Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 3 Women's Review

Comfort - Score: 3.6

From the start, our playtesters appreciated the Wave Exceed Tour 3's cushioned feel underfoot, but several had issues with the shoe's overall fit. Brittany described, "The first thing I noticed was the width. These are pretty narrow shoes overall. Even though I have narrow feet, I wasn't able to get the best fit. I found that the toe box was too narrow and caused some pain at the joint of my big toe. The midfoot felt great, but I wasn't able to get my heels locked in (more on that later). There was a solid amount of cushioning underfoot, and the arch support was perfect for me. It did take a break-in period of a couple hours on court for the uppers to soften up and not feel so tight. I thought the shoes ran a bit warm, even during (California) winter weather, and I found myself taking off the shoes once my hitting session was complete."

Kristen also has narrow feet, and she also needed a slight break-in due to the fit. She said, "As this was the first time I've put on Mizuno shoes, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was thoroughly impressed with the step-in comfort of the Wave Exceed Tour 3s. There was noticeable underfoot cushioning, as well as pretty thick cushioning around the ankle collar and heel cup. These shoes definitely have a narrow fit and are a touch long at the toes, but not so much that I would size down. The uppers required a slight break-in period. Even on my narrow feet, they were a bit tight in the forefoot, and my feet felt sore after the first couple of times on court. After two to three hours of wear the uppers broke in enough that I was left with a supportive and comfortable, albeit very snug, fit. The tighter fit and minimal ventilation did leave my feet feeling pretty warm in these shoes."

On the flip side, Michelle didn't have any issues with the fit. She said, "I found the Wave Exceed Tour 3s to be comfortable from the first wear. They reminded me a bit of an older Asics Gel Resolution because the cushioning underfoot was similarly responsive and comfortable. I know some of the other playtesters struggled with the fit, but it worked just fine for me. The length was true, and the width was a snug medium that opened up with my first wear. The one complaint I had was that my feet didn't feel like they sat low enough in the shoes, and I had to utilize that last eyelet to stay locked in."

Tiffani entered this playtest at a bit of a disadvantage. She explained, "When we got our playtest samples, my usual size 6 wasn't available. For this review I wore a 6.5, which usually isn't an issue because I can wear a couple pairs of socks if the length is a bit too generous. When I was a junior player, I actually used to wear 6.5s to try to get a wider fit to accommodate my feet. Surprisingly, even with the larger size these Wave Exceed Tour 3s were much too narrow for my wide feet. From the midfoot down to the toe box, I could feel where the chassis ended underfoot, so there was constant pressure on the sides of my feet. It's unfortunate because if I put that aside, I could sense a cushioned feel, especially in the forefoot. Although I only wore these shoes a few times on the court, I did like the heel cushioning, but I found them to run a bit warm."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.9

While these Wave Exceed Tour 3s don't rank among the most stable shoes on the market, Michelle found them satisfactory for moving confidently on court. She noted, "These shoes offered good support and stability. They weren't the most stable shoes I've worn in the past year, but I felt confident moving, and I never felt like I was going to twist an ankle or lose my footing. As I mentioned above, I had to utilize that last eyelet to feel snug, otherwise I felt like my feet might pop out of the shoes, and I wasn't as comfortable or confident moving in them. Once I did use the last eyelet, I had no problems."

Kristen also felt well supported once on court. She said, "When I walked around in these shoes I could feel my heel slipping up slightly, but I didn't notice it when playing. I felt pretty locked in on court due to the snug fit through the mid- and forefoot. The build of the shoe offered good stability. It also had a pretty low ride, so I was secure in my movements and never felt like I would trip up or roll an ankle."

Tiffani experienced some hiccups in this category due to having to size up. She explained, "As I mentioned, I was wearing a half size larger than usual. I've played in 6.5s before without any issues, but because these shoes already run about a quarter-size long, I could really sense the extra length and tripped on my own feet a bit. I'm not sure if the extra length played a role in this as well, but I had issues with my heel slipping out of the shoes. I tried using the extra eyelet, but that didn't seem to help much. The shallow fit in the heel reminded me of the Asics Gel Solution Speeds. The stability levels, however, felt good. The shoes never felt like they were going to tip over."

