Joma Ace Pro Men's Review

Comfort - Score: 4.0

With a more cushioned response and a taller profile, the Joma Ace Pros were solid in the comfort category. From the fit to the arch support, these shoes suited Chris' feet well. He explained, "I found a more cushioned feel in these Ace Pros than the Pro Rolands we recently tested. Whereas those shoes were more speed-oriented, these Ace Pros proved to be more substantial in both cushioning and support. On court, I found the fit decently roomy. I wear two pairs of socks when playing, and even then had plenty of room in these shoes. My feet stayed cool and comfortable, no matter the weather. There was enough arch support to keep me feeling secure and comfortable from the first wear to the last."

Troy was surprised at how firm the Ace Pros felt given their stack height. He commented, "Out of the box these shoes felt slightly rigid. After a couple of days of wearing them around the office and a few sessions of playing in them, they broke in quite well. However, I never found a high level of comfort from the underfoot cushioning. The Ace Pros offer the type of ride that sits up off of the court, which is common with heavy-duty, support-oriented shoes. With that in mind, I was hoping for a high level of cushioning underneath the balls of my feet, but instead these shoes felt rather firm. The Rebound sole material offered a bit more cushion underneath my heels, but not under the balls of my feet. As far as ventilation, the Ace Pros weren't ultra breathable, but they also weren't complete heat traps on my feet. The medium arch matched my foot type well, and the fit was slightly loose in the toe box. After a couple weeks of wear the upper material started to stretch out a bit, which caused my feet to slide around within the toe box."

Erik enjoyed the Ace Pro's comfort level, but the roomy fit never quite clicked with him. He said, "I thought these shoes had very solid cushioning and were quite responsive. The ventilation was middle of the road. The fit was the biggest downside for me. I usually wear a 10.5 or 11, and I went with a 10.5 for this playtest. I still had too much room on the sides of my feet and a lot of heel slippage. I used a runner's knot to cinch the heel up a little, which seemed to help, but I found myself needing to really tighten my laces to maximize my aggressive movement. I also ended up re-lacing the shoes so the laces started from under the eyelets rather than through the top. Once I did this I could cinch them down tight and lock in my ankles."

Like Erik, Sean wasn't a huge fan of the fit, but he still thought these Ace Pros provided good comfort overall. He said, "My standard shoe sizing is usually somewhere between 9 and 9.5. When I tried on the 9.5 it was immediately apparent to me that I would have to go to a 9. Even with the smaller size, I still had persistent heel slippage and a difficult time getting my feet locked in. I tried numerous solutions: reversing the way the laces were put in, going to the back eyelet, cinching the laces up tightly, wearing two pairs of socks, and even using a runner's knot, all to no avail. Despite the fit issues, I found the underfoot cushioning to be much better than the Pro Rolands. The midsole cushioning didn't feel plush, but it got the job done. The ventilation was a strong point, and I felt the comfort was pretty decent in these shoes overall."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.0

Some of our playtesters had issues with the Joma Ace Pros in the support department, mainly due to the looser fit. Although he thought these shoes felt stable out of the box, Troy found that a couple of modifications were needed to maximize the support. He described, "These Ace Pros offered a decent amount of stability from the beginning of this playtest, and the shank did a good job of creating torsional rigidity. The support of these shoes is where I had some issues. I found it somewhat difficult to keep my feet locked in place my first couple of times on court in the Ace Pros. I had a hard time cinching up the laces, which made it difficult to create a tight fit. I noticed that these shoes were laced differently than most shoes I have playtested. Instead of going under and up through the eyelets, these shoes came from the factory laced the opposite way. By re-lacing the shoes I could cinch them up much tighter, creating a more secure fit. The other problem was that the upper material started to stretch out toward the end of the playtest, especially around the toe box. This allowed for a bit more sliding than I would have liked when making aggressive lateral movements."

As one of our more aggressive movers, Chris felt fairly stable in these shoes after a minor lacing adjustment. He commented, "It took me a while to get a secure fit from the ankle collar of these shoes. In the end, I found a runner's loop to work best to help cinch the shoes up and offer a more secure ride. In the forefoot, the shoes were roomy enough to allow my feet to slide around a little bit. Still, I felt very confident moving side to side. The shoes felt solidly built and resisted any undue twisting on aggressive lateral cuts."

Sean struggled in this department, especially when moving laterally. He explained, "Due to the fit issues described above, I constantly found my feet moving around way too much in these shoes. My heel was slipping out, and my feet felt like they were slapping around the court, which made it very difficult to move at max speed. I had no issues when my movement was more casual, but I was struggling when pushed side to side. The shank and uppers seemed to be stable enough, but the fit issues marred my ability to enjoy moving around the court in these shoes."

