New Balance Coco Delray Tennis Shoe Review

Most of our playtesters reported that they had to break in the Coco Delrays before they could fully enjoy them. Oak wore his pair both on and off the court, and despite the amazing comfort, he found that his feet would start heating up and eventually sweating in the Coco Delrays on warmer days. He said, "Although my pair required a longer-than-anticipated break-in period (about three hours), the Coco Delrays were quite comfortable. Underfoot cushioning was good, but perhaps not excellent, and the uppers held my feet nicely without being overly restrictive. The ventilation was so-so. I definitely felt like my feet were a little sweaty on hotter days, but it wasn't anything too detrimental. Arch support was adequate, but that’s not an area I'm ever too concerned about with most shoes. The fit overall was pretty much perfect for me when I pulled the tongue into place and cinched the laces. I liked how the Coco Delrays would form themselves to my feet during that adjustment. Overall, I was very pleased with how the Coco Delrays felt on and off court. These are great shoes to wear around the office and then immediately go out on court with. That kind of crossover shoe is hard to make, and I feel like New Balance nailed it."

Our newest playtester Kyla had a nice, short break-in period with these Coco Delrays. She said, "The Coco Delrays felt very comfortable for me right from the first wear, and they're nicely cushioned. They required a little breaking in, but not a lot, and the overall fit struck a really nice balance between snug and flexible. Ventilation in these shoes was fine -- not amazing but definitely enough to keep my feet from overheating on the court."

Brittany quickly found that the Coco Delrays had a slightly snug fit, which was perfect for her. She said, "When I opened the shoebox, my initial reaction was, 'Wow, the Coco Delrays look amazing. I hope they’re comfortable!' I immediately put them on my feet to get a quick fit check, and I found them to offer a snug medium width -- perfect for my narrow feet -- and a standard length, which allowed me to stay in my true size. I did notice that the uppers felt a little stiff, and this translated to a two- to three-hour break-in period. After that, the uppers loosened up and began to flex better. The underfoot comfort was a similar story; the longer I wore the shoes, the better the cushioning felt, and they softened and molded around my feet by the end of the playtest. The Coco Delrays do run a little on the warmer side, but with the weather being a little cooler during the playtest, I didn't have any issues."

Among our playtesters, Munish struggled with overheating the most, but he also acknowledged that his pair of Coco Delrays might have been uniquely made compared to the ones the rest of our team tested. He said, "I loved a lot of the comfort aspects of the Delrays. The underfoot cushioning is phenomenal, and it does a great job giving me a decent amount of court feel while also being comfortable and cushioned. I had the regular width and had plenty of wiggle room, which is also another plus from my end. The only problem might be just with the pair of shoes I had. My problem was with the temperature control for the shoes, but my pair had a lot more suede leather than the other playtest shoes. I found that my feet would be super hot and uncomfortable after an hour or so of play."

Our playtesters had varying experiences when it came to the support and stability of the Coco Delrays, but they all agreed that their performance was above average for value shoes. As someone who prefers slightly heavier and more supportive shoes rather than speedy ones, Kyla loved the support and security the Delrays gave her. She said, "These Coco Delrays offered a very solid level of stability without sacrificing comfort. My feet felt very secure while moving around on the court, and they didn’t feel weighed down or restricted."

Oak complimented the stability and support of the Coco Delrays, but he wasn't too fond of the slightly raised heel. He said, "For being more of a 'value' model, I was pleasantly surprised by how supportive and stable the Coco Delrays are. I felt comfortable going for aggressive lateral cuts knowing that the shoes would have my back even when I was pulled out wide. Similarly, I knew I could sprint up to chase down drop shots if need be, and I felt confident putting on the brakes for a controlled stop before hitting the net. I enjoyed how the Coco Delrays held my feet when I was serving, though during longer matches I was getting a bit of fatigue in some of my lower leg muscles. In felt secure when coming back down from the air, especially since the Coco Delrays are almost a mid-top. While I didn't ever slip out from the heel, I didn't love the raised heel outsole section. I prefer to be able to lean back more heavily on the heels when I'm off balance and absorbing heavier pace. That said, I had no major issues with the overall support and stability of these shoes."

The only downside Munish faced was that the laces tended to come undone easily unless he double-knotted them. He said, "I didn't have any issues with the stability of these shoes. The Delrays did a good job at keeping my feet stable, and because the sides are built up, my midfoot felt secure and snug while my forefoot had more space. The laces come undone more than usual if you don't double up, and the shoes would feel a bit unstable as the laces loosened up. It's an annoying part about the Coco Delrays, but it can also be fixed with different laces, so I'm not too fussy about it."

The Coco Delrays offered Brittany decent support, especially in the forefoot and the sides, but she struggled with getting a locked-in feel at the heel. She explained, "The New Balance Coco CG1s and 2s are some of the most supportive and stable shoes I have tested thanks to their higher cut and substantial features. With the Coco Delrays being a takedown, I knew they were going to have a tough time matching those standards. I felt like the support was solid at the front of the shoes thanks to the snug fit. There wasn't any extra space to shift around within no matter what direction I moved. However, I wasn't able to get lock-in my heels, so they were constantly moving up and down in the shoes. Tying my laces extra tightly around the ankles helped a little bit, but I could have used another eyelet to really cinch the shoes around my ankles. I didn't have any issues with stability, but I just felt like I was sitting up a little high in the shoes. I wasn't moving super aggressively, so there was nothing to note regarding the ankle stability."

