It's funny: When I started this series back in April, I predicted that I would catch a whole bunch of bullshit from "The Skate Shoe Industry Powers-That-Be" for having the audacity to give "pricepoint skate shoes" a fair shake, and a series of head-to-head product reviews.
Well, guess what?! I was right...!
Well, here's my position on these dudes: Fuck Them. It's called "The Free Market System" for a reason, y'know. If you don't like it...? Then, declare your own fascist regime somewhere, and start mandating the wearing of only "premium-priced" skate shoes...!
The problem that I'm seeing is that, some of these shoes are just as comfortable, just as functional, and just as durable as the "premium-priced products" that are offered by the "Big, Cool [Fascist] Brands". What's worse...? Some of them are even better than the offerings of the Cool Fascist Club...! For half of, a third of, or even a quarter of the price...!? Seriously...!??! I'm assuming that the powers-that-be just don't want that to become "common knowledge" or whatever... but, I don't care. My job is to test these things, find the facts, and start reporting from there. I'm sorry, but I answer to the readers. Not, the "Big Fascist Shoe Brands"...!
We've been skating these shoes religiously for three months now. In all sorts of conditions, and on all sorts of skateboards. Plus: These are also our "daily wear" shoes, as well. So, we're not only skating these... but, we're wearing them to work, to walk the dog, hiking, through the rain, to the mall... everywhere! When we test shit, then by gawd, we test the shit out of that shit...!
Of course, there's a flip side to all of this, as well. You could definitely make the argument that, every time you buy these shoes... you're basically supporting some non-skater-owned, whored-out corporate empire somewhere. Well... that's true. And, I feel that just as much as you guys do. Testing these shoes meant that I had to shop at places like Wal-Mart (the store that I probably hate the most, on a strictly personal level), Target, Rack Room Shoes, Payless Shoe Source, K-Mart, Meijer, Marshall's, and a few others. All: Big-box mass-market stores, or discount shoe retailers.
None of them, skater-owned. And none of them, personal favorites of mine.
On the other hand: None of them have given me shit for shopping there, either. At least, they're not fascists...!
Additionally: I've bought eight pairs of pretty-good-to-great pairs of shoes now, and I'm not even at the $300 mark yet. Actually, I'm pretty sure that I'm still under $250. If some corporate whore can do it, then why the hell can't this "skater-owned industry of ours" do it...!?
And, I have yet to have a "horrible" pair yet. Minus the one pair of "legit" skate shoes that I bought. Which were Josh Kalis pro-model DC's (at Marshall's). So, let's begin with those:
I really, really wanted to like these! I did...!! The colorway looked great, the quality appeared top-notch, and they even had some great "features" that you'll never, ever find in a "pricepoint" shoe...
Of all of the shoes we've bought, worn, and skated, these definitely sucked the hardest. Great looking shoes, mind you...! And, to the extent that we could deal with 'em... great skating, too.
The problem was, these were woefully uncomfortable. Tight, and overloaded with "pinch points", these shoes were torturous to put on, and wear for more than an hour or so at a time.
A few of the staffers openly questioned if maybe they were "seconds", or "mislabeled" (in terms of, the size). Considering that these were bought at Marshall's, that might have been the case. Problem is, though, is that when I buy a pair of size 13's... I fully expect to get, a size 13 shoe. I mean, really: Who would assume otherwise...?!
See that white surround on the outsole? That white piece of rubber (or, whatever the hell it is) left white shit all over whatever skateboards we skated in these shoes. Maddening! Simply maddening...!!!!
The verdict? They're so useless, they're not even worth the $29.99 we paid for 'em. Sorry, DC. Maybe next time...
These are the Mossimo Scythes... aka, the"Etnies clones" that we paid $19.99 (or so) for at Target, to replace those DC's that sucked so hard.
The outsole is holding up super well, even though these probably have the most "wear-time" on 'em, out of the whole bunch. Grippy, long-lasting, and pretty good board feel, too. Impressive.
These have a lot of the "usual features" that you'd find in "higher-end" shoes. Such as self-centering tongues, for example.
These, were very, very good shoes. Both for skating, as well as for "everything else". These shoes got the brunt of the "testing", because we liked the strightforward, simple-black, Etnies-esque styling. And, honestly, nobody could tell that they were "pricepoints" at all! Instead, everyone kept asking me where "I got those old-school Etnies at...!" Funny...!
