KSwiss Aero Knit Men's Review

Comfort - Score: 4.9

The standout performance characteristic of the Aero Knits was definitely the comfort they provided. The bootie construction, flexible upper and plush Surge midsole cushioning kept our team's feet happy out on court. Troy, for one, was so blown away that he considers the Aero Knits some of the most comfortable court shoes he has ever worn. He started, "The comfort was superb. These shoes are in the top five most comfortable shoes I have playtested. The KSwiss Aero Knits felt premium from top to bottom. The Surge midsole provided plenty of cushioning under the balls of my feet, and it was not so thick that I felt lifted off the court. Ventilation was decent, but for all the mesh in the Infi-Knit upper, these shoes weren't quite as breathable as I thought they would be. The arch support was a bit low for my liking. Toward the end of the playtest the upper material started to stretch out a bit, specifically in the toe box, and they didn't feel as snug as they did when I first put them on."

Sean also enjoyed the comfort, but he noted a lack of breathability. He said, "I really liked the design and fit of these shoes. The uppers were soft and supple, and the midsole cushioning was very plush. Unfortunately, the ventilation was poor due to the thick layers of material, which did not allow for much airflow. My shoes were smelling horrible by the end of the playtest. I would put dryer sheets in them if I continued to play in them."

On the other hand, Erik felt the ventilation was more than adequate. He described, "These shoes were quite cushioned and very comfortable. The shoes breathed very well and had good arch support. The fit was perfect, but the uppers stretched over time and therefore loosened up."

Chris was impressed with how comfortable his pair was. He said, "The Aero Knits were very comfortable shoes right out of the box. The knit uppers required no break-in for me to be able to sprint around the court comfortably. The level of cushioning was impressive throughout, and it felt nice and plush under my heels. There was also some nice padding around the ankle collars, which combined well with the supple uppers. I never experienced any rubbing or hot spots from the shoes, and the uppers felt comfortable in most conditions. I did find them to run a tad hot, and I would take them off immediately following play. I was happy with the level of arch support, and I felt that the shoes flexed well with my feet."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.0

The downside of making the Aero Knits so comfortable was that all of our testers found them overly flexible. Despite boasting an underfoot shank for stability, the Aero Knits had too much give in the uppers to provide a supportive fit. "The cushioned support underfoot was nice," Erik started. "However, the stability was a different story. Whenever I moved laterally and was recovering for my next shot, the shoes tended to stretch more on the sides."

Chris also found fault in the support of his pair. He added, "My one knock for the Aero Knits came in the area of support and stability. I found the uppers to be too soft and forgiving to be supportive. My feet were spilling over the edge of the midsoles on aggressive lateral stops. I was concerned about rolling over the edge, so I held back on moving at full pace in these shoes. It was a shame because the shoes felt very fast and comfortable."

Sean agreed, and he considered his pair better suited to doubles than the demands of singles. He noted, "In my opinion, the lack of support was the biggest weakness of these shoes. Even with a shank, the shoes felt too flexible for me, and I wanted more rigidity to keep me locked in and fast on court. However, I did not have this problem during doubles; when I wasn't pushed as hard the support didn't seem to be an issue."

Unlike the rest of the team, Troy found the stability to be sufficient for his needs. He said, "At the start of this playtest, I found the support to be good thanks to the glove-like fit. These shoes felt very secure around my feet, and I didn't experience any sliding around inside of them. I also felt very connected to the court. Anytime I was on the balls of my feet, like when I split step, I felt very connected to the court. When I was coming out of a stop I felt like I could explode with my first step and move very efficiently. Although these shoes aren't designed with a high level of rigidity, I never experienced any twisting of my ankles or toppling over in them. The Aero Knits did not supply the rigid stability of my go-to shoes, the Asics Gel Resolution 7s, or the adidas Barricade 2018s, but I felt comfortable in my lateral movements."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.6

Although none of our playtesters was blown away by the durability of the KSwiss Aero Knits, the consensus was that they had a good lifespan given their weight and comfort level. "The outsoles held up decently for me," Chris said. "Most of the outsole tread still looks great after a month of hitting. Likewise, the uppers held up well. I drag the lateral edge of the toe tip on my left shoe, and the knit there is looking much better than expected. However, my high-wear area under the big toe of my right foot didn't take long to wear down."

