Breakdown

Comfort: 5.9

Our playtesters were all excited to try out the ON The Roger Pro 2 shoes, and ON definitely made improvements to the breathability and stability of this model. While Zsofi loved the shoe's feather-light feel and snappy response, she didn't find the comfort she was hoping for. She said, "Coming into this playtest, I was super excited that I finally got to try the famous Roger Pro 2 shoes. I heard so much about them! I wanted to love these shoes so badly, and I still do, but there were a couple of unfortunate twists that made this playtest a bit tricky for me. I love how lightweight these shoes are. I felt extremely speedy wearing them, and I could barely feel the weight on my feet. When it came to comfort, I do wish these shoes had just a bit more cushioning, especially after long hours of play. However, I did enjoy how springy the carbon plates made the shoes feel, and I thought it definitely made a difference in the overall performance. Now the part where I struggled a bit — I had consistent pain around the lateral side of my foot, right around my pinky toe area. This pain never went away, even after 15-plus hours on court. I have medium-width feet, so I was a bit surprised to have this issue because it is not common for me." 

Brittany liked the breathability of these shoes, but she would have preferred a more true fit and more cushioning in the forefoot to accommodate her aggressive playing style. She explained, "I was extremely excited for this playtest because I have some casual ON shoes that I love. As I slipped these shoes on my feet, the first thing I noticed was the length. In my true size 8, the shoes ran a little bit short. I also tried a half size up (8.5) but felt like there was too much room in the toe box, so I ultimately decided to stay with my usual size. In a perfect world, I would be a size 8.25 in these shoes. Once on court, the uppers were soft enough that I didn't need a break-in period, and I thought the mesh allowed for great ventilation and airflow. There was some nice plush cushioning around the ankles as well. However, I was missing some cushioning underfoot, and that affected the overall comfort of the shoes. Specifically, there was little to no cushioning in the forefoot, and I needed more shock absorption when I was moving aggressively and pounding on the court surface. The tongue is extremely thin as well."

The ventilation did not disappoint Tiffani, but she was not a fan of the TPU clips on the upper. She said, "When I first tried on The Roger Pro 2s, I noticed they fit a little on the short side, but I stayed in my usual size. Once on court, I never noticed the shoes feeling too short, but if you like a bit of wiggle room at the toes, I would suggest going up a half size. These shoes didn’t feel too narrow when I tried them on, but as I went down to play I ran into some issues with the forefoot feeling tight. Specifically, there's a support piece on the lateral side of the forefoot, and as I moved side to side, my feet pressed into it. The discomfort was especially noticeable whenever I was pulled out wide and had to put more stress on the sides of the upper. These shoes really never felt comfortable to me, unfortunately. The cushioning felt firm and low to the ground, and the excellent breathability was a highlight."

Michelle reported a similar experience, adding, "Unfortunately, this was an uncomfortable playtest for me from start to finish. With the initial try-on, the shoes fit slightly snug in length, but I prefer a snug toe box and assumed they would open up with wear. The toe box was quite compact for me, and as someone who has a tendency to supinate, my feet sprawl outward toward the edges of the lateral sides of the shoes. With the stability piece and TPU wall, my feet just got scrunched, and I found the knuckles of my toes hitting the top of the shoes uncomfortably. After weeks of wear, I just never found synergy with the comfort of these shoes, and after wearing them for an hour on court I was ready to take them off. My feet just hurt, which impaired my experience on the court. Also, the cushioning in these was very firm rather than soft and plush. On a positive note, they were quite breathable, and the cosmetic was very nice. They just didn't fit my feet well, and I can't recommend them because there are so many shoes that perform better at a lower price point."

Foot Support / Stability: 8.2

The enhanced stability and support of the ON The Roger Pro 2s stood out to our whole team. Between the carbon fiber Speedboard, lateral TPU clips and molded heel counter for ankle stability, the torsional rigidity kept these shoes extremely stable and supportive. Michelle described, "Despite my harsh comments about comfort, I can say with confidence that these shoes were very stable. I found the carbon plate helped add structure to the shoes and really added a stable feel. The upper was supportive as well. The upper did not seem to be super flexible and didn't stretch out or open up at all; the shoes did hold up in this category."

Although she felt safe with her movements in general, Brittany did not feel 100 percent secure on court. She explained, "Being so low to the ground due to minimal cushioning, I felt like my ankles were pretty locked in and secure when moving around (I did use the last eyelets). I didn't have any issues with potential rolling of my ankles and had no feelings of 'tipping' when changing directions side to side. On the other hand, the shoes opened up as the playtest wore on, and I couldn't get a secure fit within the shoes. I mostly noticed this when I was moving forward and backward and having to make quick stops. My feet would move within the shoes and jam into the toe bumper."

Stability and support were highlights for Zsofi. She noted, "I really appreciated how supportive the Roger Pro 2s felt. The stability was absolutely top-notch. It is very impressive for shoes with such a light weight to be this stable."

