Skateboarders have their own individual style. What was/is a great skate shoe for a skater in Manila is not necessarily the same for a skater in Japan, Indonesia, or America. Yeah, there had been a lot of global carry-over for trends in skate shoes, and we have covered a few in this blog, but in all honesty there can never be an all-time list for something like this. Anyway, for me, sorry disappoint other shoe brands, but this is by far, hands down, the best skateboard shoe ever created for a couple of reasons. They look gorgeous and stunning as Lily Maymac! It's been with us for over 20 years and is currently the longest running pro skateboard shoe in history. It's been knocked off to hell and back by other shoe brands and when it comes down to it, this skate shoe was ahead of its pack with what skateboarders looked for in a true skateboard shoes.
Price
$70 (around P3000) for most places. Some online stores have them for a few bucks cheaper, but for most skate shops or online shops they are in the $70- $80 range. Not very cheap, but not too expensive either.
Where to buy?
This is a very popular shoe right now, Vans shops, We Legendary, and other skate shops carry these. They're everywhere pretty much. A few online stores include Zumiez, CCS, Active, BuySkateShoes, and more.
Initial thoughts
You will fell in love with them at first sight. They look clean, simple, yet attractive colors on a Vans all suede vulcanized shoe made them appealing. What really stood out to me, was the soles. At first, I was questioning how much board feel they'd have but after trying them on, and walking in them for a while, they felt great!
Comfort
They were a little stiff like most skate shoes at first, so I didn't think much of it. I have wide feet, so the first few days were a bit uncomfortable. After about 3-5 days of wearing them, they were broken in plenty. I put in Nike sb Janoski insoles so they'd be more comfortable, and it helped a lot.
Impact
According to many, the insoles aren't removable, but eventually after wearing them for a couple of months, they become easily removable. Cool eh? The shoes also come with a very thin black strip of shock absorbing material under the footbed for comfort and to keep your heel safe from bruises.
Lace Protection
They come with flat laces which for me are long lasting. It looks like Vans put the lace holes further away from the side, and more in the center of the shoe so that their laces could last longer.
Board feel
Boardfeel wise it's superb. At first, I thought they had a bit too much board feel since my feet would start to hurt after a few rides. But once they had insoles in them they were perfect. They had good cushioning to them as well. I had Janoski insoles (which are not that thick) put in, so you should be able to get as much board feel as you like no matter which insoles you use.
Grip
These shoes come with classic Vans Waffle grip tread patterned soles that wouldn't disappoint. They have always amazed me with how long their tread last. The tread on these didn't start to fade until about 3 months afterward.
Durability
This is one of the most durable skate shoes out there. I didn't apply any Shoe-Goo to the toe box until about 2 months after purchasing them. Even then, there were no holes, just a few tears here and there, so I made sure that they didn't go any further. Overall, I was pleased with the durability considering I had used a little Shoe-Goo to keep the shoes intact.
Final thoughts
Honestly, I really couldn't find any major flaws with these skate shoes. They look awesome and have amazing skate ability. They are exceptionally durable, have decent comfort, nice board feel, incredible lace placements, and the grip is awesome being that's it's from Vans. This shoe was brought back after over 2o years, and it shows, so why not give them a shot?
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