Right off the bat, our playtesters were impressed by how much comfort Lacoste's Super Responsive Foam offered in the AG-LT23 Ultra shoes. Mark described, "From my first entry into Lacoste's new AG-LT23 Ultra shoes, I was rewarded with what I refer to as a premium level of comfort. The midsole cushioning of the AG-LT23 Ultra struck the balance of being substantial enough to provide comfort, while still maintaining a low-to-the-ground profile."

Jason agreed, adding, "I thought these shoes were very comfortable to wear. They had great underfoot cushioning that absorbed the shock from harsher landings."

While Chris noted a restrictive fit at first, it wasn't long before the shoes settled in and became nice and comfortable. He said, "While the AG-LT23 Ultras felt tight in length when I first tried them on, the fit felt perfect after an hour or so of hitting. The shoes opened up nicely, and it felt like they contoured to my feet pretty quickly. The arch support felt great. The shoes flexed perfectly, and my arches felt protected on every quick sprint."

In addition to the great comfort levels, there was one more thing two of the playtesters agreed on, which was to go up half a size. Troy explained, "I will note, a couple of the playtesters did have to adjust the size to get the right fit. These shoes run short, so I went up a half size. Once the fit was adjusted, I could really appreciate just about every aspect of these shoes when it came to comfort."

For the AG-LT23 Ultras, Lacoste built plenty of stability into the design, with a combination of a sturdy midsole chassis, a stabilizer in the heel and a cage system in the upper. All that together was enough to wow our playtesters. "This is really where this shoe shines," Jason said. "I thought that both the support and stability were top notch, and my feet felt nice and locked in. Like with the Asics Court FF 3, I found it a little difficult to slip my feet into, but when moving side to side, they felt super secure. When planting and pushing off, the uppers were rigid enough that I didn't feel like my ankles were going to roll over at any point."

Troy also appreciated the support levels of the AG-LT23 Ultras and how connected he felt wearing them on court. He said, "I think the beauty of the design of the Lacoste AG-LT23 Ultras is how well they hug my feet and provide great support, while also sitting low to the court in the forefoot, kind of like a nice sports car. The upper was pretty comfortable and flexible, but the chassis in the midfoot is connected through the shank and the sidewall, and it supplied the stability needed for quick changes of direction."

Similar to Troy, Mark only had positive feedback when it came to support and stability. He said, "The stance of the Lacoste AG-LT23 Ultra is both low enough and wide enough to make abrupt directional changes easier, and it kept my feet feeling fresh for long periods of time. Not once did I have a situation where I was on the verge of rolling or twisting my ankle."

Chris thought this update was an improvement over its predecessor in this category. He described, "I found a much more supportive ride in the AG-LT23 Ultras over the previous version since the fit was not as wide. The fit was more of a true medium, and I was able to get a secure and comfortable cinch from the laces. I was impressed by the stability of the previous version and was equally, if not more, impressed by the AG-LT23 Ultras."

When it came to durability, our playtesters found the AG-LT23 Ultras about average — nothing to write home about, but nothing too concerning either. Troy appreciated the toe cap's design, but overall he did see some wear on the outsole during the playtest. He said, "I was actually pretty pleased by how well the rubber cap around the upper part of the toes held up throughout the playtest. That toe cap did a good job of protecting the upper part of the shoes from dragging on serves and when I came to the net to hit my volleys. That said, the rubber outsole held up for the most part, but after about a month (or about 15 to 20 hours of wear), I noticed a decent amount of balding underneath the forefoot region, specifically the medial side under my big toe. I don't necessarily burn through shoes like I once did when I played on a junior college team, so I wouldn't say this was a huge issue for me."

"I found the outsoles to provide fairly average durability," Jason added. "I wore my pair for about 20 hours, and there is some noticeable tread loss on the medial forefoot. I think I could put another 10 to 15 hours on these before I'd want to replace them."

