Breakdown

Comfort: 7.6

Since the ON The Roger Pro 2s were generally on the stiffer side for our testers, our team was a little apprehensive heading into testing ON’s The Roger Pro Fires. Thankfully, the underfoot cushioning and overall comfort of The Roger Pro Fires worked much better for our team. Although he had some qualms with the fit length-wise, Mark generally found good cushioning, but he noted the more minimal construction under the balls of his feet. He explained, "The uppers provided good support and comfort, and they were breathable enough that my feet never overheated on court. The width felt like a medium, which was perfect, but the size 11 was a bit short. It fit my slightly shorter left foot perfectly, but my right foot was a little crowded for the first few hours of wear. The Pro Fires featured a sufficient level of cushioning in the rear of the shoes, but there was noticeably less midsole material located up front, which is to be expected in court shoes that feature a low-to-the-ground stance. The stock arch inserts felt pretty flat under my feet, which never bothered me, but they didn’t exactly hug the contours of my feet."

Troy experienced similar concerns with the fit. He noted, "Right off the bat, I found these ON The Roger Pro Fires to fit slightly short in length. I think part of this had to do with the design of these shoes; the height of the uppers is very shallow at the very tip of the toe box. Also, the TPU material on top of the toes is rather firm, so I think it was putting some added pressure on top of my toes. I was hoping that things would get better after a break-in period and if I wore extra-thin no-show socks, but in the end I realized that I would have been better off going up a half size to a 10. Beyond the fit issue I experienced, I was also left wanting more in terms of the cushioning. These The Roger Pro Fires felt very low to the court and provided a nice and stable base in the forefoot, but there just wasn't much shock absorption under the forefoot. I found the arch support to be pretty much average, kind of that medium-to-low height that we find on a lot of the tennis shoes that we test. These shoes aren’t too stuffy, but they’re not super breathable either, so I really have no complaints on that end."

While Oak also thought the ON The Roger Pro Fires felt fairly firm, he found enough comfort to let him move freely. He said, "Although these Roger Pro Fires did require a bit of a break-in, they had great comfort in most of the areas I'm looking for in a pair of court shoes. I thought the shoes felt superb once broken in. More cushioned than the Pro 2s, these Pro Fires are definitely still on the firmer side relative to what's out there. The fit was very good, but not super locked down around my heels, so I laced them a little tighter and used the last eyelet to lock down my feet. I have no complaints with the ventilation, and arch support felt adequate."

In Chris' estimation, the ON The Roger Pro Fires emphasized performance over comfort. He said, "I found the ON The Roger Pro Fires to be decently comfortable on court. I would consider these performance shoes, where the emphasis has been placed on speed, support and stability rather than plush comfort. There was just enough cushioning under my feet to take the sting out of tough landings, and I'd call the forefoot cushioning minimal. The uppers broke in easily, and I never felt any uncomfortable rubbing or pinching throughout the test. I also liked the level of ventilation in the shoes; my feet never felt overheated during play."

Foot Support / Stability: 8.8

Across the board, the support and stability of the ON The Roger Pro Fires was easily their best area of performance for our playtesters. Earning high marks and garnering praise for how they held feet in motion, these shoes helped our team move with maximum intensity. Chris loved how well the ON The Roger Pro Fires supported his feet. He said, "One of my favorite things about these shoes is how secure I felt moving around the court in them. The uppers held my feet nicely. Even on aggressive lateral stops, I never felt like the uppers had the kind of give that would let my feet slide off the base of the shoes. My arches felt supported, and the shoes had a nice flex point under the forefoot. It felt like the shoes were working with me by flexing where they needed to flex yet still offering good stability. I felt fast on the court in these The Roger Pro Fires because I had the confidence to push to my maximum."

Likewise, Oak found top-notch stability when putting the pedal to the metal in these shoes. He said, "I had no qualms with the ON The Roger Pro Fires and how they held my feet. I also found the overall stability to be excellent, which allowed me to more easily trust the shoes when moving aggressively. I felt comfortable going all out when scrambling for shots, knowing that the shoes would take care of me in more dire circumstances. I also felt like I could easily apply the brakes when sliding, and the shoes' overall flatter chassis felt great moving with me into and out of a pocket. This flatter profile is definitely unique as far as how it holds my feet in place, and it might not work as well for those who really 'roll' off the balls of their feet. But, if you like feeling that flatter contact with the court and staying level and balanced even at higher speeds, these ON The Roger Pro Fires are great for sturdier, less flighty movement."

The on-court support made Troy feel very connected to the court. He explained, "When it came to foot support and stability, these shoes were legit. You sit down in these shoes like a bucket seat in a sports car, so they give you a low-to-the-court profile, especially in the forefoot. It felt seamless to transition my feet and change directions when I was moving side to side in these shoes on the baseline.

The support and stability were among Mark's favorite aspects of the ON The Roger Pro Fires. He described, "One of the best features of the ON The Roger Pro Fires was their level of stability and overall support. Between their low-to-the-ground profile and supportive upper construction, my feet were comfortably held in place, and I was never concerned with rolling or twisting an ankle."

