What's the shoes best suited for singles? SH9000ACE, SH8600ACE, SH8500, or SHB65-FT? I own shb-102 but too bulky and heavy I find
A shoe can suit you, but can't be better for one discipline or another. I found the 9000ACE to be very flat and light, yet the heel cushioning is better than any Yonex shoe I've had (and that's a few in the last year!). The 65-FT should be rather similar to the SHB86, right? In that case, I'd recommend staying away from it - the sole was very very stiff, and mine tore up after about 2 months I think. Just to be clear, the SHB102 is not a heavy shoe, so you won't actually get sth with decent cushioning/dampening that's much lighter. Yonex hyped their SHB-F1 as the lightest Yonex shoe ever but to be honest I don't feel much of a difference, imop it's more important that you have decent cushioning and can move uninhibited. For me, the 9000ACE were rather perfect, as I had no problems whatsoever with my heel, which happens from time to time with the harder Yonex shoes as I train 4-5 times a week, and they have a pretty flat, rather flexible sole. After just a few sessions they feel like a second skin. Only bad thing about them is the price :/ The SHB86 were putting me off as the stiff sole felt very very weird after the 9000ACE. I didn't have the same 'feeling' for the floor, i.e. when exactly my feet would touch it, and felt sluggish and weird in singles.
Thanks for the response j4ckie. The SHB-102 makes me feel sluggish. It could be that my competitive level has increased but yeah I thought the shoes were heavy. Must try victor shoes... I think being flat and being closer to the floor will help
I have SBH102 LTD and I tried out 9000ACE is the shop. 102 is definitely lower to the ground and 9000ACE feels funny in the middle of the foot, probably due to extra support?? Well new shoes always feel funny at first, anyway I am very sure about 102 being lower. I suggest you try it yourself. One thing is for sure, 9000ACE is the most beautiful shoe I have ever seen.
I agree that the 9000ACE felt weird at first. The reason, as you mentioned, was the "bridge" in the middle between the front sole and the back sole. But after a while, you get used to it and won't feel it.
The difference being that your 102 is worn in and the shoe in the shop wasn't At first the heel felt a little bit weird to me and not very flat, but after a week it was a second skin. The great thing about it is that the front sole is rather flexible, so you are never hindered by it, when I changed to the SHB86 after these it felt like someone had put a wood plank under my foot Anyhow, I can't compare them to the 102, but they're just as flat as, if not flatter than the 101 and 101LTD I had. Especially the front part of the sole. The downside of these is that they're not any more durable than Yonex shoes, which means they last me 6 months at the very most, more likely 3-4.
Highly unlikely I felt the 102 is lower because it is worn in. Anyway that is why I told him to try it out as it was very high to me. My earlier shoe was Asics Blast 3 and when I tried out 102 it was a lot lower and wider brand new. I tried using the Asics again last week and could only handle 1 set as my foot was painful. Had to revert back to the 102, probably because my foot got used to it already. Personally I am waiting for the new SHB101 to show up before deciding on the 9000ACE.
Very high? What the.....it might be true it's higher than the 102 (no way for me to know), but it's most definitely not 'very high'. The SHB92, SHB101, SHB86, SH-F1M are ALL higher for sure. Also it's very likely a worn-in shoe feels flatter and more comfortable than a brand-new one - I have that 'problem' every time I start to use a new pair, even when it's of the same model. The 9000ACE is no different in that regard, the heel area felt kinda high at first but after less than a week it was very comfortable and felt natural. Similar when I had to change to the SHB86/SH-F1 afterwards, at first the 86 felt absolutely horrible for 2 weeks, but then I started to get used to them and they weren't so bad until they tore apart. The F1 was more comfortable from the beginning, but they're fast approaching their end as well. Anyway, the 9000ACE is indeed a flat shoe.
I will take your word on the 9000ACE flatness once it is worn in. Brand new the 9000ACE felt like high in the heel with extra support in mid foot. New buyers might want to note this. BTW, the Yellow version looks good as well.
The new SH9000ACE-G looks EVEN BETTER in person than it does in the pictures. Glad I made the choice!
That's exactly how I felt initially. That feeling goes away rather quickly though, to be replaced by a very comfortable heel, so far I've not felt any heel pain only in these and the Asics Gel Blade, while I had other issues with the Asics. Me, I like the green version the most (although it's close) and the yellow the least. Apparently I have a thing for red-white shoes, as I really liked the 101-LTD's design and the 102-LTD aren't too shabby either imop. Hard to beat that eye-catching (or, for some, eye-sore of) green though Good to hear that. Mine should get here sometime this week - but for now, they're lost in the dumpster that is German customs -.-
The SH8500 is now appearing in some... interesting colour schemes. Hopefully the 9000 will go the same way given their popularity...
My 9000 reds have turned up. Wow. Replaced the insoles with my Polysorbs, but I weighed them against my outgoing 101's, and the Victors are 1% lighter. No difference, IOW. However, the Victors do look "lower" and "faster" for some reason. Interestingly, the Victors @ US10 are exactly the same length as the Yonexes @ US10.5. Looks like the recommended +0.5 bias for Yonex is right after all.
