Adidas Defiant Speed 2 review

The Adidas Defiant Speed 2 definitely caters to players who:

• have a more nimble playing style moving from the baseline to the net
• want a less expensive shoe with great value for money (especially durability-wise)

If you are concerned about not being able to cinch this Adidas shoe down securely enough, try the Adidas Ubersonic 4.1. It shares many characteristics with the Defiant Speed 2 but comes with a higher-cut bootie which secures the ankle more effectively.

Another excellent option to consider is the ASICS Solution Speed FF 3. We found it to be a better performing speedster with notably lighter weight.

We found that court feel certainly dominates cushioning in the Adidas Defiant Speed 2. But at the same time, we still experienced the necessary impact protection thanks to the shoe's thicker midsole and generously padded insole.

Measuring its compound stack height in the heel, our caliper returned 28.8 mm. This is, in fact, a standard reading for the tennis shoe category.

On another note, the shoe's below-average forefoot stack of 17.0 mm is responsible for making the Defiant Speed 2 feel more grounded compared to other models.

During the playtest, we noticed that the thinner sole made the shoe's forefoot more flexible and maneuverable and allowed for more precise footwork.

The difference in stack heights returned a steeper heel-to-toe drop of 11.8 mm in this Adidas shoe.

Because it is a little higher than averageg, you might experience a more forward-leaning foot position in the Defiant Speed 2. This, unfortunately, can result in some toe jamming if you don't get a secure enough lockdown in the shoe's heel and midfoot.

The Defiant Speed 2 kept giving is very strong Adidas Ubersonic vibes because the midsoles of two shoes seem nearly identical! First, because of the steeper 12 mm drop and secondly, because of the Lightstrike cushioning foam.

The foam felt pretty responsive underfoot but our durometer showed that it wasn't as soft as the one on the Ubersonic. At 27.1 HA, the Lighstrike in the Defiant Speed 2 proved to be firmer and more on par wit the category average. This is what we would expect from a speed-oriented shoe though.

And yet, a touch of give in it made the Defiant Speed 2 feel a little more comfortable, akin to a running shoe.

Part of that underfoot comfort certainly came from the shoe's molded sockliner. The latter treated us to an added heel pad which increased the insole's thickness to 7.2 mm. We've seen that same design on the Barricade 13 (7.5 mm insole) too.

We didn't experience any issues with the Defiant Speed 2's fit in our regular men's US size 9.

But we are here to make the most accurate assessments and comparisons, so we poured a mold of the shoe's interiors to check how it stacks up against other tennis shoes.

Our digital caliper showed that the widest area of its toebox (right below the toe joints) comes in at 93.8 mm. This confirms our initial impressions and falls into the category average.

We found no considerable tapering in the Adidas Defiant Speed 2's toebox either. Even though it naturally gets narrower towards the front, its taper angle is far from aggressive.

According to our caliper, the shoe is 69.0 mm wide in the big toe area which is also on par with the average.

However, we were surprised with the vertical space of this tennis shoe.

We usually expect less forefoot volume in speed-oriented options but the Defiant Speed 2 offers a roomier experience with a toebox height of 27.3 mm.

While this is not critical, it can feel wiggly for players with narrow and skinny feet. If that's your case, the the snugger ASICS Solution Speed FF 3 instead.

Of course, the Defiant Speed 2 is not the same shoe as the Adidas Barricade and it's not supposed to be. We found its lateral support and stability reliable enough for a fast-paced hitting session but we also felt like there could me more of it.

Stability-wise, it felt similar to the Adidas Ubersonic because, again, the two shoes seem like they're built on the exact same sole! But the extended booty of the Ubersonic made the lockdown feel a bit more secure for rapid movements.

There is no mention of a midfoot shank anywhere in the shoe's description but you can easily spot it in the Defiant Speed 2's midfoot. This stiff component comprises both external wings and an internal shank embedded into the Lightstrike midsole.

The shank adds a good deal of torsional rigidity to the midfoot and we could feel it in our manual twist test. The shoe's little give earned it a high stiffness score of 4/5.

But if you need the highest levels of stability (5/5), then the Barricade 13 is your shoe. It comes with a sturdy TPU Torsion System which wraps around the midfoot like an exoskeleton.

Wrapping around the shoe's heel, a stiff TPU heel counter also adds integrity to the Defiant Speed 2. We assessed its stiffness pretty high on our scale (4/5) because it barely showed any give upon squeezing.

This rigidity helps to prevent the rearfoot from buckling to either side particularly during intense side-to-side movements.

