Breakdown

Comfort: 8.1

Our playtesters were more than delighted by the easy step-in comfort of the PC Eclipsion 5s. The uppers hugged their feet when under duress, and the arch support was a highlight. For Chris, the Eclipsion 5s offered great support and performance to match. He explained, "The Eclipsion 5s broke in during the first hour or so, and I quickly found a comfortable ride. I especially liked the level of cushioning. They felt plush, yet responsive, under both my heel and forefoot regions. The PC Eclipsion 5s did fit a little wide on me; they offer a D width, and I'm closer to a B. I was able to find a fit secure enough for me to feel safe for aggressive movement, but I was sliding around inside the shoes enough for the soles of my feet to get rubbed a little sore during longer hitting sessions. I had no issues other than that, and the uppers felt comfortable, with sufficient flex. My arches felt decently supported because the shank of the shoe put the flex point in the right place when I was up on my toes. My feet never ran too hot in these shoes, and I was happy with the level of ventilation." 

The Eclipsion 5s were just what Mark was looking for in terms of comfort. He said, "After a series of lightweight court shoe tests, I felt rewarded and relieved with the plush underfoot from this fifth update to the Yonex PC Eclipsions. Zero break-in time was required to unlock that cushioning, and their true-to-size (length and width) fit further complemented the premium comfort. Ventilation was sufficient, and my feet, with their high insteps, were nicely supported."

Troy noted how the comfort of the Eclipsion 5 was complemented by the fantastic fit. He said, "I was really impressed by the overall comfort. I typically wear a US 9.5, and these fit me almost perfectly. The length was spot-on, and the curvature of the toe box contoured well around my toes. The arch support was sufficient; it felt like a medium arch and gave me the support I needed in that location. I would say the ventilation was moderate — not super breathable, but also not too hot or stuffy. I’m a big stickler when it comes to cushioning (or the lack thereof), and although I wasn't disappointed with the cushioning of the PC Eclipsion 5s, for this type of shoe (support/stability/durability) I want a bit more cushion under the forefoot region." 

Despite their high level of support, the Eclipsion 5s caused some comfort issues for Oak. He noted, "I was very curious to see what these shoes felt like since two of my favorite Yonex players are currently in them (Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz), and they have quite different game styles, one being more power-oriented and the other more defensive. These Eclipsion 5s offer extreme levels of cushioning and material absorption from the ground up, making them very comfortable to wear for the most part. However, while I enjoyed these shoes for the majority of my playtesting, they started causing some comfort issues for my feet and legs around the 20-hour mark of the playtest. The shoes are extremely rigid, for better or worse. I was hoping that the comfort would last longer since they’re such heavy and sturdy shoes, and that they would break in as opposed to breaking down. Additionally, they did fit a little bit long for me in a size 9.5." 

Foot Support / Stability: 8.3

If there was one thing our team readily agreed upon during this playtest, it was that these Yonex PC Eclipsion 5s are extremely supportive. For Troy, the fit and the support went hand in hand. He described, "I found the support to be good because these shoes contoured to my feet well. I didn't have to think about these PC Eclipsion 5s most of my time on court, so I could trust in them and I felt secure. In terms of stability, these shoes weren't too rigid. They actually flexed well after the break-in and were not as rigid as the Asics Gel Resolution 9 or the Nike Vapor Cage 4 Rafa shoes." 

Oak did have some issues with how supportive these shoes were, and there didn't appear to be much give for his aggressive style of movement and play. He said, "These Eclipsion 5s were very brick-like. I felt like the rigidity of the shoes helped make them quite sturdy on court, but they weren't very forgiving in terms of their give and flexibility. Because of this, I couldn't quite trust myself to go for my usual aggressive slides and sprints. The 'jump' on these shoes was pretty good, and I could make my initial movements toward the ball more easily than not." 

The stability of the PC Eclipsion 5s was a highlight of the playtest for Chris, though the fit did cause some support issues. He said, "I found the level of stability of the Eclipsion 5s to be very impressive. They resisted twisting well on aggressive lateral moves, and I felt very confident. I liked the way the shoes transitioned from heel to toe, and I thought they felt decently fast for a stability and durability shoe. The fit was wide for my narrow feet, so I never found the optimal level of support. The upper materials felt supportive, but because I was moving around inside the shoes so much, my socks would get twisted on my feet and need adjustment here and there."

Mark found the support levels of the Eclipsions to be right where he wanted. He said, "The construction of the upper rode the fine line of support and breathability while holding my feet in place regardless of directional change. I also thought the lacing system made it easy to gain the best fit, which further improved foot support."