The New Balance Coco Delrays could give some higher-end shoes a run for their money when it comes to durability. Brittany could only see a smidgen of wear on the outsole by the time the playtest was through. She said, "I have about 10 hours on these Coco Delrays on our indoor court playing both singles and doubles. I can see some slight wear right at the tip of the toes, but it is very, very minor. Other than that, the toe bumpers and uppers are holding up exceptionally well and look virtually brand new. I was impressed with the durability."

Aside from some minor expected wear underfoot, Kyla thought the Coco Delrays performed quite well in this category. She said, "The durability of these shoes seems to be very reliable throughout. There were some signs of wear on the sole, but not that much. Even the toe, which I have a tendency to drag on the court to slow myself down while moving, held up great."

Despite being one of the testers who runs through outsoles, Oak found very minimal wear on the high-impact parts of his shoes. He described, “The outsoles have held up well at the 15-hour mark, and the uppers haven't broken down either. The toe durability is going strong, and my Coco Delrays are only showing minimal balding in the area of highest impact for me (left toe medial side). I haven't turned over too much in these shoes, but the lack of TPU on the upper does have me slightly concerned about the long-term upper durability."

As a fan of New Balance outsoles in general, it's no surprise that Munish was impressed with the outsole of the Coco Delrays. He said, "I put over 20 hours on my Coco Delrays, and I can only see a little bit of wear under my big toe. I give New Balance their flowers all the time when it comes to outsole durability. I have not run through any of my NB shoes, and the credit has to go to the unique rubber outsole they use."

All of our playtesters found the Coco Delrays a little too sticky at first, but the shoes settled in after a hit or two. After the break-in period, Munish could trust the Coco Delrays when he was taking off and planting. He said, "My Delrays were a bit sticky at first. They're not the grippiest shoes out there once they’re broken in, and I honestly prefer it that way. I was confident planting my feet after sprinting toward a ball, knowing fully that my shoes wouldn't give out from under me."

Similarly, Brittany had to break through the stickiness of the outsole before she could fully depend on the traction of the Coco Delrays. She said, "With a hexagonal pattern, the outsoles of the Coco Delrays leaned slightly toward the sticky side. However, within the first couple hours of playing in them, the outsole had settled in and was giving a little more. I found that nice balance of give and grip by the end of the playtest, and I didn't have to think about the traction at all."

Kyla also had to play in the Coco Delrays for a bit before the traction settled in. She said, "The traction was a little too sticky for me at first. It was difficult to change directions and move freely across the court. After a few hours, though, that sticky feeling faded, and the traction became smoother and more comfortable."

Oak noticed that the left and right Coco Delrays have slightly different tread patterns. It didn't affect performance, but it made him curious to see how each shoe will wear over time. He described, "The traction is great! It is a tad sticky, so I was not doing a ton of sliding. One thing I found interesting was that the left and right shoes have similar, but markedly different, tread patterns. While the shoes didn't feel any different in terms of connectivity to the ground, the visual differences are there, and I wonder about long-term wear depending on footwork. For example, I drag my left foot in a way I don't with my right, and I can't help but wonder if the wear is better off or exacerbated by the varied tread."

While most of the testers felt that the Coco Delrays were fairly light, Brittany thought the shoes felt a little heavier than they should have. She said, "The weight of the Coco Delrays surprised me. I felt like the shoes played heavier than their weight on the scale indicated. They weigh in at an average of 10.8 ounces (for a size 8.5), which is on the lighter side. They felt closer to the 12-ounce range to me. I think this is because they were a little stiff at the beginning, so I wasn't getting a smooth heel-to-toe transition, and they felt more slappy. Additionally, I felt like I sat up a little higher within the shoes, so I wasn't as connected to the court.”

Although he wouldn't consider the Coco Delrays speedy, Munish found the shoes nice and lightweight. He said, "The Coco Delrays are quite light compared to some of the shoes I have playtested this year, and I'm glad it doesn't take away from their stability. I'm not calling them speedy shoes in any way. I think they sit perfectly well in between the heavy and light shoe categories."

Kyla thought the Coco Delrays sat right between speed-focused shoes and stability-focused shoes. She explained, "The weight of these Coco Delrays was great; they were very solid without feeling too heavy. My feet and ankles were supported, but they weren’t weighed down at all. They strike a great balance of being solid, supportive shoes that are still light enough to feel quick on my feet."

These Coco Delrays hit a near-perfect balance for Oak. He said, "The weight-to-stability ratio is pretty ideal for me. I take heed and applaud the designers anytime lighter shoes are able to achieve this level of support. I found the Coco Delrays light enough to sprint effectively, and I loved using my court speed to neutralize my opponent's shots. The Coco Delrays felt a little heavier than their measured weight actually indicated, but they’re still lightweight on the whole."