Breakdown

Comfort: 8.9

With a redesigned midsole, the Nike Vapor Pro 3s promise targeted cushioning, and the overall comfort of these shoes earned praise from all of the playtesters. Oak was struck by the exceptional comfort of the Nike Vapor Pro 3s. He said, "The very first thing I felt was immense levels of comfort. It was like that scene in 'Ratatouille' when Anton Ego tries Remy's food and is instantly transported to his childhood. As soon as I put these shoes on my feet, they reminded me of the Air Zoom Cage 2s I grew up playing in. The almost rocker-like levels of comfort, the easy, plush underfoot sensations and the responsive, stable nature of the chassis all took me back. It was a resoundingly positive first impression, and I was delighted to find the shoe's on-court capability also up to scratch. The ventilation was adequate, not too open or sweaty."

The Vapor Pro 3s felt very comfortable to Chris as well. He said, "I loved the comfort I found in the Vapor Pro 3s. The cushioning under my feet felt like the perfect balance between comfort and responsiveness. I also found the uppers to break in nicely and flex well with my feet. The shoes offered adequate ventilation so my feet never felt overheated, and I liked the level of arch support. There was a nice midfoot shank, which pushed the flex point of the shoes correctly to the forefoot region, and my arches felt secure when sprinting around."

The rave reviews continued as Mark stepped onto the court. He found that the Vapor Pro 3s fit true to size and offered great all-around comfort right from the get-go. He said, "I was greeted with 360-degree comfort, and I had an easy time lacing them up for a glove-like fit. Additionally, the upper held my feet in place without any sacrifice to breathability or comfort. The arch height was fine for my high instep when new and actually improved after the shoes molded to my feet."

Having worn the past generation of the Vapor Pros extensively, Jason thought Nike improved the cushioning significantly in this update. He described, "Nike really nailed it with the third-generation Vapor Pros, making them much more comfortable. As soon as I slipped my feet in, I immediately noticed the improved underfoot cushioning. The fit felt a bit snug in the forefoot at first, but it loosened up nicely after a bit of wear."

Foot Support / Stability: 8.4

The Vapor Pro 3s feel light and quick, but these shoes still managed to offer enough support and stability for our testers. Oak found that the Vapor Pro 3s offered exceptional stability and support, but he did notice changes over time. He explained, "The stability of these shoes was incredible. Not once did I feel unsupported by the shoes, and even when moving at full speed, I felt like I could trust the Vapor Pro 3s to hold me up, support me laterally when sliding, or maneuver effectively in reverse when changing directions. The shoes did a great job of supporting me when transitioning up to the net or when I needed to sprint back for a lob. I liked how they felt when returning to the ground after going up for a serve, and the overall ability to trust my movements was greatly appreciated. They also did a great job of letting me chase down balls at full speed without any hindrance. I will say that as I continued to wear the shoes (I put in well over 40 hours), the comfort started to break down a little, and I noticed fatigue in leg muscles where I usually don't experience any. So while the initial support was really solid, I found the drop-off to be a little disappointing. It wasn't anything unusable, and for $130 I figured there was going to be some area where the shoes couldn't maintain their otherwise incredible performance."

Mark was surprised by how supportive these shoes were, even compared to some more substantial alternatives. He said, "While delivering a nimble feel around the court, the new Vapor Pro 3s provided a level of foot support and stability that rivaled other court shoes that are substantially heavier."

Chris found a great balance of stability and agility from the Vapor Pro 3s. He complimented the supportive uppers and the lacing system that provided a locked-in fit even after the break-in period. He described, "I liked the level of stability offered by the Vapor Pro 3s. I found the shoes to offer enough give to feel fast on hard lateral cuts, yet not so much to feel unstable. The uppers opened up quite a bit after break-in, yet I was still able to get a supportive fit from the lacing system."

The Vapor Pro 3s gave Jason excellent support and stability. He also liked how the laces locked in his feet. He said, "This update provides excellent support and stability. I really appreciated how tightening the laces would snugly pull the uppers around my feet, making me feel securely locked in. I could feel the uppers keeping my feet firmly in place when I moved side to side, especially when planting and changing directions."

Overall Sole Durability: 8.0

When shoes are speedier and lighter, durability tends to suffer, but our playtesters found a good balance of speed and durability from the Vapor Pro 3s. While Chris noted some minor wear on his Vapor Pro 3s, the uppers held up quite well. He said, "I did see some wear to the outsoles of my pair of Vapor Pro 3s. I had a special PRM colorway of these shoes that had color-changing soles as I wore through different layers of rubber. I prefer the durability of the Vapor Cage 4s, but these Vapor Pro 3s feel much faster on court. The uppers of the Vapor Pro 3s held up well. My shoes had some scuffing to the uppers, but they weren’t wearing through."

