INTRODUCTION
Acacia has done it again. The company has created what I consider to be the best pickleball shoe I have ever used. I took it out of the box yesterday and, without breaking it in (there was no need to) I played three hours of pickleball this morning, one hour of which was drilling—constant lateral movement.
When I first started playing pickleball, I was also playing tennis, so I used my tennis shoes for pickleball. My go-to shoe was the Nike Air Zoom Vapor Pro, of which I had three pair. I found out that the shoes were a bit too narrow in the toe box and, because of the side-to-side nature of pickleball, they wore out quickly.
I was also jogging back then, something I cannot do now because of knee problems,and using Brooks Hyperion shoes. I began using them for pickleball because they had a wide toe box, but they really wore out on the bottom in a hurry.
When we went to a Tyson McGuffin camp, I learned about the Skechers pickleball shoes. I bought a pair of the Relaxed Fit Viper Court shoes, but they were too narrow in the toe and way too stiff. I then switched to the Skechers Viper Court Pro shoes, but they were even stiffer. Both are vitrually new and going to a Humane Society thrift store. FYI, I like Skechers for other reasons and have numerous pairs of hiking/walking shoes.
Then I discovered the Acacia “dinkshot” pickleball and I was sold. The company claims to be the first company to have designed a shoe specifically for pickleball, and I believe it. You can read my review of the dinkshot shoe here: https://theadventurousboomer.blog/acacia-pickleball-shoes-review/
Don’t get me wrong – the dinkshot is a great shoe. Both the dinkshot and the Tyler Loong have a wide toe box, which is essential (in my opinion) for the side-to-side shuffling motion that is so prevalent in dink battles. In addition, I suffer from something called Morton’s Neuroma, an inflammation of the never bundle under your toes. As with the dinkshot, I had no issues with my Neuroma.
If, after reading this, you are interested in purchasing the Tyler Loong Signature II Cloud Shoe, or any other shoe, off the Acacia website, use this code for 10% off—Boomer490.
Here is the website address: https://acaciasports.com/
DETAILED REVIEW
Below are photos of the shoe, top and bottom.
I can’t comment on the design of the bottom of the shoe except to say that it is flexible, soft on my toes and soft on my heels, yet it is very sturdy and makes you feel you are one with the court.
The Tyler Loong has a slightly thicker sole than the dinkshot. You might think that you don’t have as much feel for the court, but that is not the case. If anything, the feel for the court is as good, if not better, than the dinkshot.
There are other aspects of the shoe that make it perfect for pickleball. One is the unique insole. The insole feels like it has gel embedded within it, and it has strategic ventilation channels to promote air circulation and coolness. The nobs you see (this is my guess) are there to make sure your feet don’t block the air circulation provided by the holes. I would have expected that, after three hours of playing, my feet might be burning a bit. This was not the case.
There are also ventilation channels midway down the insole, again to promote airflow.
In the picture above it looks like there is an indentation in the heel (I took this photo). That is not the case. The heel actually has a small oblong rise in it, providing extra cushioning to support ankles and heels during rapid lateral movements. This is an incredible addition to the insole.
The upper part of the shoe is made from a micro-honeycomb mesh material that, again, provides breathability for improved air flow and ventilation above toes. So, you have ventilation above the toes and beneath the toes. This makes for cooler feet and reduced moisture.
As I mentioned before, the shoe has a wider-toe box with a thermally bonded extended wrap-around Kevlar drag-guard to provide enhanced abrasion protection in high impact areas. It remains to be seen how the performs over time, but I can say that my dinkshot shoes, after three months or so of constant play, shoe very little wear in the toe box area or, for that matter, anywhere.
I really cannot say enough great things about this shoe.
I wrote about the technology mentioned in my other blog post about Acacia shoes. If you want, you can read the details of the technology here:
If, after reading this, you are interested in purchasing the Tyler Loong Signature II Cloud Shoe, or any other shoe, off the Acacia website, use this code for 10% off—Boomer490.
Here is the website address: https://acaciasports.com/
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