Once she utilized the additional eyelets, Tiffani felt secure in these shoes. She said, "I found it necessary to tie the laces through the extra eyelets around the heel, but once I did that, I never had any issues with support or stability. I think the connected feel also helped keep me grounded in my movements and confident I wasn't going to roll over. Another plus was that even though these shoes ran slightly short, I didn't have any issues with toe jamming."

Overall Sole Durability: 8.2

ON did a good job of making these new The Roger Pro 2s noticeably more durable than the previous model. The mesh upper is abrasion resistant, the rubberized toe cap offers plenty of protection from toe dragging and the improved rubber outsole stands up to intense play. These changes impressed Brittany. She said, "I didn't wear the previous iteration of these shoes, but I did hear there were some durability issues. I am happy to say I am not seeing any wear and tear on the outsoles, uppers and toe bumpers, and I wore these shoes for approximately 10-plus hours. The outsoles still have plenty of life left, and I am seeing no smoothing or damage. The toe bumpers are thick and wrap around, offering protection for toe draggers and the uppers."

Tiffani was also pleasantly surprised by this update's durability. She added, "I put about 10 hours of hard court play on my pair of The Roger Pro 2s, and I don't see much wear on the outsoles. The uppers are holding up as well, and I could wipe away most of the scuffs from my toe dragging."

These shoes held up well for Zsofi too. She noted, "I didn't see much wear on the shoes. I thought durability was OK." 

Because her testing was more limited, Michelle's perspective regarding durability was not as extensive as the rest of the playtest team. She said, "I know one of the main critiques of the original version of these shoes was. That they weren’t very durable. While I didn't push the limits to test durability here because they were shoes I really couldn't wear for more than an hour at a time, they seem to be holding up just fine."

Traction: 8.1

The open herringbone pattern on the soles of the ON The Roger Pro 2s, in combination with the new rubber compound of the outsoles, was received well by our playtesters when it came to the overall traction. Zsofi was particularly impressed. She said, "I definitely want to give a shout-out to ON for getting the traction levels just about perfect for these shoes! I do like a bit of give, but I still want enough grip for quick turns, and I thought ON really nailed those levels for these shoes." 

The traction on the ON The Roger Pro 2s was a great fit for Tiffani's game. She added, "The traction was a good blend of grip and give for me. I could come to a stop quickly enough, and I didn't feel like the shoes caught up on the court unexpectedly."

Brittany would have liked a little more give in the traction. She said, "The ON The Roger Pro 2 shoes offered great court feel. This was in part due to the low-to-the-ground profile, as well as the grippy traction. Personally, I prefer a little more give, especially when I’m pushing out of my shots. There were a couple of times when I would start to change directions and felt a little stuck in place for just a half second, making me a bit slower to react to the next shot."

Although she liked the overall traction of these shoes, Michelle was distracted by the sound they made on the court. She explained, "The traction in these shoes was just fine for me. However, one thing that happened consistently was every time I moved forward to the net, the shoes made a loud sound as my toe dragged. It was slightly comical, and you most definitely could hear me approach. With that being said, the shoes did feel slappy, and this was most noticeable and frustrating when I was returning. I have a very specific return pattern, and it includes split stepping and taking lots of little steps. When I was returning, the ON The Roger Pro 2s tapped so loudly it was distracting at times and made me feel like I was bulky on my feet."

Weight: 7.6

At 12.6 ounces (size 8.5), the ON The Roger Pro 2s fall somewhere in the upper middle range of the weight spectrum for court shoes. Their lightweight mesh uppers helped balance out their heavier stability features. This gave them a quick feel for Zsofi, who said, "The Roger Pro 2s felt super lightweight on my feet. I could barely feel them, and they gave me a pretty speedy sensation overall." 

The rigidity of the ON The Roger Pro 2s stood out to Michelle. She said, "These The Roger Pro 2s are built like a lightweight, speedy pair of shoes, and they felt light. However, for whatever reason, they did not feel fast. As mentioned, they did not flex much, and they were slappy and loud, so they felt a bit clunky and slow when I was taking that first step."

"These shoes felt light on my feet, but I didn't feel fast in them," Tiffani agreed. "They had a tendency to slap on the court, and they didn't transition from heel to toe well, so I wasn't feeling as quick to the ball as I would have thought. As I made quick micro-adjustments right before hitting the ball, I could hear my feet slapping the hard courts. I would like a bit more flex in the toe area as well as a bit more cushioning, which likely would add some weight, but I wouldn't mind it."

The stiffness of these shoes also affected the playability for Brittany. She said, "The ON The Roger Pro 2s weigh in on the heavier side of the scale, and the weight was definitely significant when playing. Additionally, the heel-to-toe transition was on the stiff side, so I was getting a slappy feel. I was hoping that the transition would become a little smoother as the playtest went on, and while there was a small improvement by the end of the test, the overall stiff feel was still there. These two factors made the shoes feel bulkier than what I am used to, and I didn't feel as quick on the court."

Breakdown Summary