Shoe Review: Men's LaCoste Repel - Tennis - timesunion.com - Albany NY

LaCoste Repel Men’s Tennis Shoe Â* Suggested Retail: 115.00 Weight: 15.4 ounces Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Tester: Pete Rinaldi Â* # of hours played with shoesÂ*14Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Rating (1-10; 1- worst, 5 – Average, 10 – best)Â*Â*Â*Â*Fit8Â*Â*Â*Â*Weight7Â*Â*Â*Â*Cushioning 9Â*Â*Â*Â*Width8Â*Â*Â*Â*Outersole Wear9Â*Â*Â*Â*Traction9Â*Â*Â*Â*Stability9Â*Â*Â*Â*Ve ntilation/Breathability8Â*Â*Â*Â*Looks/Style6Â*Â*Â*Â*Total73Â*(out of 90 pts)Â* Â* Pete's Comments: When I took this shoe out of the box I thought …. Hmmm not sure if I like the looks of this shoe. Then made the classic mistake of judging the shoe by that first impression. Well I’m happy to say I was wrong. This shoe is solid and well built. For me the shoe was surprisingly comfortable and had a rock solid feel on the court. My foot was secure, no slipping inside the shoe, <a href="http://www.timberlandfeel.com/timberland-rolltop-c-15.html"><strong>roll top cheap timberland</strong></a> traction and movement were not hindered in any way. I have a feeling people will be polarized on the looks of the shoe, some will like it some will not. But make no mistake this is a solid performer. Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Tester: Ryan Martin Â* # of hours played with shoesÂ*25+Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Rating (1-10; 1- worst, 5 – Average, 10 – best)Â*Â*Â*Â*Fit8Â*Â*Â*Â*Weight7Â*Â*Â*Â*Cushioning 6Â*Â*Â*Â*Width6Â*Â*Â*Â*Outersole Wear7Â*Â*Â*Â*Traction8Â*Â*Â*Â*Stability8Â*Â*Â*Â*Ve ntilation/Breathability8Â*Â*Â*Â*Looks/Style5Â*Â*Â*Â*Total63Â*(out of 90 pts)Â* Â* Ryan's Comments: I like the LaCoste shoes. I think they are probably some of the best performing tennis shoes that I've ever owned. They really did their homework on these shoes and put all of their 85+ years of knowledge and experience with tennis apparel to good use.Â* The traction is excellent, you’ll probably hear alot of this noise while running around on court “squeak!, squeak!”. I found the shoe to be really supportive while still feeling lightweight and maneuverable. The Repels aren't very comfortable to wear around town ala K-Swiss(I find the fit to be a little narrow and stiff for that). I'm not a huge fan of the style (honeycombs?)Â* and I can tell that the soft compound that makes the traction so great is going to wear out quicker than a less grippy shoe. All in all, I think they are excellentÂ*shoes to play tennis in and I applaud Lacoste’s effort. Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Tester: Rich Arnold Â* # of hours played with shoesÂ*15Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Rating (1-10; 1- worst, 5 – Average, 10 – best)Â*Â*Â*Â*Fit8Â*Â*Â*Â*Weight8Â*Â*Â*Â*Cushioning 7Â*Â*Â*Â*Width8Â*Â*Â*Â*Outersole Wear9Â*Â*Â*Â*Traction9Â*Â*Â*Â*Stability9Â*Â*Â*Â*Ve ntilation/Breathability8Â*Â*Â*Â*Looks/Style9Â*Â*Â*Â*TotalÂ*75Â*(out of 90 pts)Â* Â* Rich's Comments: Overall, the Lacoste Repel was an extremely pleasant surprise in a tennis shoe. Although famous for its tennis apparel, Lacoste shoes are not a product I’m very familiar with, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.Â* The first thing I noticed is that from the outside, and if you can get past the large red alligator logo, these are a really nice looking pair of shoes.Â* Traditional white with blue trim.Â* I especially liked <a href="http://www.timberlandfeel.com/timberland-6-inch-premium-c-12.html"><strong>timberland 6 inch professional</strong></a> the blue mesh which covers and protects the sides of the shoes.Â* The mesh is not only stylish, but it allows for a light-weight, breathable material to be placed underneath, so the inside of the shoes stay cool, even after hours of play.Â* Also, the overall construction of the shoe is very sound, and should wear extremely well over time.Â* The next thing I noticed about these shoes was that they had a generous fit.Â* I have flat arches, and normally require a wide width in shoes.Â* However, even at a standard width, these shoes fit quite comfortably, and felt like they were molded for my foot.