Breakdown

Comfort: 9.0

From the padded tongues to the thick Ortholite cushioning underfoot, the Babolat SFX 4s were engineered with comfort in mind. Everyone on our playtest team noted the plush feel right out of the box. Zsofi said, "Babolat has some of the most comfortable shoes on the market, and this new SFX is no exception. I noticed the amazing cushioning underfoot right away. It felt like a super plush ride, and the softness underfoot was probably my favorite part of this playtest! Wearing something so soft and cushioned definitely makes a difference, especially when you are on court for long hours. I didn't need much break-in time at all; the shoes were optimal from the beginning."

The most outstanding feature of these shoes for Brittany was the comfort level. She explained, "Having worn previous generations of the SFX line, I had a pretty good idea what to expect from this update. I knew these were going to be on the wider side for my narrow feet, and I adapted to fill out the shoes by wearing two pairs of socks, using the last eyelets and tying my laces extra tightly. These are some of the widest shoes on the market right now and they have a very generous toe box — both width and height-wise. The SFX 4s are also standard length with a low arch. The absolute highlight of these shoes from the start to the finish of the playtest was the all-around comfort. Starting underfoot, there is plush, thick cushioning the entire length of the shoes (side note: I felt like I was sitting high off the ground). The uppers are soft and flexible and the tongues have substantial padding."

Comfort and fit usually go hand in hand, and once Michelle moved down a half size, the shoes felt better on her feet. She said, "These SFX 4s are incredibly comfortable, no doubt about it! They're super plush around my feet, as well as under them. However, they are also incredibly wide. The first time I wore them in my true size I had to cinch them up so much that the laces on top were almost touching, which then caused the shoes to start rubbing a bit around my ankles, leaving some blistering. I found that the best setup was going down a half size. The shoes did not fit as wide and didn’t rub when I tightened the laces. These SFX 4s are for a very specific player -- anyone looking for wide shoes, a wide toebox and lots of comfort!"

Having wider feet, Tiffani appreciated the extra room in these SFX 4s, but even she felt that the toe box was almost too spacious. She said, "It's nice to find shoes where my wide feet fit comfortably without any squeezing, and these SFX 4s definitely fit on the wider side. The toe box is also pretty deep; I actually found it to be a bit too deep for my personal preferences. It made it feel like there was a bit too much wiggle room for my toes, which is something I almost never say! The cushioning was really nice, but it didn't feel as plush as I remember the original SFX model feeling. The arch support was fairly low, which fit my lower arches just fine. I thought the ventilation was average, but like I do with most tennis shoes, I opted to change my socks and shoes after I was done playing."

Foot Support / Stability: 7.5

On-court footwork requires precise movement in every direction, and the Babolat SFX 4s have internal straps and rocker heel extensions that help ensure stability as you chase down your shots. The thick Ortholite insole works in tandem with the bucket support in the forefoot to add support for your steps. Because of the width of these shoes, our playtesters thought the stability features were stronger than the support characteristics. Contrasting the SFX 4s with other Babolat models, Tiffani said, "I found these SFX 4s to be more stable overall than the current SFX Evos. They have a wide base to plant my foot and feel laterally stable. I also thought these shoes were more supportive than the SFX Evos. However, I wouldn't place the SFX 4s in the upper echelon of support-and-stability tennis shoes. Because the toe box is so deep, I wasn't quite getting the support that I like, which caused me to hold back a bit on my movement."

Once she sized down, Michelle achieved much better performance with her Babolat SFX 4s. She explained, "These shoes felt a little slappy at times, and the toe box was quite wide and high in volume. The support was tough to get dialed in when I was wearing my true size, and I felt like I was sliding around and swimming in these shoes. Sizing down helped since I could get my laces tied tightly, and I had better support. Stability was better than support for me, though, and I felt pretty secure in that regard."

Having narrow feet, Brittany struggled to get a locked-in feel in these wide shoes. She described, “Because the ankle collars came up high enough around my ankles I was able to use the last eyelets to nicely secure the shoes. This was enough to fully lock in my heels and give me adequate ankle support when moving around. Because these SFX 4s have a wide fit and soft uppers, I knew that support was going to be my main knock. Even with the extra steps I took to fill out the shoes I still had too much room, and my feet were moving within the shoes in all directions when I was playing."