Brittany had some similar issues as the others due to the shallow fit in the heels. She commented, "As I mentioned in the comfort category, I was having a hard time getting my heels locked in. Although I felt supported in the forefoot and midfoot, my heels had too much room to move up and down. I used the last eyelet to get a little more cinch around my ankles, which helped a little. However, I never felt fully supported inside the shoes. As far as stability, the Wave Exceed Tour 3s met my requirements. My ankles felt secure when moving, and I did not experience any soreness after playing (which happens to me if ankle stability is low)."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.3

Durability was one area that proved to be a bit less than satisfactory for our playtesters; many started noticing considerable wear on their Wave Exceed Tour 3s early on in the playtest. Kristen said, "After a couple of weeks of playing in these shoes I already had noticeable wear on the soles of the shoes under my toes."

Brittany experienced similar results. She described, "I was expecting a little more durability out of these shoes. I had put about 10 or so hours on them and I was starting to see some smoothing under the big toe and other parts of the forefoot. I would say these shoes are maybe slightly less than average in terms of outsole durability. However, I had absolutely no issues when it came to toe durability. The toe bumper is thick and protects the shoes from any sort of dragging."

Michelle had also been expecting better results in the durability category. She said, "This is the one area that surprised me. I don't always put a lot of wear on my shoes, but I saw some good smoothing under my big toes after a few weeks of wear. I would be a bit concerned if these were going to be my shoes for the next few months."

Tiffani added, "Because of the narrow, long fit, I didn't wear these Wave Exceed Tour 3s much on the court, so I really haven't formed an opinion on the durability."

Traction - Score: 4.0

Across the board, our playtesters found the Wave Exceed Tour 3s to have reasonably balanced traction, and they didn't encounter any issues on court. Tiffani said, "I never found myself thinking about the traction level, so I'll take that as a good sign. I felt confident that I wasn't going to slip, and I didn't feel stuck to the court. As I said, I did trip on my toes a bit, but that was solely because the shoes were long."

Michelle was pleased that the traction remained consistent throughout the playtest. She said, "I liked the traction in these shoes. I was happy to find that the traction didn't turn super slippery despite the smoothing under my feet. There was a good blend of give and tack. I'd say if I had to choose, these are stickier than slick."

Brittany added, "I honestly have no complaints regarding traction. These shoes offered an excellent blend of give and grip. Even though there is ample cushioning, I actually felt pretty connected to the court and was able to trust the shoes when I was making aggressive cuts. They performed exactly how I expected, and I was never surprised with a slip or stick. I honestly didn't even think about the traction during the playtest, which is a good thing!"

Kristen noticed some stick at the beginning of the playtest, but she found the traction to even out as she played in them more. She described, "These Exceed Tour 3s were somewhat grippy for the first couple of hits, and then the traction settled in. Other than noticing some squeakiness on court, I didn't really have to think of traction as these broke in."

Weight - Score: 4.0

The Wave Exceed Tour 3's weight felt well distributed, and while this shoe didn't make the cut for "ultra light," it also didn't weigh our players down on court. Brittany was more than pleased, stating, "I was impressed with the weight. Although the Wave Exceed Tour 3s are not the lightest shoes I have ever worn, I definitely thought they felt lighter than average. I think Mizuno did a great job of distributing the weight within the shoe. I was able to move around the court with ease and felt light on my toes."

Michelle added, "I'd say these shoes didn't feel too heavy, but they weren't especially light either. They landed about in the middle of the spectrum for me. I never felt weighed down, but I know they had cushioning and weren't as minimal as some of the lightweight shoes."

Kristen also thought the Wave Exceed Tour 3s fell more toward the middle of the weight spectrum. She said, "Due to the comfortable nature, streamlined fit and low ride, I felt pretty quick in these shoes. However, with the substantial cushioning and their running a touch long in length, they did feel slightly heavier than their weight would suggest."

Even without her preferred size, Tiffani didn't feel weighed down by the Exceed Tour 3s. She concluded, "The Wave Exceed Tour 3s felt well balanced on the court. Although they didn't fit my wide feet well, I thought the design was quite streamlined. They didn't feel heavy to me at all."

Overall - Score: 3.8