Nuestra conclusión

If we were to assess the Nike Vapor Pro 3 in isolation from its previous version (and Nike's product description), we would say that it is a terrific tennis shoe with excellent on-court performance. But, unfortunately, our impression was overshadowed by Nike's decision to shrink the forefoot Air Zoom unit, which detracted from the shoe's propulsiveness without offering any benefits in return - it didn't get any lighter or more flexible. But with that out of the way, we can highly recommend the Vapor Pro 3 for its well-rounded design that seamlessly blends speed and stability.

Pros

  • Highly secure midfoot lockdown
  • Solid lateral support and stability
  • Reliable impact protection
  • Good mix of cushioning and court feel
  • Predictable medium fit
  • Fantastic durability (even in high-wear areas)
  • Nice balance of grip and give
  • Comfortable step-in feel

Contras

  • Air Zoom unit reduced in size (less pop)
  • No added flexibility (as promised)
  • Still heavier than average
  • Not so breathable

Veredicto de los usuarios

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Who should buy

The Nike Vapor Pro 3 might be your next best tennis shoe if:

  • you are an all-court player who expects the same versatility from their tennis shoe
  • you are a slider who needs excellent toe drag durability and some give in the outsole

Nike Vapor Pro 3 review

Who should NOT buy

Nike rained on its own parade by making the Air Zoom unit as tiny as possible in the Vapor Pro 3. So if you came here for a snappy ride, try the Nike Zoom GP Challenge 1 instead. That one has two huge Air Zoom units (one in the forefoot and one in the heel)...for now.

And if you turned to this Nike Vapor shoe in the hope of getting that light and nimble experience that the Vapor line has always been associated with, you might be disappointed. We found the Vapor Pro 3 somewhat bottom-heavy and it's backed up by its above-average scale numbers. Have a look at the ASICS Solution Speed 3 instead.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 lab test

Amortiguación

Altura de la suela en la zona del talón

The overall shape, size, and thickness of the shoe's sole remained practically unchanged in the Vapor Pro 3.

With a caliper reading of 28.6 mm, we found its heel stack to be nearly identical to that of the previous version (Vapor Pro 2). It also happens to be on par with the category average which indicates a good amount of impact protection in the heel.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Heel stack
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 28.6 mm
Media 29.1 mm
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
25.3 mm
Altura de la suela en la zona del talón
33.0 mm

Altura de la suela en el antepié

The forefoot stack also remained practically unchanged showing a standard thickness of 20.0 mm.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Forefoot stack

However, this part of the shoe has undergone a pretty major change which affected the way it feels under the ball of foot. Unfortunately, the brand decided to cut down on the size of the Air Zoom unit in order to...improve flexibility, as they say?

Nike Vapor Pro 3 vs Vapor Pro 2 Air Zoom unit

In our opinion, this resulted in a major stepback in the shoe's overall springiness and energy return which was the primary reason why many players loved the previous Vapor Pro! If you are here for that propulsiveness, the Nike Zoom GP Challenge 1 is a more suitable option now.

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 20.0 mm
Media 19.5 mm
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
15.5 mm
Altura de la suela en el antepié
23.4 mm

Drop

The shoe's heel-to-toe offset stays within the standard range of tennis shoes. According to our stack height measurements, it comes in at 8.6 mm which forms a smooth slope from the heel to the toes.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Drop
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 8.6 mm
Media 9.7 mm
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
6.2 mm
Drop
14.7 mm

Suavidad de la mediasuela

In its product description, Nike claims using the same midsole foam as in the previous Vapor Pro. While the exact type of foam is not specified (looks like Phylon though), its density is vastly different!

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Midsole softness

Pressing a Shore A durometer against the foam returned a notably higher reading of 28.4 HA. That is 42% firmer than the Vapor Pro 2's cushioning! But if you haven't tried the previous version, you can expect a pretty standard underfoot experience because 28.4 HA is exactly the same as the tennis shoe average.

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 28.4 HA
Media 28.6 HA
Utilizamos la media de cuatro pruebas. La foto muestra una de esas pruebas.
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
17.1 HA
Suavidad de la mediasuela (de blanda a firme)
34.0 HA

Grosor de la plantilla

A well-padded insole adds a touch of comfort on top of the shoe's firm midsole. We measured its thickness at 4.5 mm which is common for most tennis shoes in our roster.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Insole thickness
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 4.5 mm
Media 5.1 mm
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
3.4 mm
Grosor de la plantilla
7.5 mm

Tallaje y ajuste

Talla

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Anchura de la parte delantera - zona más ancha

Fit-wise, the Nike Vapor Pro 3 brings no surprises in its one and only D medium width. We experienced that on our own feet but also recreated the shoe's gel replica to back it up with objective measurements.

