KSwiss Hypercourt Express Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.5

All our playtesters raved about the cushioning of the Hypercourt Expresses. Andy, in particular, could be seen walking just about everywhere in them. He explained, "Comfort was one of the standout features for me! Plush cushioning underfoot along with lots of padding around the ankle collar and tongue made them comfortable to wear all day, on and off the court. These shoes became my favorite shoes to teach in because I could stand out on court all day and my feet would never get uncomfortable or fatigued. My only knock on the comfort would be the roomy fit; because these shoes fit so wide I never felt like the uppers cinched up around my feet."

Marco was also a fan of the extensive comfort. He said, "There is ample padding around the heels, which provided nice cushioning all the way around my feet up to the tongues of the shoes. The uppers in the forefoot region are made of soft, flexible materials, which really allowed for a comfortable fit right through to the front end of the shoes."

Chris found a little bit too much sliding going on inside these shoes, but otherwise he really enjoyed the comfort. He said, "Just like the Ultra Expresses they replace, the Hypercourt Expresses offered a comfortable ride. These shoes didn't require any break in for me. I thought the level of cushioning underfoot was very good, and I also liked the padding around the ankle collars. The uppers flexed well and moved with my feet. The fit was much roomier in the forefoot in this update, and my feet were sliding around inside them. Even with two pairs of socks my feet were sliding on lateral stops and cuts. I had some soreness on the bottom of my feet from all the sliding, but it wasn't too bad."

Jason had no qualms with the out-the-box fit of these shoes, but he did have a few issues. He explained, "Like their predecessors, these shoes had fantastic cushioning! They were well padded under my feet and around the ankle collars and tongues. I thought the uppers were supple right out of the box, so they were ready to play from the very first minute on court. My biggest negative with the comfort was the toe jamming, which I will elaborate more on in the 'Foot Support/Stability' section."

Ventilation - Score: 4.7

The mesh uppers of the Hypercourt Express allowed heat to vent out, and none of our playtesters had issues with hot feet. Chris said, "I was very impressed by the breathability of these shoes. I think the use of mesh, along with the roomy fit, made it easy for the hot air to escape. My feet never felt overly hot while playing in the Hypercourt Express, even in 90-degree weather."

Jason also found a high level of breathability in the Hypercourt Express. He said, "There's definitely enough mesh and perforations in the uppers to help keep these shoes cool. I'd say they're right on par with the previous model, which is a very good thing."

Andy really did get some good wear out of these shoes and had them on for several hours at a time. He didn't have any issues, saying, "Tons of mesh all around the upper provided more than enough ventilation during the playtest. My feet remained comfortable and never felt overheated, even after long hours on court."

Marco was slightly skeptical at first and worried that the extensive cushioning would limit the breathability, but his worries flew out the window after the first few wears. He said, "These shoes were well ventilated, the material aired nicely and even the extensive cushioning around the ankles didn't seem to create any ventilation issues."

Arch Support - Score: 4.0

Our testers found a fairly low arch in the Hypercourt Express, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Jason enjoyed the arch support and found it got more comfortable as time went on. He said, "It's always nice to step into shoes and feel that nice, low arch, which is what happened when I slipped on the Hypercourt Expresses. The support only got better as I wore down the padding."

Marco wears custom orthotics, and he noted the adequate space even when his orthotics were inserted into these shoes. He explained, "When I first tried on the Hypercourt Expresses I found them to contain a fairly low arch with moderate support. I do wear custom orthotics and took the original insoles out to put mine in. There was plenty of room in these shoes for my feet even when I had my orthotics in."

Andy would have liked a bit more support from these shoes, especially as he wore them down later into the playtest. He said, "I found the arch support to be pretty good, but not great. I have a weaker arch so I like having some nice pressure through that area. I thought that these shoes were so soft and well padded underfoot that over time the arch support just kind of wore down and lowered as the test progressed. By the end of the playtest I was wishing for a little more support from these shoes in that area."

The shank ended up providing good support for Chris, even though he has high arches. He said, "The arch support was very low in these shoes, and I have high arches. However, the strength of the shank is more important to me than the height of the fit. Once the shoes broke in the insoles molded to the shape of my feet, and the height of the support felt like a better fit. The shank under the arch did a solid job of protecting my feet, so I felt very safe sprinting around in these shoes."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.6

Riding low to the ground, the Hypercourt Express was fairly stable and provided a good level of support. Our testers did find their feet sliding around in these shoes, and an additional pair of socks helped this problem. Marco said, "My feet were sliding around a bit. There was a lot of room for movement inside these shoes, especially toward the front. Players with wider feet may like these shoes, but those with narrower feet who are looking for a nice, snug fit might not find the support and stability they're seeking. These shoes didn't feel stiff and were nice and flexible, especially when I was at full tilt on wide balls or chasing short drop shots."

Chris isn't the biggest fan of wide fitting shoes. He was sliding around inside these shoes but ultimately found them to be stable and safe. He explained, "I felt like I rode low enough in these shoes to feel very safe on court. They also provided a very wide footprint on court, so I never felt like I was going to roll an ankle. The one downside was the fit being too wide for me, so I was sliding around inside the shoes. With two pairs of socks and the shoes laced tightly the level of support was better, but it was never perfect. On the stability front, the shoes held up well."

