Diadora Speed B.Icon Women's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.6

Having worn many different styles of Diadora shoes over the past few years, all of which have been supremely comfortable, our playtesters knew what to expect from the Speed B.Icon. Tiffani began, "I could really feel the cushioning beneath my feet, and it felt soft and spongy throughout the duration of the playtest. Initially, the shoes felt a bit too narrow for my D-width feet, and it took a couple of hours for them to loosen up. During that break-in period, I didn't really experience a lot of discomfort on court, but I would want to take them off as soon as I was done playing. The only real drawback I had in the comfort department was the ventilation. Due to all the cushioning in these shoes, the B.Icons run hot. I could finish my hits without an issue, but I wanted to change socks and let the shoes air out as soon as I was done. They would get pretty sweaty even in cooler weather."

The Speed B.Icon met Brittany's sky-high expectations for this category. She said, "Diadora is known around here for having the most comfortable, cushioned shoes on the market, and the B.Icons are right up there with the best of the best. The instant I slipped these shoes onto my feet, I noticed how comfortable they felt from every angle, and I was able to walk straight to the court and play without any break-in period. There was plush cushioning underfoot, not just in the heel, but in the midfoot and forefoot as well. The ankle collars and tongues had the perfect amount of cushioning— not too much and not too little. The uppers were soft and molded around my feet, so I didn’t experience any pinching or poking. The length was true to size, and the toe box had just the right amount of room for my narrow feet. One thing that could be improved is the ventilation. These shoes run hot, and I normally took them off as soon as I was done."

Echoing the other testers, Michelle said, "In the past, every pair of Diadora shoes I've worn has been comfortable. It was nice to see Diadora continuing that trend in 2022. The B.Icons were loaded with comfort and felt great the second I laced them up! The Diadora Speed Star Ks were one of my favorite shoes in the past, but while they were plush and comfortable, they weren’t the most supportive. These B.Icons really felt like they were made to be more high-performing match-day shoes that I could rely on. The cushioning was super soft yet responsive, not at all mushy, and the shoes fit my medium-width feet just perfectly. I noticed there was some extra room for me in the toe box, and that sort of created a strong crease there, but it wasn't ever too roomy and didn't affect my comfort score. I didn't mind the ventilation, because my feet run hot no matter which shoes I'm wearing!"

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.9

Our playtesters comments were a bit more mixed when it came to the Speed B.Icon's support and stability. When Brittany first started wearing the Speed B.Icons, her feet felt secure and stable within the shoes. Unfortunately, that secure feel started to diminish over the course of the playtest. She explained, "The first seven or so hours were great, and I loved wearing them. As the playtest went on, around the seven-hour mark, I noticed the uppers had started to loosen up and my feet were moving around within the shoes. To remedy the situation, I started using the last eyelet to get a tighter fit around my heel and ankle. Additionally, I found myself retying my shoes a couple times throughout a hit to maintain a secure fit. At the end of the playtest, the support and stability levels had dropped a little bit, and I wasn't able to get quite the same fit I had at the beginning. I will add that I am extremely picky on my support and stability and tend to need more than the average player."

On the other hand, the Speed B.Icons provided reliable support and stability for Michelle all playtest long. She said, "I felt confident moving aggressively. One of the first features I really enjoyed was how they felt when moving out aggressively; the shoes planted and almost felt a bit suctioned to the ground while providing stability all the way up my feet to ensure I felt supported and stable. It was also easy to recover; I didn't feel stuck or sluggish when I needed to get back. The uppers held my feet well, and I wasn't twisting or turning inside the shoes."