Using a digital caliper, we measured the shoe's mold in its widest part (right below the toe joints) and got a standard reading of 93.2 mm. This is exactly on par with the category average.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Toebox width - widest part
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 93.2 mm
Media 92.8 mm
En comparación con 25 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
88.7 mm
Anchura de la parte delantera - zona más ancha
96.0 mm

Anchura de la parte delantera - dedo gordo

We found no aggressive tapering towards the toes either. Applying our caliper to the big toe area of the mold, we got a regular width of 69.4 mm.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Toebox width - big toe
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 69.4 mm
Media 69.3 mm
En comparación con 25 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
65.5 mm
Anchura de la parte delantera - dedo gordo
74.3 mm

Altura de la parte delantera

However, the shoe's toebox height turned out to be slightly above-average at 26.9 mm! And that is despite the large rubber toe guard on top of it.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Toebox height

That gives a tad more wiggle room in this tennis shoe without compromising its secure foothold.

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 26.9 mm
Media 25.0 mm
En comparación con 25 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
20.7 mm
Altura de la parte delantera
29.2 mm

Estabilidad

Prueba de estabilidad lateral

Initially frustarted with the Vapor Pro 3's cushioning transformations, we found some positive changes too!

There is a notable step-up in the shoe's lockdown and lateral stability courtesy of the changes in the upper and the lacing system. The integrated eyelets (aka full midfoot band) allow to cinch down a greater area of the midfoot eliminating any foot shifting and sliding during the most aggressive lateral cuts.

The addition of zigzaggy TPU streaks around the eyestay and the ankle also contributed to a more secure in-shoe feel.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 toe drag guard

Rigidez torsional

The Nike Vapor Pro 3 does not feature any internal shanks or massive sidewalls to provide the necessary lateral support during forceful side-to-side movements.

Yet, we found its overall construction to be sufficiently rigid, preventing foot buckling and ankle rolling. You can see how much the shoe resisted twisting in our torsional rigidity test below.

Assessing its stiffness on a 1-5 scale, we gave it a high score of 4 without hesitation.

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 4
Media 4.4
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
1
Rigidez torsional
5

Rigidez del contrafuerte del talón

The heel counter, on the other hand, proved to be more forgiving and gave in to the pressure we applied on the sides. Because of that, we gave it a moderate stiffness score of 3/5.

However, this didn't seem to compromise the shoe's overall stability thanks to its rigid sole and highly secure midfoot cage.

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 3
Media 3.9
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
1
Rigidez del contrafuerte del talón
5

Anchura de la mediasuela - antepié

Flipping the Vapor Pro 3 upside down reveals substantial sole flares both in the forefoot and the heel. However, they may seem because of the shoe's narrower midfoot.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Midsole width - forefoot

When we measured the widest part of the forefoot with a caliper, it returned a standard width of 111.3 mm. But we have nothing to complain about because the flange delivered the expected on-court stability.

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 111.3 mm
Media 111.9 mm
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
105.3 mm
Anchura de la mediasuela - antepié
117.4 mm

Anchura de la mediasuela - talón

As for the widest area of the heel, it proved to be even wider than average at 94.3 mm. This made us feel confident enough to plant the whole foot on the court when grinding at the baseline.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Midsole width - heel
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 94.3 mm
Media 89.7 mm
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
82.4 mm
Anchura de la mediasuela - talón
99.7 mm

Flexibilidad / Rigidez

Now it's time to complain again.

Nike says that the shrunken Air Zoom unit was supposed to provide better forefoot flexibility in the Vapor Pro 3, but it did NOT!

We carefully measured the amount of force it takes to bend each Nike shoe to a 90-degree angle. The tool returned 34.0N for the Vapor Pro 2 and 32.8N for the Vapor Pro 3. That means as little as 4%(!) of added flexibility in the 3rd iteration...It's not even noticeable on foot! Thus, we couldn't help but wonder if that was even the real reason behind the reduced Air Zoom unit.

But if we take the Vapor Pro 3 outside of this context, it is no different from the average tennis shoe! It feels bendy enough to feel comfortable and in control of the footwork, but also snappy enough for those last-second scrambles to the net.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 flexiblity

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 32.8N
Media 31.0N
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
18.8N
Flexibilidad <> Rigidez
52.0N

Peso

According to Nike, the Vapor Pro 3 features a new rubber compound that is supposed to make it lighter than the previous Vapors. But, unfortunately, this is not what we found in the lab.

Weighing both shoes in the same size (men's US 9), the scale showed nearly identical numbers! At 13.51 oz (383g), the Vapor Pro 3 even turned out to be a few grams heavier than the v2. Not to mention that it is also heavier than the average.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Weight
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 13.51 oz (383g)
Media 12.77 oz (362g)
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
10.30 oz (292g)
Peso
14.71 oz (417g)

Transpirabilidad

The shoe's lack of breathability was yet another disappointment we experienced in the Nike Vapor Pro 3. As thin and transparent as its upper fabric appeared, our lab tests revealed its limited ventilation capacity.

Our most indicative smoke-pumping test showed how little airflow actually passes through the shoe's toebox.

Even though we saw sufficient air channels through the microscope, it's the padding underneath the upper fabric that blocks the free flow.

