Babolat Propulse Review

I recently purchased a pair of Babolat Propulse. I wentthe original insoles. The shoe has pretty support
to my local tennis shop (Zach's Tennis) looking for abecause of the strap but it does get in the way when
new pair of shoes because the outsoles on mytrying to lace up the shoes.
trusted Adidas Barricade IVs were worn thin so I wasDurability: I've had the shoe for about 2 weeks and the
slipping all over the place whenever I played tennis.outsole is already wearing out. There are parts on the
The Babolat Propulse jumped right out at me becauseoutsole that have clearly worn out which is absolutely
of its bold cosmetic and I knew immediately that it wasridiculous considering I've had the shoe for such a short
the shoe I wanted. I tried them on and they felt prettyperiod of time. While the shoe does come with a
comfortable so after walking around the store a6-month outsole durability guarantee, Babolat requires
couple of times with them, I bought them. I've had thethat the shoe have a hole in the bottom of the outsole
shoe for about two weeks now (I play 4-6 hours 6such that the insoles of the shoe are visible (Adidas
days a week) and this is what I think...and Nike only require bald spots on the outsole, not a
Comfort: The Propulse has minimal cushioning and hashole).
succeeded in killing my feet. After a mere ten minutesTraction: The outsole doesn't have a trace of a
of light conditioning, my feet begin to yell at me to stopherringbone design but it seems to work fine. The guys
moving. My feet hurt so much that I was forced toat Michelin clearly know what they're doing and it
change the standard insoles to a gel insole. Even aftershows in the traction. However, with such poor
that my feet still kill me whenever I move for andurability, I don't think the awesome traction will hold up
extended period of time. For match play however,much longer.
these shoes are alright I guess. The minimal cushioningWeight: At about 17 ounces, these shoes aren't bulky
is definitely not for me but may work for others.but they aren't lightweight either. The weight doesn't
Arch Support: The arch support on the Propulse feelsreally bother me at all and isn't a concern.
a lot higher than it actually is because of theOverall, I really don't like these shoes. They look
elasticated tongue. As a result, it feels extremelyawesome and have pretty good traction but the fit is
uncomfortable to people with low-medium heightclearly not for me. Also, the laces are way too long for
arches (like me). I guess the upside to this is that thethe shoe and have started to fray from me stepping
shoe is extremely supportive in the midsection but Ion them while running. The strap gets in the way when
don't know if it's worth it.lacing the shoes up (as I mentioned above) and the
Foot Support & Stability: The Propulse is veryvelcro also frays the laces which is really annoying. At
stable due to the velcro strap that wraps around the$110, the shoes aren't exactly cheap either (I'm still
shoe. However, the shoe has poor ankle support andrecovering from the huge hit my wallet took after I
sometimes I feel as if I'm about to twist my ankles (abought these shoes). I wouldn't buy these again. If
problem I've NEVER had with any other tennis shoe).you've spent the time to actually read this, go buy
Additionally, after I changed the insoles for addedyourself a pair of Adidas Barricade IVs if you can find
comfort, I often find myself feeling like my feet arethem (I've heard the Barricade Vs are an excellent
slipping inside my shoe. With the original insole, I didn'tupgrade to the IVs so if you feel like paying $110 go
have this problem but I couldn't stand the pain I felt withbuy some Barricade Vs).