The Introduction and Overview
Let's talk about a couple of things here for a minute. The first thing is that, times are tough out there for everyone. Especially, skaters. Not all of us have a wad of dough burning through our pockets, and not all of us can afford new, $100+ skate shoes every week or two.
Secondly: There are a lot of "pricepoint" skate shoes out there these days from big-box retailers like Wal-Mart, Payless, Target, etc. How good… or, how bad… are these "skate shoes"…? Does anyone really know, besides the broke-ass dudes that buy them on a regular basis…?
Well, the simple fact is: We'll never know, until we try them for ourselves. Because, you and I both know that no skate magazine will ever test these. Simply because, the "Big, Cool Shoe Brands" are major advertisers in those mags. And, noone in their right, money-grabbing mind is ever gonna piss off a major advertiser, right…?
Even in the slim chance in hell that they did test these… the "reviews" would more than likely be neither fair, nor impartial. Because, the advertisers would surely squash anything that make the pricepoints look "good", and their expensive-ass shoes look "bad" in comparison...
It seems that many skaters are brainwashed into thinking that these "pricepoint" shoes are far inferior to anything that you'll find in your local, "hardcore" skateshop. And it might be true, some of the time. Or: It might be totally false. That's why, we test this shit. To separate out the truth, from the fluff.
The statistics are staggering. You can oftentimes pick these shoes up for prices ranging from $20.00, up to about $35.00. Compare to the average "skate shoe" at a "skate shop" that might cost two, three, four, even five times as much… and, the potential savings start adding up mighty quick. One pair of shoes that we're currently testing were fairly "expensive" at about fifty bucks. That's still, pretty damn cheap.
So, why is that the case? These shoes are usually way cheaper than the "skate-shop core brands" because:
- The mark-ups are usually less than on traditional skate shoes (on a gross margin dollar basis),
- They're not advertised or marketed very much (if at all),
- There are very few teams to pay (if any), and
- They're mass-produced by the bazillions for several years at a time, which greatly reduces manufacturing costs.
Example: The Airwalk Flip. A shoe that we tested at least three years ago, if not more. Comes in two colors, and two colors only: Tan, and black. And today, it's still available at Payless for a measly $29.99.
Lastly: All of these shoes are made overseas. Namely: China. Most of the skate-shoe brands that you'll find at your skate shop are usually made in Vietnam or Korea. What makes exploiting one Asian nation any better than exploiting another one, is way beyond me. To me, it's all the same. The important thing is that, none of them are made here (in the USA). Thus, the low price in "pricepoint".
The Backstory, and My Biases
I've been thinking about doing this for quite a while now. So, what stopped me? Well, a few things. First of all, I knew that it was gonna piss off The Industry Dudes pretty badly. Secondly: I'm not a real fan of these "big-box" retailers. I loathe Wal-Mart to no end, and it's a pretty cold day in hell that I'll even walk into a Target. Generally speaking: I'd much rather support the local, brick and mortar skate shop.
But then, we have another practical problem on our hands. One of our "local, hardcore skate shops" is so fucking "cool", that they treat many of their customers like shit. Including, me. And, I'm somehow "banned" from shopping at the other one in town, because I dared to disagree with the owner on something or another. Given that I won't be supporting either of these assholes anytime soon… I realized that, in many ways, they're even worse than The Fucking Big-Boxers that I loathe so much. Payless actually gave me great customer service at the four different stores that I visited. And the last time I checked, I'm not banned from shopping at Target, either. So: What does that say about the "local, hardcore skate shops", hmmmm…….?!
So with that, I decided to swallow my pride, save a few bucks, and get to testing these damned things for myself.
The Testing Process
It's pretty simple. Just like anything else that I review, I buy it, set it up, and go skate it for a few weeks. See how it all works out. Then, I write the reviews.
What I'm Looking For
Probably, the same things that any good skater would be looking for: Durability. Grippyness. Good board feel. Overall style. And, good to great fit and comfort.
Feedback
I'm definitely not the last word on this stuff. If you've owned, liked, or disliked any of these… let us know. We'd be happy to print any feedback that we get from other skaters.
That said, it's onto the shoes:
Available at: Payless Shoe Source (in stores, or online)
Colors: Black, or Tan
Retail price: About $35, before the various sales, coupons, and discounts they offer. We paid $27 and change, after taxes, for ours.