But because this Nike tennis shoe is not hopelessly toasty, we bumped up its breathability score to 2/5.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Breathability under microscope

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 2
Media 3.3
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
1
Transpirabilidad
5

Durabilidad

Durabilidad de la protección delantera

On a positive note, the Nike Vapor Pro 3 doesn't seem to lack the reinforcement needed for a long and happy tennis shoe life.

Its toe drag guard is just as sturdy as on the Vapor Pro 2, combining both the outsole rubber and the HART (High Abrasion Rubber Tech) to cover a larger toebox area and protect it against the abrasive court slashes.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 toebox protection

Using a Dremel and sandpaper, we drilled the HART compound ruthlessly at 10K RPM speed. The damage looked so insignificant that we instantly rated the shoe's toe drag guard durability as 4/5. You can rest assured that the Vapor Pro 3 is ready for some serious sliding on hard court.

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 4
Media 2.8
En comparación con 12 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
1
Durabilidad de la protección delantera
5

Durabilidad de la parte delantera

Even the shoe's exposed mesh didn't give us any reasons for concern. Drilling it raw at 5K RPM speed, we were impressed with its ability to resist abrasion. Because of that, the shoe's toebox also received a high durability score of 4/5, proving to be stronger than the v2's upper fabric.

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 4
Media 3.8
En comparación con 35 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
1
Durabilidad de la parte delantera
5

Durabilidad del acolchado del talón

As it often happens with tennis shoes, the Vapor Pro 3 cuts corners on the longevity of its inner collar lining. It took mere seconds for the material to get notably damage,d which lowered its heel padding durability score to 3/5.

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 3
Media 3.2
En comparación con 35 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
1
Durabilidad del acolchado del talón
5

Dureza de la suela

Nike doesn't specify what kind of new rubber compound it uses for the third Vapor Pro. However, our lab tests and measurements showed that it is hardly different from the previous outsole rubber.

Our Shore C durometer returned a slightly higher reading of 89.4 HC but it is just a bit harder than the older version.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Outsole hardness
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 89.4 HC
Media 86.3 HC
Utilizamos la media de cuatro pruebas. La foto muestra una de esas pruebas.
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
79.0 HC
Dureza de la suela
92.0 HC

Durabilidad de la suela

Subjecting both rubbers to the same demanding Dremel test, we didn't find any difference in the damage it left. Both outsoles showed a shallow dent of 0.5 mm.

Either way, this is good news for the shoe's outsole durability!

Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 0.5 mm
Media 0.8 mm
En comparación con 35 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
0.0 mm
Desgaste de la suela
2.0 mm

Grosor de la suela

The difference in outsole thickness also proved to be rather minuscule. At 0.5 mm, it is barely even worth mentioning. Thus, we expect the Vapor Pro 3 to last a good while, much like its predecessor.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Outsole thickness
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 4.3 mm
Media 4.2 mm
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
3.0 mm
Grosor de la suela
5.2 mm

Varios

Agarre / Tracción

The Nike Vapor Pro 3 also inherits the same outsole tread pattern which we loved for its perfect balance of grip and give.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 outsole

But please note that this type of outsole is not the stickiest in the first place and it gets even smoother with time. That's why sliders are more likely to enjoy this Nike shoe. If you prefer tennis shoes with a hard bite, check our the Nike GP Challenger Pro.

Precio

The was no price hike for the Vapor Pro 3 and we beieve it is fair considering that the shoe hasn't introduced any groundbreaking updates. On the contrary, it made the Air Zoom unit smaller!

Other than that, the shoe remains a solid hard court option in the middle price range which performs on par with its competition.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Price
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 $130
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
€75
Precio
€220

Acolchado de la lengüeta

The Vapor Pro 3 packs a good amount of padding where it's needed (collar and tongue) without being excessive. Measuring its tongue thickness with a caliper returned a fairly standard reading of 8.8 mm. No lace bites or instep pressure.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Tongue padding
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 8.8 mm
Media 7.8 mm
En comparación con 37 zapatillas de tenis
Número de zapatillas
2.5 mm
Acolchado de la lengüeta
13.1 mm

Lengüeta: tipo de refuerzo

The tongue of the Vapor Pro 3 is gusseted on both sides and extends even higher than it did in the v2. This contributes to the shoe's secure midfoot fit which is where we saw a major improvement in the v3.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Tongue: gusset type
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 Ambos lados (completo)

Tirador del talón

There is no pull tab or finger loop to assist with getting the shoe on but it's quite easy to do in the first place.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Heel tab
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3 Ninguno

Plantilla extraíble

As a more expensive option from Nike, the Vapor Pro 3 can afford a more ergonomic insole (contoured, with a slight arch on the medial side). But if you need a custom orthotic, you can easily insert one instead.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 Removable insole
Resultados de las pruebas
Vapor Pro 3

Laces

The shoe has a pretty strong closure system with large integrated eyelets for the most secure lockdown. A dedicated loop in the middle of the tongue also helps to keep the laces in place.

On top of that, you can minimize the chance of heel slippage by using a extra pair of eyelets for a lace lock.

Nike Vapor Pro 3 laces