KSwiss Ultrashot Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.4

Cushiony underfoot, flexible in the uppers and toasty in between, the Ultrashots split our reviewers' opinions when it came their comfort level. Aside from a few minor issues with the shoe's tongue, Chris was pleased with the Ultrashot's comfort features. He said, "I loved the fit and feel of these shoes on court. The upper materials felt very comfortable in the way they flexed and moved with my feet. The shoes did run a tad hot, and I would have liked some additional breathability. During my first couple of wears the shoes leached some color onto my socks, turning the socks blue where they touched the tongues. The tongues were also a little thin, and it took some adjustment to get them to lay flat between my feet and the laces. Under my feet, the cushioning did an excellent job of creating a comfortable ride without making me feel too elevated or disconnected from the court. I liked the padding around the ankle collars, and I was impressed by the overall comfort."

Armed with a wealth of experience, Mark compared his time with the Ultrashots to his favorite KSwiss shoes, the Hypercourt 2.0s. He shared, "The last KSwiss tennis shoes I wore were the Hypercourt 2.0s, which ended up being one of the best overall tennis shoes I've ever tested. Comfort-wise, the Ultrashots were top notch for me, with a glove-like fit and a slightly wider toe box than the Hypercourt 2.0s. In terms of underfoot comfort, the new GuideGlide midsole and the stock insert provided me with plenty of cushioning. In regards to ventilation and heat management, I never once gave any thought to my feet overheating, which allowed me to focus more on the task at hand (though I might have had a different experience if I was testing these shoes in summer)."

Like Chris, Sean noticed a difference between the levels of comfort offered above and below his feet. He explained, "I was pretty split on how I felt about the padding in the uppers and the cushioning in the midsoles. The first thing I noticed was how stiff and uncomfortable the Ultrashot's tongue felt. The top part just wasn't conforming to my ankle and foot at all, but this issue faded into the background a bit once I started moving on the court. The tongue also tended to fold over when I put the shoes on, requiring frequent readjustment. Though I was disappointed with the shoe's upper, I was happy to find that the underfoot cushioning felt phenomenal. The Ultrashots have a solid blend of front and heel cushioning that perform responsively and comfortably. I also appreciated the level of arch support. One thing to note is that these shoes run very hot, and I noticed that my feet would get really sweaty after a hit. In terms of fit, my ankle and midfoot were locked in, but I did experience some toe jamming due to the roomier front."

Jason, our playtester with the widest feet, enjoyed the extra real estate in the Ultrashots. He said, "A shoe's comfort starts with its fit, and for me, the Ultrashots were a great fit for my wider feet. I appreciated the out-of-the-box comfort and thought the cushioning felt pretty plush underfoot. The one negative for me would be the ventilation — or lack thereof. These shoes felt pretty warm after every hit, so I ended up taking them off as soon as I got off the court."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.7

The Ultrashots really shone in the support and stability category, and our playtesters were united in their praise of these shoes. It's no secret that Mark does a lot of running around the court while playing, which puts a lot of expectational pressure on a shoe's stability. Luckily, Mark found that the Ultrashots stood up to his high expectations. He said, "Spencer does a great job putting all of my playtest shoes to the test, so to speak, by consistently placing his shots near the sidelines. After a few hours of retrieving those shots in the Ultrashots I had to conclude that these shoes rank among the more stable tennis shoes I have tested."

Similar to Mark, Sean was enthusiastic about the stability of the Ultrashots. "While I had mixed feelings about the comfort of the Ultrashots, my thoughts about their support and stability were very clear: I loved moving in these shoes," said Sean. "Although they run a little heavier, that extra weight is put to good use, and I felt confident in my movements from all areas of the court. The break-in period was short, but the shoes opened up and flexed nicely after the first hit."

After dialing in the fit, Jason really appreciated how the Ultrashots handled quick movements. He said, "I was very impressed with how stable these shoes felt. I was confident in moving side to side and coming to abrupt stops because the shoes felt so rigid. I thought the support was fairly good, though I did notice a bit of sliding inside my shoes when I was going forward and trying to stop, which resulted in some toe jamming. I alleviated that issue by cinching up my laces a little tighter."

