Diadora Speed Star K VI Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.8

Its strongest category by far, the comfort of these Speed Star K VIs left little room for improvement. Scoring comfort a perfect 5, Chris scored them a perfect 5, saying, "These shoes felt soft and supple from the first wear. I loved the way the uppers supported my feet yet felt superbly supple at the same time. I felt comfortably locked in so I never slid around inside them. The result was no issues with blisters or any uncomfortable rubbing on the soles of my feet. I also loved the cushioning system in these shoes. It did a great job of taking the sting out of any tough landings. Top marks from me here."

Andy liked the instant comfort these shoes provided. He said, "These are among the most comfortable tennis shoes I've ever worn! I felt the super plush cushioning all over my feet as soon as I slipped them on. I especially love the thick, pillowy tongue. The kangaroo leather in the uppers is extremely supple, yet still supportive. These shoes have a nice, roomy fit that gave my feet plenty of room to wiggle around."

Sebastian sang a similar tune, saying, "Throughout my playtest hours I felt these shoes to be exceptional in terms of comfort and feel. I loved the added cushioning throughout the shoes and enjoyed the softness of the kangaroo leather, which made the uppers smooth and comfortable. These are definitely among the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn."

"Comfort levels were through the roof in these shoes!" Marco exclaimed. "There was plenty of cushioning around the heel and throughout the forefoot. Furthermore, the kangaroo leather on the uppers was noticeably different from many other shoes and really gave the Speed Star K VIs great long-lasting comfort."

Ventilation - Score: 3.2

Although the plush cushioning and soft uppers garnered top marks from the team, the ventilation of the Speed Star K VI was a little less impressive. Sebastian felt his feet were being kept at a good temperature even after heavy hours on court. He mentioned, "The mesh holes along the uppers and the midfoot helped keep my feet cool and comfortable. I never had the feeling that my feet were running hot, even after long hours on court."

Marco typically doesn't have a problem with his feet getting hot, but he noted he wasn't experiencing the airflow throughout his shoes that he would've liked. He said, "I felt like these shoes could have ventilated a bit better; there were a few perforations on the upper and sides, but they were too small to really have an impact on airflow throughout these shoes."

Chris ran slightly hot in these shoes. He noted, "Ventilation was adequate in these shoes, but far from exceptional. There are perforations through the uppers and some mesh, but it's limited. With that being said, the kangaroo leather seemed to be pretty breathable compared to some synthetic options I've tested. My feet did get a little hot in these shoes, but not enough to affect my overall comfort."

Andy felt the lack of ventilation hurt these shoes a little bit. He explained, "These shoes got pretty hot during play and ventilation was lacking. There weren't enough perforations or mesh in the uppers to allow for warm air to exit the shoes and allow for cool air to get in. This was the only negative aspect of the comfort of these shoes, and the Speed Star K VIs were SO comfortable that most of the time the breathability didn't bother me. However, on hotter days, or longer playing sessions, this issue became more apparent."

Arch Support - Score: 3.5

Our playtesters noticed a fairly low-medium arch in these shoes. Sebastian found the perfect amount of arch support, saying, "The arch support is medium and just right for me. I usually prefer medium to lower arch support in my shoes, and I noticed in this playtest that the arch support became lower the more I played."

Chris had a few issues with the flex point of these shoes, explaining, "These shoes flex just a little too far back for my liking. Because of that the arch support just passed the test. I could feel the shoes flexing a little too much on quick sprints and aggressive changes of direction. I ended up using some aftermarket insoles with a built-in arch support shank to beef these up. Problem solved."

Similarly, Andy found the use of an aftermarket insole helped fix issues with the factory arch support. He stated, "I found the arch support to be fairly low at the beginning of the playtest. As the test went on and the cushioning underfoot began to soften up and break down a bit, the arch support got even lower. Players who like or need more substantial support through the arch area may want to consider the use of an aftermarket insole in these shoes."

Marco wears custom orthotics in all his shoes.

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.1

Compared to the previous model, these Diadora Speed Star K VIs had a largely improved support system. "I thought these shoes provided more than enough support and stability," stated Andy. "I was able to move around the court at top speed with total confidence. Lack of support was an issue for me in the previous version, and there was a noticeable improvement in this update. While the fit was roomy and the upper was very soft, I still found that these shoes locked my feet in on lateral cuts and provided plenty of protection for aggressive changes of direction. I was even sliding on the hard courts with zero doubt that the shoes would stand up to the demands."

Marco enjoyed how the support of these shoes complemented the comfort level. He offered, "Initially, when I was playing with the stock insoles my feet were sliding a little bit, especially on shots I had to chase down. After a couple of hours it wasn't a problem, and when I inserted my orthotics into the shoes my feet felt very stable and supported."

There was an initial wear-in period for Sebastian. He said, "While it took me a few hours to feel fully locked-in with these shoes, overall stability and foot support was great and exceeded my expectations. I had sufficient confidence to actively attack my strokes and even slide toward the ball. After a couple of hours of play these shoes adjusted nicely to the form of my feet, providing me with a secure, comfortable fit."

