Kanso Dragonfly and Equilibrium (EQx3) Squash Shoes Review

The Dragonfly and Equilibrium – also known as EQx3 – are the debut shoes from Kanso. This is a new brand built by squash industry veterans, and their shoes have appeared on the feet of numerous professional squash players in recent months.

With buzz building, we got our hands (and feet) on a pair of each to put them through their paces – both figuratively and literally – to bring you our latest squash shoe review.

Purchase Kanso squash shoes at PDHSports.com

A new squash brand enters the arena

As squash players, we’re rarely treated to ambitious new brands entering the equipment market. Most of the big names today are mainstays of an era when squash courts filled leisure centres and sports clubs around the world. But with squash now carving out its own distinct niche in the racket sport landscape, it’s genuinely exciting when something new comes along.

Meet Kanso. A recently launched brand which aims to fuse together Japanese and Swedish design and aesthetic principles. There’s a great article on SquashPlayer.com that delves deep into the brand, its founders’ roots in the squash market, and its inception, if you’re keen to find out more.

Observant squash fans will have seen these shoes appearing on the biggest names in squash. They’re worn by Paul Coll – New Zealand’s former World #1; Amina Orfi – Egypt’s 17-year-old World #5; alongside World #11 Youssef Soliman, World #26 Declan James, World #35 Curtis Malik, and World #43 Torrie Malik. *

*Rankings from 23 March 2025.

First impressions on the Kanso Equilibrium (EQx3) and Dragonfly.

Let’s start with the packaging. A sleek matte-black box with an understated gold logo tells you a lot about the design principles of Kanso. Clean, aesthetically pleasing and well designed. Not that a box makes any difference to the shoes themselves, but the small details add up.

I’m a big fan of the look of both these shoes. They’re cleanly designed, they look sleek, and their colour ways are mostly understated and modern. While still clearly a squash shoe by design, they’re two of the nicer looking pairs available today.

You’d have to drag me kicking and screaming to choose anything other than their all-white models. Fashion conscious squash players (you know who you are), will find they match just about every combination of clothing – because looking good is still important while being chopped by a fifteen-year-old.

For the more adventurous, Kanso offer some bolder colour combinations, with blues, reds and gold making an appearance across the range.

The Kanso Equilibrium – for those wanting stability and cushioning

The Equilibrium (EQx3) is the slightly heavier of the two shoes – though is still very light. They weigh 350g in my UK size 9, which is around 15 grams lighter than the Adidas Crazyflight. They’re built for players who want stability and protection, and right out of the box, they feel reassuringly sturdy.

They have a beautifully cushioned one-piece tongue that wraps around your foot, giving a snug, locked-in feel from the first time you lace them up. This is one of my favourite stand-out features of the EQx3s. There’s also plenty of padding in the heel, and the heel cup feels well-moulded, giving me no issues with slippage inside the shoe. If you’re someone who prioritises a secure feel, the EQx3 ticks all the right boxes.

On court, the EQx3 feels solid. The Speedlight Foam midsole provides reasonable cushioning with a nice amount of energy return. They’re far from bouncy like Adidas’s Boost-equipped shoes, instead offering a harder, more responsive underfoot feel. This may or may not be your taste – so is something worth considering if you’re looking at a pair.

There’s a noticeable firmness through the midfoot, thanks to the integrated torsion unit, which keeps things stable during quick changes of direction.

The grip is also excellent. Kanso’s rubber compound on the EQx3 feels tacky and reassuring, and the outsole pattern provides confidence when moving in just about any direction – one of the unique requirements of a squash shoe which Kanso have aimed to tackle with these shoes.

The Kanso Dragonfly — Lightweight, grippy and Agile

If the EQx3 is the stable, dependable option, the Dragonfly is its agile, athletic sibling. Weighing just 305g in my UK size 9, they’re an ultra-lightweight shoe. It’s worth noting that in practice, the difference is very subtle when compared to the Equilibriums.

The Dragonfly feels fast. There’s a lightness underfoot that makes you want to stay on your toes, and they’re responsive when pushing off or making small, sharp movements. A big part of that comes from the combination of the ‘Speedlight Foam’ and the ‘super-critical foam insert’ in the forefoot, which helped me to feel lively on my feet.

They don’t feel quite as snug as the EQx3 shoes, given they lack the one-piece tongue. However, they still feel supportive around my feet. They also share the same firm midsole feel as the EQx3s.

The outsole (underneath the shoe) uses Kanso’s ‘NexX4 tech’ – a transparent material that’s lighter and supposedly more sustainable and grippier than traditional rubbers. On court, it translates to excellent grip and a flexible, natural feel.

While Kanso market the dragonfly as the grippier of the two models, I struggled to feel a difference – though this is because as a club-level player, I never actually reached the limit of grip in either shoe. Elite level players will likely notice the Dragonfly offers superior grip in extreme situations.

