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Shoe Review: Wilson Tour Vision II
13 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
By Scoop Malinowski
I haven’t worn a Wilson shoe since the white orange and black Crossfires (loved the look and performance) from a decade ago. But last month I played a top senior player in Florida on Har Tru and I noticed his movement was excellent and he was never off balance. I inspected the sole of Jack’s Wilson shoe and saw the deep herringbone tread and the cool look of the exterior and quickly decided to begin wearing Wilson again. Slipping and sliding on Har Tru has been a problem for my game, along with finding comfort for my feet while playing five times a week on primarily hard court. Maybe just maybe Wilson is the answer to my tennis footing troubles.
At first feel, the Wilson Tour Vision II looks excellent and wears super comfortably. I’m going to wear them for the first time in a match against a USPTA 4.5 level friend named Abel on a hardcourt on Longboat Key. We split hard-fought sets the last match so this is a risky time to try a totally new shoe but I love the way the Tour Vision II feels on my foot and how natural it wears.
There are indents for your toes on the inner sole which feels fantastic (why don’t all tennis shoemakers use this simple technology?). The other thing I adore about the shoe is how soft and comfortable it feels for the bottom of my feet. It actually feels cushiony. And it’s by design: the shoe aspires “to offer excellent cushioning using the ReactionGel technology in both the heel and forefoot.”
I have mysterious and inexplicable nagging pain on my left foot in two places – behind the heel about a half inch up and on the left outside of the foot about an inch in from the small toe. But these Wilson Tour Vision II shoes are so comfortable it seemed to minimize those pains, eventhough the match with Abel went 3 1/2 hours long. Now as I write this, a few days later, the pains are no longer there anymore, even when I push my fingers looking for it. Amazing.
Another quality of the shoe I love is the sockliner around the ankle. Some high quality tennis shoes do not pay special attention to this area but the Tour Vision II does. It could not feel any softer. Wilson uses a “Ortholite comfort foam sockliner and a synthetic and mesh upper. The comfort is immediate.” Yes it is. After the match at home I found myself wanting to wear the shoes inside, rather than walk barefoot, that’s how comfortable these shoes are.
The midsole is also a work of tennis perfection. The herringbone outsole is a harder material but the midsole is almost as soft as like a Nerf football. Wilson explains it this way: “DST foam insole board, sculpted and integrated TPU arch bridge for stability. RG inserts are placed in the heel and forefoot.”
Another important quality of the shoe is the “overmolded toe guard.” Toe protection is important and too many tennis shoemakers overlook this area. You know the pain from hurting your big toe chasing your opponent’s drop shots – I think I’d rather get stung by a hornet because at least that discomfort will go away in a few minutes.
Wilson also guarantees the shoe with a six-month outsole durability guarantee.
I have to say the Wilson Tour Vision II is one of the – perhaps maybe even THE all-time best tennis shoes I’ve ever worn in 15 years of playing serious competitive tournament tennis. These shoes are superbly comfortable, light, I feel I move in them as quick as a cat, and they look snazzy and sharp. Four stars to Wilson for the Tour Vision II classic shoe.
By the way, do you want to hear how the match turned out? Okay, I got crushed in the first set 6-3 and was in trouble in the second, down 1-4 in the second set tiebreak. I ended up winning that and the third set 6-2. The match was played in the heat of the afternoon in about 78 degrees. And my feet felt fantastic from the first point to the last. Then a quick stretch and a 15 minute walk in the ocean salt water had my now Wilson-wearing feet ready to go to play again the next day. And the next.
After all these years of not playing in Wilson, I suddenly remember the words of an old friendgirl. She won’t wear any other shoes, “only Wilson.”
Super comfortable and cushiony
Scoop Malinowski · February 13, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Favorite tennis shoes of all time in no order: Wilson Trance…Nike Court Ballistec 1.3 and 2.3…adidas Barricade 4 the white and light blue one…Wilson Crossfire…Guga’s white Diadora from 2000. Also loved the Nike Oscillates and original Stan Smiths. What are your favorite tennis shoes of all time?
Dan Markowitz · February 14, 2012 at 9:43 pm
I was always partial to the Nike 3/4 top that Johnny Mac wore with the strap across the ankle.
Scoop Malinowski · February 15, 2012 at 12:16 am
Never tried those but I knew a player who loved them and had a bunch of pairs. He swore by them. Nike has had some excellent shoes but they also have stretches where the quality declines and the shoes are not nearly as comfortable. The Air Court Motions and Courtposites were uncomfortable but the Implosions and Ballistecs were super comfy.
Roei · July 15, 2012 at 9:21 am
hey there.
i’ve been reading about the Tour Vision II,
and it seems i’ll give them a try,
especially with the 6 month warranty.
however, some people said the shoes get “flat” pretty quickly.
do you have some additional thoughts after using them for a while now?
i just worry about their durability.
thanks!
