Lotto Stratosphere Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.4

The Stratosphere excelled when it came to comfort. Andy really enjoyed wearing these shoes on and off the court. He said, "I almost couldn't believe how comfortable these shoes were right out of the box! Super soft and plush cushioning surrounded my feet with a glove-like fit, making me feel like I was slipping my feet into the middle of a memory foam pillow. There was plenty of give underneath my feet to protect against harsh landings, while the supple upper moved naturally with my feet on every step. Top marks from me in this category; they're some of the most comfortable tennis shoes I've ever worn!"

Jason also had a lot of positive things to say about the comfort. His wider feet fit snugly in these shoes. He said, "These were definitely some of the most comfortable shoes I've tested this year. Out of the box and onto the court, these Stratospheres needed no break-in at all. I thought the cushioning was plush and responsive, and these shoes flexed where they were supposed to flex. The only negative for me was the toe box was a bit narrower than I like for my foot shape, so I did have a little bit of rubbing on my pinky and big toes. If my feet were a medium width I would've given the Stratospheres an even higher score."

Marco wore the Stratospheres for hours on end and received the same great level of comfort the whole time. He stated, "These shoes were very comfortable and provided a nice snug fit when laced up firmly. The ample cushioning around the heel and forefoot enabled me to wear these shoes for many hours at once."

Troy also found a glove-like fit, saying, "I found these shoes to provide a high level of comfort. Initially these shoes had a very snug fit, but the upper material was very supple and eventually these shoes began to fit like a glove. The cushioning below my feet was noticeable, especially in the heel, where the Enerturn technology provided a 'squishy' response. After an initial break-in period, which was about an hour of walking around in these shoes, I really enjoyed playing in them. They weren't quite as comfortable as the Asics Gel Resolution, but they were close."

Ventilation - Score: 3.9

The team had mixed feelings when it came to ventilation. Marco said, "I didn't have any issues with the ventilation of the Stratospheres. Up in the front, there was a nice perforated mesh material in front that supported good airflow throughout the shoes. On the sides the material didn't feel heavy or too thick, and again, this aided in these shoes' ability to keep my feet cool.

Jason also expressed his satisfaction with how well the Stratospheres vented heat. He said, "I had no issues with the breathability. I have to take some shoes off immediately after leaving the court, but I could leave these on for hours and not feel like my feet were suffocating."

Andy would've liked the midfoot area to let air in and out more easily than it did. He explained, "I thought the breathability was pretty good, although these shoes got a little bit warm through the midfoot during long sessions. The forefoot has an area of exposed mesh, but I think a little more in the midfoot area would've helped release some of the warm air trapped inside and let cooler air in. I never really found ventilation to be a problem, but it's an area where there could be a small improvement."

There were mixed emotions for Troy, who found better ventilation than in previous models, but still he would've liked more. He said, "The ventilation of these shoes was average. The material right above my toes provided some breathability, but I didn't find the ventilation to be superb. The ventilation was improved over the Lotto Raptor Ultra IVs, which were the last Lotto shoes I played in. Compared to shoes of similar weight, such as the Asics Gel Resolution 6, the ventilation was fairly similar. Compared to some of the lighter weight shoes on the market, such as the Nike Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour and adidas adizero CC Feather III, these shoes were not quite as breathable."

Arch Support - Score: 3.7

The arch support of the Lotto Stratosphere worked for some of our playtesters, but not all of them. Andy had no issues and found plenty of support to keep his arches comfortable. He mentioned, "Arch support was just fine throughout the course of the test. These shoes are pretty soft and cushioned, but I still found plenty of support through the midfoot to keep my sensitive arches comfortable and supported."

Similarly, Jason noted that these shoes gave him the arch support he needed throughout the duration of the playtest, stating, "It didn't take long to wear the cushioning down to make it comfortable on my low arches. After the first hitting session I was no longer thinking about the arch."