Durability

Both shoes offer similar levels of durability. And in short, they’re fantastic. I try avoiding making bold, subjective statements, but I can put my name to the fact that these are the most durable pairs of squash shoes I’ve ever played in.

I usually chew through the toe section on my left shoes, but these are holding up better than any shoe I’ve worn to this date.

Comfort, fit & sizing

The upper of both shoes felt fairly stiff and rigid at first, which was an initial cause for concern. However, they softened up nicely within a couple of matches, quickly feeling like they had moulded around my feet.

Both models run true to size for me. They’re snug but not tight, with enough room in the toe box and a secure heel fit. I’ve got average-width feet, and both shoes felt well-contoured without any pinching or pressure points.

What’s not to like?

Very little, thankfully. However, personal preferences may come into play here. For me, I like a flexible, bouncy shoe, whereas these are more firm both underneath your feet, as well as around the upper, as mentioned above. A dealbreaker? Not necessarily – the more I wore these, the more I leaned into enjoying the firmer, more secure feel.

I did find some discomfort in the toe-box of both shoes. Their fairly hard uppers clashed with the front of my toes when forced to lunge heavily. You can’t have your cake and eat it as they say – this is most-likely a trade off to their durability.

Paul Coll’s take on Kanso squash shoes

We reached out to one of Kanso’s headline players for comment on their new shoes. World #4 Paul Coll wears the Kanso Dragonfly, and this was his verdict.

“I’m extremely picky with my squash shoes”, said Paul. “I wouldn’t wear a pair that I didn’t trust to take me around all four corners of the court – sponsorships are obviously important for squash players, but my legs and ankles are just as important to me. I’d turn down a brand partnership if I didn’t like the shoes”.

“The first thing that jumped out to me about the Dragonfly was their grip. I lunge pretty hard around the court, and these gave me next-level confidence going into the front corners. From all the shoes I’ve worn, these are the grippiest by a long way.”

“Their durability really surprised me too. I usually don’t get much life out of my shoes – sometimes as little as a few matches. I’ve put some hard miles into these, and they still look almost box fresh.”

“I’m really happy to have signed with Kanso. I love the philosophy behind their products as well as the guys behind the company, and I’m hoping together we can take the brand to new heights.”

Worth the cost?

These shoes don’t come cheap. The RRP for the Dragonfly is £140, and the EQx3 is £130. This puts them at the top-end of ‘price: High-low’ search results.

Do they warrant such a high price? That’s a tough question. I find the Asics Gel Tactic to be one of the best pound-for-pound squash shoes out there – both in terms of quality and value. They’re a similar quality to Kanso’s shoes, and retail for around two-thirds of the price.

There are a few factors that inflate Kanso’s shoe prices above similar shoes on the market:

• Sponsorship: Asics only sponsor a very select few players in local markets (primarily Malaysia). That’s one less overhead to cover. Whereas Kanso is a new brand, and the fastest way to grow is to get their shoes on the feet of the world’s best players – that comes at a cost.
• Startup costs: A new brand is rarely ever going to be able to match the price of established, global brands. The costs involved in initial product development and marketing are substantial.
• Scale: Asics market their ‘squash’ shoes across multiple sports, including handball, volleyball and netball. With more potential customers, economies of scale come into play.

The last point is something to consider. With Kanso’s shoes, you’re getting a product that’s been designed for one sport, and one sport only. Asics’s shoes, while fantastic, aim to meet the demands of multiple sports in one shoe. You’re paying for a shoe that’s been specifically designed for the sport you play – squash – which can’t be undervalued.

Their durability is also a factor to consider here. You can take solace in the fact that, while they may cost more, they may last longer – lowering the ‘cost-per-wear’ in line with lower-priced shoes currently on the market.

Purchase Kanso squash shoes at PDHSports.com

Summary

Personally, I’m impressed. These don’t feel like version-one products – they feel like shoes made by people who understand exactly what squash players need.

Both shoes offer fantastic traction, a solid sturdy feel, and it’s clear have been designed for putting in hard yards on the squash court.

Their rigid feel may not be to everyone’s taste however, if you prefer a softer underfoot feel and upper, you may want to look towards Adidas’s line of squash shoes that feature their Boost technology.

Overall, a fantastic entry to market for Kanso – if only slightly hampered by their high asking price. It’ll be extremely exciting to see how their products develop over the coming years.

Unsure which Kanso shoe to buy?

Here’s a quick comparison to similar shoes on the market:

Dragonfly: Asics’s light-weight shoe such as the now-discontinued Gel-Fastball, as well as the Salming Vipers.

EQx3: Asics’s mid-weight shoes including the Gel Tactic and Gel Rocket. Adidas’s Crazyflight, and the (now retired) Salming Kobra.

My choice? For me, the EQx3 have earned a permanent spot on my feet (at least while playing squash). Both shoes felt very similar in practice – the extremely comfortable one-piece tongue on the Equilibriums was the winning factor for me.

Purchase Kanso squash shoes at PDHSports.com