Breakdown

Comfort: 8.8

The KSwiss Ultrashot 4s may be one of the most comfortable new tennis shoes of this year, but that didn't come without a significant break-in period for most of our testers. After the break-in period, Munish's Ultrashot 4s offered a great fit, perfectly balanced cushioning, and a roomy toe box for his wide feet, easily ranking among the most comfortable tennis shoes he's ever worn. He said, "Despite the significant break-in period, the Ultrashot 4s turned out quite comfortable. I don't think the arch support is too noticeable, but the overall fit was great. A bit more room at the toe box and the well-ventilated uppers really sold them to me. I already expected the cushioning to be great just by the look of the shoes, but it was amazing the way they gave me a decent feel of the court in the forefoot but felt heavily cushioned in the heel."

Chris broke in his Ultrashot 4s quickly, and they felt comfortable before long. However, the wider fit caused his narrow feet to slide around, making it hard to get a secure lockdown and leading to some soreness during extended hitting sessions. He said, "I found the Ultrashot 4s to break in very quickly and feel comfortable within the first hour of hitting. I was a big fan of the underfoot cushioning, and I found it to offer a comfortable ride without elevating me from the court too much. The uppers did a good job of flexing and moving with my feet, giving the shoes both a comfortable and fast feel. I found the fit of these Ultrashot 4s to be wider than previous versions, and my feet were sliding around inside them. I struggled to get a locked-in feel even with the laces tied tightly. The sliding around led to some soreness on the bottoms of my feet during longer hitting sessions. Aside from that, I found good ventilation and solid arch support."

The Ultrashot 4s initially felt a bit bulky to Troy, but he found excellent comfort and underfoot cushioning after about four hours of break-in. He said, "I would note that these shoes did feel slightly bulky right out of the box, but they softened up a bit after a break-in. The fit and the overall level of comfort and cushioning were really good for me after maybe four hours of wear. I found good underfoot cushioning, which is something I really look for in my court shoes because I am always playing on hard courts (trying to help preserve the knees and joints). I would say the cushioning on these Ultrashot 4s is better than the Asics Gel Resolution 9s and Xs, but not quite as soft and plush as the Fresh Foam midsole of the New Balance CT Rallys. Breathability was one of the biggest improvements to this fourth version of the Ultrashot. The previous models tended to run hot, but with a new upper material design on the Ultrashot 4s, my feet remained cooler while playing. The arch support was sufficient, but I did add some arch supports inside just to help me with some plantar fasciitis recovery I've been going through."

After breaking in his Ultrashot 4s, Jason found a noticeably wider fit and improved breathability compared to the Ultrashot 3s he tested a few years ago. He explained, “These Ultrashot 4s didn't feel totally comfortable right out of the box. I needed a good five hours or so before they felt like they were flexing right and weren’t so rigid, but they felt pretty comfortable after that. These 4s felt like the widest fitting of the Ultrashot shoes I've tested, so much so that I did need to wear a thicker sock to fill them out. The improvement with the breathability was noticeable between this model and the Ultrashot 3s.”

Foot Support / Stability: 8.9

Our testers immediately felt the stability and support of the Ultrashot 4s, and they credited the all-new chassis for the improvement. However, the wider fit of these Ultrashots caused testers like Chris some issues. He described, "The Ultrashot 4s proved to be stable shoes on court. The chassis of the shoes offered good rigidity, and my ankles felt very safe on aggressive lateral cuts. I did have some support issues, but it was due to my narrow feet and the wide fit of the shoes, not the design or materials used in the uppers."

For Munish, the Ultrashot 4s felt stable without sacrificing much speed, and despite lacking the extra eyelets that he usually uses, the shoes gave him a very secure fit. He said, "I found the Ultrashot 4s to be very stable. The cool thing was that these Ultrashot 4s don't make me feel slow, unlike most other stability/support shoes I have tested. There aren't any extra eyelets, and typically I use them on most of my shoes, but I honestly didn't need them with these Ultrashot 4s."

Despite the roomy toe box, the Ultrashot 4s offered Troy a secure, snug fit when he wore thicker socks. He said, "Other than adding my orthotic inserts to help with some plantar fascia recovery I've been going through, the support and stability of these shoes was legit. I don't think that the Ultrashot 4s really need any added support, but I just wanted a little more height under my arches due to my circumstances. The overall level of stability was impressive; I felt like the 360-degree support chassis did a great job of providing structure and giving me confidence when changing directions laterally. I was actually surprised to find such a stable ride in these Ultrashot 4s because initially they felt somewhat higher up off the court (in terms of stack height), but the 360-degree PSC was very effective at maintaining that torsional rigidity. Like most of the other testers, I noticed a generous fit in the toe box, but I was able to get a locked-in and snug fit when I was wearing thick crew socks.”

Stability was a standout feature for Jason. The Ultrashot 4s offered excellent support during lateral movements and quick direction changes. He said, "The stability is really a highlight of these shoes for me. When I was moving from sideline to sideline, the Ultrashot 4s felt super stable when I planted and changed direction. I was getting a pretty supportive fit when I had thicker socks on, but when I wore thinner socks I felt like I was sliding inside my shoes slightly when stopping."

