adidas adizero Ubersonic 3 Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.7

Across the board, our playtesters appreciated the Ubersonic 3s' suite of comfort features. From the bootie construction to the cushy PU midsole, everything worked together to give our players a glove-like fit and a plush ride. Although Chris has narrow feet, he had no issues with the Ubersonic 3s' slightly wider fit. He said, "I loved the fit and feel of these shoes from the first wear. The uppers flexed and moved with my feet well, and I never felt any pinching or hot spots. Under my feet, the cushioning felt plusher than previous Ubersonics; I didn't feel quite as connected to the ground, but the ride was definitely comfortable. The arch support doesn't feel as substantial as it does in the current Barricades, but these shoes offered enough rigidity through the shank area to keep me feeling supported."

Sean was new to the Ubersonic line, but he quickly found his groove thanks to the great fit and comfort features. He explained, "Aside from the struggle of putting them on, I'm generally a fan of the bootie construction, as it offers that glove-like fit that contours to the shape of my foot. This was complemented well by very soft midsole cushioning that kept my feet feeling great on and off the court. I thought the shoes were well ventilated, and the padded collar was soft and cushiony. There was a bit too much room in the forefoot for me, but that problem disappeared once I started wearing two pairs of socks. I have a medium-height arch, and I didn't experience any issues even after wearing these shoes off the court (which I usually did because they look and feel great)."

Mark was also frequently seen sporting his Ubersonic 3s off the court, which is a clear testament to the shoe's comfort. He said, "Every aspect of the new adidas Ubersonic 3s provided a top-notch level of comfort right out of the box. The knitted upper and bootie construction cradled the top of my feet, and the full-length PU midsole created a soft ride underfoot. After 20 hours of hard court use in the Ubersonic 3s, including tournament play, they are every bit as comfortable as they were new."

Jason, who has wider feet, naturally preferred this update's roomier toe box. He said, "The cushioning and comfort in the Ubersonic 3s definitely surpass the previous generation. From heel to toe, the cushioning just feels plusher. The toe box also feels like it fits slightly wider, which works out perfectly for me. For this update, adidas continued the bootie construction from the Ubersonic 2s, and that just added to the overall comfort. My biggest critique of the previous two models was the thin laces that dug into my feet, but adidas has addressed that issue in the Ubersonic 3s by moving to a more standard lace."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.4

Despite the very minimal appearance, our testers felt the Ubersonic 3s provided a near-perfect blend of support and flex. The Sprintframe construction builds the stability of the shoes into the design without any extra bulk. Jason received all the support he needed to move effectively on court. He said, "I'm not sure I'd use the word 'impressed,' because I've come to expect excellent support and stability from adidas shoes, but I came away extremely pleased with how these shoes performed. My feet felt locked into place when I had to plant my foot, slide a little and push off. The upper provided the stability I needed to keep my ankles from rolling."

Meanwhile, Chris was discovering how naturally he could move in his pair. He said. "I was surprised by how much lateral support the Ubersonic 3s offered considering the comfortable flex I got during forward sprints — an advantage of the Primeknit upper construction. I did have to use the very last lace eyelet to lock in my heels, but it was a non-issue since the bootie construction offered enough protection from the lace system. I loved how the shoes held and supported my feet without ever feeling stiff, bulky or restrictive in any way. The Ubersonic 3s felt like they were built to flow with my every movement."

Despite a general preference for bulkier models, Sean was pleasantly surprised by how well his Ubersonic 3s fared in the stability department. He said, "The minimalist design of the shoes ensured that there wasn't any extra bulk, so most of the stability is built into the materials. This is in contrast to models like the Barricade and the Asics Gel Resolution, where the stabilizing technology is large and visible. My expectations were far exceeded in this category. I thought these shoes did a fantastic job at supporting my movement, and I felt confident going all out while playing."

Mark felt that the Ubersonic 3s' stability held up much better than the previous model. He described, "Toward the end of their life, the uppers on my old Ubersonic 2s stretched out enough to diminish the lateral stability, but at that stage I had already almost completely gone through the outsoles, so it was a moot point. The new Ubersonic 3s still feel very stable after a similar amount of play time, with the uppers properly holding my feet in place."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.8

As the tennis industry has gravitated toward lighter weight shoes, players have come to expect less durability from their outsoles and a higher level of performance. The Ubersonic 3s definitely fall in line with these trends, offering good durability for their weight class, but nothing special. Mark explained, "The Ubersonic 3s are speed-oriented, tournament day shoes, so I didn't expect an extremely high level of durability. The update's outsoles have lasted quite a bit longer than my Ubersonic 2s did, though, so I'd call the durability decent overall."

Jason added, "I put in close to 15 hours of wear on these shoes and have only seen minimal signs of wear and balding."