Chris was happy with the support but not the stability. He explained, "I scored these shoes well in this area, and that was mostly boosted by the supportive fit. The uppers did a great job of supportively wrapping my feet and keeping me locked in. When it came to stability, I'd like the chassis of these shoes to be of a stiffer construction. I could feel the shoes flexing too much on lateral stops and quick sprints."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.9

The superb comfort had our team wearing these shoes a lot on court. Marco found these shoes held up pretty well after he played several sets and trained in them. He said, "The soles held up moderately well. I wore these shoes for quite a few sets and match play, and they wore out under the ball of my foot first. For light, fast, low to the ground shoes, they held up well and didn't wear out too quickly."

Andy put his shoes to the test as well, coaching in them as well as playing matches. He stated, "These shoes held up pretty well over the course of the test. I put a lot of hours in these (about 40-50), and there was still some tread left on most of the outsoles. I had my standard pattern of wear under my big toes, but nothing substantial stood out to me. They started to bald a little bit early on, but then surprised me and held up fine for the rest of the test."

Sebastian got some good wear in on his Diadora Speed Star K VIs before noticing them start to wear out. He said, "I noticed that the rubber outsole of this Speed Star K VI looked used up after about 25 hours of play. It was mostly the front part of the outsoles that started to show significant wear after I wore these shoes for hitting sessions and match play."

Chris wore through the outsoles the quickest. He noted, "While these shoes feature a six-month guarantee, they certainly won't last that long for me. It did not take long for me to see some wear under the big toe of my right foot. Other parts of the outsoles started to wear quickly, too. The pivot point was wearing faster than expected, as well as the lateral edge of the forefoot of both shoes."

Toe Durability - Score: 2.3

The toe of the shoes didn't hold up too well in this playtest. Our playtesters noticed that the material was a bit softer and didn't have a high durability level. Chris admitted, "I was blitzing through the toe of my left shoe. It did not take me long to do some serious damage to the left shoe, and not long after that I was seeing wear to my usually less abused right shoe as well. These shoes won't last for the aggressive toe draggers out there."

Although he's usually not the biggest toe dragger, Andy stated, "Here's where I had my durability issues. I'm not that bad of a toe dragger, but I do slide often on the hard courts and drag the medial (inside) side. I wore through the soft kangaroo leather area in the forefoot fairly early on and had a decent sized hole for a good part of the test. This never affected the performance of the shoes, but I always felt the shoes were one aggressive slide away from totally busting open.

Also not a big toe dragger, Marco said, "These shoes did show some wear on my right toe from dragging it on some slices. This doesn't show up on many shoes for me, so it was a surprise to see these shoes start to wear out in this area."

Traction - Score: 3.1

The Diadora Speed Star K VIs had a slick outsole, and our playtesters found these shoes slid fairly easily on hard courts. Although Marco typically is not sliding on hard courts, he said, "The traction was good for me. I did notice that the soles weren't too sticky and did allow for a bit of sliding, especially when I was having to push back into the court from a wide stretch."

Sebastian is accustomed to going for slides on hard courts, and he had this to add, "Since I do enjoy sliding on hard courts I always expect solid traction with a good amount of give from my tennis shoes. I felt the traction of these Diadora shoes was good, but not great. When I was aggressively sliding laterally or toward the net I noticed the somewhat sticky outsole, which didn't provide me with the give I was hoping for."

Andy found a good amount of give from these shoes, saying, "I found the outsole to be pretty slick on the hard courts. I didn't mind this all that much because it allowed me to go for my aggressive slides without having to worry about the shoe sticking or catching too much. However, there were instances when I hit the accelerator hard and slipped as I started my sprint. Also, players who don't like to slide on the hard courts might find some issues here."

Chris found the slick outsoles affected his starts and stops in particular. He said, "I was sliding around in these shoes from the first wear. The test started off with some traction issues when I was trying to take off quickly. I was also sliding too much when coming to a stop. After a couple of wears the traction improved a little, but it went away again as the shoes started to wear. While the rubber felt soft and grippy to the hand, I was disappointed with the outsole compound on court."

Weight - Score: 4.2

The weight of the Speed Star K VIs complemented their speed and comfort levels. These are not the lightest shoes around at 14.3 ounces, but they certainly perform like they are on court. Chris noted, "I thought these shoes felt pretty well weighted on court. They did not feel clunky at all. While I wouldn't call them speed shoes, they did feel light enough on my feet, and I never felt slowed down by any excess weight. I would happily accept some added weight for increased toe and outsole durability."

Sebastian was a fan of how Diadora was able to mix several aspects together and keep these shoes on the low end of the weight spectrum. He said, "I felt the Diadora Speed Star K VIs were light enough for explosive movements but still offered sufficient support and stability. In combination with the superb comfort, their light weight makes the overall performance of these shoes even better."

"The Speed Star K VIs felt nice and light," said Marco, who praised the way these shoes performed. "Ultimately, the weight helped to make me feel very connected with the court. Even with the extensive cushioning, which can slow some shoes down, this model performed extremely well."

The weight was neither here nor there for Andy, who said, "The weight of these shoes was fairly middle of the road for me, although I think it was a natural by-product of the extremely plush cushioning. Even though they aren't the fastest shoes around, I never felt slowed down or hampered by them. While the uppers are very soft and comfortable, these shoes do feel a little on the heavier side. Again, this was never really an issue when it came to performance."

Overall - Score: 4.3