Diadora Speed Blushield AG Women's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.3

Soft uppers and plush cushioning made the Speed Blushield AGs comfortable right out of the box. After suffering a major ankle injury a couple months ago and having surgery, Brittany admits that her footwear needs on court have changed. The flexible uppers were accommodating to her ankle brace and were very comfortable overall. She said, "This was my first shoe playtest back, and I was curious to see how these shoes would hold up. When I was trying these shoes on the first thing I noticed was the wide fit, which was good and bad. The fit is much too wide for my narrow feet, especially in the toe box, but I appreciated the wider fit for my right foot that is currently sporting a brace. I even had extra room in the shoe when I was wearing the brace. When I was walking down to the court I realized that the Speed Blushield AGs didn't need a break-in and that they felt very comfortable, which I greatly appreciated. The Diadoras have excellent cushioning underfoot, and the uppers are soft and flexible. I didn't have any pinching or rubbing, and I didn't have any issues with the arch support. I would say the ventilation was around average."

A longtime fan of Diadora shoes, Michelle was excited for this playtest and came in with expectations of high quality and comfort. "These Speed Blushields lived up to my expectations!" she exclaimed. "From the very first wear, these shoes were ultra comfortable and offered layers of cushioning underfoot and padding around my feet. The last time Speed line shoe we tested was also very plush and comfy, but the fit was too wide and there was no support. Diadora seems to have fixed this issue. Although the fit was still a bit wide for my medium width feet, it was easy to cinch the shoes up using the laces, and the support was not compromised. I know some of the other playtesters still had issues with the width, but I was much happier with this update."

This was Hannah's first Diadora playtest, and these speed-oriented shoes complemented her movement on the court. She said, "These shoes were comfortable to wear for hours at a time. Once I started to move confidently in these shoes the comfort made it easy for me to play light on my feet and explode quickly. The provided a low to the ground ride while still offering a good amount of cushioning. The arch support was minimal, making it easy for me to customize these shoes with my own inserts. Although I had to keep cinching up the laces up as the shoes continued to stretch out with more wear, the wider fit didn't bother my narrow feet."

"Diadora sure knows how to make comfortable shoes!" Tiffani professed. Like Michelle, she found that the Speed Blushields stayed true to the comfort of previous Diadora shoes. She said, "The cushioning is super soft underfoot, and the uppers are quite pliable. These shoes were very soft and required no break-in before I played in them. The softness of these shoes led to some difficulties in other areas, but in terms of comfort, these shoes were top notch. The ventilation wasn't great, but it wasn't something that bothered me. I ended up using a Superfeet (Carbon color) insole in my shoes, so I can't really comment on how the arch fit me. These shoes did fit wide, which was great for me, but they were a little long. I could probably have worn a half-size smaller."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.0

The softness of the Diadora Speed Blushield AGs made them very comfortable, but it may have compromised their support. Although Hannah thought they lacked the conventional support and stability she likes, she found ways to adjust. She explained, "A lot of the comfort aspects I really enjoyed about the Diadora Speed Blushield AGs were offset by the lack of stability they offered. I was really moving timidly in these shoes at first because my feet and ankles felt exposed with the flexible uppers and wider fit. The low-to-the-ground ride allowed me to move more freely over time, but I still don't think I would confidently compete in these shoes. Putting my own inserts in these shoes was a game changer, and I felt like this instantly doubled the stability levels."

Having worn the previous iteration of these shoes, Michelle was happy to see some improvements. She noted, "This update was a lot more supportive for me. The fit was wide from the very first wear, but once I tied the shoes tightly my feet were held tight enough to keep my feet from slipping or sliding in the shoes. I was worried that my feet would slip or tip over because of the wide fit, but they didn't. The stability was pretty good, too. I wasn't expecting them to be super stable, and they aren't the most stable shoes I've worn, but I would say they offered about an average level of stability. I never felt like I was going to twist an ankle or slip on the court. I can always use more stability, but I think these shoes did OK in that department."

Brittany was looking for a little more support than usual due to her ankle injury, but the wide fit and soft uppers couldn't give her what she needed. She said, "There was too much room in the toe box so my left foot was moving around in the shoe. Even with an ankle brace on my right foot I could feel the upper giving a little more than I wanted. I will note that without the ankle injury I would think these shoes had slightly above average stability. I just need a little more at this time."