Chris felt that each of the Ultrashot's stability features worked together well for a secure feel. He explained, "I have narrow feet, and the Ultrashots have a generous fit in the forefoot, so I slid around a little at first. After I cinched the laces extra tight the Ultrashots supported my every movement. The Ultrashots have a fairly wide footprint through the forefoot, which creates a very secure feel. It felt almost impossible to roll over the edge of the soles. It also felt like my feet sat down nice and low inside the shoes, which added to the stability. The uppers did a great job of flexing where they needed to flex and offering ample support at the same time. The midfoot shank ably protected my arches and offered just the right amount of lateral rigidity."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.6

Whatever the Aosta rubber compound on the outsole was made from, it seemed to be working. Each of our playtesters found only minimal wear on their Ultrashots by the end of the playtest. Sean explained, "What can I say — the durability of these shoes was very impressive. The outsoles are really thick, and I think the Aosta rubber compound held up exceptionally well throughout the playtest. They showed very little wear after roughly 20 hours of play."

Jason agreed with Sean's sentiments, saying, "The Aosta 7.0 rubber proved to be very durable. I playtested these shoes for 15 to 17 hours, and they barely show any signs of wear or tear."

Known to be particularly tough on his outsoles, Chris admired how well his pair of Ultrashots held up. He said, "The Ultrashots proved to be decently durable. I wore them a lot since I enjoyed playing in them so much. I put the most amount of wear under the big toe of my right foot. KSwiss has really built up this area of the outsole, so even though I'm seeing some wear at the end of the test, I still have lots of outsole material to wear through. Likewise, the toe tips and uppers have taken all the abuse I can throw at them without breaking stride. I drag the toes of both shoes during play, but the toe guards have held up very well."

Like the others, Mark expects to be able to wear his Ultrashots into the distant future. He said, "The combined use of the traditional Aosta rubber compound for the outsoles and the DragGaurd in high-wear areas provided me with more than enough durability. I have approximately 25 hours of play in them so far, and looking at the outsoles, I can tell that I have at least another 40 hours left in them."

Traction - Score: 4.7

Generally speaking, our playtesters have different preferences on how tacky they like the outsoles on their shoes to be. The Ultrashots ran on the stickier side of the spectrum; whether that was for better or worse was up to the individual. Jason commented, "The outsoles on these shoes are among the stickiest I've worn in a while. I thought they gripped the Tennis Warehouse hard court extremely well, so I had zero issues with slippage. I actually would've preferred them if they were less sticky, so I'd have a bit of give when trying to slide to a stop."

Chris discovered a natural moving experience and connected well with these shoes. He said, "I found the perfect level of grip and give in the Ultrashots. I was able to stop quickly, change directions smoothly and push off aggressively without any issues. When I needed the shoes to grab the court for a quick stop or start, I found plenty of grip. Likewise, it was easy to slide out of a shot. I could move naturally in them without ever having to think or worry about the shoes at all."

Mark also had an easy time with the Ultrashots' predictable traction. He said, "I never had the chance to play on clay with the KSwiss Ultrashots, but on every hard court I did play on, the Ultrashots delivered the proper amount of court adhesion. I had no unpredictable starts or stops at all."

Finding just the right balance of slip and grip, Sean felt right at home moving in the Ultrashots. He said, "My positive underfoot experience continued with the traction. I thought there was solid grip with the option for sliding, aggressive cuts and lunges. This was definitely one of the strengths of the Ultrashots."

Weight - Score: 4.2

While they weighed in at a slightly high 15.9 ounces (size 10.5), the Ultrashots put every ounce of that weight to work. Chris didn't seem to mind the mass, and he found the extra heft right where he wanted it. He elaborated, "I liked the weight of the shoes. The Ultrashots felt pretty middle of the road in terms of weight on my feet. I was moving very well in them thanks to the supportive ride, great traction and supple uppers. I felt that their weight had been put to good use, especially considering how durable I found the outsoles."

Mark has his own criteria for judging the weight of shoes. He said, "My weight threshold for when I consider tennis shoes to be on the lighter side is 15 ounces or less. That said, there are some tennis shoes that fit the weight criterion but do not feel light moving around the court. The Ultrashots felt like typical sole-warranty shoes to me in terms of stability and durability, but they performed more like lighter shoes as far as maneuverability."

Agreeing that the weight was deceptive, Sean added, "Although these shoes come in at 15.9 ounces, nearly a full pound, they felt more nimble than their weight might suggest. It felt as if more weight was allotted to the midsoles and outsoles, which would explain the durability."

"Though these aren't the lightest shoes out there, they don't feel that heavy when moving around the court," Jason noted. "The weight was distributed well throughout the shoes, so they never felt too cumbersome."

Overall - Score: 4.5