Today we'll be reviewing and comparing two flagship light and fast badminton shoes - the super popular Yonex Aerus Z (UK here) badminton shoes as well as the Li Ning Blast SE JF-01 (use code 'CKYEW' for more discounts on Li Ning Studio) ultralight badminton shoes.
I always think it’s good when multiple manufacturers push to create the same line of products for consumers. Yonex have produced quite a few generations of their light and speedy badminton shoes starting from the older SHB F1 models quite a few years ago all the way to the current Aerus Z series with each generation getting better than the previous one.
Li Ning too have entered the market with their ultralight and speedy badminton shoes, namely their Blast series and at the time of publishing, I’m also aware that they have just released a new series of super light badminton shoes called the Mirage Pro too.
However, as I’m haven't got my hands on the Mirage Pro shoes yet, we’ll focus our discussions on the Blast SE which has been on the market for more than a year and is worn by plenty of Li Ning athletes, such as Anthony Ginting, Jonatan Christie, Yuta Watanabe, and PV Sindhu.
Why Choose Superlight Or Ultralight Badminton Shoes?
Well, if you’ve tried them before, you’ll immediately tell the very noticeable difference in the weight of each shoe and personally for me, they’re quite addictive. Once you’ve gone super light, going back to a normal pair or a heavier pair of shoes is quite hard.
However, generally, going superlight does come at a slight cost as there’s only so much weight you can save. Going superlight often means manufacturers have to remove additional materials which can add longer-term durability or thicker cushioning.
I remember the first generation of Aerus often had players complaining about the tearing of the side toe box fairly quickly, especially if you’re quite an aggressive mover on court. But as we’ve progressed with better materials and design, these have mostly been solved.
It’s also good that other brands such as Li Ning are entering the superlight badminton shoe sector to provide us with more options as consumers too!
Shoe Sizing
Currently, I wear 28.0cm size badminton shoes, which is equivalent to UK size 9.5 or US size 10 for Yonex. For Li Ning, 28.0cm or 280mm is also UK size 9.5 but US size 10.5 so there is some slight difference there. I would always recommend you measure your foot size in cm whilst wearing your badminton socks to be as accurate as you can.
If you’re unsure what shoe size you are, you can check out my size guides here:
Weight Comparison Of Li Ning Blast SE & Yonex Aerus Z Badminton Shoes
There is no official standard for this but to qualify as a super light or ultra-light pair of badminton shoes, and at least for my size, you probably have to be below 600g per pair and both shoe models are under that.
The current generation of Yonex Aerus Z was only 529g per pair which equates to just under 265g a side. The Li Ning Blast SE was just a touch heavier at 576g per pair or 288g per side.
To put this into perspective, here are the weights of some of the other flagship badminton shoes I’ve tested:
The legendary all-rounder, Yonex Power Cushion 65 (UK here) in Blue was 667g per pair
The Yonex Power Cushion 65 Z C-90 super sustainable version was 648g per pair
The Yonex Power Cushion Infinity 2 with the Boa dials came in at just 630g a pair
The super comfortable and supportive Yonex Power Cushion Eclipsion (UK here) was 731g a pair
The Yonex Power Cushion Comfort (UK here) came in the heaviest at 740g a pair
And the shoe that Lee Zii Jia and Anders Antonsen wear, the Victor A970 Nitro Lites (review here) came in at 732g a pair.
So essentially, these 2 models are definitely lighter than all the other flagship badminton shoes out there!
Appearance & Materials Comparison Of Li Ning Blast SE & Yonex Aerus Z Badminton Shoes
If we take a closer look at the construction of the shoes for comparison, we can see that the Yonex Aerus utilises an almost single piece of material on the shoe upper which is combined and stitched around the heel area. They have also added some soft touch grippy material around the big toe area to help with lunging, grip and durability too.
Yes, the upper feels thin but the material feels alright and actually feels quite secure when you’re laced in. The tongue of the Aerus does feel very thin but comfortable. Yonex have also reinforced the shoe with a layer of semi-transparent coating around the shoe upper to increase durability as well as strength. You won’t see this if you’re not looking for it but you will feel it if you run your fingers around the shoe.
In terms of the sole of the Aerus, I’m a big fan of the radial blade outsole design as I do feel there is better grip which provides me with confidence when going for shots.
The Aerus also has a graphite plate in the centre of the shoe, where our arches are. Unlike other Yonex shoes where the bottom of the shoes is breathable, the Aerus is completely sealed from the bottom and will have to rely on its meshed upper for airflow.
I’m also not a fan of the insoles which come with the Aerus. Yonex generally has 3 types of insoles for their flagship shoes and the ones that come with Aerus I feel are slippery which doesn’t help if you don't have grippy socks. The Aerus’s insoles however, do have holes on the top half of them so that should help with ventilation.
In terms of design and colour for this generation, I liked the colour of the Aerus wide model (UK here) which Yonex calls Gray Yellow but for me, it's ombre lime and that looks amazing. Shame it's not available in regular widths.