Tiffani summed up her experience as bittersweet. She explained, "Unfortunately, this is where I struggled with the Speed Blushields. I loved the comfort factor, and I'll throw these shoes on after playing just because they are so comfortable. However, these shoes didn't support my feet very well on court. As I mentioned earlier, I put the Superfeet insoles into my shoes, which helped stiffen the heel-to-toe transition. My feet had felt strained the first couple of times I wore them with the stock insoles. The fit was generous both width wise and length wise. Pair that with the uppers being so soft, and my feet were moving around quite a bit inside the shoes. I could feel my feet come down off the chassis of the shoes. I was constantly trying to tie these shoes tighter to get some support, but to no avail. I never injured myself in these shoes, but I felt slower and less effective on the court in them."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.7

The outsoles of these Diadora Speed Blushield AGs are supported by a six-month durability guarantee, which turned out to be a bonus for Michelle. "The durability of the outsole was about average," she said. "I am seeing some smoothing under my big toes, where I normally experience wear after a solid month to six weeks of wear. They are holding up well, but I would most likely be able to take advantage of the outsole durability warranty. The Speed Blushield AGs held up well."

Brittany wasn't able to fully test the outsoles durability of the shoes because of her limited playing schedule, but after more than 15 hours of on-court wear, she said, "I am just seeing the start of some balding, but nothing critical. I would imagine I have many hours on court left before I start to really see any critical issues. The toe bumpers are thick and have withstood my dragging. However, there are small threads running through the top of each toe bumper that have shredded. It won't affect their playability, but it doesn't look too good (and I ended up trimming it)."

The durability of these shoes exceeded Hannah's expectations. She said, "After playing quite a bit in them over several weeks there were no significant signs of wear. The threads on the toes became exposed, but other than that there was just a little smoothing on the bottom, but nothing too extreme."

Tiffani put quite a few hours on these shoes. She said, "The outsoles were holding up very well on hard courts. The tread started to show minimal wear after about 20 hours of court use. The toes were also quite durable, and the only damage I did to them was cosmetic. Although the wear was merely cosmetic, I didn't like how the threads at the tips of the toes broke. They stuck out until I trimmed them or wore them off. I joked that my shoes had troll hair."

Traction - Score: 4.1

"I had no traction issues in the Diadora Speed Blushield AGs," Michelle said. "I prefer stickier outsoles, and these shoes fit in that category for me. Honestly, I never thought about the traction when I was playing in these shoes, which means it was the right traction for me. The rubber felt soft but durable. It had good grab and not too much give."

Although still not moving at full speed, Brittany said, "I wasn't able to move super aggressively since my footwork is still limited with the ankle brace. However, from what I did experience I was happy with the traction. I was gripping the court without experiencing any slipping or sticking."

The traction level fell somewhere in the middle for Hannah. She explained, "The traction was ideal for this type of shoe. I tend to prefer slicker shoes, but if these Speed Blushields were any slicker it would only add to the lack of stability. I really liked the level of traction when I was moving forward, and I never felt heavy or slowed down. When I was on the run the traction slightly made up for the lack of support around my ankle and midfoot."

Tiffani was quite pleased with the traction level of these Speed Blushields. She said, "The balance of slip and grip was perfect for me. I never noticed an issue either way. This was a highlight of the playtest for me."

Weight - Score: 3.7

Tiffani said that these shoes felt plenty light on the court, but it didn't contribute to her feeling fast in them. She explained, "The softness led to a sloppy feel on the court, and I felt like my feet moving around in my shoes slowed me down. I wouldn't mind a little bit more weight in these shoes if they offered a little bit more support."

Michelle also felt that weight of the Speed Blushield AGs didn't necessarily translate to speed. She said, "Considering how much cushioning the Speed Blushields have, I thought they were pretty light. They never felt cumbersome or heavy, although I can't say they felt ultra-fast either. I would put them in the middle weight category."

For Hannah, the weight was right on target for a speed-oriented shoe. She said, "The weight added to the comfort, but it took away from the support that a more physical player needs sometimes. It is worth noting that the cushioning was prominent but didn't seem to add any extra weight."

Brittany concluded that these shoes were an average weight. She explained, "The Speed Blushields aren't so heavy that they feel clunky, but they have enough weight to feel like they have some substance. In a range from light to heavy, I would say they lean slightly toward the lightweight side."

Overall - Score: 3.7