I have used adidas, asics, butterfly energy series but no one  beats the mizuno wave drive series. They are comfy, durable, grippy, light and they offer great cushioning. 

Another vote for Mizuno. It took me a while until I decided to pay over 100 euros for a pair, but when I could afford them I did it.

Everything written in the 2nd post is true.

Mizuno are a really nice shoe I agree, but for price close to 100$ and they do not last long. The outside of shoe you will have perfect condition but soon the bottom sole will loose the tread and you will have slicks!

Most TT Shoes are crap (honestly). There were few good butterfly shoes years ago when Butterfly teamed with Asics but now even the 150$ timo boll shoes are crap.

 

ASICS Gel-Rocket 9 Men's Volleyball Shoes <-- are the way to go, and if you don't like the look or something just go for Mizuno (best selection at tt-japan.net) also if you have smaller feet than lets say 10.5 US (44EURO) you will find amazing Asics on that website, only sold in japan and this site.

 

Good luck!

I used to use mizuno, which are great btw, but were not for me (6'3, 190lbs). Not enough support and cushioning for my frame.

I tried many shoes (mizuno wave drive/medal, asics gel court control, babolat, salming) and right now using ASICS Sky Elite FF volleyball shoes and they work for me very well.

I think mizuno work well for smaller lighter frame players who are quick on their feet. Asics are also great and have some models that offer support/cushioning for heavier set players.

What im trying to say is there is no "best brand" out there... its what works and suits you so you might have to try different shoes before finding right ones.

Agree. No best brand but the best model. 

I´ve had a Wave Medal and didn´t like it, there was not enough lateral grip.

The best TT shoe in my opinion is Asics Attack Excounter, it´s light, confortable, grips like no other and is also beautiful.

Im not gonna say they are the best or the only or whatever, since I have not tried EVERY brand of TT shoe out there. But the Mizunos are excellent!

FdT

I have slightly wide feet. The only table tennis shoe that is wide I know of is:

https://tt-japan.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=3724" rel="nofollow - https://tt-japan.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=3724

Then I put this insert into it. It fits perfectly in 10.5 size USA shoes. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VEBMKK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" rel="nofollow - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VEBMKK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It takes the weight from just under 200g to mid 350g but unlike my blade setup, this doesn't seem to matter a lot to me and the extra cushion is quite nice.

These shoes last a really long time and in newer condition perform quite well on basketball court surfaces. I have an older pair that now slips on the court if I do not clean it between games.

EDIT: Wide table tennis shoes . Just going to put that phrase here for google searchers later on.

No shoe will work for everybody.

A good shoe.  Would enjoy a little more heel padding.  Nice, light shoe with excellent, durable soles, however.

Hopefully the Gel Rocket 9 is better than the Gel Rocket 8. The 8's were pretty comfortable and they performed okay, but the durability sucked. Around the entire front of the toe, the leather separated from the rubber. They were still usable, but they looked really ugly. It only took about 1 month for said separation to occur. I only wore the shoes to play table tennis and never wore them outside. 

I use Gel Rockets.... not much choice. My shoe size is 14 US, 47-48 Euro.

Mizuno, 9 months no problems.

I liked the sprint spikes the best but they are designed for forward movement as in sprinting and not for lateral movement as in tennis or table-tennis.. I once seriously sprained my ankle while leading in a higher rated player whom I have never beaten 21-10, 16-3 (in a 2 out of 3 match old system) & had to quit . It was not a tournament still this guy was from UK and took table-tennis far more seriously than Americans.

I am surprised Reebok (I think English) has not cornered the market

Ouch!  Perhaps you shouldn't be in America.  Or, perhaps, you Americans should STEP UP from your frivolity to a more sober gaze.

Better than Mizuno Wave Drive & Medal if you care about your knees. 

3000.artists wrote: I like all leather shoes- too much cushion around the ankle and top of the foot bothers me, my feet don’t feel as responsive- I like the adherence to the foot better with leather. Adidas has been my go to. I’ve worn through two pairs of lacombe, and when fresh these were the best feel by far to play in. I’d buy 100 if I had the funds. But the heel construction was poor and caused separation between the side and bottom pieces. So I looked for a model with a https://superoshoes.com/products/catalog/men/tennis-racquet-sports" rel="nofollow - singular rubber bottom . Right now I play in sambas, but these have juuust slightly too much padding.. Now I’m looking at Nike indoor soccer mercurials, or some other adidas spezial variant with thinner shells. I also played with some all leather Nike Cortez models and like rose a lot, but again the heel didn’t last so long.

I used to go with Adidas Samba before, but they are made for soccer actually. After getting a hold on Asics Gel Rocket 9 (only 327g per shoe) I am having no second doubts about buying similar gel ones again.

Mizuno Wave Drive series is on my to-try list. However, still can't give up of Asics.

When I think of Asics now, I just realized, they were literary my actual first shoes that I've ever bought as a kid.

This or similar:

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-mercurial-superfly-7-club-indoor-soccer-shoes-19nikamrcsprfly7cndra/19nikamrcsprfly7cndra" rel="nofollow - https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-mercurial-superfly-7-club-indoor-soccer-shoes-19nikamrcsprfly7cndra/19nikamrcsprfly7cndra

I thought volleyball shoes are for jumping more than for rapid side to side.

upcourt 3 will last you for 1 to 2 years 

for level around 2200

yes

I thought volleyball shoes are for jumping more than for rapid side to side.