Erik also felt limited with his movement in the Ace Pros. He said, "These shoes gave me nice support underfoot, but the stability wasn't great due to the fit. I felt like I wasn't super stable on lateral movements because I had a lot of room in the midfoot. The material also tended to give whenever I was moving super aggressively. The stability was fine when I wasn't in long, grinding points or constantly moving. However, I really enjoyed them as a doubles shoe."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.6

The durability proved to be a standout category for the Joma Ace Pros, and our playtesters found that these shoes can stand the test of time. Sean explained, "If there were a bright spot in this review, it would have to be the durability. My shoes were showing little wear after about 10 to 15 hours of play, and I expect them to last a whole lot longer. The toe guard seems equally as durable, provided the shoes don't fall apart at the seam. For how durable they are, I think Joma could offer a durability guarantee."

By the end of the playtest Erik had seen hardly any signs of wear on his pair's outsoles and sides. He said, "The Ace Pros are quite durable throughout the outsole; I haven't noticed much wear at all after playtesting these shoes for a month. The side of the shoe is quite durable as well; the material hasn't really worn down at all. I found a little bit more wear at the toes, but not much. The durability is excellent."

Like the rest of the team, durability was a positive for Chris. He commented, "I was impressed at how well the Ace Pros held up. Both the outsole and the uppers resisted the abuse I threw at them. I drag the outsole under my right big toe on both forehands and serves, so that area tends to wear down quickly on my right shoe. Even after many hours of singles and doubles play, my Ace Pros still have lots of life left in them. The toe tips proved up to the task of withstanding my toe-dragging. All in all, I was very pleased with the durability of these shoes."

The Ace Pros resisted abrasion admirably for Troy, even in his usual high-wear areas. He said, "The outsoles of these Joma Ace Pros held up well throughout the playtest. I wore these shoes for about a month and noticed minimal wear or balding. I typically see the most wear and tear underneath the balls of my feet and in the toe region. I found a little bit of balding near the toes at the end of the playtest, but the majority of the outsoles showed very little wear. The durability of the Ace Pro is similar to the Nike Air Zoom Cage 3 and Head Revolt Pro 3.0, both of which are backed by a durability guarantee."

Traction - Score: 4.2

According to our playtesters, the outsoles of the Ace Pros offered a winning blend of grip and give. The balanced traction allowed Chris to tap into his speedy footwork. He said, "I liked the amount of grip I got from the Ace Pros. I was able to trust that I would get the grip needed to control my quick lateral stops without the shoes getting stuck to the court or slipping excessively. My ankles felt safe, and I was able to move confidently without fear of rolling over or falling from a loss of grip. The outsoles also grabbed the court nicely on quick sprints to the net, so I could chase down drop shots at full speed."

Always looking for a predictable response off the ground, Troy found just the right amount of traction. He explained, "These Joma Ace Pros hit the mark for me in the traction department. The outsole rubber has a firm feel to it, which allowed for a slightly slick feel. I like when the outsoles provide a slicker feel on court, and I am not a fan when they're overly sticky or gummy. Whenever I needed to slam on the brakes in the Ace Pros there was just the right amount of give to keep it from feeling jarring on my knees and ankles. I felt very confident when changing directions, and I found enough grip to take off aggressively to track down the next ball."

Erik felt that the Ace Pro's outsole backed up any movements he wanted to make. He said, "I had a really nice balance of give and grip in these shoes, maybe a little bit more on the grippy side. Overall, I enjoyed the traction. I could slide effectively, stop on a dime, and pivot out of corners when I needed to."

Due in part to his issues with fit, Sean wasn't quite as enamored with the traction as the other playtesters. He described, "The traction seemed to fall on the slicker end of the spectrum. Combine that with the lack of stability and I occasionally struggled to push off, although it did open up the option for sliding. I think the slicker rubber helps explain the durability of these shoes."

Weight - Score: 4.0

Although the Joma Ace Pros are heavier on the scale, our testers were pleasantly surprised how the weight of these shoes felt on court. Troy thought that these shoes required a little bit of a break-in for the weight to feel right. He said, "The weight of the Ace Pro was pretty middle of the road. The first couple of times I played in these shoes they felt a bit rigid, which gave them a slightly clunky feel. After a break-in period the shoes started to soften up ,and they began to flex more naturally with my feet. The weight of the Ace Pros comes in at 14.2 ounces (size 10.5), and this was pretty spot on for how they felt on my feet. They didn't feel ultra light and fast, but they didn't feel too heavy either."

With his aggressive movement, Erik found a good balance from a weight perspective. He said, "These Ace Pros are a little heavier, but pretty middle of the road overall. I really liked the weight; it was heavy enough for a stable ride but light enough that the shoes didn't feel clunky."

Despite the numbers, Sean didn't feel weighed down by his Ace Pros. He explained, "Even though these shoes weighed just over 14 ounces, the weight wasn't very apparent to me while playing. I didn't really feel fast in my pair, but I don't think that was because of the weight. These shoes do fine in the weight department; I just wish they fit my feet better."

Chris didn't find these shoes to feel as heavy as the scale indicated. He said, "I liked the way the Ace Pros felt on my feet. What weight was in these shoes felt well hidden. I think they would have felt even lighter and faster if I hadn't had the heel slipping issue. Still, these shoes felt good even on longer hitting sessions, and I was able to easily forget about them and focus on my play."

Overall - Score: 3.7