Overall Sole Durability: 8.2

Make no mistake, the durability of the PC Eclipsion 5s is not to be trifled with. These shoes boast some of the best durability our team has seen from anything this year, and after 20-plus hours into some of our testers' time with them, they still manage to appear and perform as nearly new. Across the board, our team was genuinely wowed by how the PC Eclipsion 5s held up over time without compromising their performance. For Chris, the longevity of the shoes was beyond apparent. He said, "The Eclipsion 5s held up very well for me. I put about 15 hours of wear on them and was impressed with how well the outsoles held up in my high-wear areas. The uppers also held up well. I tend to drag up onto the upper material when hitting wide backhand slices, but the uppers only had minor scuffing, with lots of material left for durability, at the end of the test." 

Mark also found incredible levels of durability throughout the testing period. He noted, "By the end of the playtest I had around 20 hours of tennis on my pair of Eclipsion 5s, and the toe end of the outsole still had plenty of life and tread pattern left."

Troy was seeing only minor wear on his outsoles at the end of this playtest. He described, "The durability was good overall. The outsole held up well for me over the few weeks of testing (about 15 hours of court time). I found some slight wear on the tread up at the front, like near the toes and balls of my feet, but overall the rubber held up strong. I noticed the added rubber protection at the tip of the shoes and medial side, which did a good job of protecting the toe region. I didn't have any durability issues from the uppers, but I also don't turn over or drag the shoes all that much." 

For Oak, durability was one of the Eclipsion 5's best performance traits. He said, "I put more than 20 hours on these shoes, testing them both indoors and outdoors in various hitting and competitive play scenarios. The shoes held up great, but I was hoping that they would become more flexible with wear. If you like rigid shoes, the Eclipsion 5 is a stiff option that stays quite rigid for a long time."

Traction: 8.4

When it came to feeling sure-footed, the Eclipsion 5s left our entire team quite satisfied. There was ample grip when pushing off in any direction, and the stability when sliding proved very accessible as well. Troy was impressed by the reliable grip when moving around on court. He said, "I found the outsole to grip the gritty hard courts well. I had plenty of grip when I needed to change directions, and the rubber felt slightly on the stickier side. I don't slide on hard courts, so this level of stickiness wasn't really an issue for me. I felt like I could push off aggressively and never had to worry about slipping or losing my footing."

The traction was sufficient for Oak but, more importantly, not distracting in any way. He explained, "The grip on these Eclipsion 5s surprised me; they felt very tacky for the entirety of my time wearing them. I was quite satisfied with the initial propulsion that the shoes offered, and they allowed me to confidently take off in the direction I needed to go. In the most dire of circumstances, the shoes would let me slide if need be, but I didn't feel encouraged to go for slides. Since they were so grippy, the Eclipsion 5s felt like they could stop short on some slides rather than letting the full motion be carried out."

The traction didn't cause any concerns for Chris. He said, "I felt like I was moving well in the Eclipsion 5s. I liked the amount of grip I found when I needed to push off aggressively. Likewise, when coming to a quick stop, the outsole had enough give to take some pressure off my joints. I was able to slide out of shots rather than coming to a jarring stop."

As one of our best in-house counterpunchers, Mark found more than enough grip from the PC Eclipsion 5s. He said, "In addition to good outsole durability, the Eclipsion 5s rendered excellent and predictable traction whether the hard court I was playing on was freshly washed or not." 

Weight: 7.7

Although our playtesters didn’t agree on how the weight affected their overall experiences, the Eclipsion 5s didn't cause any glaring issues across the board. Most of our testers felt that these updated Eclipsions were neither too light nor too heavy. Chris picked up on the "split the difference" approach of the shoes, enjoying their moderate weight. He explained, "The Eclipsion 5s felt pretty middle of the road in terms of weight. Considering how supportive and durable the shoes are, I'd say the weight that is there has been put to good use."

Likewise, the weight didn't cause any problems for Mark. He said, "My size 11s tipped the scales at around 15 ounces, which kept them feeling agile, but leaning toward comfort and support."

Troy appreciated that the weight of the Eclipsion 5s wasn’t too extreme in either direction. He described, "I felt like the weight of these shoes was pretty middle of the road for me. These actually felt lighter than most stability-type shoes. They flexed well for me after the break-in, so I think that added to how well I could move in them. They definitely weren't ultra lightweight, like say the Yonex Sonicage 3, but they never felt too heavy for this type of shoe." 

Unlike the rest of the team, Oak had some issues with the Eclipsion 5s feeling somewhat heavy for his more fleet-of-foot movement style. He said, "These shoes are heavy, make no mistake. Regardless of their actual weight, they feel quite heavy and are at times quite sluggish. I get by in most tennis points by relying on my speed, so I tend to have some qualms any time that is negatively affected at all. That being said, the weight of the shoes did make them feel stable, and I enjoyed how they played when I was accelerating through my shots." 

Breakdown Summary