Andy would've liked a slightly snugger fit from the uppers, but he was a fan of the low-to-the-ground ride. He said, "I had mixed emotions about the support and stability of the Hypercourt Express. I thought the upper material was a little more rigid than its predecessor (the Ultra Express), and it kept my foot from rolling over the edge of the shoe on lateral cuts. I also found the shoe to ride pretty low to the ground, which always helps instill security and confidence. However, since the upper material was a little stiffer, it didn't cinch around my foot quite as well and thus I found my feet sliding around inside the shoes, especially in the forefoot area. I never got that 'locked-in' feel that the most stable shoes have."

Jason struggled to find a comfortable fit, which affected support. He explained, "This is where these shoes fell apart for me. I have wider feet, yet I was unable to cinch down my laces tight enough to really lock my feet in place. During play I could feel my feet sliding a bit inside the shoes. The side to side sliding wasn't too bad because these shoes are pretty stable, but the toe jamming was a major problem. Moving forward and trying to suddenly stop required an extra step or two to prevent jamming."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 2.9

The outsole durability was the one area that didn't impress our team. Andy explained, "I found these shoes to have pretty average outsole durability. At the end of the playtest my pair had some very noticeable signs of wear and balding of the tread, especially under the big toe. This is not an unusual wear pattern for me, but they didn't hold up particularly well compared to some other top of the line shoes."

Marco also wore through the front of the shoe first. He stated, "The forefoot started to wear out first. Toward the end of my playtest the white midsole was showing after I had worn through the outer black layer of outsole. I did wear these shoes off the court as well for the gym, coaching, etc., so they did get worn a fair bit, but overall I wasn't impressed with the durability of the outsoles."

Jason thought the durability was in line with the type of shoes the Hypercourt Expresses are designed to be. He explained, "These are not shoes I would expect to last for half a year. They're not supposed to. For being a lighter weight, comfort-oriented shoe, durability was really good. I put about 12 hours of testing on them and only saw slight balding around the front medial sides. Not too bad all things considered."

Chris found the speed of these shoes came at the cost of a little added durability. He stated, "The outsoles were not durable. I started to see wear in my typical high wear areas early on in the test. As these are more speed-oriented shoes, I was willing to forgive the lack of durability. Compared to other shoes, I'd say these wear similarly to the Nike Vapor 9.5 Tours and Asics Gel Solution Speed 2s. Both of those are fast shoes as well, so I don't expect much in the way of durability."

Toe Durability - Score: 4.8

In contrast, our testers were very pleased with the toe durability. Chris stated, "The level of toe durability was much better than the outsole durability. The toes held up very well, and I was impressed by how well the shoes resisted wear. I drag the toe of my left shoe heavily, and I have no premature wear issues at all in the toe area."

Andy was also very impressed with toe durability. He said, "Unlike the outsoles, the toes of these shoes held up extremely well. I'm not the biggest toe dragger, but with all the protection that these shoes have to offer in this area I think even the toughest toe draggers would have a hard time doing damage."

Marco didn't do much damage to the toe area of his shoes, but he noticed some wear and tear near the base of the big toe. He explained, "The traction and durability up at the toes were good. I do tend to slide the inside of my right foot (I'm left-handed) on low slices or when I stretch to reach low wide forehands. I noticed the inside material did scrape off a little bit and was wearing through. It didn't quite create a hole, but I wore through the initial layer."

Traction - Score: 4.6

Marco gave the Hypercourt Expresses a perfect score for traction, finding a significant amount of grip around the court. He said, "I got the perfect balance of grip and give from these shoes, so changing directions was efficient and easy. They felt very quick and light, whether I was starting and stopping or going at full throttle."

Jason felt confident in the Hypercourt Express' ability to hold up under any stress. He said, "I was happy with the traction of these shoes, which was about the same as the previous model. I could change directions with confidence knowing these shoes would grip the hard court effectively."

Chris was another fan of the traction level, and he was flying around the court with confidence. He offered, "The outsoles felt nice and grippy. I played on both indoor and dustier outdoor courts and always found a solid level of grip. The traction complemented the light and fast feel of these shoes very well. I felt like I was moving at top speed, and I could trust them to provide all the grip I needed."

Weight - Score: 4.4

Chris found the flexible uppers gave these shoes a lighter and speedier feel. He said, "The supple uppers of these shoes flexed very well with my feet. I found it very easy to totally forget about the shoes and just focus on getting to the next ball -- always a good sign. I think the Hypercourt Expresses felt even lighter and faster because they flexed so well."

Marco enjoyed the light material in the uppers, which not only made the shoes fast but also gave them a supremely comfortable feel. He shared, "It was nice and light, which really made these shoes comfortable from all corners of the court. The materials in the upper were really light and thin, making these Hypercourt Expresses fast around the court."

Jason felt like the weight of these shoes was a definite strong point, saying, "Sure, on paper these shoes are heavier than their predecessor, but I didn't notice. I felt fast and well connected to the court with these on. Definitely a selling point for these shoes."

Andy also felt these shoes played lighter than their actual weight. He explained, "Even though these shoes have lots of cushioning, they don't feel all that heavy and bulky on court. They have a low-to-the-ground, speed-oriented feel, which make them feel/play lighter than their 14 ounces (size 10.5) would indicate."

Overall - Score: 4.1

Playtester Foot Types:
Chris - Narrow width / Medium arch
Marco - Medium Width / Medium Arch
Jason - Wide width / Low arch
Andy - Medium width / Low arch

Review date: May 2015. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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