Despite noticeable wear on the left toe area, the outsole of the shoes held up better than Oak expected. He said, "While I am seeing a fair amount of balding on the left medial toe section of my shoes, they haven't worn through. Honestly, with the amount of hours I've been putting into these shoes, I'm surprised they haven't broken through yet. I wish the comfort held up as well as the outsole and uppers did. The foam felt compressed and broken down faster than I would've liked, and I was sad to see that rocker-like feel slipping away."

The Vapor Pro 3 offered Mark decent outsole durability, and he also complimented the well-placed TPU overlays on the lateral and medial sides. He explained, "Underfoot, the outsole durability was better than average. Although I don't drag my toe or slide into shots the way I could when I was younger, the TPU overlays on the medial and lateral sides make the Vapor Pro 3s ideal for those who do."

While Jason didn't experience any major wear, he did notice some tread smoothing after a few hours of play. He said, "I'm not as tough on my outsoles as Chris or Oak, so I didn't have any major durability issues. However, I did notice some tread wear after about 12 hours. If you're looking for an outsole that can really stand up to heavy use, you might be a bit disappointed in how these hold up on hard courts."

Traction: 8.9

The Vapor Pro 3s gripped the court well, according to our team. Jason could move aggressively and still make controlled slides. He said, "There is enough grip that I could push off and not have any slippage issues, but there is also enough give that when I plant, I can slide a bit out of my shots. This makes them ideal for aggressive, modern players who like to slide in and out of their shots."

The Vapor Pro 3s offered Oak responsive traction on court, and despite some outsole balding, his shoes remained fast and stable throughout the playtest period. He explained, "The traction with these shoes was super fun. I felt like I could go after anything I wanted, and I felt supported when getting out of aggressive maneuvers. I loved being able to roll off my toes with ease and trust the traction when pivoting on the balls of my feet. My favorite thing about the traction is that, despite the balding, the shoes are still super fast and responsive. I also loved how stable they felt when sliding."

At first, Mark found the Vapor Pro 3s quite sticky, but the traction felt much better after a few minutes on court. He said, “The traction was a little sticky for maybe the first 10 to 15 minutes of play. After that, and even after more than 30 hours of play in my pair of Vapor Pro 3s, hard-court traction was top-notch."

Chris found some excellent traction and good agility from the Vapor Pro 3s, allowing for quick take-offs, smooth pivots and some sliding as well. He described, "I was very happy with how I could cover the court in the Vapor Pro 3s. I was able to pivot and adjust, and even slide a little, in these shoes without feeling too stuck to the court. For quick starts, I found ample grip to get going."

Weight: 8.1

Although the Vapor Pro 3s aren't the lightest shoes on the market, our playtesters found them to be plenty agile around the court. Mark thought the Vapor Pro 3 looked heavy on paper, but he quickly found that wasn't the case in practice. He said, "At a glance, the Vapor Pro 3's average weight of around 15 ounces had me guessing it would err on the side of support in lieu of speed. However, Nike proved me wrong long before this playtest ended, and the Vapor Pro 3s delivered the best of both worlds."

Oak found the Vapor Pro 3s quicker and more supportive than he had expected. The shoes offered him great cushioning that never slowed him down on court. He said, "Despite coming in relatively heavy on the scale, these shoes are surprisingly nimble and speedy. I never felt weighed down by the Vapor Pro 3s, and I felt encouraged to go all out running down that extra ball. I really liked how the cushion felt substantial to the touch, as if the weight was working with me instead of against me, which can sometimes be the case with heavier shoes."

Despite not being the lightest shoes Chris has tested, the Vapor Pro 3s allowed him to move confidently and focus fully on his game without the weight of the shoes being a concern. He said, "The Vapor Pro 3s might not be the lightest shoes on the market, but I found them to feel very natural on court. It was easy to forget about these shoes and concentrate on my tennis, which is exactly what I want from my footwear. I felt like I could move at full speed, and I also felt confident in the support and stability I was finding, so no complaints from me."

Although the Vapor Pro 3s are heavier than their predecessor, Jason thought the extra cushioning and stability were worth the weight. He explained, "They're definitely heavier than the previous version, but that's perfectly fine with me. With the added cushioning and stability, I'm happy to accept a bit more weight. The shoes don't feel clunky at all."

Breakdown Summary