Babolat Propulse Fury 3 Men's Tennis Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.4

The Babolat Propulse Fury 3s impressed our team with their overall high levels of comfort throughout the playtest. The shoes felt great right out of the box for Jason. He said, "The fit is a little wider in the toe box, so if you have wider feet like me, these shoes will be a good option. I also felt like the underfoot cushioning was plush — more so than previous Propulse shoes and almost as plush as the original SFX shoes. The one downside here is the ventilation; they did seem to run a bit hot."

"I enjoyed my test of the Propulse Fury 3," continued Chris. "This version broke in faster than previous versions and offered a more comfortable ride overall. I liked the level of cushioning and thought the forefoot cushioning felt improved. The uppers flexed and moved with my feet, so it was easy to forget about the shoes and move naturally on court. I have skinny feet, and the shoes fit a little wide on me, so I was sliding around in them a bit. Apart from that, all was good, and I played comfortably in them for the duration of the test."

With plenty of years of court time under his belt, Mark appreciated the top-notch comfort these shoes offered. He said, "At 55 years young, I always hope the test shoes will be comfortable right out of the box, and that is precisely what I experienced with the new Propulse Fury 3s. Even after lots of play time, the shoes were still very comfortable and held their shape."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.2

For the most part, our playtest team found the Propulse Fury 3s to offer adequate levels of support and stability across several different foot types. Mark had nothing but positives when it came to this category. He said, "I thought the Propulse Fury 3s were very supportive shoes. The amount of TPU used in the upper and the staggered lace eyelets on the lateral side of the shoes definitely helped with support and stability."

With his narrow feet, Chris had a little extra room within the shoes. He described, "The Propulse Fury 3s were impressively stable on court. I was able to sprint around the court with confidence that my ankles and arches were supported. With the shoes being a bit wide on me, the level of support was not perfect, but I was able to play at full speed with the only issue being some discomfort from sliding around inside the shoes."

On the other hand (or foot), Jason's wider feet fit better in the Propulse Fury 3s. He said, "For the majority of my movements, I thought the shoes did a great job providing a secure and stable fit. Moving laterally was no problem and even going forward was pretty good. However, with a fairly wide foot opening, I was getting some heel slippage when I wasn't consciously cinching up my laces tightly. I can see some potential support issues if you have narrow feet, but for me, these shoes were nice and stable."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.2

The Babolat Propulse Fury 3s are built for durability thanks to the premium Michelin rubber outsoles, and you get the peace of mind of a six-month durability guarantee. Mark made an effort to really put the durability to the test. He explained, "I got my pair of Propulse Fury 3s early and was able to put maybe 60 hours of play on them, so I have to say that the outsole durability was pretty good overall."

"Between tennis and pickleball, I put in close to 13 hours on these shoes," added Jason. "I do see some tread loss on the forefoot area, but it's pretty minimal. I would be comfortable putting in another 13 hours on these shoes without fear of losing traction."

Chris was very impressed with the durability of the Michelin rubber outsoles, saying, "Even the high-wear areas of my shoes were holding up well at the end of the test. The uppers also proved to be very durable, with lots of care paid to beefing up those areas that can come into contact with the court when a player slides."

Traction - Score: 4.6

Our playtesters were able to transition smoothly into and out of their shots thanks to the nearly perfect levels of traction. Chris found a nice blend of grip and give when moving around the court in the Propulse Fury 3s. He said, "I liked that I could slide out of a shot without the shoes getting too stuck to the court. When pivoting and taking small adjustment steps, the shoes felt natural under my feet, so I could move without having to think about them. I was able to take an aggressive first step when sprinting to the ball without fear that I would lose traction."

"I like shoes with outsoles that aren't too sticky and have some give to them," Jason concurred. "And that is exactly what this Propulse Fury 3 has. There is enough traction that I'm not left spinning my wheels when making that initial step, but when I'm moving side to side and needed to really sprint toward a ball and immediately change directions, I can put my feet down and slide out a bit."

Echoing the rest of the team, Mark simply said, "Among other favorable aspects of the Propulse Fury 3s, the traction level was about as good as it gets for me, with the proper slip versus grip on all of the hard courts I typically play on."

Weight - Score: 4.2

The Babolat Propulse Fury 3s fall nicely into the category of not too light but not too heavy. Mark felt light and quick throughout the entire playtest. He said, "The Propulse Fury 3s feel noticeably lighter on the court than the model they replace. When I compared the weights on the scale, the newest iteration was a full ounce lighter (14.4 ounces vs 15.4 ounces) in a US men's size 10.5."

Once Jason had the Propulse Fury 3s on foot, they faded into the background and allowed him to just do his thing. He described, "The weight of the Propulse Fury 3s was a non-factor. By that I mean they aren't so light that I immediately feel faster with them on, and they aren't so heavy that they feel clunky. I put them on and didn't have to think about the weight again. So unless you are looking for extremely lightweight shoes, the weight of these Propulse Fury 3s should not factor into the decision-making process."

Chris thought the Propulse Fury 3s hit a happy medium between light and heavy. He said, "I'd call the Propulse Fury 3s middle-weight shoes. The feel on court was decently fast. I never felt as light on my feet as I would in something from the Jet line of shoes, but these Propulse Fury 3s offer way more stability and durability."

Overall - Score: 4.3