ON The Roger Pro 3 Shoe Review

While The Roger Pro 3s proved to be more comfortable than the ON The Roger Pro 2s, our team wouldn't go so far as to label these shoes "comfortable," relative to other shoes. ON shoes are known for a stiffer feel, though, and its firmer foam makeups are designed for more responsiveness than comfort. Chris found a more comfortable experience across the board in The Roger Pro 3s compared to the 2s. He explained, "Being a huge fan of The Roger Pro Fire shoes, I was excited to try this update to the Pro series. I found a comfortable ride in The Roger Pro 3s after about an hour of break in. The underfoot cushioning felt firm, responsive and comfortable. I liked the general feel of the shoes on my feet, and the arch support felt great. I liked the rigidity under my arches and the way the shoes flexed under my toes, because it gave me a comfortable platform to push off from. I found a decent level of ventilation, and my feet never felt overheated despite the weather being in the 80s for much of the test."

Michelle also noted improved cushioning, but she still faced some of the long-term comfort issues she's experienced in other ON shoes. She said, "The first thing I noticed when I put on The Roger Pro 3s was that I did not feel stuck between sizes, and these shoes fit my feet just right. The second thing I noticed was the underfoot cushioning, which felt more substantial than previous versions. However, I did struggle with some comfort issues in these shoes. The longer I wore them, the more my feet would hurt. I had the sensation of not wanting my toes to lay flat in the shoes, and I was almost manipulating my feet to avoid pain after 45 minutes of hitting. I thought it would go away with more wear, but it didn't. I struggled with a bit of discomfort throughout the playtest, and I think that is due to a lack of cushioning. I'm not the youngest or most spry player out there, so I’m thinking these just aren't for me and my body. On the positive side, the shoes were breathable, and I actually enjoyed lifting with them in the gym because they were a bit like a Nike Metcon lifting shoe, and they made me feel connected to the ground during heavier lifts."

Although Brittany felt like ON fixed the overall fit of The Roger Pro 3s, she still noted some discomfort over time, in addition to some dislikes with how the upper flexed. She said, "I always try to come in to every playtest with an open mind, even when I have struggled with the previous generations. First things first, ON finally fixed the length issue. I found the length to be perfect, and I stayed in my true size. The width was a medium, and the arch support was fine. The uppers needed a break-in period of a couple hours, and I once again struggled with comfort. There was decent padding around the ankle and the tongue was OK, but I was really missing underfoot cushioning, especially in the forefoot, where it felt way too firm for me. I also had an issue with the uppers creasing where the toe box narrows and meets the vamp; that was putting pressure and creating discomfort on both my feet. Unfortunately, this issue never went away."

Oak had a mostly positive experience comfort-wise in The Roger Pro 3s, but he also noticed the stiffer makeup. He explained, "Every ON shoe that I've had the fortune of trying has definitely been on the firmer side. These stiffer foam compounds, as far as I can tell, are directly contributing to how responsive their shoes feel in general, and the foam gives you an excellent feel for the court. Now, these firmer makeups have been a bit harsh for the rest of the testers, but I've never really had any major issues with comfort. All that said, these Roger Pro 3s are a little more comfortable and their chassis feels much less 'flat' than the Roger Pro 2s. As a result, the shoes have less of a 'slappy’ feel to them, and they feel more nimble when pivoting off the toes or pushing off the sides of your feet. While the foam underfoot is still firm, it is noticeably (for me) more comfortable than the foam in The Roger Pro 2s, and it feels more in line with The Roger Pro Fire. What is great, though, is that the level of responsiveness hasn't dropped from the 2s to the 3s, and it may have gotten better! Ventilation is also slightly improved (these are not super aerated, mind you), and arch support is sufficient. The fit for me in a size 9.5 was pretty much perfect, and I really liked how the uppers held my feet after I tightening the laces slightly.”

The response to the support and stability of The Roger Pro 3s was much more positive than some of its other areas of performance. Oak found the lateral functionality of The Roger Pro 3s to be extremely impressive, and it bailed him out of some dire circumstances. He said, "The stability of these Roger Pro 3s is phenomenal. I love how they maneuver around the court and support my more aggressive style of movement. Although the uppers looked a little softer to my eyes, they are so incredibly stable on my feet. I felt comfortable sprinting around the court and never once was worried about the shoes not letting me move and groove at top speeds. My favorite part of The Roger Pro 2s was what I called a 'bail-out' feature that seemed to let me get to more balls than usual (even by my standards), and I'm thrilled to report that the third version of these shoes has that same 'deus ex machina' when it comes to boosting my defense at the last second. They are phenomenal shoes in terms of their performance in flight. I hope to see this more nimble construction/profile make its way into more of ON's lineup."

Brittany found support that was more than practical, including excellent ankle stability. She said, "Like the previous generation, I enjoyed the stability. I felt like my feet sat deep within the shoes. When I used the last eyelet I was able to cinch the shoes tightly around my ankles and found great ankle stability. I was also happy to find that the support worked better for me in this update. In fact, I didn't have any issues at all. The shoes held my feet in place and I didn’t have any excess movement."

For Chris, the support of The Roger Pro 3s proved to be the best part of the playtest. He said, "The most impressive part of the test for me was the support and stability that The Roger Pro 3s offered. My feet sat low down inside the shoes, and it felt like the shoes were giving me a very secure platform to push off from when sprinting for a ball. I was able to get a very secure ride in these shoes without sacrificing any comfort."