If we compare the looks of the Li Ning Blast SE with the Yonex Aerus Z, I think the Blast wins for this generation. For example, all the mesh areas on the Li Ning Blast, around the mid-foot to heel area as well as the upper side of the tongue, all have some form of glitter wires or cables infused into the design. This helps reflect light in a nice way and it’s a nice touch.
Obviously, a full white shoe is a ‘love or hate’ thing for many but in this instance, I think it's a pretty cool one. The shoe’s upper, similarly to the Aerus also felt fairly thin but was adequate in ensuring your foot was locked down well when laced up.
The upper also featured some carbon fibre looking designs whilst the big toe area was also reinforced with extra material for added durability. The material on the toe section differs from the Aerus and it's not grippy or has a soft touch feel to it, it just feels like another layer of synthetic leather attached to it.
One more thing that I liked about the Blast is the heel pull tab. I believe its reinforced nylon which was sown into the shoe and it is semi-transparent. It looked good and felt good. Also, all the tech and shoe model was proudly introduced and displayed at the heel area too.
If there is one complaint I have, it’s the Li Ning Blast’s upper tongue. It just felt like very big ears and felt excessive and flimsy. Occasionally after wearing it for a while, they would slide onto one side of the shoe.
In terms of the shoe’s sole, the bottom of the Blast is breathable with the 6 holes you see from the bottom of the shoe, providing air vents directly into the shoe and if you remove the insole, you’ll also see the insoles have different materials and textures on it. Especially around the forefoot area where the waves on the insoles had an extra layer of material beneath it.
However, the insole of the Blast was quite soft and is certainly softer than the Aerus’s insoles. Also, whilst the Li Ning Blast’s insole has a slightly grippier surface than the Aerus’ insole, it is thinner too so bear that in mind. And finally, the Blast, like the Aerus, also features a carbon fibre plate around the arch area of the foot, helping maintain structure and stability of the shoe.
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Playing Feel & Performance Comparison Of Li Ning Blast SE & Yonex Aerus Z Badminton Shoes
Fit
I find the Li Ning Blast is slightly wider than the Aerus. If you have thicker or wider feet, the regular Aerus model might not fit you well. This is the first generation of Aerus to have a wide model so take advantage of that!
The Li Ning Blast however should be able to accommodate players with slightly wider and thicker feet but if you don’t have wide feet, just lace them up tighter and it’ll be fine.
Comfort
Li Ning badminton shoes generally feel stiffer compared to Yonex counterparts but the Blast does have more padding around the heel area compared to the Aerus. Inside the shoe, the Blast feels softer compared to the Aerus which has a slightly stiffer cushioning. Stiffer doesn't mean bad by the way, it’s just got a more solid feel compared to the Blast.
If you’ve worn an Aerus before, you’ll also know that you’ll feel quite close to the ground due to the thinner layer of cushioning. The Blast also makes you feel closer to the ground but it just has that softer, more plush cushioning compared to the Aerus. It’s not that one is ultimately better, it's just down to personal preference as both were super comfy!
Grip
In terms of how grippy the outsoles are, I’ve not had issues with both sets of shoes either playing on rubber mats or even on wooden floors. If it's a bit dusty, just wipe the floor clean or have a wet towel by the side of your court and you’ll be fine. Also, because the Aerus is lighter, albeit not by much, the Aerus feels that little bit faster. But either pair didn’t feel too much difference in weight after you’ve warmed up.
Durability
If you’re looking for ultimate durability, I actually can't tell you that because I don’t wear through shoes very quickly. The shoes are often worn out before they have holes in them so both these shoes are winners in my book. They do have their own individual strengths but it's a win for consumers who now have another brand in Li Ning to consider for ultralight badminton shoes!
My Current Badminton Shoe Choice
If you've been following my content for a while, you might remember me saying that my favourite badminton shoe series was the Aerus but if you watch some of my recent videos, you’ll see that I’m wearing the 65’s instead of the Aerus. So, why is that?
The reason is, whilst I love the feeling of ultralight shoes as they feel weightless and moving around feels very fast and free, if I’m training or playing more than 2 or 3 sessions a week at a high intensity, especially in halls where it has a solid base, I find that my legs are often pretty tired and fatigued or even sometimes sore and I attribute this to the slightly thinner cushioning or padding.
Don't get me wrong, for tournaments or matches where I know I want to play as fast or as free as I can, I still whip out the lighter shoes such as the Aerus or the Infinity and enjoy my badminton. But for long badminton sessions, I still prefer slightly more cushioning, and it was the same for the Li Ning Blast too. I recently spoke to Anthony Ginting about his shoe choice which was this very Blast model that he has worn for quite a while and he said he likes it very much and I can totally understand why!
Final Thoughts
If you prefer a tighter fit, try the Aerus. If you want something softer but still very light, maybe give the Li Ning Blast a go. If you want the ultimate lightness and speed, go for the Aerus. If you want a slick all-white fast badminton shoe, go for this model of Blast.
I do look forward to testing the Li Ning Mirage Pro badminton shoes seeing as it’ll be an upgrade to the Blast and hopefully it has incorporated some upgrades in there too. Have you tried either super light shoe? Which one was your favourite? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see you in the next one!