ASICS Gel Resolution 7 Men's Shoe Review

Overall Comfort - Score: 4.7

As we've come to expect from this iconic shoe line, the Gel Resolution 7s proved to be exceptionally comfortable. These shoes have excellent cushioning, and they fit our testers' feet extremely well. The only criticism we could agree on was that the shoes ran a little bit warm, although it never negatively affected the playing experience. "I loved the fit, feel and comfort of these shoes on court," Chris praised. "The uppers flexed and moved well with my feet, so I never felt any poking or pinching during play. My feet also felt securely locked in, and that meant I didn't have any uncomfortable rubbing or sliding around inside the shoes. As I've come to expect from Asics, the level of cushioning was top notch. I felt protected from tough landings on the hard courts, yet I still had enough court feel to move at my best. The arch support was a tad low for me so I switched to a Cadence insole for a more supportive fit. However, the shank and heel counter offered enough support to keep my arches and heels feeling protected during aggressive movement. While I wouldn't call these shoes the most ventilated offerings, my feet never felt too hot in them, and I was able to play comfortably even on hot days."

Already a big fan of the Gel Resolutions, Troy was also very pleased with the Gel Resolution 7s. He shared, "Similar to the previous versions, the 7s have a nice contoured fit. The new upper material required a bit more of a break-in period and was not as comfortable out of the box as the previous version. With that being said, the comfort was nearly equal after the break-in period and was right up there with some of my favorite shoes. Asics' signature Gel midsole provided plenty of padding under the heels and balls of my feet, much like the previous iterations did. The arch support was a good match for my feet (I have medium-height arches). I found slightly less ventilation than the previous two versions, most likely due to the upper material being a bit more dense with less exposed mesh."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.5

Both testers thought the Gel Resolution 7s offered plenty of support and stability for all of their aggressive on-court movements. Troy even found an improvement over the previous version. He explained, "The support and stability were improved from the previous version. The upper material is a bit stiffer and held my foot in place for more support. In the previous version the upper stretched out over time and caused some unwanted movement around the ankle collar. My feet felt more secure in this update, especially in the ankle region. Furthermore, I found that I could trust these shoes when making aggressive lateral changes of direction. There wasn't quite as much support in these as there is in the adidas Barricade 2016, but I would say that they're close to the Asics Gel Resolution 4 in terms of support, which was the best to me out of this lineage."

After a brief adjustment period Chris really enjoyed the level of support and stability, especially through the midfoot. He shared, "I felt very locked in when wearing these shoes. The fit was secure enough that my feet didn't slide around inside them. The uppers also flexed enough to feel comfortable, but the level of support was still there so I could move at my best. On the first couple of wears my feet were slipping a little at the heels. However, I adjusted the laces on subsequent wears, and as the shoes broke in it became a non-issue. I also liked the level of stability from the midfoot shank. My arches felt well protected, and the shoes flexed well when I pushed off to chase down short balls."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.1

Our team is confident the Gel Resolution 7s will even hold up for players who are especially hard on their shoes. Chris, who can wear out a pair of tennis shoes quite quickly, could barely do any damage to his pair over the course of the test. He raved, "The Gel Resolution series has continually met my durability needs. The seventh version didn't disappoint. I put a lot of hours on these shoes and they were still going strong at the end of the test. Both the outsoles and toes resisted wear very well. Zero complaints from me here."

Troy played in his pair for quite a while, and it took him the entire playtest to get his pair to start showing some wear. He said, "The durability was above average and right up there with the previous version. After about two months of playtesting the tread underneath the balls of my feet started balding, but it wasn't worn through to the midsole. For as much time as I spent playing in the Gel Resolution 7s, I found the durability to be plenty sufficient."

Traction - Score: 4.3

We found a near perfect blend of grip and give from the outsoles of the Gel Resolution 7s on the hard courts that we tested them on. "They had a good amount of grip, without being too sticky," Troy shared. "When I had to slam on the brakes I could ease into a stop without rolling an ankle, and at the same time the outsoles provided plenty of traction to grip the court and get me to my next shot. The tread pattern smoothed out after the break-in period and the traction was right where I like it. After about a month of wearing these shoes I found that I could get a bit of a slide when coming to a stop from a full sprint; I'm not quite the hard court slider that Andy is, but I felt comfortable slowing down into my shots."

Chris said, "I moved very well in these shoes, and part of my speed came from the grip I found at push off. My first step felt strong and secure in these shoes. When I was coming to a quick stop I found just the right amount of give to let me slide out of the stop ever so slightly. I had no complaints since I could get grip when needed and slide a little when I wanted. The outsoles never hindered my movement by getting hung up on the court surface."

Weight - Score: 4.1

While not the lightest shoes on the market, the Gel Resolution 7s allowed our testers to move at top speeds without being hampered. "Although the Gel Resolution series has never been designed for all out speed, I've always appreciated their support, durability and stability, even though it comes with some added weight," Chris said. "With that said, I've always felt fast in this line of shoes and that's never been truer than in this version. I felt like I moved very well in them thanks to the supple uppers. The shoes never felt heavy, yet I felt like I was getting all of the support and stability I needed."

Sharing a similar opinion was Troy, who said, "The weight of the Gel Resolution 7s is about average for the type of shoe that I prefer. Typically, the shoes I gravitate to are more comfort and durability-oriented, and with that I have become used to middle/heavy weight shoes. These shoes had a similar feel to the previous version. I obviously didn't find the light and fast feel of the Solution Speed 3s, but I never felt that my movement was hindered due to the weight of these shoes. After the break-in period the Gel Resolution 7s were flexing with my feet, and I was moving well around the court. Their weight is comparable to the adidas Barricade 2016s."

Overall - Score: 4.4