Tennis is very demanding on the feet, and Lacoste continues to use its LSR Super Responsive Foam underfoot for a winning combination of comfort and energy return. Our playtest team was familiar with the Lacoste AG-LT23 Ultra shoes, so they were excited to see how the Lacoste AG-LT23 Lites measured up. Tiffani is a big fan of the Ultras and said, "Considering Lacoste's AG-LT23 Ultras are my favorite new shoes of 2023, I had some high expectations for the Lite version. This review started off on a high note as soon as I opened the box. These shoes look great in the colors I've seen. I wore an all-blue pair that I thought looked stylish on court and in the gym. That aside, I quickly noticed the glove-like fit from the bootie construction. They felt narrower than the Ultras but remained comfortable because the uppers were pliable enough to let my feet relax. The toe box is rather shallow as well, but that didn't bother me at all since I have rather flat feet. The mesh material breathed well and the shoes flexed well. I didn't have any break-in time with these shoes."

"Being a big fan of the AG-LT23 Ultras, I was incredibly interested in how the Lite version would perform on court," Brittany added. "The first thing I noticed when slipping the shoes on my feet was that the bootie construction provided my narrow feet with a glove-like fit. The second thing I noticed was that the length felt a tad short (but not enough to go up a half size). I think the main culprit was that the toe box was a little shallow and pushed down on the top of my toes. As far as cushioning, I found these shoes to be more than adequate, especially for their lighter weight. I had no break-in period, and they were very comfortable from the start, with no rubbing or pressure."

It took a little extra effort for Troy to find the right fit. He said, "I noticed that the AG-LT23 Lites felt slightly short when I first tried them on, and the tip of the toe box also felt shallow, as if it were pressing down on my big toenail. I ended up going up a half size to a size 10, as I did with the Lacoste AG-LT23 Ultras. After the fit adjustment, the overall comfort was good for the most part. I will mention that even after the size adjustment, I still had some unwanted pressure on top of my big toenails, which I think has something to do with the toe cap that protects against wear from dragging. After wearing these shoes on court for about five hours, this feeling gradually started to go away. From there, I really enjoyed the comfort considering how light these shoes are. I found the ventilation to be solid overall as well. There was a significant amount of mesh layered on top of the inner bootie or sleeve, and this kept my feet nice and cool while also adding to the comfort."

When shoes are designed for speed, stability can take a backseat to a lightweight build. Our playtesters agreed that they would have liked the Lacoste AG-LT23 Lites to have more support for aggressive play. Troy explained, "The support level was pretty typical, or what I've come to expect from most lightweight shoes. I think that with the fit being glove-like from the bootie construction, I felt secure with my movement on the court. When it came to stability, I felt like the shoe held up pretty well for a lightweight option; I never rolled an ankle or anything like that. However, I felt like the middle of the shoe near the arch region could have been a bit sturdier. There were certain times when I felt like these shoes were flexing a bit too much as I pushed off, and it sort of felt like the arch region was collapsing. I guess you could say that these shoes were flexing too far back from the typical flex point, near the balls of my feet."

Tiffani compared these shoes to the Lacoste AG-LT23 Ultras. She said, "This is the area where I thought the Ultras outshined the AG-LT23 Lites. The Lites are very comfortable, but the soft uppers don't feel as supportive when moving aggressively. I could feel the shoes flex a little too much when I was moving aggressively or when I needed to make a quick cut in the opposite direction. Ankle stability was fine though, and I never had any twists or rollovers. It was just the sensation of the shoes flexing, and I prefer a more solid feel like I get from the Ultras."

Brittany agreed with the rest of the team here. She said, "While I was a big fan of the glove-like fit, I was worried about how soft and flexible the uppers were. I look for shoes that offer average to above-average support and stability, and I thought the AG-LT23 Lites offered decent levels of both, but just not enough for me personally. There were a couple of times at the beginning of the playtest when I was changing directions and I could feel my foot continue over the side of the shoe because the upper wasn't able to hold it in place. Because the shoes were low to the ground, I never felt like I was going to roll over them, but my feet were sore after an intense session. I ended up relegating the shoes to more social and casual situations."

Our team was impressed with the overall durability of the Lacoste AG-LT23 Lites, considering how light the shoes are. Brittany said, "For a lightweight shoe, I thought the durability held up decently well. The outsole shows the start of smoothing in the high-wear areas after about 10 hours of use. The toe bumper was high and thick enough that I wasn't able to do any damage to it. The uppers also offered protection in all the necessary areas and will last well beyond the playtest."

Troy appreciated how these shoes held up in the areas that take the most punishment while playing. He described, "I found the overall durability of the outsole to be somewhat average for lightweight, speed-oriented shoes. That said, in the high-wear areas, like underneath my big toes and near the tip of the shoes, I found the durability to be pretty solid. I think Lacoste did a good job of making sure these shoes were reinforced in the high-wear areas. The upper was well protected on top of the toes, but I don't slide and drag on the medial side of the upper, so I can't really attest to that aspect."

The wear that Tiffani experienced was in line with what she expected to see in such a lightweight shoe. She said, "I'm seeing some smoothing after a dozen or so hours on court, and although there's no danger of wearing through the outsoles yet, I wouldn't call these durable shoes. It's what I would expect from lightweight shoes."

The playtesters agreed that the tread of these Lacoste AG-LT23 Lite shoes started out on the grippier side, but after a few hours of play, the outsoles became less sticky. Troy said, "During my first wear on court I noticed the outsoles felt a bit on the sticky side, or maybe that the rubber compound was somewhat on the softer side. This gave me plenty of grip when I needed to push off or change directions. That said, after about three hours of wear, the outsole started to break in nicely and became a little less sticky, with a nice balance of grip and give."

Tiffani was happy with the traction these outsoles offered. She noted, "These shoes do squeak a bit, but I found the traction level to be balanced. They're maybe slightly on the grippier side, but I had no issues feeling stuck to the court. I could take off when I wanted and stop easily as well."

After a break-in period, Brittany started to enjoy the balance of grip and give she got from these AG-LT23 Lites. She said, "The last couple of shoes I have playtested have been a little noisy when moving around on court, and these Lacostes also fall into that category. Maybe I've just gotten used to squeakier shoes the last few months, but I didn't seem to notice these as much. In terms of the actual traction, I would say the AG-LT23 Lites leaned slightly to the grippier side. At the beginning of the playtest there were a couple of times when I felt stuck. However, as the playtest wore on, the shoes smoothed out just enough to give a little."

If you are looking for lightweight, speedy shoes, the Lacoste AG-LT23 Lites will not disappoint. The weight impressed Brittany, who said, "The name says it all with the AG-LT23 Lite shoes! These shoes feel light, which made me feel quick on the court. On the scale, they might even be some of the lightest shoes I have playtested this year."

"The AG-LT23 Lites are as advertised!" Tiffani agreed. "They are light. They flex well, have a streamlined fit and feel low to the ground. All these aspects lead to a fast feel on the court."

Although Troy liked the light weight of these shoes, he would have traded a bit of added weight for more stability. He described, "As far as the weight goes, these were pretty much spot-on for their concept. Lightweight, speedy, and most importantly for me, comfortable in terms of the cushioning. The uppers felt light and breathable but still gave me enough support. Overall they feel very fast, but I wouldn't have minded a bit more weight added if it helped to gain some stability or cushioning.”