But there is a caveat - we had to use the topmost eyelet pair to achieve a secure lockdown because the shoe's collar design felt a little to spacious for our ankles and the slippery collar lining made it feel even less secure. This worked for our medium-width feet but can be an issue for someone with skinnier feet and ankles as there is a high risk of heel slippage and in-shoe wobbling.

From the off, the platform of this Adidas tennis shoe felt substantially (but not excessively) wide.

It has a solid lateral flange in the forefoot which returned a standard caliper reading of 109.8 mm in the widest area. This gave us enough real estate to land safely and generate the push-off power for the next move.

The Defiant Speed 2 didn't cut corners in the heel either showing as much as 90.8 mm in the widest part. This allowed us to plant the whole foot safely during the grind.

Its lower forefoot stack and the absence of rigid components made the Defiant Speed 2 a more flexible tennis shoe.

According to our shoe flexing tester, it took 13.3N to bend this Adidas shoe by 30 degrees. That is less force than it takes an average court shoe in our lab.

We found that this pliability added comfort and maneuverability to the ride.

The Adidas Defiant Speed 2 is positioned as a lightweight tennis shoe but putting it on a scale revealed that it is only half an ounce lighter than average.

It doesn't feel bottom-heavy either but we have tested much lighter options that are touted as light and speedy shoes (i.e. ASICS Solution Speed FF 3 at 10.9 oz).

The shoe's porous and transparent upper material gave us hope for better breathability in the Adidas Defiant Speed 2. But unfortunately, it proved to have limited airflow like most other tennis shoes.

The wispy billows of smoke passing through the shoe's toebox confirmed its limited ventilation capacity and made us lower the breathability score to 3/5.

We were quite surprised, to be honest, because the mesh itself has pretty large pores and there is no internal shoe padding to block the flow.

At first glance, the Defiant Speed 2 didn't seem as reinforced and ready for action as the other hard court shoes we've tested. But luckily, the sturdy Adituff layer on the medial side of the shoe's toebox did not disappoint.

To mimic the wear-and-tear of court slashing, we drilled the Adituff with sandpaper at a high Dremel speed of 10K RPM.

Despite leaving a visible dent, the tool didn't do any detrimental damage to the shoe's toe drag guard. Because of that we rated the latter's durability with a high score of 4/5.

The Adituff also lines the shoe's toebox perimeter protecting the upper mesh in the most high-wear areas.

Applying our Dremel to the top of the toebox erased the rubber layer but left the mesh unscathed. That bumped up our toebox durability score to 4/5.

The slippery nature of the shoe's inner lining actually helped it survive the Dremel exposure without a hitch. A few seconds of drilling didn't even get the fabric scuffed! That a clear 5/5 for heel padding durability.

It may not be Adidas' renowned Adiwear rubber but it proved to be just as strong!

This rubber blend doesn't carry a name but it showed a promising hardness reading of 87.5 HC on our Shore C durometer. And density is what we always look for in a durable hard court shoe.

The compound also proved its worth in our demanding Dremel test at a 10K RPM drilling speed.

With a very shallow dent of 0.5 mm, it showed an even better result than the category average! Thus, we expect a lot of outsole life from this Adidas shoe.

We also found the shoe's outsole thickness to be solid at 3.5 mm. This is enough rubber to withstand long-term abrasion but at the same time, not too thick to affect the shoe's comfort or flexibility.

The Adidas Defiant Speed 2 relies on a classic unassuming herringbone pattern to provide grip on the hard court. And it gets the job done beautifully!

A mix of sharper and smoother treadlines balances grip and give which allowed us to stop on a dime but also slide when needed.

Even though the Defiant Speed 2 doesn't belong to the brand's cheap category, it has a below-average MSRP which is also lower than that of the very similar Adidas Ubersonic 4.1.

From that perspective, we believe that the Defiant Speed 2 is reasonably priced, especially considering the longevity of its construction.

The Defiant Speed 2 offers abundant padding in the collar and a more targeted padding in the tongue.

Measuring the latter in its thickest part returned an above-average reading of 9.3 mm, whereas the rest of the tongue is only a couple of milimeters thick. We believe that the absence of full-length padding is what caused issues with the lockdown of this Adidas shoe.

There are no gussets on the tongue which is a shame because we think that could've helped the lockdown situation too.

An extended heel collar makes it easier to slide into this Adidas shoe.

You can easily remove the Defiant Speed 2's insole and replace it with your own orthotic.

But keep in mind that the shoe's stock insole is pretty thick and if you get a thinner replacement, you might end up with even more internal shoe space that can mess with a secure foothold.

According to Adidas, there is at least 20% of recycled content in the Defiant Speed 2.