Author: Crossfire

I kinda look back a few years remember when Globe shoes first spawned upon the feet of many a skateboarder around the world. They had a wacky approach and produced some of the most technical skate shoes for the likes of one Gershon Mosely, Rodney Mullen, Chet Thomas and a few others.

In my opinion, the shoes they produced back then was suited for the flip-in-flip-out crowd and didn’t really appeal to me that much; but they started doing then that makes them elite today…They diversified their approach and picked up riders with different knacks on all kinds of terrain, thus exposing them to a wider audience and making the general skate-blic aware of their thought process! Groundwork which now makes them the elite of the clothing/footwear combination in the business!

I personally have never ridden a pair of Globes before, but spotted the Magnums and thought it’s time to make the ‘change’. When these cowboys came knocking, I was most delighted with my excellent choice in skate shoe. I knew from the start that the relationship would be a long and good one.

This particular model features a double-layered toe section with triple stitching sealing it down nice and tight. The first two lace holes comes with protection and will preserve them laces a lot longer whilst you perfect your powwow flips. The tongue is slightly padded for extra comfort, but its not to thick or heavy and suits the shoes design down to a G. I cant say I’ve ever heard of a slip resistant mesh lining, but these come with those and I can’t really say that it’s a noticeable feature, but hey, it’s a feature nonetheless and that means that they are keen at pushing the limits to produce a finer product for the consumer.

Although these shoes have a stylish design, and look really good, I think the key to its success lies beneath- the sole of the shoe!!! They have this internal footed cushioning system that is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. The sole is so flat and yet I can see Charlie America flipping a 13set with ease and not being too concerned about the old bruised heel. The outside sole is vulcanised and comes in a sticky rubber blend with a foxing band and abrasion resistant rubber, that’s a good thing I say. These tyres are rather grippy, fits like gloves on you feet and are good to go out of the box, a decent shoe at a decent asking price.

Globe is on a mission and they are belting more and more great products. They also have one of the, if not the strongest team in the world. I thought Globalized was just a cute slogan…FUCK, with bait like that, it’s hard not change your diet.

If the shoe fits…WEAR IT!!!

Find them at the Globe website.

8/10
Live FAST, Ride FAST!!!

2P

Many of the other girls I skate with own a pair of the Kingpin W’s and rate them very highly (and as they only have them in black I was the envy of many – blokes and girls alike!!- with a spanking charcoal/pink pair [not shown]). As I already own a set of men’s Kingpins, which as one of my favourite pairs of shoes, it seemed most intriguing to get the chance to compare them and see what all the hype was about.

To start off with, the thing I most like about any of the Etnies footwear I’ve skated is that they don’t need breaking in; Kingpin W’s being no exception. The overall fitting is very good; width ways especially, the shoes contour to my feet perfectly. I find the Kingpin W as opposed to the bloke’s version supports the arch and heel area of my foot much better.

The STI Foam soul padding provides good cushioning and they have tongue centering straps that keep the padded tongue firmly in place – so no worries if you’re not a lace expert, regardless if they are done up or not, these straps are the bit that hold the shoe to foot. Kingpin W is a solid skate shoe that has a great profile; a simple subtle design with the perforated E logo on the side and there is also a variety of colour combinations on offer. The best thing of all is they are Vegan friendly which is definitely a big bonus.

Judging by the durability of the men’s ones the Kingpin W’s look like they’ll also last a long time. With extensive Pioneer, St Albans station car park and a bit of Stockwell testing thrown in these shoes are definitely lasting the distance. The rubber sole still even looks good – in fact too good!

They are light and once on board you are given the benefit of instantly forgetting about what’s on your feet – I mean this in a good way, I’ve had pairs of shoes before that are so bulky they are the only thing you focus on when knocking out a trick which can prove quite a distraction. The only thing I have found with the blokes version is that they have started squeaking in the heel area, which for secretive getaways from jobs-worthy fat Bob security guard this may be slightly problematic…However I’m yet to find out if my Kingpin W’s will serve the same fate.

Etnies manufacture excellent footwear that is designed to last and I would definitely recommend purchasing a pair of these, they’re durable, stylish, extremely comfortable, and an excellent product for the price.

Jen Selby