Michelle found the stability and lateral support to be more than adequate, although her comfort concerns made it harder for her to trust The Roger Pro 3s down the stretch. She said, "While I had some comfort issues in The Roger Pro 3s, I did not have any problems or issues in terms of stability! I thought they were quite stable, and I felt comfortable moving and changing directions in them. However, I started to question the support as the playtest went on because I struggled with some discomfort, and I'm not sure if the discomfort was due to a lack of support and a lack of cushioning or just a lack of cushioning. I've worn some shoes with a less rigid support system and have had some feet pain like I did during this playtest, so while I didn't question the support initially, I did toward the end of the test."

Durability wasn’t the best feature of The Roger Pro 3s. Michelle struggled with some outsole smoothing on her pair. She said, "Unfortunately, I'd say this was not the strength of these shoes. I saw some decent smoothing under my big toes at the end of this playtest."

Oak found The Roger Pro 3s to have less longevity than the 2s, but he still found fairly decent durability overall. He noted, "The pair of Roger Pro 2s I have from our playtest are still going quite strong; they seem to be more or less indestructible. Although I've yet to break through the outsole on The Roger Pro 3s, it seems that they are starting to wear down ever so slightly, this being at around the 30-hour mark. The TPU/mesh hybrid upper feels amazing, although it seems somewhat prone to deformations on the medial side of the shoe when not being worn. So they're decently durable, but not to the insane degree of the 2s. They mostly have been subject to cosmetic deterioration, though, and slight ones at that. Functionally, the uppers are incredible."

The degrading of the outsole/toe bumper left Chris wanting a little more from the shoes. He said, "The durability of The Roger Pro 3s was just OK for me. I found The Roger Pro 2s to wear at a similar rate. I tend to be hardest on the outsoles under the big toe area on the right shoe, and I started to see some wear there after about five hours of play. However, the toe bumper on my left shoe is actually showing the most wear, with noticeable scuffing."

Brittany also found the durability to be a little less than ideal for what she's typically looking for. She said, "I playtested the ON The Roger Pro 3s for right around 10 hours on our gritty indoor court. However, due to the discomfort issues, I didn't wear them for any intense matches or practice sessions, and I reserved them mostly for light hits and doubles. At the end of the playtest I was already seeing wear on the outsole under my toes and around the edges. Nonetheless, the toe bumpers are holding up well and have plenty of life left."

Traction was another relatively strong feature of the ON The Roger Pro 3s. Brittany more or less forgot about the shoes traction-wise, letting her move with confidence. She noted, "I was happy that I didn't really have to think about the traction of the ON The Roger Pro 3s during the playtest. I found the previous generation to be way too sticky. With this update, I found a better combination of give and grip. I didn't have any instances of getting stuck on the court either. Combined with the low-to-the-ground feel, I felt pretty connected to the court and confident in my movement."

Chris also found the shoes to be trustworthy in terms of his connection to the court. He explained, "The outsoles gripped the court well, and I was happy with the traction I found both when starting and stopping. I also found the level of grip to be consistent and predictable, which gave me confidence to trust the shoes. There was enough give from the rubber compound for me to take small adjustment steps and pivots, so I didn't feel stuck to the court."

Oak found excellent traction from the ON The Roger Pro 3s. He said, "They were grippy enough to pivot/push with confidence and slick enough to slide when necessary. I love how the shoes feel in terms of their connection to the court itself. It's very much like I can 'feel' the court in a tactile sense. No complaints here."

Michelle had no issues with her traction in The Roger Pro 3s, finding them to be wholly practical for her purposes. She noted, "Traction for me was just fine. No issues. Not too slippery. Not too sticky. Just right!"

The weight of the ON The Roger Pro 3s felt mostly good to our playtesters, giving them a light-on-their-feet sensation from all areas of the court. Michelle said, "I would call these a lightweight pair of tennis shoes. They were on the quicker side and felt quite fast."

Although he didn't find The Roger Pro 3s to be heavy, Chris didn't feel like he could move at his fastest in these shoes. He said, "I felt slow on court in the Roger Pro 3s. It’s not that the shoes felt especially heavy, they just didn’t transition well from heel to toe for me. It felt like the forefoot sections of the outsoles were slapping against the court when I was sprinting, and I was losing momentum. I had this issue in the previous version, but not in The Roger Pro Fires, which have been my favorite ON shoes so far. Outside of that, I'd say The Roger Pro 3s felt about medium weight, which I would expect considering the level of support and stability." 

Oak found The Roger Pro 3s to be lighter than their actual weight on the scale indicated. He said, "The shoes feel a lot lighter for me than their weight suggests. I was shocked to see their listed weight at over 15 ounces in a men's size 10.5. They feel much more like shoes in the 14-ounce range. Anytime shoes feel lighter than they are, that's a green flag in my book."

Brittany also found The Roger Pro 3s to be quick around the court, letting her move with ease. She noted, "Lighter in weight on the scale than the previous generation (as well at the Fires), I did find the 3s to feel lighter and less bulky when I was moving around the court. I enjoyed a smoother heel-to-toe transition and didn't find them 'slapping’ the court. This made me feel quicker when moving around."