Much of the movement in volleyball is side to side.

https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/miz3637/mizuno-wave-stealth-v-court-shoes/?_cur=2&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmsrxBRDaARIsANyiD1qUcCCAS-YJoLrDar-2Fi-zUkmOlSwiQbYkWOB25_t1I93MMfb1RCMaAvp2EALw_wcB" rel="nofollow - https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/miz3637/mizuno-wave-stealth-v-court-shoes/?_cur=2&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmsrxBRDaARIsANyiD1qUcCCAS-YJoLrDar-2Fi-zUkmOlSwiQbYkWOB25_t1I93MMfb1RCMaAvp2EALw_wcB

Looks like these shoes also have a ventilated bottom like my favorite, the Butterfly Energy Force 3. It really helps to keep your feet cool and thus very comfortable.

I've switched over to Asics completely and even went to their outlets to buy 2 pairs of nice shoes for only $120 it was BOGO free and I also use the Asics dominate ff from tt11 best decision ever. I have both the blue and white/red ones. Compared to Mizuno there much more lighter and breathable. Wave drives were way too heavy and I sold them

Wave neo z was good but didn't last long the bottoms ripped off

Wave medal z was not bad lasted the longest but again the durability is still not that good on them. 

Wave drive neos were funky 

I personally do not endorse using non tt related shoes because you won't know till later if it really helps or damages your body more so than you think. 

I moved quicker in my significantly heavier tennis shoes even.

I tried my badminton victor [A-920 shoes] and they are unbelievable. As quick as the WM6's were when they were cleaner / on the ideal floor.

The badminton shoes are in the middle of their life and haven't been cleaned either [will give both of them a big scrub when i get home]..unfortunately i think when walking small distances to catch public transport etc, i sometimes walked with the TT shoes which didn't help

I don't see why one couldn't use badminton shoes. They are 374 g per shoe [size 10.5 US / 28.5 cm]

so only 70g more than the very light WM6.

They are both very quick sports with a lot of lateral movement, although of course badminton is largely 45 degree movement.

Maybe TT shoes are more temperamental with regards to different flooring, in any case, [these] badminton shoes seem to excel on a wider range of either floors, or state of dustiness/[un]cleanliness.

any opinions/feedback would be much appreciated!

I heard Asics tend to run a bit narrower. My friend owns both models and he says the Attack Dominate FF (the lighter weight ones) are more comfortable. Definitely go up a size if you are in between size! 

I already own Asics shoes (Blade 5 & Rocket) so the sizing is no problem

I used play far away from table lobbing both sides so I always looked for the lightest shoe & actually weighed my shoes.

That is freaking awesome at 7.934 ounces weight.  But in general, the problem with mail order shoes is same as mail order brides(or grooms) . Ha Ha just kidding . If you buy the wrong size , what do you do ? Send them back at at shipping more than cost of shoes ? 

I have found that most tennis / basketball / cross-training / volleyball shoes are very heavy. 

Tried wrestling shoes - These are great with ankle protection but heels too flat & somewhat heavy

Tried sprinting shoes with rubber spikes are great except that they are designed for forward movement not lateral. I once sprained my ankle REAL REAL bad.

Of course I don't screw in the spikes on............yet.......unless there is a future outdoor table tennis event.     BTW the most metal spike outdoor sprint shoes are awesome light-weight but since the screw-in pins on the shoe side render them unusable indoor .

Many racing flats are decent but tend to get heavy. There are many many Nike / Adidas / Reebok flats but you have to find the right ones.

I have even bought some beach shoes ($5) at Walmart . They were great but no longer available. Most new ones are very heavy on the sole side (that breaks my soul) 

I like some of the five finger shoes though they are a pain to put on.  Lot of good stuff from China at good prices but again the size & availability are the problems.

But if you are not very mobile and play close to the table , you are better off using heavier tennis or basketball shoes for most protection of ankles & feet

 

I've already placed an order for Asics Dominate FF at ttjapan

I'll report back when i recieve them

I used various Asics Gel Rocket models for a long time and really liked the weight and cushioning.  Then I tried ADIDAS X TANGO 18+ IN INDOOR SOCCER shoes which are significantly lighter and very comfortable.  They are slip-ons and a bit hard to put on but very secure when wearing them.  I wish I knew what the next generation of these shoes are, Adidas models are confusing.

I use squash shoes, but then I am an ex-squash player and don't play table tennis to a high level. They look very similar to table tennis shoes to me, maybe they are slightly heavier.

For advice on fit, this is what I have found.

Prince NFS have a wide toe box, if you have wide feet or like lots of room for your toes to move, they are the best fit. Asics come up narrow on me, I don't have wide feet, but I have low arches and need good arch support. Salming are slightly small fitting, but otherwise have good arch support and fit well around the mid foot and toes. I normally take a 42, I need a 43 in Salming.

The Prince and Salming shoes are really well made. I have recently been using a pair of Princes that are 10 years old. The sole is finally wearing down, but the uppers are still in reasonably good shape.

I've used Adidas Samba, indoor soccer shoes for the last several years. The ones without the large tongue in the middle.

They have amazing grip, which lasts forever, seemingly. Low profile, fairly lightweight, and super soft and comfortable.