The B.Icon felt a bit higher off the ground than Tiffani's shoe of choice, which took her some time to get used to. She said, "These shoes always managed to hold my feet in, but I do prefer to sit a bit lower to the ground. Typically for me, I opted to use the last eyelet for a secure feel in the heel area. I don't think I had any issues without lacing it up, but I like to use it for a mental confidence boost."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.2

While our team didn't make too much of a dent in the outsoles of the Speed B.Icons, one tester did have some issues with the uppers starting to rip and lose a bit of integrity. Michelle had zero durability issues here. She said, "I know some of the playtesters, especially on the men's side, did some damage to these shoes. There were some upper durability issues, and some were wearing through the rubber, but that wasn't the case for me — and not for lack of trying! I spent a good amount of time wearing these shoes and often wore them post-tennis (into the gym, around the office, on walks). I am happy with how fresh the outsoles still look. I was sure the rubber would be smoothed out under my big toes, but that wasn't the case. I'm happy to finish this playtest and know I still can wear these shoes for several more months."

Tiffani also expects her B.Icons to last for many more hours of hard court play. She said, "The outsoles of these shoes are holding up really well, and I don't see much wear on the toe bumpers either. I'm confident that I will easily get a few months of wear from them on the hard courts. Some other playtesters both on the men's and women's side had a cosmetic tear in the mesh in the toe box. I didn't experience that, but I have a sharp crease in the forefoot where the toes bend on the lateral side."

By the end of the testing period, Brittany was seeing significant cosmetic damage on the uppers, though it didn't appear to affect the shoe's performance. She explained, "The Duratech 5000 rubber outsoles held up throughout the 15-plus hours of court time I put on these shoes. The outsoles look great, and I see very little, if any, wear. The same can be said of the toe bumpers. They held up to any toe dragging and will last way past the life of the shoes. The one area I did want to touch on is the upper. On my left shoe, a couple hours in I noticed small holes in the mesh where the toe creases. Over the course of the next couple hours the holes got slightly larger, until the mesh completely tore around 10 hours in. Upon further inspection, it looks to be just the top layer of mesh, which is more cosmetic. There is another layer of material underneath that was fully intact, and I don't believe it hindered any performance aspects."

Traction - Score: 3.9

Our team agreed that the Speed B.Icon's traction had a bit more tack than give, which worked better for some players than others. For Tiffani, the sticky underfoot feel and higher-off-the-ground ride had her questioning her footwork at times. She described, "Sometimes when I was pulled out wide, the outsole of my outside foot would grip the court and not allow me to pivot as easily as I would like. I would feel stuck and have to hop on that foot to get repositioned to take off for the next shot."

Brittany agreed, adding, "The traction of these shoes was a little bit more on the sticky side. There was more grip at times than I expected, and I was looking for a little more give. This isn't a negative, just more of a personal preference. I did feel like the shoes smoothed slightly as the playtest wore on, and that helped with my movement. I would also say these shoes are extremely squeaky!"

The Speed B.Icon's traction fell in line with what Michelle likes from her tennis shoes. Unlike the other playtesters, she appreciated the extra tack. She said, "I never slid out and could trust the outsoles to hold me when moving aggressively. It felt almost like I was suctioned to the court. While I know some players prefer something slicker, these shoes offered me the perfect traction. It was actually one of my favorite features of these shoes!"

Weight - Score: 4.0

The Speed B.Icons offered a bit of everything in terms of performance, and our team thought the weight of the shoes fell into a good middle ground, somewhere between light and heavy. Brittany described, "I thought the weight was perfect for these shoes — just the right amount for what they are supposed to do. The weight was nicely distributed throughout the shoe, and I felt I could move effectively with ease."

While Michelle didn't find the B.Icons especially light, she thought the shoes used their weight well. She said, "They were middle of the road when it comes to weight. I never felt weighed down, that's for sure. The higher levels of stability and cushioning were great for my needs, and I still felt like I could pick up and run balls down. I never worried about feeling heavy in these shoes."

"These B.Icon shoes never felt heavy," Tiffani added. "I was impressed with their ability to offer superb cushioning while maintaining a pretty light feel. Overall, I didn't think these were super speedy shoes, but I didn't think they were heavy either."

Overall - Score: 4.1