So, I'm looking for a around for a new pair of badminton shoes and I am seeing a lot of the new upcoming shoes have these coloured soles instead of the old style "light brown" rubber gum sole. I guess I am here asking how the 2 compare. And if there is any difference between the 2.
Well, designated indoor shoes are always non-marking, independent of their respective sole colors. Most of them have that additional engraving in the sole to convince even the most sceptical janitors. Considering grip, I have not really noticed a significant difference between the various colors, but others might disagree.
In my experience so far, the new Victor coloured soles work better for Singapore halls. And is fairly dust resistant. I don't think they are the usual rubber gum soles. Not sure what materials are those soles made of. Most of our sports hall have this kind of flooring: Some of Victor's new coloured soles (e.g. P9200) works very well on this surface. The usual gum rubber will lose their grip after a few weeks to months, but when you observe the sole, the sole is barely worn out. Also, when you clean the soles, it's almost clean. So what caused them to lose grip is unknown to me. I have 2 pairs of Victor 9200 - one kids model (the usual gum rubber model) and an adult version (with the coloured sole). The adult version is still gripping well whereas the kids version grip is kind of lost. Interestingly though, if I play on rubber courts, the gum rubber still grips fine. Perhaps gum rubber is not really suitable for wooden surfaces. Since you are in Canada, it really depends on the surfaces you are playing in and your experience will vary.
I'm tempted to try the new victors with matching upper and soles. I play on wooden and mat and usually find that typical gum soles loose their grip on wooden floors lot faster.
I find that colored soles have a longevity far superior than that of regular gum soles. I have a 65z bright orange with a colored sole that still has great grip after being stored for long during pandemic. I had a regular gum sole before that was stored not longer than that and had its grip depleted and I couldn’t restore any grip from it.
