Nike Air Zoom Cage 3 Women's Review

Comfort - Score: 3.8

Brittany first noticed the bootie construction when she slipped the Nike Zoom Cage 3s on her feet. She described the fit, saying, "It felt like slipping my feet into socks. Once I stood up and walked around I noticed the uppers, which were definitely on the stiffer side. They needed a fairly long break in period, but I didn't think they were as stiff as the previous version. The more I wore them the better they felt. The cushioning underfoot was substantial, and I thought they did a great job of absorbing shock. I would have liked better ventilation, however. These aren't shoes I would continue to wear after playing tennis, and I would take them off as soon as I was off the court."

Even though Michelle liked the cushioning, she did notice the stiff uppers and experienced some pain on the court. She said, "The Cage 3s were a bit of a torture device for my big toes. I'm surprised I had toenails after this playtest wrapped up. I noticed some toe jamming during my first hit in them, but I assumed it would dissipate as the playtest continued. A week later I hit in them for a couple hours and had severe burning (blisters starting) under my big toes, and the uppers were pressing into the tops of my toenails. I wanted to completely supinate my feet so my big toes weren't even touching the ground in hopes of avoiding the pain. After a month the edges of my toenails still bothered me whenever I was pulled off the court and needed to move aggressively to run the ball down. Aside from that, I found the cushioning and comfort to be good. I was happy with the feel underfoot, and the bootie was extra comfortable and felt great. Unfortunately, the toe pain and toe jamming was enough to hurt my comfort score."

After wearing the Nike Zoom Cage 3s almost exclusively for over a month on the court, Hannah raved about the comfort, explaining, "The shape of these shoes was really geared toward my movement preferences. I was a huge fan and longtime user of the original Nike Air Max Cages, and these are more like those than the Cage 2s. This update had less material overall than the Cage 2s, so they felt more streamlined, less bulky, lighter and more contoured to my narrow and flat feet. The cushioning and comfort features were plush, but not too built up. The cushioning provided a good layer between the court and my feet while still giving that connected feel. I liked the bootie design because I tend to tie my shoes on the loose side, and the bootie hugged my feet really well without me having to cinch up the laces for fit reasons. Lastly, I had no issues with the uppers. After a couple hours of break in they were flexible, breathable and form fitting. My first impression was that the length ran short, but they softened up after a few hours. I ended up liking the snug fit of these shoes because they really moved with me. My only knock against them was that my Cadence insoles did not fit great in them. I might have to try going up a half-size for long-term use."

Like Michelle, Tiffani's comfort score was negatively affected by toe jamming. She said, "If my memory serves me correctly, I didn't find the Zoom Cage 2s to be very comfortable out of the box. These Cage 3s seemed a little bit more flexible than the previous version, but I still struggled with comfort. The uppers were quite stiff and didn't loosen up for me much even after a dozen hours of play. The toe box was also quite shallow, and the shoes felt slightly short in length. All of this created some issues with toe jamming for me. I never really got these shoes to flex for me correctly, so I really could feel them when I was running on the court. I found myself wishing that there were some flex grooves on the outsoles to help them bend. The ventilation was average for me, and the arch support was somewhat low. I didn't feel well supported through the arch, but I think that goes back more to the shoes not forming and moving with my feet. I wish the Zoom Cage 3s were a bit more flexible because I did like the cushioning, but all the other comfort issues overshadowed that for me."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.5

The highlight of the playtest for the team was the support and stability of the Zoom Cage 3s. Tiffani said, "The shoes felt very stable on court, and though I struggled with some toe jamming, I didn't feel that it was because the shoes weren't supportive enough; it was more of a result of the shallow toe box and slightly short fit. It never crossed my mind to worry about a lack of support and stability. I can't complain in this department, but I don't think I require shoes this built up anymore."

Hannah elaborated, "I always felt stable in these shoes. Even when my footing was off or I was on the run out wide I was never thinking about my shoes. They held my feet securely and seemed to adapt to my footwork versus me having to monitor my steps. The stability was a great complement to the slicker traction. It was a treat to have this amount of stability and support considering how nice and light these shoes felt."

Michelle needed to break in these shoes to fully appreciate the support and stability features. "The ankle collars felt a bit stiff for a couple weeks," she said. "After several hours of wear they seemed to break-in and be OK. Once the stiffness was no longer an issue I was really happy with the level of support that I got from these shoes. I like feeling comfortably snug and hugged by the uppers, and these shoes did just that. I prefer stable shoes and really enjoyed the stability from the Cage 3s. I felt well supported and confident moving aggressively."

The support and stability were excellent for Brittany. She noted, "The bootie construction helped keep my feet in place when I was moving aggressively. Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the stiff uppers, I do give them credit for adding extra stability, especially in the ankle area. I felt pretty secure when changing directions and had the confidence that these shoes would support me when I played singles points."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.5

Backed with a six-month durability guarantee, these Cage 3s promise durability, and that's what Nike delivered. Michelle was pleased with the overall durability of these shoes despite encountering comfort issues. She said, "I think the outsoles held up really well. Granted, at the beginning of the playtest I seemed to mark up the toe guard significantly, which was odd because I don't usually have issues there. But as far as the actual outsoles, mine are holding up, and I'm impressed with the durability. I kept putting these shoes on and wearing them to try to make peace with the comfort issues I was having, so I spent some solid hours in them, and I'm still very impressed with how little wear the outsole is showing."

