Diadora Speed Blushield 4 Women's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.0

Having tried several Diadora shoes in the past, our playtesters were interested to see what the Speed Blushield 4s had in store for them. With the widest feet on our playtest team, Tiffani was super happy with the fit right out of the box. She said, "These shoes have a roomy fit in the toe box that didn't squeeze my feet. I was able to lace them up and head out to play without any break-in time needed. Although the cushioning felt soft underfoot, it wasn't quite as plush as I remember from earlier Diadora models. Still, I think it was adequate for daily use on the court. We began testing these as the summer temperatures started to rise, and there was noticeable heat build-up after an hour of hitting. I would take these shoes off shortly after my hit since they felt a bit hot. The arch support, however, felt good. I can't remember ever having an issue there."

When playtesting the previous version of these shoes, Brittany had issues with the heel comfort. She was happy to report this update was a huge improvement in that area, saying, "When I slipped these shoes onto my feet I noticed a couple of things right away. Diadora redesigned the heel cup, and I had none of the issues with rubbing or pinching that I did with the second iteration. I also found the uppers to be soft and flexible, and I had no break-in period. As far as width, these Speed Blushield 4s are definitely a generous medium, and I had plenty of extra room throughout the shoes. Additionally, I found the cushioning to be about average. It wasn't as plush as some other Diadora shoes I have worn, but there was enough underfoot to absorb any shock or vibrations."

Diadora shoes have been pretty hit or miss for Michelle in the past. She described, "One of the previous versions of this shoe tore my heels up, but I also list a different Diadora model (Speed Star K) as one of my favorite comfort shoes, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The first thing I noticed was that Diadora resolved the heel collar issue. This update offered step-in comfort with no break-in required, and I had no rubbing or discomfort during the playtest. The uppers were soft, and the cushioning around my feet was comfortable and soft as well. The underfoot cushioning was more supportive than plush, which is not what I was expecting, but it offered good responsiveness with each step. My biggest critique throughout the playtest was the wide fit. I really had to tug at the laces and cinch them up to feel secure, which caused the uppers to fold in a bit and the laces to feel sloppy unless they were tied three times."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.6

With her narrow feet, Brittany expected some support issues in the roomy Speed Blushield 4s. She said, "As the playtest wore on, the soft mesh upper stretched out even more, and I had plenty of room throughout the shoes. I wasn't able to get a locked-in fit, which translated into a lot of movement within the shoes. I will say that I sat deep in the shoes and used the extra eyelet to cinch up, especially around the ankles. This kept my ankles in place and secure, and I had no issues with stability. Even with a previous ankle injury, my ankles felt great after a tough hitting session."

"Because of the wider fit, the support wasn't as strong as I would have liked," added Michelle. "If I had wider feet, I think I'd be very happy with the support. I just felt like I was swimming around in these shoes, and I cinched them up as tightly as I could to get locked in. They did feel more like a stable pair of shoes than a speed-oriented model, and I appreciated the stability when I was pulled wide off the court and had to recover."

Tiffani initially found that the Speed Blushield 4s felt very good in both the support and stability categories, but there was a noticeable drop-off in performance as the shoes wore in. She explained, "The first three hours with these shoes on my feet were great. However, the more I wore them, the more the uppers began to loosen up. Eventually, they just weren't holding my feet in place as I moved side to side. As the playtest period was winding down, I also experienced minor toe-jamming since the uppers couldn't hold my feet in place anymore. On the positive side, I was happy with the stability levels for the entire time I wore these shoes."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.2

When it came to durability, the Speed Blushield 4 exceeded our team's expectations. Michelle found this to be one of the most durable tennis shoes she's tried this year. She described, "I didn't get to put as much wear on them as I would have liked, but I definitely know the outsoles will hold up for months to come. The white uppers on these did get a bit dirty and scraped up pretty fast, but that feels strictly cosmetic and has nothing to do with the playability of the shoes."

Tiffani was also pleased with how well the outsoles of these shoes held up. She said, "I wore them for about 10 hours on our indoor hard court, which is on the grittier side. I saw very little wear and no smoothing on the balls of my feet, which is where I would typically expect the shoes to bald first. However, the toes on my pair look somewhat beat up from my toe dragging. It took only about 30 minutes for me to scrape off the surface of the toes. The material underneath is still intact, so there is no structural damage. Instead, these shoes just look messy now, especially with their white cosmetic."

The outsoles of the Blushield Speed 4s stood up to Brittany's 10-plus hours of use, both in match play and practice sessions. She said, "I see minimal to no wear, and I'd expect plenty of hours on court after the playtest has ended. I am a minor toe dragger and did notice some wear at the end of the playtest. I was just starting to smooth off the material at the top of the bumper. I will note that the black outsole marked the courts slightly, but it could be washed or rubbed off."

Traction - Score: 4.1

The traction of the Speed Blushield 4s was another highlight of this test for our playtesters. Tiffani described, "I didn't have a thought about traction when I was playing. If I'm playing without noticing any issues from the traction, that's a definite plus. These shoes had the right blend of grip and give on hard courts."

"This was the area of the shoes I didn't have to worry or think about," added Brittany. "The traction was consistent throughout the playtest, and it was the perfect ratio of give and grip for me. The modified herringbone pattern gripped the court without feeling sticky. This was probably my favorite feature of the shoes."

Michelle agreed, saying, "The traction of these shoes seemed to be a bit tackier, which is actually a characteristic I prefer from my outsoles. I wasn't ever worried about sliding out in them. They grabbed the court well and kept me feeling like my feet were under me. I know I like a stickier outsole compared to the rest of the crew, so while this worked well for me, I'd imagine the other ladies might have wanted it to be a bit slicker."

Weight - Score: 3.2

Our playtesters couldn't reach a consensus on how light the Diadora Speed Blushield 4 felt on court. Brittany had a hard time gauging the shoe's weight due to her issues with the fit. She said, "These are not the heaviest shoes we've playtested, but they're definitely above average. For shoes that specialize in durability and stability, it was something I have come to expect. However, there was extra room because of the width, making them feel a little clunky on court. I didn't feel my fastest in these shoes."

Michelle would not put these shoes in the lightweight category. She explained, "These Speed Blushield 4s felt on the heavier side, but I'd expect that with shoes this durable and stable. Because the fit was a bit sloppy for my feet, they felt a little bulky at times."

On the other hand, the Speed Blushield 4s felt fairly light on Tiffani's feet. She said, "They never felt overly heavy. I think they could feel faster, though. The shoes allowed my feet to move around some as they opened up in the toe box, so I felt that my recovery time suffered slightly."

Overall - Score: 3.7