Babolat Jet Tere Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 3.8

In terms of comfort, all of the playtesters agreed that the Babolat Jet Tere supplied a soft, supple feel and a high level of ventilation. The testers also found these shoes to run short, and all of them went up a half size to compensate. Jason, who has the widest feet of the group, struggled to find the right fit. He described, "The fit of these shoes wasn't ideal for my foot type. They run slightly narrow, and I actually had to go up a half size to get the length to fit properly. I thought the cushioning was pretty good, especially since these are lightweight shoes. There wasn't any break-in required, and the supple uppers flexed well and didn't pinch my feet at all. Overall, I liked the lightweight comfort of these Jet Teres, but they just never quite formed the right fit for my wide feet."

Chris's narrower feet had no issues when it came to the Jet Tere's width. If anything, he was left wanting sturdier arch support. He said, "I had to go up a half size to get the correct fit in these Jet Teres because they ran short in length. With the fit sorted, the shoes felt very comfortable right out of the box. I did not have to break them in at all and was able to go straight to the court and play all out with no issues. The uppers were very flexible, and the shoes felt like they moved well with my feet. I would have liked a little more stiffness in the chassis of the shoes for additional arch support, but other than that, I found the ride to be very comfortable. The level of cushioning was enough to protect my feet without taking away from the fast, low-to-the-ground feel of the shoes."

Like Chris, Troy found the overall comfort to be pretty good, but he agreed that these shoes could use a little more rigidity near the arches. He said, "The first thing that I noticed was that these shoes ran short in length; I went up a half size and found a nice, snug fit. The width was noticeably slim, which worked out well for my feet. As time went on, the mesh uppers began to open up a bit, but these shoes still felt contoured. The ventilation was great, better than any Babolat Jet I have tried before. The new mesh uppers did a great job of letting my feet breathe while grinding on the courts. I would have liked a sturdier, beefed-up arch support and a little more padding under the forefoot region. The heel cushion was plush, but I wish a little bit of that KPRS-X technology was added to the forefoot."

Mark regretted not changing his size to get the right fit. He said, "Using my usual size 11.5, this Jet Tere was too short for me. In hindsight, I should have gone up by at least a half size, but I had already worn them out on the courts. After a bit of wear, I was able to stretch them out a little, but I still felt like I needed more length. I think it is fair to say these Jet Tere shoes run pretty short. Comfort-wise, the Jet Teres feature a soft, elastic upper, which did provide a glove-like fit, but it was so pliable that I had some issues in regards to support. Overall, the arch height and breathability were the two qualities that I most enjoyed about these shoes."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 2.9

The soft, pliable nature of the Babolat Jet Tere was a positive when it came to comfort, but in terms of stability, the playtesters nearly all agreed that these shoes were a little lacking. Jason said, "The support of these Jet Tere shoes was good. When I cinched up my laces I could feel the uppers wrap around my feet and lock me in. The problem was when I was moving aggressively and trying to stop or change directions. The uppers were too soft and lacked rigidity in the right places, which made me lack confidence in fully planting my foot to stop myself. I could feel the uppers move and flex more than I would've liked when making aggressive lateral cuts."

Mark was pretty much on board with Jason's sentiments. He said, "These Jet Tere shoes were nice and snug on my feet, so I found a rather secure feel for the majority of the playtest. However, as time went on and I put more stress on these shoes, I found the elasticity of the uppers to give. Eventually, they weren't holding my feet in place during abrupt changes of direction. We primarily play on hard courts, and I just felt like I needed more lateral support to feel confident in my movement. That said, I do feel like these shoes would be supportive enough on a clay court because the stops aren't as abrupt as on hard courts."

Troy found good support, but the flexible nature of these shoes left him wanting more torsional stability. He explained, "Because the fit was good for me, the support was pretty good as well. I never had any unwanted sliding inside the shoes when I cinched the laces up tight. The stability, on the other hand, became somewhat lacking as time went on. There was some give and twisting going on when I put a lot of pressure and force into my directional changes. With mesh uppers and a somewhat minimal midfoot shank, the torsional rigidity of these shoes wasn't quite enough for what I need."

Chris seemed to be the most content with the Jet Tere's overall support and stability, but in the end he still wanted a more beefed-up midfoot shank. He said, "The uppers of the Jet Tere shoes were really soft and flexible in some instances, such as when I was up on my toes, but they also proved to be supportive when moving laterally. The more I wore the shoes the more I appreciated the supportive fit. I would have liked some additional stiffness to the shoes under my feet since there wasn't quite enough there to support my arches and heels. These shoes flexed a bit too much underneath my arches during aggressive sprints, and I think that with a more supportive shank the flex point would shift more toward the balls of my feet, making for a more natural transition from heel to toe."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.5

Our team couldn't quite come to a consensus on the Jet Tere's durability. Mark tends to put his shoes to the test by grinding out long points, so he prefers a shoe that can take a beating. He said, "My favorite things about the Jet Tere are the ultra-fast feel and the high level of ventilation. However, overall durability wasn't necessarily this shoe's strong point. I found my pair to hold up fairly well for such lightweight shoes, but lately I have been more attracted to shoes that offer a higher level of durability, such as the Asics Gel Resolution 8 and KSwiss Ultrashot 2. At the end of this playtest I had significant signs of wear under the forefoot and toe regions. They held up for the duration of this playtest, but I don't think I would be getting much more action out of these shoes in the months to come."

