Yonex Sonicage 2 Women's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 3.7

The Yonex Sonicage 2s offered our playtesters a snug fit and a firm, responsive feel underfoot. The narrow fit worked perfectly for Brittany. She described, "My narrow-width feet were super happy when I slipped on these shoes. I had no extra room in the toe box and no heel slippage. This made it very easy to head straight down to the court without making any adjustments. On court, I appreciated how soft and flexible the uppers were, and I did not have any rubbing or discomfort. As far as cushioning goes, I would have preferred a little more under my forefoot, but I was satisfied with the amount under my heel. There was plenty of plush cushioning around the ankle collar and tongue."

"The past few times I wore Yonex shoes, they have fit quite snuggly," said Michelle. "I was happy to find that the Sonicage 2s fit my medium feet well and weren't too narrow. The uppers were comfortable and molded to my feet, offering good breathability too. The cushioning underfoot was firm and responsive, definitely not plush. I am fairly familiar with Yonex's Power Cushion+ midsole, and I like that it provides energy with each step, keeping me feeling fast on the court."

Our playtester with the widest feet, Tiffani, struggled with the narrower width. She said, "Yonex shoes have historically not fit my feet well, and unfortunately, the Sonicage 2s fell right in line. Although the length of these shoes was true to size, the toe box felt very slim for my wide feet. I tried them on for fit on a day I wasn't planning on playing, so when I scheduled my first hit in these shoes, I knew to pack some of my thin socks to minimize the squeeze. The uppers seemed to soften a bit over time, but the shoes never quite opened up. I struggled to find a balance between cinching the laces tight for support and leaving them virtually untied for comfort. I also wish there was a bit more cushioning in the forefoot. There were times when I could really feel the court on quick cuts. The cushioning in the heel, however, was nice. The guys have a wide version of the Sonicage 2, and I wish Yonex made a wide-fitting women's model too."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.8

The Sonicage 2s surprised our team with higher-than-expected levels of both support and stability. Michelle had no issues at all in this category. She said, "The snug fit of the uppers added to a supportive feel. These shoes felt stable, and I never felt like they lacked in the support or stability department, which is impressive for shoes this light."

"As a stickler for support and stability, I find that lightweight shoes can often lack one or both," continued Brittany. "I was pleasantly surprised that the Sonicage 2s held up to my needs. I was able to sit nice and deep within the shoes and cinch the laces tightly, creating a stable fit around my ankles with no movement. Now, these aren't going to be the most stable or supportive shoes on the market, but they did their job. I had no fears of rolling an ankle or being sore after a tough workout."

Tiffani had to make some adjustments throughout the playtest to get the support where she wanted it. She said, "Like I mentioned in the comfort section, I fiddled with the laces to find the correct amount of support. At first, I barely had the shoes tied because they felt so glove-like, but that turned out to not work very well in terms of support. I was sliding around on top of the shoe too much. I decided to cinch the laces down more, but then I struggled with pain on the sides of my feet. I would adjust my laces throughout a hitting session in an attempt to find a happy middle-ground, but I would generally opt for a slightly too-tight feel to increase support. On the other hand, the stability was never in question for me. I thought these shoes felt rigid enough to keep my ankles from rolling."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.5

Given the Sonicage 2's feather-light weight, our playtesters were satisfied with its decent durability. Tiffani explained, "I put close to 10 hours on these shoes and started to see some smoothing on the medial side of the forefoot. The outsoles are doing about as expected for light shoes. Looking at the amount of rubber on the outsoles, I wouldn't say these shoes are going to be especially durable. However, that's to be expected when you have shoes this light. With the plastic uppers, I had no issues with toe durability."

Michelle also found the level of durability she was expecting. She described, "I'd say the durability of these Sonicage 2s was average for a lightweight shoe. I am seeing some wear under my big toes after a few weeks of use. These are not going to be the most durable shoes, but they held up as expected for their weight. The upper also remained intact and held up well."

"With the playtest wrapping up, I was happy to see that my 10-plus hours on court did little damage to the outsoles," added Brittany. "They have very little, if any, smoothing under the high-wear areas. The toe bumper is also nicely built up, and I don't expect to have any issues with that at all."

Traction - Score: 3.5

A durable rubber combined with a modified herringbone pattern had the Sonicage 2s gripping the court more than our playtesters would have liked. Luckily, our team agreed that the outsoles wore in nicely after a bit of time on the courts. At the start of the playtest, the Sonicage 2's tacky outsoles made it hard for Brittany to move around smoothly. She described, "There were definitely times when I was pulled out wide and I got stuck, costing me a bit of time recovering back to the middle. As the playtest wore on, I found that the outsoles started smoothing out a little, making the transitions easier."

"For the first few hours of use, these Sonicage 2s felt very sticky on the hard court," agreed Tiffani. "The feel was grippier than I prefer, but after about three hours I felt a little bit more confident in my transitions. The outsoles were pivoting better and allowing for smoother footwork."

Michelle prefers outsoles with a little extra grip. However, the Sonicage 2's traction started off a little too sticky even for her. She said, "One of the things I noticed within minutes of wearing these shoes was how tacky the outsoles were. I like tacky outsoles, but these were very sticky. I was hoping they would wear down as the playtest went on, and they did. I was happier with the worn-down level of traction at the end of the playtest than I was at the very beginning when I felt like I had sandpaper on the bottom of my feet."

Weight - Score: 4.4

The light weight of the Sonicage 2s proved to be the standout feature for our team. Michelle certainly appreciated how light these shoes felt, and she had nothing but positives to share. She said, "I always felt fast in the Sonicage 2s, and I expected them to weigh a bit more than they actually do. I never felt weighed down and was always ready to move quickly or scramble around the court."

Tiffani felt speedy around the court in the Sonicage 2s. She described, "These shoes are very light. They also fit like a glove. Those features make the Sonicage 2s feel very fast on court. The ride is low as well. The light weight was the highlight of this test for me."

With a preference for lightweight shoes, Brittany felt right at home in the Sonicage 2s. She wrapped up the playtest, saying, "These shoes only weigh 9.9 ounces (size 8.5), and they feel light when moving around. As a fan of lightweight shoes, I thought this was one of the standout features. These shoes flexed well, and I could move seamlessly around the court without thinking about them."

Overall - Score: 3.8