One of the most important things to consider when choosing court shoes is how they treat your feet. The New Balance 996v5s feature a lightweight FuelCell foam midsole combined with a breathable mesh upper to give these shoes a comfortable feel. The 996v5s impressed Brittany in the comfort department. She said, "As soon as I took these shoes out of the box and slipped them onto my feet, I appreciated the step-in comfort and knew that I could head straight to the court without any need for a break-in period. The cushioning underfoot was supportive rather than plush, and the uppers were soft and almost instantly molded around my feet. I have the narrowest feet on the playtest team, and I found the B width fit quite generous (I probably would have sized down to a 2A if it were offered). There was some extra room in the midfoot and forefoot areas at the start of the playtest. As the testing continued, I noticed that the uppers opened up even more, and I needed to tie my laces extra tightly and wear thicker socks. The arch support was just perfect, and even in the hotter summer weather, my feet felt like they were getting plenty of ventilation."

Because feet come in different sizes and shapes, New Balance has always offered its shoes in multiple widths. Tiffani playtested the D-width 996v5s. She said, "One of the struggles of having wide feet is finding shoes that fit without any pinching. I can typically count on New Balance to offer truly wide shoes, and I was pleased to find the 996v5 D width fit my feet well. My feet sat down inside the shoes, and the uppers felt nice and flexible. The shoes have a comfortable feel overall, and the cushioning is supportive and responsive. However, at this stage, I prefer slightly plusher cushioning under my feet. When I did a lot of running or had a long day in these shoes, my feet felt a little sore. The other comfort aspects were good for me. I thought the shoes breathed well and offered decent ventilation. I never gave the arch support a second thought either."

Zsofi was also impressed with the fit of the New Balance 996v5s. She described, "New Balance is famous for offering wider shoe sizes, and other than its super-cool look, that generous width was one of the most attractive features of this shoe! I tested a pair that was B width, but even this version offered plenty of space for my medium-width feet. There was basically no break-in time needed; the shoes were good to go right out of the box. When it comes to comfort levels, the upper is super soft and the shoes have a comfortable overall feel, so I was happy to wear them around the gym as well. I would like to add, though, that I was unfortunately missing a bit of cushioning under the heel, and I felt like I sometimes landed a bit harshly on my heels."

Due to size availability, Michelle tested out a different color variation than the other playtesters. The 996v5s she tried were part of the Classic Pack, with a canvas-like upper and retro styling. She explained, "I remember really liking the previous version of these shoes, and I’ll mention I was wearing the Classic colorway (due to availability in my size), which I found did differ a bit from the other colors. Stepping in, the heel collar and upper were very comfortable, but the shoes did fit short. I wonder if that was because this color features a canvas upper that is a little less stretchy than the mesh uppers. Underfoot, the cushioning was fine but felt a bit boardy and firm once I started playing; I was expecting them to be a bit more cushioned."

Our team agreed that although the uppers of the New Balance 996v5s were extremely comfortable, the shoes lacked the level of stability that the testers wanted for intense play. Tiffani said, "Because the uppers are quite soft, I did need to cinch up the laces tightly to get the support levels I like for playing tennis. Once my shoes were snug, I was ready to go. My feet were held in place, and I didn't have any sliding inside my shoes. The cut around the ankles is about average height, and although they didn't feel like the most stable shoes, I never had any issues with turning an ankle."

Michelle is a fan of the New Balance Coco CG1, and she would have liked the 996v5 to offer similar support. She said, "Recalling previous versions of this series, support was never a standout feature, but the uppers are so comfortable. The 996v5 was a similar story. They stretched a bit as I wore them more, and they didn’t offer a ton of support. The stability was OK, but as someone who loves the Coco CG1s, the stability definitely didn't stand up. For this reason, these shoes became a pair I spent more time coaching and teaching in rather than playing aggressive tennis in."