The durability was good for the rest of the playtest team considering the ultra-light nature of these Jet Teres. Chris explained, "For being lightweight speed shoes, these Jet Teres held up well. The outsoles showed the most wear and looked to be the first part of the shoes that would give out, but that was somewhat expected for how low to the ground these shoes ride. The uppers resisted court abrasion well and had plenty of life left in them."

Jason was also satisfied when it came to the overall durability. He said, "I have no complaints here. The Michelin rubber outsole held up well for the duration of the playtest. I put about 10 to 12 hours of on-court wear onto these shoes, and I noticed just some slight tread loss on the medial side of the forefoot. The overall durability was impressive for shoes as lightweight and minimal as these are."

Comparing the Jet Teres to other lightweight, speed-oriented models, Troy felt these shoes held up well during the playtest. He said, "For such lightweight shoes, the outsoles were relatively tough. I have tried quite a few Babolat shoes over the years, and the Michelin rubber compound that is used to make the outsoles has always been pretty impressive when it comes to durability. For my preferences, I would likely purchase shoes that come with an outsole guarantee, but for those players who prefer lightweight shoes, these Jet Teres should provide decent durability. I had some slight balding around the toe region, but the outsoles held up pretty well otherwise."

Traction - Score: 4.4

The playtesters had few complaints about the slightly grippy traction of these Babolat Jet Teres. Of the testers, Jason was the only one who didn't quite find the right balance of traction. He described, "The outsoles on these shoes have more grip than give. The traction felt sticky, and I had no issues with slippage. Personally, I would've liked more give so I could slide out of shots and transition more easily. The combination of sticky outsoles and the upper material not being the most supportive made me feel as though I was pushing over the side of the shoe when making lateral cuts."

The Jet Tere seemed to offer the right amount of traction for Chris on hard courts. He said, "I really enjoyed the level of traction from these Jet Teres. I found lots of grab when looking to make a quick sprint, and I never had any surprise slips or slides. I also liked that I could still pivot quickly and that these shoes never felt too grippy during quick adjustment steps. Overall, I was able to change directions easily and maximize my speed when accelerating toward the next shot."

Mark was pleased with how well these shoes performed on the various hard courts he tried them on. He noted, "I give these Jet Teres very high marks in terms of traction on a hard court. The tread pattern and rubber compound used for the outsoles gripped very well on every hard court that I played on. It doesn't take much to get a sticky interaction with our gritty indoor hard court, but on most outdoor hard courts that I play on, the surface is slicker and worn down. That's where these shoes really shine. The outsoles provided a nice blend of grip with a bit of give, and I felt like I could change directions without any worries!"

Like most Babolat shoes Troy has playtested over the years, these Jet Teres did not disappoint when it came to traction. He said, "I loved the traction that the Michelin outsoles provided out on the hard courts. I have always liked how the Babolat signature outsoles offer just enough grip while allowing for some give and slide when needed. Some outsoles over the years, like that of some of the older adidas Barricades, feel overly sticky to me, whereas the Babolat Michelin rubber has always felt semi-slick, and I like that. I think the outsoles on these shoes would work well for those hard-court sliders out there."

Weight - Score: 4.7

Just as the name of this shoe indicates, the Jet Tere feels agile and fast on court. The playtesters unanimously agreed that the feather-light weight was likely the strongest attribute of these shoes. Mark said, "At a scant 12.4 ounces for a men's size 10.5 US, these Jet Teres felt ultra light on my feet as I sprinted around the tennis court. Movement and my ability to run down a lot of balls are a large part of my game, and I felt very agile with these shoes on. I never felt like any part of these Jet Teres was weighing me down. The slim profile and the high level of mesh also added to the swift feel of the shoes when I was playtesting."

Jason also appreciated the low weight. He said, "This was easily the selling point of these shoes for me. They felt so light and agile on the court. Changing directions laterally and making heel-to-toe transitions when sprinting came very easily. If I had to knock them, I would've likely traded some ounces for an increase in the stability."

Like Jason, Troy and Chris loved the Jet Tere's lightweight feel, and they also would have sacrificed some weight for added stability. Troy explained, "These shoes felt ultra light and fast. I think the flexible, meshy design of these shoes makes them feel even lighter. The downside is that they aren't the most supportive or stable shoes. They flexed very easily during heel-to-toe transitions, but they maybe flexed a bit too much throughout the playtest, especially as they wore in."

Chris agreed, adding, "By far, the strength of the Jet Tere shoes on court was how light and fast they felt. I felt as quick as I could be in these shoes, and when I was up on the balls of my feet I felt very nimble, as though I could move freely in any direction. With that said, I wouldn't have minded a little more weight if it came with the benefit of some added stiffness from the shank and heel cup of the shoes to increase the support and stability."

Overall - Score: 3.8