Marco didn't receive the level of arch support he wanted because he "found these shoes to flex a little too far back." He explained, "This kept me from getting the amount of support I wanted, and it became a slight issue over time. When I pushed up to short balls these shoes flexed around the middle of my foot, which gave my arch less support."

Troy didn't find the right amount of arch support until he installed his own insoles into his Stratospheres. He said, "During the first couple hours on court I found the arches of these shoes to fit slightly lower than I like. Due to the slight lack of arch support I opted to install my Superfeet Premium Insoles Orange. With these insoles installed, which I typically put in most of my shoes, I found good support. When I tested these shoes with their stock insoles I found just a bit too much flex in this region."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.2

Our playtesters were pretty hard on their Stratospheres throughout this playtest, and these shoes seemed to hold up pretty well. Jason was most pleased, saying, "The Stratosphere provided a very secure, locked in ride. I felt really secure in my movement with these shoes on my feet. It probably helped that they felt a little narrow for me, so the fit was snug. My feet didn't slide around in these shoes at all during play, which was great. The uppers could've been just ever so slightly firmer, but I'm completely happy with the support as is."

Andy also had a lot of praise for the stability provided by the Stratosphere. He explained, "The glove-like fit combined with excellent ankle support and forefoot protection to provide excellent stability during play. I felt like I could move at top speeds -- even slide aggressively on the hard court -- and my feet and ankles were protected at all times. My only (slight) complaint was the amount of give in the upper; it really softened up as the playtest wore on. This helped these shoes feel really comfortable, but at times I felt my feet slide just a bit laterally within my shoes. With that said, once I trusted the protection that these shoes provided I never had a lack of confidence when changing direction at top speed."

Troy also noticed that the upper material softened up, and it was a detriment to his movement at times. He said, "The soft and supple upper material was great for comfort, but I feel the foot support was sacrificed. The overall stability was good due to the fact that these shoes possess a low-to-the-ground feel. The only time I could find any issue with the stability was on extreme lateral changes of direction. When I was sprinting to a shot and coming to a fast stop the uppers stretched and allowed some movement within the shoes. Overall, the support of these shoes was better than most of the shoes that I have tested, but it wasn't quite up to the standards of an adidas Barricade 2015 or Asics Gel Resolution 6."

Electing to go up in size with this shoe, Marco found that the uppers loosened up quite a bit, which left his foot feeling less stable on certain shots. He explained, "These shoes really loosened up for me after the first couple of hours I hit in them. It wasn't enough to make my foot really slide around in the shoe, but they became noticeably suppler in the upper. I found lacing my shoes up a bit tighter dealt with this issue as the shoes became more flexible."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.9

Even with the heavy wear and tear that our playtesters put these shoes through, the Stratospheres stood the test of time. Marco noticed that the Stratospheres didn't look too worn when compared with some other shoes he has tested. He said, "The soles in these shoes held up very well for me. I pushed them hard and played several sets, but they didn't look very beat up at the end of the playtest. The most wear for me came up the front under the ball of my foot, which is normal for me."

Jason put his shoes through a lot, too, and just like Marco, he found there to be plenty of life left in them at the end of the playtest. He stated, "I put quite a few hours on these shoes (22-plus), and they still showed plenty of tread life left. There aren't any smooth or bald spots on the outsole. Even without a durability guarantee, I think the average player will get plenty of use out of these Stratospheres."

Andy admitted he really gave these shoes a good run, saying, "I spent a good chunk of time on (and off) court in these shoes -- about 40-50 hours -- and the outsoles held up for the entire duration of the test. There's some balding under my big toes on both feet, but that's a standard wear area for me. I don't think I have much life left in them after the test, and they aren't the MOST durable shoes on the market, but I think they'll last plenty long enough for most tennis players."