Like the rest of the team, Zsofi praised the 996v5s’ comfort but wished for more stability on court. She described, "The upper was really comfortable and soft around my feet, but I would say it was almost a bit too soft. I would have liked a bit more torsional stability, and for the upper to hug my feet a bit tighter."

Being familiar with previous versions of these shoes, Brittany said, "In past models of the 996 I struggled with the lack of support and stability. This was amplified after I experienced an ankle injury and needed higher levels of support and stability from my shoes. I thought New Balance increased both the support and stability levels on this update, but at the end of the day, they still were not enough for me to feel fully secure. I also would have liked one additional eyelet to really lock in my ankles."

Our team's thoughts about the durability of these New Balance 996v5 shoes were slightly mixed, and some felt that durability took a backseat to keeping the shoes lightweight. On the plus side, the 996v5s do come with a six-month durability guarantee from New Balance. Durability didn’t seem to be an issue for Zsofi. She explained, "The outsole is pretty thick, so it will take a while for it to truly wear down, and the upper was also holding up nicely."

The soles of these 996v5s caught Tiffani's eye. She said, "This is purely a comment on the cosmetics, but I loved the translucent design on the shoes I tested! Although it didn't affect performance, it was a fun design element nonetheless. I am not seeing excessive wear on my shoes, but looking at my outsoles (or through them as the case may be), they don't appear to be as thick as more durable shoes. That helps keep things light, though."

Durability was a bit of a concern for Michelle. She noted, "The durability seemed OK in these shoes, but it could be better. They do seem to wear down a bit quicker than some other similar shoes."

"Being lightweight shoes, I found durability to be a little lower than the average," Brittany added. "I am starting to see smoothing on the high-wear parts of the outsoles after 10-plus hours of play. The toe bumpers are on the minimal side, and I am seeing some scuffing on both shoes from toe dragging. Additionally, the midsole cushioning wraps around to the front of the toe box, and I have started to scuff the color off of it, especially on my left shoe."

New Balance introduced a new tread pattern on these 996v5 shoes, and while most of our testers appreciated the update, others had some gripes about the grip. As one of the players who was fully on board with the change, Michelle was comfortable with the feel of the 996v5's outsole. She said, "I had no issues with traction and thought these shoes offered a nice blend of grip and give."

Tiffani agreed, adding, "I felt sure of foot in these 996v5s. The traction was grippy, but not excessively so. I could move without feeling stuck. I'm looking more for a blend that allows me to transition from shot to shot without getting hung up on the court, and the 996v5s’ outsoles worked well for my movements."

It took a bit of court time for Zsofi to get comfortable with the feel of this new tread. She said, "The outsole was a bit sticky at the beginning of the playtest, but as the test went on and I wore the outsole down just a little bit, traction became optimal."

Each playtester offers a different perspective, and Brittany was not as impressed with this outsole. She explained, "One of the first things I noticed about the 996v5s when I started playing was that they were very noisy. As I was moving around, I definitely noticed the squeaking (especially on the indoor court), and that was a little distracting at times. The shoes were also extremely grippy, and I really felt stuck to the court. I personally prefer more give than grip, so there were a couple of times I was feeling a little stuck when pushing out of a wide groundstroke."

Our playtesters all agreed that New Balance hit the mark when they engineered these 996v5s to be lightweight. Brittany described, "The 996v5s definitely fall into the lightweight shoe category. They not only have a low weight on the scale, but they also feel extremely light on my feet. Combined with the soft uppers, I felt like I was just wearing socks at times. I definitely was able to move around with ease."

While Tiffani certainly appreciated the 996v5s’ weight, she did find herself wishing for a plusher feel at times. She explained, "The light feel of these shoes is definitely a highlight! I didn't feel weighed down at all when wearing these shoes. I wouldn't mind a bit more cushioning underfoot though, and that would add some weight. I did like wearing these shoes around after tennis as well as at the gym because they felt nice and light."

Zsofi made it unanimous when she added, "I would consider these shoes to be pretty lightweight. I never really noticed them feeling heavy on my feet or dragging me down at all."