Chris also wasn't particularly impressed by the AG-LT23 Ultra's outsole durability, but he thought the upper held up nicely. He said, "Durability was OK for the outsoles of the AG-LT23 Ultras. These are shoes I'm going to wear through in my typical high-wear areas, such as under my toes on the right shoe. The uppers held up very well. Considering how breathable and light the shoes felt, I was impressed by how the uppers resisted court abrasion."

In contrast to the rest of the playtesters, Mark was satisfied with the level of durability he was getting out of the shoes. He said, "I can’t zig or zag the way I used to, so the outsole durability of the AG-LT23 Ultras was more than sufficient. The toe cap features a thicker, yet flexible, layer of TPU that extends over the top of the toes, protecting and slowing the breakdown of that particular area."

Our playtesters all noticed that the AG-LT23 Ultra's traction felt pretty sticky right out of the box, but after a few hours of break-in time, the grip became optimal. Troy found a great balance of traction here. He said, "I enjoyed the level of give there was with the outsole. I am not a hard court slider, but I could still appreciate the slicker feel there was to the rubber of these shoes. During the first couple of times on court, I noticed right away how squeaky or loud these shoes were when shuffling my feet, and they were also a bit sticky from the get-go. Like with most outsoles, after a couple of wears, they broke in and wore down slightly, and that is when I really started to notice the give that these shoes possessed. When I came to a quick stop, there was some give at first, but then they would grab and help me brake."

"It was a tale of two levels of grip for me in the AG-LT23 Ultras," said Chris. "At first I found the shoes to feel too sticky. I was cognizant of the outsoles grabbing the court surface when I was looking to pivot or take small adjustment steps before my shot. I also found too much grab when stopping aggressively. Once I had a few hours on the shoes, I found the level of give to improve. I was able to pivot and adjust seamlessly before my shot and slide out of shots way better. The good news was the more forgiving level of traction remained consistent from then on."

After a few hours of playtesting, Jason couldn't find any reason to not love the outsole traction of the AG-LT23 Ultras. "For the first two to three hours of wear, I thought the outsoles were too sticky, but the top coating must've worn off, because after that I really loved the level of traction these shoes provided. I was able to slide out of my shots with no issues and didn't feel like I was left slipping when pushing off."

Mark agreed, adding, "Right out of box, the outsole material felt sticky, which quickly changed to nearly perfect traction on every hard court I played on. In addition, the chirpy sound the outsole makes when skidding did diminish after a few hours of play."

Although the AG-LT23 Ultras might not seem like the lightest shoes on paper, the playtesters agreed that the shoes felt agile and speedy on court. Mark described, "I am always conscious of a shoe's weight but try to consider other traits as well. On paper, the average 14.6-ounce weight (for a U.S. men's 10.5) indicates that it is a substantial shoe. However, once in the driver's seat, I felt the AG-LT23 Ultras leaned toward being speed-oriented shoes that were packed with comfort and support!"

"The AG-LT23 Ultras felt light and fast on my feet," agreed Chris. "I think the fast feel was accentuated by the fit, flex and responsive ride. I was able to sprint around the court and not think about them at all, which is always a good sign that my court movement feels natural."

Jason was also impressed by how fast the AG-LT23 Ultras felt on court. He said, "There was so much support and stability that I was pleasantly surprised they felt as light as they did. I definitely felt quick moving to the ball and didn't give the weight a second thought once I put them on my feet."

Troy appreciated the way the shoes felt on his feet, but he did think Lacoste could have added a bit more cushioning. He explained, "The weight was just fine for me, and I truly thought these AG-LT23 Ultras played more like shoes in the lightweight division (I'm thinking like sub-14 ounces for men's). I know that these AG-LT23 Ultra shoes come in at about 14.6 ounces on the scale, but for me, they played and felt more like shoes in the mid-13-ounce range. These shoes definitely felt faster than the specs would indicate, and I actually wouldn't have minded a little more beef to these shoes if that meant I could get a bit more cushioning underneath the forefoot region."