Breakdown

Comfort: 8.4

Despite having less cushioning than many shoes, the Zoom Vapor 12s received some praise from our playtesters when it came to comfort. Jason, who has wider feet, initially found the fit to be a bit snug, but his pair of Vapor 12s felt perfect after a short break-in. He said, “The Zoom Vapor 12s felt a little snug for me at first, especially in the toe box. But they did open up after about one to two hours, and the fit was much better. This update has more of a low-to-the-ground ride, so the cushioning feels more minimalistic, but it didn't feel like it was lacking."

The Zoom Vapor 12s’ streamlined cushioning had a great balance of comfort and responsiveness for Chris. He described, "I found the Zoom Vapor 12s to be very comfortable during both match play and practices. The cushioning in the forefoot felt thin enough to allow me to feel connected to the court, yet I still had ample cushioning for a comfortable ride. The cushioning under my heels was also very good, and I felt comfortable during longer hitting sessions. I liked the way the uppers flexed with my feet, and the shoes felt very natural to move in. Where the shoes were rigid was right where I needed them to be, under my arches. My arches felt very well protected, and I was sprinting around the court with confidence. My only knock when it came to comfort was that I had to tie the laces very tightly to get a secure fit in these shoes, so I did feel a bit of lace pressure on the tops of my feet."

While the forefoot cushioning was minimal, Troy thought the overall comfort was solid. That said, he eventually added inserts in his Vapor 12s for additional arch support. He described, "There wasn't a ton of cushioning, especially in the forefoot, but I still found pretty good comfort overall. The material on the uppers at the vamp and lateral side reminded me a lot of the uppers on the Nike Zoom Vapor 9.5 Flyknits, which I liked. As I mentioned, the underfoot feel and cushioning was somewhat minimal in the forefoot, but the heels felt decently plush and comfortable. I would rate the ventilation as decent, but definitely not as breathable as the adidas Defiant Speed 2s, although I never felt overly hot or stuffy inside these shoes. Lastly, I found the arch support to be a bit on the low side for what I like. After about a week of wear I inserted some arch and heel support inserts, and that seemed to work well for the remainder of the playtest."

The Zoom Vapor 12s offered Munish a low-to-the-ground feel with good comfort and shock absorption, and while they felt a bit tight and narrow at first, they quickly broke in and became more comfortable during play. He said, "I found the Vapor 12s fairly comfortable. I really like shoes that have a low to the ground ride and offer a lot of feel. The Vapor 12s were able to do that very well while still stopping the harsher vibrations and shock from the ground. They felt a bit tight on the sides when I first tried them on, but they felt much better after just a few minutes of play. The fit was still a bit narrow for me, but it wasn't uncomfortable."

Foot Support / Stability: 8.3

Some of our playtesters felt that the lightweight, speed-oriented nature of the Zoom Vapor 12s may have compromised the support and stability of the shoes. Munish thought these Zoom Vapor 12s lacked stability during abrupt stops, which affected his movement and cost him points during play. He said, "I did not find the Vapor 12s very supportive. I felt like I couldn't fully trust them when I had to come to a sudden stop, so I'd try to come to a running stop instead. This lost me a few points when I wasn't able to stop in time to get to the next shot."

Troy found the overall support of these Vapor 12s to be quite solid. He said, "Other than the arch support being lower than I would have liked, I found the support of these shoes to be pretty legit. The biggest standouts for me were the fit and the lacing system. When it came to the fit, the overall profile of these shoes was good for my foot type; there was a nice fit and feel in the toe box and around my toes. The lacing system, with the finger-like eyelets, allowed me to cinch up tightly and create a snug, locked-in fit. The TPU shank plate provided some rigidity to these shoes, which helped with the lateral stability and also worked to help these shoes flex in the right spots. Although I wouldn't consider these Vapor 12s ultra stable, like an Asics Gel Resolution, they did feel relatively stable and supportive compared to most 'speed' shoes."

Chris had to tie the laces extra tightly to prevent his feet from sliding around inside the Zoom Vapor 12s. His feet felt locked in during quick stops once he securely laced his shoes, and he was confident in the support for match play. He described, "My feet had a tendency to slide around inside the Zoom Vapor 12s, so I had to cinch the laces very tightly to get the secure fit I was looking for. I had to especially tie the laces tightly at the last eyelets near the ankle collar because the shoes tended to billow out at heel contact there. With the laces tied tightly, I was good to go for match play and felt confident I'd get the support I needed."

Unlike some of the other testers, Jason was thoroughly impressed with the Vapor 12s’ locked-in fit and rigid uppers, which gave him the confidence to change directions aggressively. He said, "These Zoom Vapor 12s receive high marks from me in this category. Once I had my feet laced up in them, I felt really locked in. I felt very confident planting and changing directions because the uppers felt rigid and stable. These are definitely shoes I felt like I could go 100 percent in without worrying about their rigidity."