Â* In addition, even though the shoes weigh 15 ounces, they feel much lighter, and I felt I could move very easily in them.Â* If these shoes have any drawbacks, it would be the insoles.Â* I would have preferred something a little more padded, and softer feeling, but this can easily be fixed by replacing them with a different insole.Â* Overall, the Lacoste Repel is a great tennis shoe, and one that I would highly recommend. Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Tester: John Lockwood Â* # of hours played with shoesÂ*10+Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* Â* Rating (1-10; 1- worst, 5 – Average, 10 – best)Â*Â*Â*Â*Fit8Â*Â*Â*Â*Weight7Â*Â*Â*Â*Cushioning 6Â*Â*Â*Â*Width6Â*Â*Â*Â*Outersole Wear7Â*Â*Â*Â*Traction7Â*Â*Â*Â*Stability9Â*Â*Â*Â*Ve ntilation/Breathability8Â*Â*Â*Â*Looks/Style7Â*Â*Â*Â*Total65(out of 90 pts) Â* Â* John's Comments:When I first saw the shoes I wasn’t wild about the colors and styling.Â* The green mesh on the side didn’t really do it for me.Â* However over the testing period the style grew on me a little bit.Â* The performance of the shoe surprised me.Â* I know Lacoste to be known more for their style than their performance.Â* I know Andy Roddick has been wearing their apparel so it seems as though Lacoste has added performance apparel and shoes to their lineup.Â* This shoe has less cushioning than I’m used to with tennis shoes.Â* The lack of cushioning allows your <a href="http://www.timberlandfeel.com/"><strong>timberland waterproof boots</strong></a> feet to be lower to the ground and as a result you’re more stable for quick cuts and sprints.Â* So the shoe lacked a bit in the comfort and cushioning departments but made up for it in stability.Â* It’s always difficult to test the durability of tennis shoes in such a short period of time, but I did not notice any unusual wear or tear on the outsole or on the toe box where I would usually drag my trailing toe on volleys. Â* Â* Â* Â*Tester: Sherwin SoÂ* # of hours played with shoes8Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Rating (1-10; 1- worst, 5 – Average, 10 – best)Â*Â*Â*Fit8Â*Â*Â*Â*Weight8Â*Â*Â*Â*Cushioning8 *Â*Â*Â*Width8Â*Â*Â*Â*Outersole Wear7Â*Â*Â*Â*Traction8Â*Â*Â*Â*Stability8Â*Â*Â*Â*Ve ntilation/Breathability8Â*Â*Â*Â*Looks/Style6Â*Â*Â*Â*Total69(out of 90 pts) Â* Sherwin's Comments: When I first opened the box, I wasn't too keen by the look/style of the shoes, but once I got past that, and tried it on, it felt good with plenty of width and lightweight.Â* Right off the bat, they did not feel stiff and really felt comfortable.Â* On the court, they were lightweight and my movement was not compromised.Â* It did feel a little "narrow" on the outersoles as within the 1st two hours of play I turned my ankle.Â* After that, I put on my ankle braces and that seemed to do the trick.Â* Overall, the shoe, performance-wise is a very good match day shoe. As for the looks, not a big fan but they do offer it in several colors/styles. Â* Â* Â* Overall Average Score: Â*AveFit8.00Â*Â*Weight7.40Â*Â*Cushioning7.20Â*Â*Wi dth7.20Â*Â*Outersole Wear7.80Â*Â*Traction8.20Â*Â*Stability8.60Â*Â*Venti lation/Breathability8.00Â*Â*Looks/Style6.60Â*Â*Total69Â*Â*Max Points90Â*Â*Adj. Score (base 100)76.67 Â* Most of the play-testers commented on the look/style of the LaCoste Repel and some even did not like the big Izod Alligator logo being so big.Â* It did not however, deter them from scoring the shoe on performance above average especially on fit, traction, stability, and breathability, attributes most people look for in a shoe.Â* The only sore spot was the cushioning, or lack thereof.Â* The stock insoles were very thin and provided no cushioning whatsoever.Â* To remedy this, purchasing custom <a href="http://roleparty.com/blog/blog.php?do=showone&uid=11216&type=blog&itemid=125 9248"><strong>You can join in the Christian Louboutin Sandals fans group as well ...</strong></a> insoles will alleviate this issue. Overall, the play-testers were pleasantly surprised at the performance and some even recommended the shoes. The price may deter some people as the average consumer paying 115 for a pair of shoes is somewhat unlikely.