Given that they were a mere $19.99, they turned out to be a pretty damned good buy.
The only "problem" that we experienced, was that the insole was built out of what appeared top be a thin EVA or neoprene footbed, backed with a thin piece of corrugated cardboard (?!). Predictably, the cardboard soon soaked up an ass-load of skate-sweat, and immediately began stinking to high heaven, while falling apart inside the shoes at the same time. I didn't mind at all, but the missus definitely did.
These shoes are proving to be such good "skating" shoes, though, that we're gonna front the ten bucks or so to buy new insoles, and keep on testing these until they're fully cashed. It's the least we could do, really...
The only thing that didn't hold up well, were the insoles. See the "waffle-pattern" all over the insole...? That's caused by the insole falling apart, and getting crushed into the inside of the outsole.
This photo shows the "waffle pattern" of the inner outsole (inside the shoe), and the bottom of the insole (at top). Between them, originally, was a piece of what looked like corrugated cardboard that only served to trap, and hold, tons of skate sweat. Super-stinkiness ensued... of course. New insoles might add a few months to these puppies. We're gonna try! Stay tuned...!
The Airwalk Flips are holding up just like you'd expect an Airwalk Flip to hold up: They're simply bulletproof. We've had a few pairs of these over the years, and they're always the same, every time. Still, one of the best values in all of skateboarding. And, the "styling" is straightforward, low-key, simple, and classic "skate shoe". No complaints, there.
The sole design and execution is novel, sensible... and it works, which is the best part. Grip where you need it, and a simple, black rubber slab everywhere else. The board-feel is outstanding, and they're comfortable and lightweight, too. Until you weigh them down with skate-sweat, which have probably added a couple pounds apiece onto these nasty boyz. Grody.
One of the funnier cost-cutting measures, is the lack of bona-fide stitching... the "stitching" on these being merely a design element that is cast into the rubber outsoles. This toe-wear through the "fake stitching" illustrates this extremely well. They hold up great, though... which tells me that the glue that's holding these together, is some pretty good shit.
On to...
These, are the newest addition to the "quiver". To be totally honest, these are the shoes that I was the most curious about, out of anything else. I see these around all over the place, and the skaters that are wearing them swear by these fuckers...! Everybody loves 'em, even though you have to actually walk into a Wal-Mart (Torture...!) to buy a pair. Which was the hardest part, for me. Because I hate Wal-Mart more than almost anything else on the whole planet.
The cost? Twenty-five bucks...! That, I could totally deal with. Hell, I even spent another ten bucks, buying new socks to go with 'em! The whole bill, then, was only $35. Still way, waaayyy less than the premium brands' "entry level" offerings...
The only "hokey" styling cue, is that big, black, stylized "A" on the side of the shoe. On one hand: It looks very, very "Lakai"... which again, I found kinda funny. On the other hand: I could have lived without it... or at the very least, I would have preferred to rock a more subtle, scaled-down version.
The first impression...? Great feel, almost "straight of the box". Very, very comfortable. The entire "break in" period was maybe, an hour or so...? The colorway is pretty cool (A nice change from the "All-black, all-the-time" theme of most "pricepoints"...). Yet, they aren't overly "hokey" or "overdone", like a lot of "pricepoints" are.
The Airspeed Official 2's actually have an air-cushion heel, an incredibly form-fitting and supportive insole (with great arch support, I might add), and the almost-mandatory self-centering tongue. These are features that you'd normally find on a much, much more expensive, "legit" skate shoe. All, for twenty-five bucks...?! That's a steal, in my book.
They skate great, too. I was surprised by that, because the outsole pattern isn't what I'd "normally" expect in a skate shoe. But the materials are top-notch, and they're grippy as hell (almost to the point of making kickflips a bit of a challenge). This is my left sole, after a week of footbraking (longboarding), as well as the "usual" street skating, and wearing-everywhere-and-anywhere. Not bad...!
In the coming weeks, we're going to test another whole batch of both "pricepoint" shoes, as well as adding a batch of "entry-level" and "midrange" shoes from some heavy-player "major brands" (Vans, etc). The goal is to test every "Under-$50-Shoe" on the market, before years' end.
Hey! It's fun work, and it keeps everyone here skating! As always, that's the important stuff. See ya next time...!
Here's the previous entry, regarding these pricepoint shoes:
http://thesolitarylifeof.blogspot.com/2010/04/introduction-and-overview-lets-talk.html