Troy wasn't entirely satisfied with how the Stratospheres' outsoles held up, and he would like to see a six-month warranty. He elaborated, "Throughout this playtest I found the durability of the outsole to be lower than I would have liked. I was able to wear down the tread in the forefoot in about 10-15 hours. It's hard for me to put these shoes in contention with the Asics Gel Resolution 6 without a six-month durability guarantee."

Toe Durability - Score: 3.5

The two toe draggers on this playtest had mixed results from the Stratospheres' toe protection. Andy had no troubles with the toe durability, saying, "I'm not the biggest toe dragger, but that area held up just fine for me during the test. There's some light scuffing on the upper, but the extra layer of material protected my shoes perfectly well."

On the other hand, Troy noticed some considerable wearing of the toe area as the playtest ran its course. He said, "The toe area of these shoes wore through to the midsole by the end of the playtest. The toe region will usually last quite a bit longer than these did for me."

Traction - Score: 4.0

While the durability wasn't a hit with all the playtesters, the traction turned out to be great. Jason found a nice mix between of give and grab on the court, saying, "For the most part, I loved the traction. It is slightly slicker than what I'm used to, so I did slide a couple of times when I was coming to a stop or changing directions, but I adjusted quickly. More importantly, I didn't really slip when taking that first explosive step toward the ball."

Marco had full confidence in the traction these shoes provided, which enabled him to make sharp directional changes with assertiveness. He stated, "Traction wasn't an issue for me. I gained enough grip to push off and move side-to-side. Stopping and starting quickly wasn't an issue either."

Similarly, Troy had great grip throughout the playtest. He said, "The outsole of these shoes provided good court feel and allowed me to change directions without too much slippage. The LL40 rubber compound didn't quite hold up to my standards for durability, but I did find the traction to be better than average. I found that on aggressive changes of direction the shoes grabbed the court well and weren't too sticky, so stops were not too abrupt."

Andy noticed a bit of slippage, but he was able to adjust to the slick feel and ended up favoring it. He said, "I found the outsoles to be on the slicker side, but I wasn't bothered a whole lot because it was easier for me to slide around on the hard court. More traditional movers who start/stop on hard courts may not find the outsole to be sticky enough, but I adjusted to the 'slickness' and had fun sliding into shots on the dead run and recovering back to the middle. While the shoes enabled me to slide often, I felt they still had enough grip when I needed it to get me back to the middle of the court quickly."

Weight - Score: 3.9

Despite all the cushioning in the Stratospheres they were still able to maintain a speedy, low-to-the-ground feel on the court. Jason said, "The Stratosphere don't feel like lightweight shoes, but they don't feel weighty and clunky, either. The seamless heel-to-toe transition helped make these shoes feel lighter than they were."

Andy was able to access all of his court speed in these shoes. He offered, "The Stratospheres felt pretty light and quick for their weight class, and considering how much cushioning they have. The glove-like fit made them feel like an extension of my feet, leaving me totally connected to my on-court movement. They aren't the lightest and fastest shoes on the market, but they certainly didn't slow me down either!"

Troy was able to access all the speed he wanted when wearing these shoes. He said, "The weight of these shoes was pretty average for me. At 15.3 ounces (size 10.5) they are relatively similar to the weight of the Asics Gel Resolution 5 shoes that I was using before this playtest. I never once felt that these shoes slowed down my ability to get to the ball, however, they didn't posses the ultra fast feel of shoes like the Nike Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour."

Marco felt as though the Stratospheres carried a bit of clunkiness, which he noted could have been because they loosened up and became roomy after the first few hours of play. He said, "These shoes ran a little bit heavy for me, and I felt they were slightly clunky, but nothing that caused me any major discomfort. They seemed to carry a bit of weight underneath, which is ultimately worth it due to the supreme durability of these shoes."

Overall - Score: 4.2

Playtester Foot Types:
Andy - Medium width / Low arch
Troy - Narrow Width / Medium Arch
Marco - Medium Width / Medium Arch
Jason - Wide width / Low arch

Review date: June 2015. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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