The Lowdown:
Probably, the best of the best "pricepoint" shoes on the market, today. I've actually been skating (and, liking) these for several years now. Airwalk actually began it's life as a "core" skate-shoe brand in the '80s... grew to worldwide proportions in the mid-1990's... and then got bought, traded, and watered down a bit before ending up at Payless as their in-house skate-shoe brand.
These are some of the best shoes that money can buy, right here. Seriously...
As for the shoes themselves, they're extremely comfortable right out of the box. There's no "break-in" period whatsoever. The styling is pretty plain-jane, with a minimum of bells, whistles, or bling going on here. Which is nice. It's just a straightforward, no-bullshit skate shoe. It's also, pretty damned bulletproof. Whenever Armageddon hits, these damn things will probably out-survive the cockroaches. The grip is superb, bordering on awesome, and the board feel is more than adequate. The rubberized toe cap is a nice touch that effectively wards off "ollie holes", and thus what you've got here, is the definition of "a damn good buy".
Available at: Marshall's (Also, on the DC website)
Colors: Lots. We got the "primary" mix of red, blue, green, yellow, and black.
Retail price: Suggested Retail is $80, according to the box. We got 'em for $29.99, plus tax.
The Lowdown:
We bought these as the "high-end" comparison-shoe, for our tests. We "assumed" that, being a pro-model shoe (we always support our boy Kalis on anything he does) from a "high-end" skate-shoe brand (DC), that these would surely be the very "best of the best" of the bunch.
These are the DC Kalis shoes. Killer looks, fer sure. Unfortunately, they're killers on your poor feet, too...
Well, we all know what happens when you "assume" something, right? You make an "ass" out of "u" and "me"…?
Well, DC surely helped us pull that one off in a mighty quick hurry. These shoes looked killer, so that was a good start. They also had some really neat "features" that looked like they'd make for really great skate-shoes. "Super Suede", "Dynamic Grip Technology"... oh, man, it all sounds so great and awesome! Until you actually have to put them on your poor feet. Problem was, these had to be some of the most uncomfortable "skate shoes" that I've ever had on my feet. No joke: They Sucked. Hard. So bad, in fact, that I didn't even bother "skate-testing" these fucking things. I mean, seriously?! If you can't even wear 'em around a damn mall for a few hours without getting blisters and bruises everywhere, how in the hell are you ever gonna be able to skate in them for eight or ten hours straight…?!?!
They were so damn bad, that I actually ditched them at Target for:
Available at: Target
Colors: Jeremy in tan/brown, and Scythe in black.
Retail Price: $19.99
The Lowdown:
Considering that my feet were already bruised and battered from trying to walk around Glendale Mall in those DC's, I was pleasantly surprised by the fit and comfort that Target's Mossimo line offered up. Not so much on the Jeremys, though. Those were fairly rigid, uncomfortable… the "padding" was pretty much nonexistent… and the soles were thick, heavy, and stiff as hell. Not really the stuff that "great skate shoes" are made of. So, we passed over the Jeremys, because they just weren't gonna work, right from the get-go.
These are the Mossimo "Scythe" shoes. They do sorta look like the old Etnies, don't they...?
The Scythes, however… ahh, now these were much, much better. Very comfortable right out of the box. Lots of padding. Great "floor-feel" (I didn't have my board with me when I bought them, so I used the ridges in the carpeting and wood floor to gauge the board-feel…). And much like the Airwalk Flips, these came in one simple color (black), with no bullshit cuts, logos, gadgets, or gizmos whatsoever. The only "logo" on the shoe at all, is a small lion embroidered on the tongue of the shoe… in black, so that even that tiny logo is damn near impossible to see on the shoe.
All of this fit, function, and simplicity was offered for a mere $19.99, before taxes. I bought them without even thinking twice. That's how bad those fucking DC's were…
As for the styling, Cody thought they looked a lot like knock-off Etnies. After looking at them twice, I realized that he might just be on point with that assessment. For being the least expensive of the "test" shoes thus far, they are doing a damn good job.
The Future
We'll keep wearing these puppies... and, wearing them out... for the whole summer. We'll keep you updated on how things go, and what else we acquire in the "pricepoint skate shoe collection". So far, though, so good. Check some out for yourself.