Overall Sole Durability: 8.7

The Ultrashot line has been known for its durability for years, and KSwiss is so confident of that reputation that they're backing these Ultrashot 4s with a six-month outsole warranty. With that in mind, it's not surprising that these updated Ultrashots received glowing reviews from our team in this category. Chris was able to put a significant number of hours on his pair with no signs of wearing through the shoes any time soon. He said, "I was impressed by the durability of the Ultrashot 4s. I saw some smoothing of the tread under the big toe area of my right shoe, but there was ample rubber on the outsoles for me to still have a ton of hours left on these shoes. Likewise, I scuffed up the toe tip of my left shoe, but there's so much material there that I expect my Ultrashot 4s to last for many more hours."

The Ultrashot 4s delivered the consistent, impressive outsole durability Munish has come to expect from the line. Aside from minor scuffing on the toe box and upper, his shoes held up exceptionally well. He said, "I've never been able to wear through any Ultrashot shoes, so I’m not too surprised by the outsole durability. The durability of the Ultrashot 4s is impressive and predictable. The toe box and upper had some scuffing on them, and I could see that a bit of the plastic had been scraped off, but that's the only thing."

While Troy thought the toe-cap could use more protection, the outsole under the forefoot held up well over time. He explained, "I found plenty of durability for my needs on the court, and the fact that these shoes come backed with a six-month outsole guarantee made me feel even more confident in the wear level. I had some balding at the very tip of these shoes on the toe-cap rubber, so I might prefer a bit more protection up there in the front. That said, the rubber underneath the balls of my feet held up well, with only some slight tread wear after about 20 hours of play. I would say these shoes are a step down from the Gel Resolution Xs or adidas Barricade 13s in terms of outsole durability, but they are fairly close to the New Balance CT Rallys.”

After nearly 20 hours of use, Jason's pair of Ultrashot 4s showed very little wear on the outsole. Like Chris, he also expects his Ultrashot 4s to have a long life ahead of them. He said, "Due to the necessary break-in period, I put more hours on these shoes than normal. After nearly 20 hours of wear time the outsoles surprisingly showed pretty minimal wear and tear. I saw slight balding on the medial forefoot area, but other than that, my Ultrashot 4s have held up exceptionally well."

Traction: 8.7

Almost all of our playtesters found the Ultrashot 4s a bit too sticky when they initially got on court. After a couple of outings, the outsoles broke in well and provided consistent, reliable traction for Munish. He described, "The first time I played in these Ultrashot 4s they felt a bit sticky. I would credit that to the small rubber piece on the side of the outsole. However, after the first two hits the shoes felt perfectly fine and not sticky at all. I was able to stop, turn and take off quite easily throughout the playtest, and never did I feel like the shoes were losing their grip as time went on."

Similarly, Troy found the Ultrashot 4s very grippy at first. He said, "The level of grip on the outsole was good, almost too good during the break-in period. Out of the box, these Ultrashot 4s felt nice and grippy while playing on various hard courts (indoor at TW and outdoor), but I would say they were slightly on the sticky side for my preference. After a week or so of playing in these shoes, about five hours, the rubber started to wear in nicely and developed a little bit of give, which I thought was just the right balance."

The Ultrashot 4s offered Chris a well-balanced blend of grip and give, providing trustworthy traction for aggressive movement, quick pivots and smooth adjustment steps. He explained, "I found ample grip from the Ultrashot 4s when pushing off for an aggressive sprint. Throughout the test, I had a lot of trust in the traction of these shoes and felt comfortable moving as aggressively as I could. All in all, I'd say the blend of grip and give was up to the usual high standard of KSwiss."

Jason found the Ultrashot 4's traction to be strong and reliable. He had no problems when pushing off and had the ability to slide slightly during intense movement. However, he did wish there was a little more flexibility in the grip. He said, "I thought the traction was plenty grippy. I had no slippage issues when pushing off and was able to slide a little bit when moving really aggressively, but I would've liked a bit more give."

Weight: 7.7

Being such supportive shoes, the Ultrashot 4s had to be fairly built up, and with that came a decent amount of heft. However, our testers almost never noticed the weight when on court with the Ultrashot 4s. Chris thought the additional weight was completely justified for what it achieved in terms of stability and support. He said, "I felt like I was moving well in these Ultrashot 4s. I liked the way they transitioned from heel to toe, and they felt light enough on my feet for me to be able to forget about them during play. Considering the level of cushioning and durability, I'd say what weight has been put into the Ultrashot 4s has been put to good use."

Having worn the previous version of the Ultrashot, Munish was used to the weight of the shoe and wasn't too bothered by it. He said, "These Ultrashot 4s are a bit on the heavier end, but that's what you get with all the stability and support. I don't really mind it. I have used way heavier shoes in the past, so I think the weight is completely justified for what these Ultrashot 4s offer."

Troy thought the Ultrashot 4s felt solid and stable, and the noticeable weight was offset by a good fit and ample cushioning. He described, "Right out of the box and onto the court, I did notice the solid and stable feel of these shoes on my feet. These Ultrashot 4s did feel like they had a significant amount of weight to them, but because the fit was good for me and there was plenty of cushioning, I didn't necessarily mind this heftier feel. I will also note that as time went on and these shoes broke in and molded to my feet, the feel became a bit speedier."

The Ultrashot 4s felt heavier and clunkier than Jason's usual tennis shoes, but he too agreed that the weight was a reasonable trade-off for the excellent stability and outsole durability. He said, "These Ultrashot 4s definitely feel heavier than typical tennis shoes. It may be due to the fact that they also feel roomier, so I'm not as locked into the shoes, but they do feel slightly clunky to me. I think this is the trade-off you expect when you get extremely great stability from the uppers and so much durability from the outsole."

Breakdown Summary