Overall Sole Durability: 8.2

Despite not being built to be the most durable tennis shoes, the Zoom Vapor 12s still have enough material to help them last longer than most lightweight shoes. Chris' Zoom Vapor 12s held up fairly well, with expected wear in his high-wear areas. He said, "My pair of Zoom Vapor 12s held up decently. Considering these are designed to be speed-oriented shoes, I was not surprised to see some wear in the usual areas. By the end of the test I had worn the outsole smooth under the big toe of my right foot, but I still had some rubber there to burn through. The toe bumpers were doing a better job handling my toe-dragging tendencies. I had plenty of scuffing at the toe of my left shoe but no significant wear."

Jason's outsoles were only showing minor signs of wear after 12 hours of court time, and he was confident they still had plenty of life left in them. He said, "For being lightweight, speed-oriented shoes, the Zoom Vapor 12s held up pretty well for me. I was able to get 12 hours of court time in these shoes, and they show minimal signs of tread loss. I think I could easily put another 30 hours on them with no issues."

Munish saw minimal smoothing on the outsole, but he still found the rest of the Vapor 12s more durable than some of his other shoes. He said, "I did see some smoothing on the sole, but nothing major, and they still have better durability than other speed-oriented shoes I have tried in the past."

The outsoles and upper materials of the Zoom Vapor 12s held up well for Troy. While some slight balding occurred near the toe, the overall durability was solid. He explained, "The outsoles held up well for me throughout this playtest. I know that these shoes aren't made to be super heavy-duty like the Vapor Cage 4 Rafas, but I feel like Nike did a good job strategically placing added protection in the high-wear zones. I found the outsole rubber at the tip of the toe and on the medial side of the forefoot to hold up surprisingly well. The upper material was also well protected, specifically on the medial side of the shoes."

Traction: 8.9

The traction of the Zoom Vapor 12s worked well for our playtesters. Troy found a perfect balance of grip and give that helped him feel connected to the court. He described, "The traction was great. I have played in so many Nike shoes throughout my 17 years of testing product here at TW, and I can't seem to recall traction issues with any of them. When it comes to the rubber compound, Nike just seems to get it. It probably doesn't hurt that they have had some of the best athletes in tennis as their sponsored players over the years -- Sampras, Nadal, Alcaraz, Serena -- all of whom can likely give feedback on the traction. I liked how connected I felt to the court, but at the same time, the outsoles never felt too sticky. I don't typically slide on hard courts, at least not on purpose, but there was a firmness to the rubber outsole that gave me a bit of give when I came to a hard stop, which I liked since it didn't feel jarring or abrupt."

The Zoom Vapor 12s offered Chris a more grippy and sticky experience on court, which helped him make very quick turns. He said, "I found more grip than give from the outsoles of the Zoom Vapor 12s. I'd say these have a stickier feel on court than the Vapor Pro 3s that we recently tested. I was still able to pivot smoothly, but I was definitely noticing ample grab from the outsoles on the court surface."

Jason found ample grip from the outsoles when moving forward, but he was also able to slide around the court whenever needed. He explained, "There was plenty of grip when I was pushing off toward a ball, but the outsoles were slick enough that I could plant and slide out of a shot without thinking about it."

Munish wasn't overly impressed with the traction of the Zoom Vapor 12s, though they didn't hold him back. He said, "The Zoom Vapor 12s have decent traction. I was able to take off quickly and pivot well, but I didn't feel like there was anything special about the traction. The soles were a bit sticky at first, but that wore off quite quickly."

Weight: 8.8

The Vapor line has been known for its lightweight, speed-oriented design for many years, but the increase in weight has been a common critique in more recent editions. With that being said, these Zoom Vapor 12s return to the Zoom Vapor trademark light and speedy nature, much to Jason's delight. He said, "This was a nice update from the previous generation. This Zoom Vapor 12 is back to the more lightweight style that the Vapor line has been known for. No complaints from me here."

Chris found that the Zoom Vapor 12s offered him a smooth heel-to-toe transition and grippy outsoles, which created a fast and responsive feel on court. He described, "The way the Zoom Vapor 12s transitioned from heel to toe gave them a very fast feel on court. Combine the speed with the grippy outsoles, and I felt like I could take off for a sprint to the ball about as well as I could. I would definitely recommend these Zoom Vapor 12s for anyone who is seeking a fast match day pair of shoes."

While Troy also liked how light and speedy these Zoom Vapor 12s felt, he especially appreciated that they were able to achieve that speed without sacrificing comfort. He said, "I liked the weight of these shoes. The Zoom Vapor 12 shoes definitely felt a bit lighter than the Vapor 11s, and they have a more speedy profile. With that said, I know these shoes are a bit heavier than the adidas Ubersonic 5s or Asics Solution Speed FFs, but I felt like I got a more comfortable and plush feel from the uppers of these shoes. After a slight break-in, I really felt like these Zoom Vapor 12s softened up and started flexing from heel to toe just perfectly."

Despite appreciating the lightweight feel of the Zoom Vapor 12s, Munish thought that adding a bit more weight to their build would boost the stability without taking away from the speedy feel. He explained, "I liked the weight on these shoes. Light and fast is how I'd describe it. I wear pretty heavy shoes in general, so it was nice to play in speedy shoes for a change. However, I wouldn't mind forgoing some of the lightness for some added stability and support."

Breakdown Summary