Reminiscing back to her junior and college tennis days, Brittany praised the durability of the Cage series. She said, "The Nike Breathe Free IIs were my shoes of choice because they were comfortable and stable, AND they were durable. The Cage series has been durable in the past, and this update is no exception. I saw no wear, even in my high wear areas (big toe). These would make great practice shoes since they can take a beating. The toe bumper was showing a little bit more wear, and I was starting to see some smoothing on my right shoe at the end of the playtest. However, there was enough material on the toe bumper for it to last beyond the playtest."

"I have plenty of life left on both the outsoles and the toes of the Cage 3s," Tiffani admitted. "The tread has started to smooth out at the tips of the toes, but the tread under my big toes, which is another high wear area for me, has plenty of rubber left. The tops of the toes show shoe cosmetic wear, and since I've scuffed that area up the toes are collecting dirt a little easier, but these shoes are more durable than most others I've worn this year."

Finding minimal wear after a month of steady play, Hannah, like the other playtesters, was impressed. She noted, "Another excellent feature was the durability of these shoes. I've been playing in them about four times a week for more than a month, so slight smoothing is expected. Other than that I didn't have cosmetic wear on the top of the toe box or any other problems. The highest wear areas were under my big toes and at the toe guards."

Traction - Score: 3.9

The Cage 3s aim to offer traction on the hard courts with a modified herringbone tread pattern. Michelle noted, "As we were playtesting I kept hearing the other ladies mention that the outsoles felt slippery, but I actually never experienced that. I also don't like sliding out on shots and have a tendency to go out of my way to stop my movement with steps rather than sliding. I think I experienced some toe jamming on my lateral movements because of that. I had a lot of pain at the ends of my toes for a couple weeks, especially my big toes. It was frustrating, and I wanted to stop wearing these shoes. Toward the end of the playtest I had less toe jamming, so that was a positive, but that was well after a month of wearing the Cage 3s. I avoid sliding as much as possible, so it may have something to do with the way I was trying to avoid sliding, but traction wasn't an issue for me."

Hannah welcomed the slick traction of the Cage 3s, saying, "The traction offered more give than grip, and I think that if I was going to learn how to slide on hard courts it would be in these shoes. I've started messing around with it, and I'm having fun getting that extra little slide in and out of my shots (still experimenting). Even if you aren't comfortable with trying to slide, the Cage 3s are stable and supportive enough for the smoother traction to not be an issue. I tend to move a little bit more aggressively on the court, so I was really pushing the boundaries of the traction on purpose."

At first glance, Brittany questioned the potential for grip from the Cage 3s. She explained, "I was unsure how the traction was going to be because there didn't appear to be a lot of grip built into the outsoles. When I hit the court I was more than happy with the traction levels, though. My suspicions were more or less confirmed, as the traction was a little more on the slippery side. I like shoes with traction that offers a little more give than grip, but I did have to get used to a little extra sliding at times. These shoes don't offer a low-to-the-ground feel, but I also never felt like I was sitting high off the ground. It was a perfect in between."

Tiffani's overall impression of the traction landed somewhere in the middle. She offered, "These shoes felt pretty good overall in the traction department. They offered more give than grip, and there were a few times when I wanted them to hold onto the court a little bit better. I only had issues when I was pulled out really wide, and in some of those instances I felt my feet move a bit more than I would have liked. The sliding wasn't extreme or out of control, I just prefer a little more tack when taking off for the next ball."

Weight - Score: 4.0

At 11 oz (size 8.5), these Zoom Cage 3s land in the lightweight category. "They come in weighing lighter than both the Vapor 9.5 Tours and the Ultra Reacts, which is a tad surprising because they feel so stable and are a durable option," said Hannah. "I would say that on court they don't necessarily feel lighter than a Vapor, but I do think they feel lightweight, and I never felt them on my feet dragging me down. They were perfect for my aggressive footwork and quick cuts."

Brittany had a similar reaction to Hannah, and she also commended the on-court performance. She said, "The weight of the Zoom Cage 3s surprised me. I actually thought the shoes were heavier than their actual weight. I could not believe they weighed as little as they did. The Zoom Cage 3s felt about average to me on court, not too light and not too heavy, which for me is a good thing."

Michelle echoed the others comments, adding that the weight is an improvement from the last iteration. She noted, "These shoes never felt heavy, which was a big positive because I found past versions of the Cage to feel a bit bulky. The bootie really was light and supportive, and weight was never an issue. I never felt slow in these shoes. I appreciated how quick they felt considering they were so durable and stable."

The Zoom Cage 3s were not as quick on the court as Tiffani was hoping they would be. She said, "I didn't necessarily feel weighed down on the court in the Zoom Cage 3s, but they didn't feel especially quick around the court either. It goes back to the stiff feel for me. I was always so aware of the shoes on my feet. I could feel them trying to bend, and they didn't flow naturally with my footwork."

Overall - Score: 4.0