Diadora Speed Blushield 2 Women's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 2.6

Having tested several models of Diadora shoes in the past, our playtesters were ready to get going with the Speed Blushield 2s. "I was really looking forward to slipping my feet into some new Diadora shoes," began Tiffani, "and I was hoping they would be similar to the Speed Star Ks that we reviewed a few years ago. Unfortunately, the Speed Blushield 2s didn't live up to my expectations. The uppers were soft enough, although not as soft as the Speed Star K shoes, and the underfoot cushioning was more than sufficient to protect my feet during play. However, the heel of these shoes felt stiff and tall. Thankfully, the other playtesters had warned me that these shoes might chafe in the heel, so I was prepared with high-cut socks from my very first time playing in them. The higher socks protected my Achilles from excessive rubbing, so I never broke skin like a couple of the other testers, but I could feel the shoes digging into my heels. It was especially noticeable when I was just walking around, but it was less of an issue when I was up on my toes during tennis. Still, it was disappointing that the heel design took away from this shoe's other comfort features."

"This was a tough way to start off the playtest year," said Michelle. "Diadora has always held a soft spot in my heart for the quality and comfort of their shoes. I love their Speed Star Ks and still put them in my top three favorite shoes list. However, with this update I found immediate discomfort at the heel collar. Within 10 minutes of wearing these shoes I knew I would have severe comfort issues getting through this playtest. After an hour on the court these shoes had rubbed the back of my heels raw, and I was left with painful blisters for weeks. Maybe Diadora didn't cut the heel collar down from the men's version? It seemed to be much higher than the heel collar on most women's shoes. I had a hard time wearing these shoes because of that small but significant issue, which is a shame because aside from that I liked the way these shoes performed! The cushioning underfoot was soft, yet supportive. It had a good amount of responsive cushioning, which I also appreciated. It was just hard getting past the heel collar pain."

Brittany also had high expectations, and said, "Diadora is known for comfortable shoes, and their recent models have been some of my favorites in terms of comfort. When I first slipped these shoes on my feet I could feel the plush cushioning underfoot, as well as a wider fit, especially in the toe box. Unfortunately, I also felt the heel collars digging into the back of my heels. I was hoping that the heel collars would loosen up once the shoes had broken in, but after the first match I was left with my Achilles rubbed raw on both feet. For the rest of the playtest I wore higher socks and added some extra padding behind my heel to see if the shoes would loosen up, but I never got any relief. Other that that, I didn't have any issues with ventilation or arch support."

Kristen found a true to size fit and decent underfoot cushioning, but she also had some comfort issues. She said, "I was happy that these shoes hugged my forefoot nicely since my feet are a bit on the narrower side. However, the back of the shoes dug into my heels from the onset. It required a bit of a break-in period before it became not as bothersome and I was able to be more fluid in my movement. I expected them to have more ventilation based on their outer construction and design, but I didn't find these shoes to be very breathable at all."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.8

With the comfort compromised from the start, our playtesters did their best to test the support and stability of the Speed Blushield 2s. "These shoes actually did all the right things for me in terms of stability and support," said Michelle. "I felt secure moving in them, and they really held my feet in place and offered a high level of stability, which I prefer from my footwear. I appreciated how Diadora updated these shoes for stability and support. The previous version had a wider, looser fit, which was a bit lacking in this category, in my opinion. These shoes felt like they featured more of a performance fit, which allowed me to feel confident no matter what sort of movement I was making on the court. If I didn't have any comfort issues, it would have been easier to enjoy this aspect of these shoes."

With the wider fit, Brittany never truly got a locked-in feel. She explained, "When I was moving aggressively in the Speed Blushield 2s my feet were sliding a little inside the shoes. They were moving mostly side to side, as I had extra room in the toe box. They did a little better holding my feet when moving forward and backward, and I never had any toe jamming. The ankle stability was better; for the most part, my ankles stayed locked in thanks to the heel cup. I felt confident I wasn't going to roll an ankle."

With narrow feet, Kristen often feels like she's swimming around in shoes with a wider fit, but in the Blushield 2s she felt well supported while playing. She explained, "I didn't notice any change in support throughout the playtest. Although they were supportive, the uppers were quite stiff, and I would have appreciated a bit more flex and breathability."

As Diadora has evolved its tennis shoe line, Tiffani has appreciated how the stability aspect has been improved. She said, "A healthy midfoot shank kept the Speed Blushield 2s feeling stable, and the high fit in the back, although uncomfortable, did make for some stable lateral movements. The support levels didn't quite match the stability for me, however. The forefoot material felt soft, and my wide feet were pushing the edges out. When I was pivoting toward my next shot I could feel my feet move a bit too much in the forefoot region. The support was sufficient to protect my feet, but I felt like the extra movement inside the shoes was slowing me down on the court."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.5

Despite the discomfort, our team did their best to wear the Speed Blushield 2s as often as possible. Brittany spent about 10 hours playtesting these shoes. "I put them through a variety of situations, including singles, doubles and drilling," she said. "While I wasn't able to put in as much time as I would have liked due to the rubbing issues, I can say that the outsoles have held up well, as expected. There are no signs of premature wear, and I would expect the Blushield 2s to last longer than the average shoe."

"These shoes were definitely more durable than speedy," said Kristen. "I didn't see any wear on the outsoles of the shoes after weeks of wearing these consistently for on-court sessions and for workouts. Also, I tend to drag my toe on serves, and I didn't notice any wear at the toe, which was impressive."

Spending a solid 12 hours in these shoes, Tiffani was pleased to see very little visible wear on either the outsoles or the toes. She said, "I had no issues here, with the caveat that I didn't wear these as much as I typically would during a review because they just weren't comfortable."

Michelle agreed with the rest of the team, adding, "I wish I could say I was able to take these shoes to the limit when testing the durability, but unfortunately, because of the comfort issues, I didn't wear these shoes nearly enough to determine how they'd fare after extended use. After a couple weeks they seemed to be pretty durable; I saw no smoothing on my outsoles."

Traction - Score: 4.3

The Speed Blushield 2s scored well in the traction category. "I played with the Blushield 2s on indoor and outdoor courts and found them to have good traction," said Kristen. "I didn't have any issues with sliding either, even as the playtest went on."

Tiffani noted that the traction levels were a highlight of the playtest. "I didn't find myself thinking about slipping or feeling stuck to the court," she said. "Diadora got the right mix of grip and give."

"No issues with traction for me," Michelle agreed. "I found that the outsole offered enough tack for me to never have to worry about slipping."

Brittany didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary with the traction, which was a positive. She said, "I wasn't slipping or sticking when I wasn't supposed to, and I was able to move around and change directions without feeling hampered by the shoes. I didn't have any issues with the traction."

Weight - Score: 3.8

Our playtesters all classified the Speed Blushield 2s as "mid-weight" shoes. Tiffani said, "The somewhat sloppy support in the forefoot and the rubbing in the upper heel detracted from the quickness of these shoes for me. They didn't feel too heavy, just not super light and snappy."

"The weight of these shoes didn't bother me," said Michelle. "I don't think they felt light, but they certainly weren't heavy and they didn't weigh me down, either."

The Speed Blushield 2s felt a bit heavy to Brittany, but "they didn't feel as heavy as their actual weight." She continued, "I never felt weighed down, but I also didn't feel especially quick on my feet. To me, they were average."

Kristen agreed, adding, "I would put these shoes in the 'medium-weight' category. I didn't necessarily feel that I was being weighed down by the shoes, but I didn't feel super light on my feet."

Overall - Score: 3.3