Wilson Kaos Women's Shoe Review

Overall Comfort - Score: 3.0

Although everyone on our team had a positive comfort experience when they first tried these shoes on, it was a different story once the they got moving on the court in them. This was one of the lowest scoring categories for the Kaos shoes. Like many of the Wilson shoes Karly has playtested in the past, the Kaos' were well cushioned. She said, "The cushioning was one of the first things I noticed when I tried them on. They offered plenty of cushioning, especially underfoot. However, even though I liked how cushioned they felt with each step, the tough break-in period and toe jamming took away from the comfortable feel. The toe box fit was very shallow, and the plastic material of the uppers pinched the sides of my toes. It took about five hours for them to finally loosen slightly, and even then they still felt really stiff in the toe box. I was also hesitant to make quick stops when moving forward because of the painful toe jamming. The tight fit in the forefoot couldn't keep my toes from jamming into the bumper. They also ran extremely warm once I started moving on the court."

Michelle was really drawn to these shoes because she really likes the cosmetics. When she first tried them on they fit slightly short. She explained, "Initially, I considered sizing up a half-size, but width wise, they fit well and hugged my feet perfectly. I didn't want to compromise any stability by going up in size, and they felt great before I started hitting in them. Once I got them on the court and started moving aggressively I had some issues with the hard material at the end of the shoes and with the length. Any time I was on the run I would experience pretty bad toe jam when coming to a stop. The next day my toes would still be sore, and even if I wore different shoes they would still hurt if I moved quickly or was on the run. The uppers' cage design was uncomfortable for my feet. I noticed some aching on the inside of my feet (at my forefoot) after 30 minutes of wearing these shoes, and it would last well into the next day. For me, there really wasn't a lot of cushioning from the insoles, and the end of the shoes just felt so blunt and hard. The cushioning underfoot felt firm and supportive, not uncomfortable, but not super plush. In regards to ventilation, these were not the most breathable shoes and ran a bit hot. However, I did feel connected to the court and found good cushioning from the padding around my ankles."

When Tiffani first put these shoes on she enjoyed the way her wider feet sat down inside them. She said, "I walked around the office for a couple of days before taking them down to the court, and I found them to be pretty comfortable. Unfortunately, that changed for me once I started playing. During the first couple of hitting sessions the plastic uppers felt like they were grabbing and pinching my feet when the shoes flexed. I also started to feel squeezed in the forefoot and had pressure points at the widest part of my feet. After about three hours the uppers softened enough for the pinching to go away, but sadly, the lateral movements of tennis forced my wide feet into the sides of shoes, and that caused my feet to hurt. I also would have liked a bit more support through the arch, as well as more ventilation. The Kaos ended up just not being a good fit for my wide, flat feet."

Testing the Kaos on her first Tennis Warehouse playtest, Hannah, a former Division 1 college player, said, "When I first put on the Kaos shoes I liked the snug fit around my narrow feet. There was a great amount of cushioning all over, especially in the forefoot. The stretchy construction of the tongue wrapped around my feet and provided a customized fit. Before I stepped on the court I appreciated the comfort these shoes offered my flat feet because there wasn't too much or too little arch support. I'm not a fan of the ventilation of these shoes, or more specifically the lack of it. About 45 minutes into play my feet started to get fairly warm. I think that it had something to do with the stiffer feel, especially in the snug toe box. After breaking in the shoe with a couple hours of play they became more flexible, but the fit in toe box remained the same."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.3

With a snug, supportive fit and the Pro Torque Chassis our team was feeling pretty confident and stable while wearing the Kaos shoes. Michelle praised the shoes in this category, saying, "Because of the glove-like fit I was happy with the amount of support and stability. I never felt like I was going to fall over or twist an ankle. I actually enjoyed the way the shoes snugly held my feet. It's possible I should have gone up a half-size to avoid the toe jam issue, but I think if I did the support and stability would have been sacrificed a bit."

Tiffani tried the Kaos both with the stock insole and with a set of carbon color Superfeet, which led to two different experiences in regards to support and stability. She explained, "With the stock insole I felt stable and supported on the court at all times. However, because I was struggling with arch pain, I wanted a more rigid feel underfoot. Once I slipped the Superfeet into these shoes my arch pain subsided, but I was also sitting up too high inside the shoes. The stock insole of these shoes is very flat, and there's a bit of an arch to the Superfeet. Since I was sitting up higher in the shoes instead of sitting low in them, I felt the lateral support suffered. These shoes were no longer able to support my feet during lateral movements, and I was sliding from side to side, which had the uppers bulging out during harder cuts. In the end, I decided to use the stock insoles for the improved support levels."