Scoop Malinowski · July 15, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Roei, if you play a lot you will wear the sole out within the six months, easily. Mine are worn out now (outer sole worn through a bit) but they are still comfortable and I still play singles and doubles with them. In fact I just played a USTA tourney two weeks ago with the same exact shoes I reviewed (back in Jan/Feb) on hard court and won the match 63 63, and the shoes handled the situation sufficiently. Not sure about the “flat” feeling. It’s a very good shoe. Also, I noticed the #1 ranked player in the Eastern section 35s wears the Tour Vision II – he wore them to win the NJ State 35s red clay title recently at North Arlington Players Club, 61 63 in the final. Welcome to the site Roei.
Roei · July 15, 2012 at 2:12 pm
thanks for the quick reply.
yea, i came across your site because of your shoe review 🙂
i also had a look at Amazon on your Rios book.
seems quite interesting.
nice to know you’re also a serious writer.
about the shoes-
i used Barricades until now, and i wanted a change.
i considered Gel Resolution for my next shoes but they are pretty expensive AND-
i live in Israel they don’t bring most of these shoes.. GR4 are even more complicated to ship outside US.
so i looked for a cheaper option i could order from TW and still get the warranty.
i think i’ll order the TVII’s the minute i’ll grind out my last Barricades.
one more durability question- what’s your average court time each week? and did you say it’s regular asphalt hardcourt most of the time?
thanks!
i’ll bookmark this site. many interesting blogs 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · July 15, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Barricades are a very good shoe too, but the Wilsons, according to my feet, are a little softer and more comfortable. You will not be disappointed with this Wilson shoe (for hard court – for clay try the Trance Vision II or Trance). Thanks for checking out the Rios book, it sure was an interesting experience to work on it and it still continues to be. It was cool that Marinko Matosevic wanted a copy up in Newport because Rios was one of his big tennis inspirations. Whenever I’m at ATP events, tennis people always tell me colorful Rios stories, some I can tell, some I can’t ) The guy was a unique spirit, for sure, and a lot of players and fans miss him. Average court time per week is about eight to ten hours, 95% of the time on hard court. But I have about five shoes I alternate through now – Nike CB 1.3, Wilson Trance, Wilson Tour Vision II, Wilson Ikon, and Babolat Propulse III – so it extends the life of each shoe. Hope you can get those Wilsons in Israel, thanks Roei for bookmarking our site we appreciate your company and you’re always welcome )
Roei · July 15, 2012 at 4:25 pm
thanks for the info.
do you really feel comfortable switching shoes every other day?
i feel that the more my foot get used to one shape of shoe, the better.
it’s somehow feels “unsafe” making the foot feel different all the time.
but maybe i’m way off here 😉
Scoop Malinowski · July 15, 2012 at 11:56 pm
You are right Roei, when you have a favorite shoe, you really feel the difference with the others. I wear the less favorites to just hit or play semi soft doubles. And wear the favorite shoes for tough matches. The favorites now are the Wilsons, they just feel the most comfortable and softest and on top of that the Trances really look cool when you look down at them while on the court )
Roei · July 16, 2012 at 10:59 am
hey,
just wanted to tell you i read some of your book released material here and there on the web,
and it’s really fascinating.
i got into tennis only in the last 8 years (i’m 38),
so i didn’t even know about Rios at all.
he is truly a Federesque kind of touch player and I also tend to always attract to the more shy, true characters out there 😉
it seems like he’s just a more complicated and sensitive person, resulting in unexpected behavior.
hard to be no. 1 like that.
Scoop Malinowski · July 16, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Thanks buddy, Rios is still my favorite player of all time to wwatch when he was playing his best, he was just a marvel. Still pop in his old matches now and then and also watch the old you tube clips for inspiration. He played his best vs. Agassi. He was Federeresque with his touch and skills, Federer always cites Rios as one of his favorite players. Yes he was shy and different – and factored into limiting his time at the top of tennis. The champions of sport must be inspirations and role models for the public, it’s an obligation and requirement of the job, and Rios refused to play this part. Still the fact that he got to #1 is a phenomenal achievement and proof of his talents. Hope you enjoy the book my friend.
Roei · July 16, 2012 at 1:36 pm
one last thought-
did you contact HIM?
what did HE think of the book? 😉
Scoop Malinowski · July 16, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Pretty sure he has it or read it because I did three interviews with major daily newspapers in Chile, so he has to know about it. I would think he liked it as there is a good balance of perspectives of him, some negative and some positive, from a tremendous amount of different sources. You would think Rios would be curious to read what his tennis world associates would say about him. But then again you never know, Rios was known for his “I don’t give a ****” atttiude, as stated by a former ATP Tour Manager in the book.