Breakdown

Comfort: 8.6

In terms of comfort, the Ad Accels leave little to be desired, even coming in a wide variant for those who need a more accommodating toe box. The carbon fiber midfoot shank offers great cushion under the foot in addition to its stability benefits. For Chris, the Ad Access felt just right after a short break-in period, offering reliable comfort without any fit issues. He described, “The PC Ad Accels needed a slight break-in before they felt supple enough for match play. Once the uppers felt good to go, I never experienced any poking or pinching. Even during extended hitting sessions, I never had any blister or rubbing problems in these shoes. I also liked the level of cushioning the Ad Access provided. My feet felt well protected from impact with the court, yet I also felt low enough to the ground to have that connected feel. These shoes are very stiff through the arch area, and my arches felt very well protected."

Oak also enjoyed the smooth ride the Ad Accels offered, preferring them over other options from Yonex. He noted, "We've playtested two Yonex shoes over the last few months, and coming off the Eclipsion 5s, I was very much looking forward to testing something with a little less rigidity. These Ad Accel shoes definitely have ample comfort, largely due to the carbon fiber midfoot shank, I assume. This springboard plate actually caused a bit of a propulsory sensation underfoot when I was wearing these shoes, and the impact itself feels great when moving around the court. Both from a cushion perspective and a movement angle, these shoes are very comfortable. They feel great when coming down from the air after serves, and they feel silky smooth when moving aggressively." 

Yonex makes a version of the Ad Accels to accommodate those with wider feet, and Jason was happy to report the fit was quite good here as well. He noted, "Luckily, Yonex has a wide option for these shoes, and that is the model I went with. I thought the shoe was a great fit for my feet — not too wide and not too narrow. I'd guess that it's an E width. I thought they needed a slight break-in period due to some stiffness, but after that, the Ad Access felt very good on court. The cushioning felt more responsive than plush."

Foot Support / Stability: 9.1

Continuing to impress our playtest team, the PC Ad Accels boast extremely high levels of support. Oak trusted these shoes fully across all areas of the court. He said, "As far as stability is concerned, the Ad Accels have an overall fantastic construction. There was excellent wraparound support that felt easy to lean into and allowed me to push hard during more aggressive movements. Although a tad firm initially, the shoes softened up quite nicely, and I felt encouraged to go for balls that I normally wouldn't chase down. The Ad Access felt stable and responsive when I was sliding, allowing me to recover from the slides quickly and move back into position. I will say, these shoes are extremely fast. I think the support is a huge contributing factor to making them as speedy as they are, and being able to trust the shoes throughout acceleration and deceleration goes a very long way results-wise. I would feel absolutely confident playing a match in these shoes, especially due to how they feel when I’m serving."

For Jason, the support offered in these shoes was stellar. He explained, “These shoes really shine in this area. The carbon fiber plate in the midfoot really helps with stability. I was able to move from side to side and plant my feet with no issues. I felt very confident moving aggressively in the Ad Accels."

Chris was also quite satisfied with the PC Ad Accel's support, which let him move with plenty of speed. He said, "I found an excellent level of both support and stability in the PC Ad Accels. The uppers offered a glove-like fit for my narrow feet. I didn't slide around inside my shoes like I typically do. Lateral rigidity was also very impressive. The shoes resisted torque very well on lateral cuts, and I liked the way the midfoot shank flexed. I felt like I was getting propelled forward in these shoes on my heel-to-toe transitions, which made me feel very fast on court."

Overall Sole Durability: 8.4

For the most part, the PC Ad Accel's durability was above average, especially on the uppers. For Chris, there were no glaring issues in terms of outsole wear or the uppers breaking down. He explained, "The outsoles and uppers both held up well for me in the PC Ad Accels. I played on a very gritty hard court that can chew through both, and I was pleased with how well these Yonex shoes resisted court abrasion. The wear that I did see was minimal and well within what I expect as an acceptable level."

The wear on for Jason’s shoes, or the lack thereof, was "exceptional." He added, "The outsole appears to hold up exceptionally well. I put about 12 hours on these shoes and can barely see any tread loss. I could easily put 40 to 50 hours on these and still be fine."

Oak was the only tester who encountered durability issues, though that may be due to the extensive hours he put on the shoes. He described, “The durability of the Ad Accels has been mostly good, although a few days before we shot our footage for this review my pair of shoes started to wear through the outsole of the big toe section on the left medial side. It could just be my tendency to drag my feet when sliding, but I was sad to see this kind of wear on the shoes after only about a month in them. Granted, they did become my daily drivers for the better portion of that month, so I was putting a lot of hours on them. The uppers have held up great, though, and remain strong and supportive, with just the right amount of give."

Traction: 7.7

Is there such a thing as too much traction? Some of our team members definitely would say so, as they found these Ad Accels to provide more grip than they needed. This was the one area where Chris felt let down by these shoes. He said, "My one knock with the PC Ad Accels is the traction. These shoes grip too well for me. While all of the grip I was getting felt good when pushing off for a quick sprint, I felt too stuck to the court at times. My feet felt stuck to the court when I was looking to pivot or take small adjustment steps, and my movement felt awkward as a result. Also, I didn’t feel comfortable trying to slide out of shots in these shoes in fear that I would get hung up on the court surface."

For Jason, the extraordinary amount of traction bordered on problematic, inhibiting some of his movement. He explained, "There is a ton of traction here, and unfortunately, that is not a positive for me. I found the outsole to be super sticky. Not only did that mean I couldn't slide in these shoes, it also meant I was getting a little stuck just trying to pivot at times."

Oak, however, had a different experience in this category. He enjoyed how responsive the shoes felt on court, saying, "Some of the other playtesters described these as perhaps a little too grippy, but I found that the traction was just about perfect for me after a short break-in period. They felt utterly fantastic in terms of the initial 'jump,' which will often make or break a shoe for me. The grip was excellent when it came to pushing off my toes and pivoting to where I needed to be, and the shoes provided a really good court sensation when I was serving. I felt like I could set up nearly any way I wanted to when serving and these shoes would give me the grip and trustworthiness I needed from them."

Weight: 8.6

The weight of the Ad Accels once again united our playtest team, with everyone agreeing that the weight-to-speed ratio was excellent. For Oak, the delightful experience he had in the shoes continued when it came to their overall mass. He noted, "These are some of the fastest mid-weight shoes I've ever tried. There was enough weight to support me when I was stressing the shoes during more intense movements, but they were light enough for me to accelerate quickly when I needed to get up for a drop shot or go out wide to chase a ball down. I liked how the mass of the shoes affected the support factor, where the cushion was balanced by having enough material to absorb impact and not collapse."

Jason also raved about the PC Ad Accels in this performance category. He said, "I had absolutely no issues with the weight of the Ad Access. They don't feel like the most lightweight shoes, but they aren't cumbersome at all. I think they have a nice blend of lightweight feel, stability, support and durability."

Similarly, the weight of the shoes felt quite satisfactory for Chris' movement purposes. He described, "I think the supportive fit did a good job of hiding any sensation of weight. I felt like the shoes helped me cover the court very well, and I felt as fast as I could be on my forward sprints."

Breakdown Summary