"Although the tongue design and lacing system were comfortable, they contributed to a lack of support around my ankle," began Hannah. "I felt these shoes needed an extra eyelet for the laces, and with the padding around the ankle I couldn't get a secure fit. I didn't necessarily feel high off the ground, but it was difficult for me to make sharp cuts or abrupt stops when I was pulled out wide. Sprinting forward felt great because of the front-heavy design and the way these shoes wrapped around my feet. I would recommend these shoes for those who like a little bit more freedom around the ankle when they are making lateral movements."

"The Kaos shoes definitely had the potential for great stability with how sturdy they felt," said Karly. "However, there were several things that made them feel less stable during play. My feet sat really high off the ground while the shoes wrapped really low around my ankles, not providing much ankle support overall. I was worried that I was going to roll my ankles when I made lateral movements. The fit of the Kaos also loosened up around my ankles while I played, so I had to keep re-adjusting the laces for a more secure feel."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.4

Durability was a strong point for the Kaos shoes, and our team really appreciated how well the outsoles held up after a vigorous month of playtesting. Tiffani said, "After about 10 hours on the court with these shoes I don't see any wear to either the outsoles or the toes. Usually I would see the start of some smoothing somewhere."

"These shoes offer great durability on both the sole and the toe," offered Hannah. "After about a month of playtesting there were little to no signs of use. Durability is one of the main selling points of these shoes in my opinion."

For Karly, durability was by far the Kaos' best feature, especially since they only weigh 11.5 ounces (size 8.5). She said, "My pair of shoes looked perfectly intact at the end of the playtest. I put more than 20 hours of play on them and there is no visible damage to the outsoles -- no scuffing or smoothing whatsoever. Normally I see some kind of wear to shoes that weigh less than 12 ounces after 20 hours of playtestings, but that wasn't the case for these shoes."

Michelle was on the same page as Karly, saying, "For a shoe without a durability guarantee, I was satisfied with the durability of the Kaos. The outsoles definitely held up for our playtest, and I would say these shoes have more life in them. One of the strengths of these shoes would be their outsole durability."

Traction - Score: 3.8

For the most part, our team enjoyed the stickier outsole the Kaos offered with their herringbone tread pattern. However, Hannah prefers a slicker feel from the outsoles of her shoes. She said, "Once I adjusted to the extremely grippy feel on the underside of these shoes I was able to move more fluidly. However, my tendency to hit open stance was hindered a bit by the amount of stick on the outsoles. The Kaos weren't too high off the ground, but they did have a little bit of a raise due to the cushioning. I definitely still felt connected to the court, which was a bonus for me."

Karly was happy with the traction. She explained, "The traction worked well for me. I found a happy medium between slick and sticky. The Kaos shoes had enough give to prevent me from feeling stuck to the ground, while also providing enough tack to keep me from falling. That traction held up well throughout the playtest, too. I didn't notice much of a difference from start to finish."

"I have no complaints with the traction," stated Michelle. "Not only did I like the traction level, but I also found it to be consistent from the first hit to the last. It was pretty easy to stop and get going quickly. I enjoyed the herringbone tread pattern and felt it offered a great blend of give and go. I prefer a little stickier traction, and these shoes kept me confident and upright."

Agreeing, Tiffani added, "The traction levels were a constant for me. I knew I didn't have to worry about sliding too much or having too much stick either. The traction was the highlight of this review for me."

Weight - Score: 3.0

According to our playtesters the Kaos shoes played heavier than their weight. That was one of the biggest downsides for Karly. She said, "I was really surprised when I saw that the Kaos shoes weighed less than 12 ounces. I think their heavier feel was due to a combination of things. My feet felt high off the ground and really disconnected from the court, which made them feel clunkier than they actually are. The loose fit around the ankles and toe jamming didn't help either. I was hesitant to switch directions, both laterally and forward and backward. Unfortunately, I thought the Kaos hindered my movement on the court."

The weight of these shoes felt around average to Michelle. She said, "They didn't feel heavy or bulky, but they didn't feel as fast as an adidas adizero Ubersonic or Nike Flare. Unfortunately, because of the toe jamming issue, I found myself hesitant to move quickly or stop quickly. In all honesty, it was tough for me to want to wear these shoes after the toe jamming and the soreness I felt on the inside of my forefoot."

Tiffani added, "These shoes feel light in the hand, but I struggled a bit on court, and I didn't feel as quick as I do in the Asics Gel Solution Speed 3s or the adidas adizero Ubersonics. The Kaos felt clunkier than the scale indicated, and I really noticed it on my small adjustment steps and first step. There was something about the way the toe area flexed (or didn't flex) that left me feeling disconnected from my footwork."

Hannah concurred. She said, "These lightweight shoes did not feel like lightweight shoes. I found that the lightest part of the shoes was actually around the top of my feet toward the ankle. The toe box was firm and very bottom heavy, which gave the shoes a clunky feel and definitely slowed me down."

Overall - Score: 3.2