The width of the SFX 4s was an issue for Zsofi as well. She added, "The part that I struggled with was support. I felt that no matter how tightly I laced up these SFX 4s, my feet were swimming in them! I am an aggressive mover on court and I make quick cuts while changing directions, and to be honest, I did not feel safe enough in these shoes to play at my usual level. This was also due to the fact that I don't have the widest feet out there. I would consider my feet medium width, so I would say the SFX 4s may not be made for me specifically."

Overall Sole Durability: 8.6

Made with Michelin rubber outsoles, the Babolat SFX 4s stood up to the workouts they got from our playtesters. Brittany noticed only surface wear in one area when the testing was over. She said, "After 10-plus hours on both gritty indoor and outdoor courts, I am impressed with the Michelin rubber portion of the outsoles. I am seeing virtually no wear, even in my high-wear areas (like under my big toes). There is some smoothing of the plastic-exposed shank on both shoes, however, it does look like there is plenty of plastic left, and it seems to be mainly cosmetic scuffing. I will also give the uppers and toe bumpers high marks for durability; they were well protected throughout the playtest."

The SFX 4's durability impressed Zsofi. She said, "I barely saw any wear at all on my SFX 4s, and I think they will last a long time. I do think the uppers might give out before the outsoles, though."

Tiffani didn't notice much wear and tear on her shoes throughout the playtest. She said, "I don't blow through outsoles like I used to, and I'm having no issues with the durability of the outsoles or the toes of my SFX 4s."

Michelle ended up splitting the playtest between three pairs of shoes. She explained, "These SFX 4s had good durability. Michelin rubber is always one of the more durable outsole options, so I was never worried about how well they would hold up. Full transparency, I wore three different pairs of shoes through the playtest and didn't have a chance to truly wear out one pair."

Traction: 7.8

The Babolat SFX 4s had a good mix of grip and give for the majority of our team. The shoes did tend to be on the squeaky side, but that was something our testers quickly adjusted to. After playing in the SFX 4s for a short time, Brittany appreciated the level of traction. She said, "The traction of the SFX 4s is pretty equal in the give and grip categories. At the beginning, the traction leaned slightly toward the sticky side, but it settled in throughout the playtest. The outsoles are also on the squeaky side, and the noise was a little distracting at times. However, I had gotten used to it by the end of the playtest."

Traction was not a problem for Tiffani, who said, "Other than the outsoles being on the louder side during hard court play, I can't recall any issues with traction. There seemed to be a good balance of grip and give, so I don't have many complaints."

"If anything, the outsoles were a bit on the stickier side, but I had zero issues with that," Michelle added. "The SFX 4s were a little squeaky, and they felt a bit heavy at times, but it was not a huge issue for me."

Zsofi would have liked these SFX 4s to have more give. She described, "The traction was just a bit too sticky for me, but it could just be a personal preference."

Weight: 7.6

Weighing in at 12.7 ounces (size 8.5), the Babolat SFX 4s fall in the mid-range for court shoes. That said, given their durability and level of cushioning, this was something our playtesters expected. Weight was not an issue for Zsofi. She said, "The weight of the SFX 4s wasn't really significant to me; they felt pretty light on my feet. They might not be the lightest shoes out there, but they don't feel too heavy when I put them on."

The Babolat SFX 4s felt lighter on Brittany's feet than she thought they would. She explained, "As expected with all the cushioning, stability and durability, the SFX 4s weigh in on the heavier side. They do feel heavy, but they didn't feel clunky or awkward to move in. I actually thought they flexed well and transitioned smoothly from heel to toe. Overall, I thought they played slightly lighter than their actual weight indicated on the scale."

Michelle compared the weight of the SFX 4s to other shoes in the Babolat lineup. She said, "These shoes felt a little bulky and heavy. Not the quickest first step, but I wasn't expecting that from the SFX 4s. I will go to the Jet family if I want a speedy pair of Babolat shoes, but I know the SFX family offers comfort and a wider option."

The extra room in the toe box affected how speedy the SFX 4s felt on Tiffani's feet. She described, "These shoes don’t feel really heavy to me, but they also don't feel fast. The SFX 4s are bulky, and they didn't feel like they were moving with me because there's so much depth in the toe box. It's hard to describe, but it almost felt like I had to wait for the shoes to catch up to where my feet were going."

Breakdown Summary