Troy noticed a similar wear pattern, saying, "I found durability to be relatively average, given the lightweight feel of these shoes. There was some slight balding underneath the balls of my feet and in the toe regions of these shoes. I wouldn't necessarily recommend these for a team player who is practicing a couple of hours per day. Without a durability guarantee, I could see how a top-level high school or college player could wear through these shoes rather quickly. For my purposes of primarily playing doubles and playtesting around 5 to 6 hours per week, the durability was sufficient."

Sean would have liked to see these shoes backed by a durability guarantee considering the premium price point. He commented, "The durability of these shoes was pretty average. I started to see some smoothing after about 10 hours on court, which is normal for me. It's a shame they don't come with an outsole guarantee for the price, but I think comfort is more the allure of these shoes as opposed to stability or durability."

Though Erik tends to burn through outsoles, he didn't have a problem with the Aero Knit's underfoot durability. He said, "The outsoles are quite tough, but the side of the shoe is not as durable as the bottom, especially when sliding to shots on hard courts."

Traction - Score: 4.4

Our playtesters agreed that the Aero Knits ran on the stickier side of the spectrum; whether that was good or bad was up to individual preference. Troy felt the traction improved once the outsoles had some wear on them. He explained, "I loved the traction of these Aero Knits. They were a little too sticky right out of the box, but the outsoles wore in nicely after a couple of sessions on our gritty hardcourt. The Aosta 7.0 rubber compound began feeling less sticky and allowed me to slam on the brakes without jarring my ankles. There was a bit more give after the outsoles broke in, and I felt much more confident chasing down balls in all directions."

For Chris, though, the traction was on point right out of the box. He said, "I liked the combination of grip and give from the Aero Knits. I found ample traction for a quick first step. I was also able to control my stops well. I played on some fairly slick courts during this test and still managed to find ample grip."

Aside from a few hiccups, Erik felt that the Aero Knits allowed him to slide reliably on hard courts. He described, "The traction is very solid. I felt a good amount of grip from this shoe, but it wasn't sticky, which was nice. I would compare the traction of these shoes to the Head Revolt Pro 3.0, but less grippy. I would get stuck mid-slide occasionally because the softer midsole material on the lateral side of the shoe would flex and stop short, rather than staying solid and sliding through the court effortlessly."

Sean would have preferred an outsole that had more give. He stated, "Although I wouldn't venture to call these shoes sticky, they felt like they were on the grippier side. Because that traction came with the loss of durability, I would have preferred a bit more give. I think a slightly slicker outsole would have worked well with the uppers to allow me to slide into shots, like the Vapor X does."

Weight - Score: 4.6

At 13 ounces, the Aero Knits are light and quick, but it seemed that our testers would have preferred some extra weight if it meant better stability. Sean explained, "These shoes are light, and they feel light. I think the weight, or lack thereof, aids in making the shoes more comfortable, but I would welcome some extra mass for better durability or stability every day of the week and twice on Sunday."

Chris mirrored Sean's sentiments, adding, "These shoes played very light and fast. However, I would have happily taken a bit more weight if the support and stability could have been improved. I loved pretty much everything else about these shoes, so something added to help beef up the lateral support would have made them a much better option for me."

Erik acknowledged the lack of stability, but he enjoyed the comfort so much it wasn't a problem. He said, "These shoes are very light, and I can really pick up my feet and move effectively. Because of how light they are, the Aero Knits are not especially stable, but what they lack in stability they make up for in comfort. These are among the lightest shoes I have worn, which I loved. It was almost like I was wearing training shoes that were made for a tennis court."

Troy found his pair to be among the best he has tested in terms of weight and quickness. He concluded, "The Aero Knits felt very light on my feet. The 13-ounce weight (size 10.5) and flexible feel right out of the box made for unrestricted footwork during my first session playing in them. The way these shoes contour to my feet makes them feel like gloves. The heel-to-toe transitioning was very easy, and they flexed liked running shoes when moving forward. I felt very light on my feet when running down drop shots. I would put the light and speedy feel of these shoes right up there with the Asics Solution Speed FFs and Babolat Jet Mach II ACs."

Overall - Score: 3.8