Prince T22 Light Men's Shoe Review

Overall Comfort - Score: 4.6

All of our testers enjoyed the comfortable, well-cushioned ride the T22 Lites had to offer. "Right out of the box, my feet were treated to a plush ride around the office," Mark praised. "Once on the court, that comfort translated well, and it seemed the more I wore these T22 Lites the better they formed to my feet. With more than 30 hours of play on them now, the level of comfort is still very high."

Sebastian also found the T22 Lites to be very comfortable and breathable. He shared, "I really enjoyed the overall comfort and plush cushioning. The T22 Lites were nicely padded throughout, from the sides to the heel and ankle collar. The breathable soft uppers also allowed for plenty of ventilation during play."

"These shoes offered a nice fit right out of the box, and sizing was spot on," Granville concurred. "A glove-like, quilt-like feel wrapped around my feet, and there was excellent cushioning from heel to toe. These are very comfortable tennis shoes!"

Chris also found the T22 Lites to be quite comfortable, but they weren't a perfect fit for his feet. He explained, "Right out of the box these T22 Lites felt pretty comfortable. After my first hour of hitting they felt broken in enough to be match ready. The uppers flexed well and felt comfortable throughout the test. I noticed the shoes offered a lot of room in the toe box. They were roomy width-wise and had a lot of depth. Still, I managed to find a supportively comfortable fit for my skinny feet. I thought the breathability was much improved over the original T22s. Like the T22s, these Lites offered a low-feeling arch support, and it took awhile for the insoles to mold to the shape of my high-arched feet. The midfoot shank provided enough stability to keep me from feeling any arch strain, even during break-in."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.9

For the most part, our team found plenty of support and stability in the T22 Lites. A longtime fan of the T22s, Granville was very satisfied with the T22 Lites. He raved, "I've always felt safe and secure in the T22s, and the T22 Lites are no exception. There was little to no unintentional slippage either on the court or inside the shoes. They don't offer an especially low ride because of the very nice heel cushioning, but they weren't high enough for me to worry about rolling an ankle."

Chris also felt plenty protected as he moved around the court during this playtest. He said, "I have narrow feet. but I still managed to find a supportive fit in these shoes. While they are far from glove-like, I was able to get them cinched up enough to support my feet. I had minimal sliding inside the shoes. What sliding I did have was only really noticeable on the most abrupt of stops. The uppers flexed well, but they also offered ample support and stability for aggressive movement."

Echoing the other's sentiments was Mark, who praised, "My feet were secure while I was moving in any direction without even having to use the top eyelet on the lacing system. Whether I was racing to the net to track down a drop shot or stretched wide on a groundstoke, these shoes were right there with me. I never encountered any sort of ankle rollover during play, either."

On the other hand, Sebastian never felt completely locked into the T22 Lites. He critiqued, "Foot support and stability were the areas that I wasn't totally pleased with these shoes. They didn't provide that snug, glove-like feel I like. I am always looking for that extra protection and support, especially on the lateral sides of my shoes, and that's where the T22 Lites didn't quite live up to my expectations."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.1

The outsoles of the T22 Lites held up fairly well throughout the test, but a couple of our testers were able to do some pretty significant damage to the toe area. "The outsoles of these shoes held up pretty well," Chris shared. "I would put them on par with other durability guaranteed shoes. The toe bumpers, on the other hand, took a bit of a beating. I scuffed through a lot of the material on the left shoe's toe bumper during the test."

Sebastian was also able to inflict a goodly amount of wear to his pair of T22 Lites. He offered, "I did notice some durability issues near the toe area and on the outsole. The soft material near the toe area was especially vulnerable to wear, and I didn't find the protection I was looking for. The six-month durability guarantee would come in handy."

Mark's pair held up pretty well. He said, "As I mentioned above, I have at least 30 hours of wear on these shoes, and although I will get through the outsole to midsole prior to the six-month deadline, there is still plenty of life left in them."

Granville was very impressed with the durability. He praised, "These new T22 Lites are very durable -- as durable as any other shoes I've tested recently. The material wrapping up over the toe area was durable enough to cover the area in fine form."

Traction - Score: 4.3

Everyone was very impressed with the level of traction the T22 Lites offered. After an initial adjustment period Sebastian was moving around the court quickly and comfortably. He shared, "I thought these shoes offered plenty of traction, but I noticed that the outsoles had a particularly sticky feel during the first couple of hours. Once that initial 'grip' wore off the T22 Lites allowed me to move aggressively around the court without the outsoles being too sticky. The more I played in these shoes the better the traction got."

Chris also loved the amount of traction the shoes offered, and he praised, "The T22 Lites gripped the court very well. I played on several different hard courts, from new and grippy to worn and slick. While the ball was reacting differently on each court, my trusty pair of T22 Lites offered predictable footing on every outing. I found solid grip when pushing off for a quick sprint and enough give to let me control a slide on a quick stop."

Like Chris, Granville found the amount of grip the shoes offered to be predictable on every court he played on. He said, "I have more positive praise for the traction. I play most often on a very slow, gritty surface, and the traction the T22 Lites offered was excellent. Even when I played on faster outdoor club courts I had ample traction with little to no sliding."

"I always look for tennis shoes that provide good grip but still let me slide a little, and these shoes delivered that combination flawlessly," Mark added.

Weight - Score: 4.2

While not quite in the lightweight, speed-oriented shoe category, our team still felt the T22 Lites were a little faster than the originals. "The T22 Lites are far from the lightest shoes I've tested, but I felt like I moved well in them," Chris said. "They never felt too heavy or clunky when I was moving around the court. The uppers flexed well with my feet, and the traction also helped me move well. I felt confident and match ready in these shoes and was very happy with the overall feel of them."

Mark preferred the weight of the T22 Lites over the original T22s. He shared, "I have worn several pairs of the standard T22s, including the Mids, and the T22 Lites are noticeably lighter. For me, the threshold for light tennis shoes is around 15 ounces, and the T22 Lites are just barely over that."

"Slightly lighter than the originals, the T22 Lites felt slightly faster than the T22s," Sebastian reiterated. "Nevertheless, I was hoping for an even lower-to-the-ground feel, but I was happy with the overall weight of these shoes."

"I had no issues with the weight of these shoes," Granville added.

Overall - Score: 4.1