Breakdown

Comfort: 8.3

For this test of the Eclipsion 5s we had two playtesters in California who were familiar with Yonex shoes and two players in Georgia new to the brand. Michelle thought the Eclipsion 5s were a better fit for her feet than most Yonex shoes she's tested in the past. She began, "I initially found these shoes to fit my medium-width feet well. As the playtest went on, the shoes seemed to open up further. The cushioning underfoot was firm but responsive. For me, the Power Cushion technology and midsole have always been more firm than plush. Don't get me wrong, there were a few days when I wore the shoes all day long, and I was just as comfortable from the first to last hour of wear. I did need a bit of a break-in period, and I needed a few hours before I got rid of some underfoot numbness. Additionally, the styling was great, and I got a lot of compliments on them!” 

Brittany is familiar with Yonex shoes, so she had a general idea of what to expect from the Power Cushion Eclipsion 5s. She said, "Yonex shoes typically run on the narrower side, which is perfect for my feet. These Eclipsion 5s were a snug medium. They were narrow in the midfoot and heel, but I had a little more space in the forefoot and toebox. I needed a small break-in period for the uppers to mold around my feet, and for the underfoot to not feel so stiff. There was plush cushioning around the ankle and tongue, and firmer cushioning under the heel. The forefoot cushioning was on the minimal side, so I would have liked a little more there. The ventilation was adequate, and I had no issues with arch support."

"This was my first time testing Yonex tennis shoes, and I was very pleasantly surprised," stated Zsofi. "The cushioning was amazing; I thought the shoes offered a very responsive ride, and I enjoyed that kind of rebound sensation under my feet. I didn't think there was any break-in time needed. I will note that I had to go up half a size, but otherwise the fit was great."

Ana had a bit of trouble with the fit of the Eclipsion 5s, though she thought a little break-in time helped. She described, "The first thing I noticed with these shoes was that they felt too short length-wise. I have been wearing size 9 for most of my latest reviews, and I wish I would have used a 9.5 to avoid some discomfort when stopping or switching directions. I did need some break-in time with the shoes to open them up a little more and make them more comfortable for me. Cushioning-wise, I thought the shoes were OK. I would not want to wear the Eclipsion 5s for several hours since they are not the most comfortable shoes, but they were supportive and stable. Even though the material is mostly plastic on the uppers, I didn’t have any issues with ventilation."

Foot Support / Stability: 8.1

Our team found a good amount of stability from the Eclipsion 5s. Brittany has struggled with stability in earlier models of the Eclipsions, so she was happy to see that change this time around. She said, "With this fifth version, I didn’t have any stability issues when I was moving aggressively, and my ankles felt great. Additionally, I utilized the last eyelet to get a locked-in feel around the ankles. However, my feet weren't fully supported within the shoes, and I experienced a lot of movement. This became more and more apparent as the playtest went on and as the uppers opened up. I felt most of the movement within the shoes when moving side to side, but I also had a couple of instances when my feet moved abruptly forward on quick stops."

One easy adjustment helped Zsofi get a very reliable fit. She explained, "To maximize support, I ended up utilizing the second eyelet, which allowed me to really have that nice locked-in feel around my ankle. I felt very stable once I had my ankles nicely locked into place.”

Ana thought the support and stability of the Eclipsion 5s was great. She said, "I felt supported enough that I was not afraid to move in them. The ankle support was OK too, and I didn’t experience any issues with the shoe's fit at the ankle. Even though the shoes ran short, everything else with the fit was great. I will say that these new Yonex shoes will work best for high-performance players."

Michelle found these Eclipsion 5s to be more stable than supportive. She said, "As I mentioned above, the uppers loosened a bit after some wear, and that compromised the support a tad. I really had to tighten the laces and utilize that last eyelet for maximum support. However, they were nice and stable, which I appreciated."

Overall Sole Durability: 8.8

While our testers may have had different experiences up to this point, one thing they all agreed on was that the Eclipsion 5s are very durable tennis shoes! The one-piece outsole made from a resilient rubber impressed Zsofi. She said, "I did not see any wear on the shoes throughout the playtest. Not even on the outsole, which is impressive. The durability is top-notch!"

"I was really happy with the durability of these shoes," added Michelle. "I am seeing hardly any wear after the playtest and am grateful for shoes that are proven to hold up after months of use. While they don't have an outsole durability guarantee, these Eclipsion 5s are among the more durable pairs of shoes I've tested this year."

Ana also thought the Eclipsion 5s held up very well throughout the testing period. She said, "They definitely took some break-in time, but even after 10 hours I could not see any wear on the uppers or soles of my shoes."

Brittany echoed, "The most impressive category for me in this playtest was durability. I spent 10-plus hours on a variety of indoor and outdoor courts, and the outsoles are showing no wear, aside from some dirt. I anticipate having a lot of life left in these shoes. The toe guards are built up, and while there are some signs of scuffing, it is mostly cosmetic, and there is no damage. The uppers have held up nicely as well."

Traction: 7.9

Across the board, our testers all found more grip from the Eclipsion 5s than they would have liked. It took Ana a while to get used to this shoe's sticky outsole. She said, "I struggled to move at the beginning of this playtest because I felt like my shoes were stuck to the court. I did get the shoes broken in after some playing time, and the soles got a bit less sticky. That said, the shoes seemed to hold their outsole durability since I could barely see any wear after all the hours I played and coached in them.”

"These Eclipsion 5s have a pretty sticky outsole," agreed Michelle. "The traction was more tacky than slick. I usually have no issues with tack outsoles, but I was hoping they'd lose a bit of their grip as the playtest went on. Unfortunately for me, the traction was consistently tacky throughout the test."

Traction was the only pain point for Zsofi during this playtest. She described, "I did find the outsole to be very sticky, so much so that there were occasions when I almost tripped as I got stuck a bit. The sticky outsoles didn't allow me to turn nicely out of my shots, and it forced me to lift my feet up and take little adjusting steps instead of sliding or turning with the shoe. The stickiness persisted even after playing in them for more than 10 hours."

As Brittany mentioned in the comfort section, she found minimal cushioning in the forefoot, but that was actually a positive here. She explained, "Because of lower cushioning levels, I felt low to the ground and pretty connected to the court. I do think the traction was a little more on the grippy side, and the shoes were sticking to the court. I would prefer just a little more give, even though I’m not a slider when moving around on court."

Weight: 8.1

From their first wear, our playtesters could tell the Eclipsion 5s weren’t particularly light shoes. Luckily, they didn't feel too heavy on the court. Zsofi was happy to find that these shoes felt lighter on court than their scale weight. She said, "The Eclipsion 5s do feel light on my feet. I barely noticed their weight."

"These aren't going to be the lightest shoes, but I wouldn't say they were heavy either," said Michelle. "Because of their design, they never felt too slow or heavy, and the midsole had a nice responsive feel underfoot, which made me feel like I could take a fairly quick first step."

While Brittany wasn't bothered by the weight of the Eclipsion 5s, she thought they felt just a little clunky, especially when she first brought them to the court. She described, "Even though the weight has increased, the shoes themselves don't feel heavy. The small issue I had was that the shoes didn't transition well from heel to toe. This made them feel slappy at times and slowed me down. The Eclipsion 5s did start to flex better as the playtest wore on, but that feeling never completely went away. Overall, I didn't feel as quick as I would have liked."

Ana was very impressed by how light these shoes felt, even though they looked a bit heavy. She said, "I felt very quick on the court, and I didn’t feel like the shoes were too heavy to move in."

Breakdown Summary