexible upper. Still, if I were pushing it on the singles court, these wouldn't be my go-to shoes. However, I think they will work just fine for most people."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.1

When it came to outsole durability, the Speed Blushield Fly 2s definitely held up their end of the bargain, and Diadora stands behind them with a six-month durability guarantee. After putting his pair to the test, Jason reported little wear. He said, "By the end of this playtest I had put about 13 hours on the shoes, and I'm barely seeing any wear and tear on the outsoles. For those who are much more taxing on their shoes than I am, there is a six-month warranty on these."

While Troy's pair was holding up fairly well, he was still relieved that the shoes came backed by a durability guarantee. He said, "I found the Blushield Fly 2's durability slightly better than average. I had a bit of balding underneath the balls of my feet at the conclusion of this playtest. That being said, the tread remained intact on most of the outsole surface. The six-month durability guarantee is a big bonus for me. Having played on a college team, I know what it's like to shred through shoes when practicing two to three hours per day. I did not wear through the outsoles of these shoes during our month-long playtest, but I would likely do so within a six-month period. I found the durability to be pretty similar to the Head Revolt Pro 3.0s, but not quite as good as the Asics Gel Resolution 7s."

Though he tends to be tough on his shoes, Sean was pleased with how well his Blushield Fly 2s held up, and the durability guarantee was the icing on the cake for him. He said, "I was impressed by the durability of my pair, and I saw very little wear after about 15 hours on the court. The tread is deep, and the toe guard seemed to have plenty of extra material to add some life for toe draggers. Even better, they come with a durability guarantee, which is almost a must-have for me since I always go through my shoes within the allotted timeframe."

Granville agreed wholeheartedly, adding, "These shoes remain in excellent condition, with the deep tread still looking strong across the entire outsole after about 12 hours of court time."

Traction - Score: 4.3

Sporting a modified zonal tread pattern, the Speed Blushield Fly 2s promise to provide sure footing on hard courts. When our testers put them to the test it was apparent that they fell on the grippier end of the spectrum, though they still provided a nice amount of give, especially as the outsoles wore down. Granville, for one, was so pleased with the level of grip he was experiencing that he was excited to test his pair out at his annual grass tournament. He said, "The outsole has a soft, sticky feel on the hard court, so I expected durability to suffer, but to my delight, the tread is both durable and sticky. The deep herringbone outsole on my pair will get some grass court time next month!"

For Troy, the level of traction improved as the test — and his shoes — wore on. He described, "The traction felt just right to me. I could feel the rubber outsoles gripping the court whenever I pushed off with a lot of force, but the rubber wasn't so sticky that it made my stops feel jarring. I actually preferred the level of traction after wearing these shoes for a couple of weeks. I wore down the top layer of the rubber about halfway through the playtest, and there was more give to the brakes. When I came to an aggressive stop I could decelerate with a bit of a slide. Not like a Gael Monfils slide, but just enough to allow me to come to a controlled stop."

Sean typically prefers his outsoles to have a little more give, but he was still able to move efficiently in the Blushield Fly 2s. He said, "I was happy with the level of traction these shoes provided. Although I would say they lean on the sticky side, I was pleased to find a bit of give, because the uppers were flexing more than I would have preferred. This allowed me to slide a little bit and prevented me from coming over the side of the shoe when really digging into those cuts and turns."

Like the rest of the team, Jason agreed that the outsoles leaned toward the grippier side. He added, "There was a good level of grip here. I was able to slide a little bit while going out wide and trying to stop, but the traction was there for that important first step. It is a sticky outsole that's great for hard courts."

Weight - Score: 4.3

At 14 ounces (US size 10.5), the Speed Blushield Fly 2s sit right on the border of what Tennis Warehouse considers "lightweight." And, just as the weight teetered on that line, our testers had mixed opinions about whether that weight was put to good use. Jason, for one, felt like the shoes didn't quite live up to their name. He explained, "With the words 'speed' and 'fly' in the name, you'd expect these shoes to be ultralight. They are light on the scale, but I wish they felt lighter on my feet. Not to say they felt clunky or cumbersome, because they didn't, but there are definitely lighter feeling shoes out there."

On the other hand, the weight didn't seem to be a problem for Granville. He said, "These shoes feel light compared to many others I've tested. I never thought about them during play (other than how good they felt)."

Troy felt the weight was very middle of the road, but he had no complaints to report. He said, "The weight of these Blushield Fly 2s is very similar to my usual Asics Gel Resolution 7s. I didn't feel that these shoes weighed me down in any way, but they didn't feel ultra fast like the Asics Solution Speed FF. After wearing the Blushield Fly 2s for about a week they started to contour and mold to my feet. As they broke in I found them to feel slightly lighter than the scale would indicate."

Sean thought the weight was fine, but he could have benefited from some slight adjustments. He said, "I felt these shoes did a solid job of balancing comfort and durability in a relatively lightweight package. Personally, I would have preferred a bit more stability in the uppers, although I don't think that should deter most players from trying these shoes, since I feel I'm unusually picky about the level of stability I like."

Overall - Score: 4.3