Chris is notoriously tough on his shoes, and he thought the durability of his pair was pretty similar to the last iteration, with one substantial difference. He said, "The outsoles seemed to hold up about as well as the previous Ubersonic, which isn't too bad for speed-oriented shoes. Unfortunately, I saw a more wear in the toe areas than I've experienced with past versions, and I started to put a dent in the toe bumper of my left shoe within the first hour of hitting. By the end of the test I'd put enough damage on the toe bumper to just start getting into the Primeknit upper, so this third version hasn't held up as well to toe-dragging."

Like Chris, Sean also found that his toes wore down quickly. He said, "It's not as if these shoes are meant to be durable, so it shouldn't be a surprise that they aren't. I noticed the toe on my left shoe wore out especially fast, as I drag that part of the shoe on my backhand, but the rest of the soles weren't far behind. Comparatively, I would put the durability on par with the Nike Air Zoom Vapor Xs."

Traction - Score: 4.5

Our testers all thought the Ubersonic 3s' traction felt slicker than previous versions, which should be perfect for players who like to slide around the court. The upside is that if you can control these outsoles, you will be rewarded with top-notch movement and impressive speed — a valuable tool when trying to get that one extra ball back that can turn a match around. Sean normally likes shoes with plenty of give, so he felt right at home with this update. He said, "I found these outsoles to play very slick, which means aggressive movers who like to slide and pivot should really enjoy the level of traction these shoes provide. Personally, the only court I had trouble moving on was a worn-down public court, where I slipped a few times. My movement felt organic and natural on all the other courts I played on, and I felt comfortable sprinting around at maximum speed."

Not only did Mark fully appreciate the type of traction his pair allotted, but he also enjoyed how they sounded on court — or more accurately, how they didn't sound. He said, "These have to be one of the easiest tennis shoes for me to accelerate, maneuver and decelerate in. The full herringbone outsole of the Ubersonic 3s worked extremely well on every hard court that I played on, and I suppose it's worth mentioning that the Ubersonic 3s were very quiet shoes as well. I once heard Darren Cahill compare the sound of Novak's Barricades chirping on center court of the Aussie Open to a 'symphony of sparrows.' Relative to that description, I felt like an on-court ninja in the Ubersonic 3s, as they were virtually silent on any court surface."

Jason agreed that the traction was quite slick, but he had no issues with his footing on court. He recalled, "These outsoles are definitely on the slicker side. Even on the grittier TW court, I was able to slide a bit while stopping and changing directions with little effort. However, there was still traction there when I needed it for those initial steps. I had no problems with traction at all."

Chris moved about the court with ease in his pair. "There was definitely some give engineered into the traction of the Ubersonic 3s," he said. "I was able to get a little more slide out of them on quick stops, but it still felt very controllable. I liked the way the give from the outsoles let me pivot and move smoothly between small adjustment steps on court. When I needed to push off aggressively the Ubersonic 3s had enough grab to dig in and get me going quickly."

Weight - Score: 4.6

Despite weighing in at 14.3 ounces, the Ubersonic 3s felt much lighter than their weight might suggest, undoubtably thanks to adidas' careful attention to detail and design. That craftsmanship was not lost on Chris, who explained, "The Ubersonic 3s felt very fast on court. I think much of the speedy feel came from the way the shoes moved so well with my feet. The uppers were light and flexible, and I felt nimble in them. I had enough support to stop quickly, and enough flex and spring to fly around the court; it all had me moving at top speed. I have no complaints here. Every ounce in these shoes felt justified by the excellent on-court performance."

Sean was both surprised and intrigued after he weighed his pair. He said, "This was one of the few times that I was shocked by the number on the scale after playing in a pair of shoes. I had expected the Ubersonic 3s to be one of the lighter shoes I'd played in, but to my surprise they came in just above 14 ounces. I take this to be a compliment to the design of the shoes; the level of flex renders the shoes very maneuverable. My best guess is that the weight was distributed to provide some extra cushioning in the midsole."

Mark feels that the terrific balance of weight and support makes the Ubersonic 3s a true standout among other lightweight tennis shoes. He described, "At 14.3 ounces, the new adidas Ubersonic 3s come in well under my 15-ounce lightweight tennis shoe threshold. That said, I will always factor in a shoe's level of support relative to its overall weight, because 'lightweight' often means you have to sacrifice some stability and support. To date, the new adidas Ubersonic 3s exhibit the best blend of comfort and support I have ever experienced from lightweight tennis shoes."

Jason wasn't quite as blown away as the other playtesters, but he still appreciated the Ubersonic 3's light, performance feel. He said, "These shoes felt slightly bulkier to me, but not by much. I attribute that to the more substantial midsole cushioning, and it's a trade-off that I'd happily make every time. Don't get me wrong, these shoes still feel nice and lightweight, even after hours of play."

Overall - Score: 4.6