Overall Sole Durability

The durability of the ON The Roger Pro Fires was a bit of a mixed bag, with some testers noticing faster-than-anticipated balding under the forefoot of the shoes. For Troy, the durability of the uppers and the back half of the shoes proved very impressive, but he found more discernible wear under the front portion. He said, "I found the durability of the outsole to be good for the most part. The forefoot had a bit of tread balding, but other than that the rubber seemed to be holding up well. With that said, for the price of these shoes and the fact that they’re the durable option in ON's tennis shoe line, I would be hard-pressed as a consumer to choose these shoes over other options that come backed by a durability guarantee (adidas Barricade 13, Asics Gel Resolution X, KSwiss Ultrashot 4, New Balance CT Rally 2). The upper material seemed to be pretty sturdy and drag-resistant. The TPU material protected the shoes very well when I dragged my toes on volleys."

Mark was quite impressed by how well the ON The Roger Pro Fires held up over the course of the playtest. He described, "Besides being supportive, the uppers were also pretty durable due to the use of TPU overlays placed in the high-abrasion areas across the toe box and on the medial side. The outsole durability was pretty good overall, especially for court shoes that sit pretty low to the ground."

Like Mark, Oak found the overall lifespan of the ON The Roger Pro Fires to be well above average. He said, "Durability has been excellent, just like the other ON shoes I've worn. The upper held up nicely as well, and the toe area of the shoe also shows very minimal signs of wear. The left front toe section, which I normally burn through the quickest with any court shoes, looks only slightly worn compared to the right side. This is just a very impressively made shoe overall."

On the other hand, Chris experienced faster wear and balding relative to other elite performance shoes he's playtested. He explained, "The level of durability was OK in these shoes. I saw some wear to the upper of my left shoe from toe dragging. My The Roger Pro Fires were still winning the durability battle at the end of the test, but I had sufficient scuffing, and the remaining material was pretty thin. Also, the outsole of my right shoe was worn smooth under my big toe. I still have many hitting sessions left before I wear through the outsole completely, but I did see a little more wear compared to other performance shoes I've tested this year."

Traction: 8.8

Our whole team could agree that the ON The Roger Pro Fires fell nicely into that ideal balance of grip and give. Chris trusted his The Roger Pro Fires on the court. He said, "Another aspect of the ON The Roger Pro Fires I liked was the level of traction. I found ample grip to get me going when I was looking to push off quickly, and I was able to plant confidently and cut back without any undue slippage when making aggressive lateral cuts. I also liked that there was enough give from the outsoles to let me pivot and slide on the court without feeling too stuck or hung up on the court surface."

Oak had no complaints when it came to traction and moved around the court with ease in the ON The Roger Pro Fires. He said, "I thought the traction was superb! I found very good grip, perhaps bordering on a little too good for me initially, but it never really limited my movement or left my feet feeling stuck to the ground. I will say that I am looking forward to these shoes balding slightly for a little more slickness when sliding, that is, if they ever do manage to bald."

Mark also found better-than-expected levels of traction with his The Roger Pro Fires, moving around quickly and easily from the get-go. He noted, "Typically, new tennis shoe traction is a little sticky the first few minutes before wearing off, but the outsole rubber compound of the ON The Roger Pro Fires felt firmer and the traction was great from the start. Instead of making the usual chirping sounds when I was braking, these shoes were much quieter."

Troy reported excellent, reliable traction from his The Roger Pro Fires, which let him comfortably change direction whenever needed. He explained, "The traction of these shoes was great, and I felt sure-footed when moving in all directions on the court. There was plenty of grip for whenever I needed to stop and change directions. If I was on the run and had to come to a stop, the rubber outsole provided a smooth deceleration."

Weight: 8.2

Although their weight landed pretty much right in the middle of the range, these ON The Roger Pro Fires felt and moved like a more lightweight pair of shoes, and they proved speedier than Troy anticipated. He described, "I would say the overall weight was pretty middle of the road. However, these shoes did have a speedy profile to them, giving me a secure fit as well as a low-to-the-court feel in the forefoot. In terms of the weight on the scale, these The Roger Pro Fires are sort of middle-to-high on the spectrum (for performance tennis shoes), but I would say they handle a bit more like speed shoes."

The ON The Roger Pro Fires' weight reminded Mark of heavier options from other brands, but he too found them to perform much more like speed oriented shoes. He explained, "My pair of size 11s came in around 15.9 ounces, which gets them close to the weight of shoes like the Asics Gel Resolution Xs and the Prince T22s, but the ON The Roger Pro Fires felt much speedier around the court compared to either."

Chris thought the ON The Roger Pro Fires struck the right balance of weight and performance features. He said, "I was able to lace the ON The Roger Pro Fires up and focus on my tennis without being concerned that I was being too weighed down or wishing the shoes had more support and stability. With that in mind, I have to say ON found just the right amount of materials to use in these shoes to make them performance-ready without feeling too heavy."

While Oak didn’t find the weight of the ON The Roger Pro Fires to be detrimental, he noted the gap between them and true lightweight options. He said, "The weight of these shoes was never really a factor for me. They aren't lightweight speed demons at 15.4 ounces for a size 10.5, but I never felt limited in them either. This was definitely a time when the weight was working for me and never against me."

Breakdown Summary