OK, I’m going to get all my product reviews out of the way this week. I had been wearing the Prince T-20, which was a pretty decent shoe. I was impressed with the stock insole, so as the T-20 began wearing in the heel, I went to a store and tried on the T-22. Not bad at all.
That same day, I read the Tennis magazine October shoe review and noticed the OV-I. Very good reviews. Considering that the actual retail price is about $89, when I looked at composite score per dollar, it was right at the top.
Turns out my pro shop has them in stock, so I tried on a pair. I normally wear two socks because my feet are a bit narrow and I like the extra cushion. The stock width seemed fine with my two socks, so I decided to give the shoe a try.
Immediate impressions were that the shoe was very, very solid and it had a light feel. Next impression was that the stock insole was not nearly as comfortable as I was used to from Prince. Once I replaced the insole, the shoe felt great.
Break-in time seemed like 2-3 hours of average practice/play. The more I got used to the shoe, the more comfortable it felt. Whatever claims they make about traction (at least on hardcourt) are really true; felt like I could stop on a dime. If only the rest of this old body were as responsive as the shoe …
Initially, it was hard to make any conclusion about the ventilation claims, but last night gave me my first real indication. I started praticing at 4:30PM. Eventually picked up a doubles match that went three sets. Returned home just after 7:45PM (it’s a five-minute drive home), pretty much drenched in sweat. My wife commented on how I looked like I had been swimming.
My socks weren’t even damp 🙂
For 89 bills – yeah, that was a great buy!
The Algorithmist 