Category: Skateboarding Product Reviews

Everyone needs a rain cover, éS knows it as well as we do and therefore they produced a piece of clothing that is well suited for rainy days.

This piece comes in 2 colours, white and black, I don’t recommend the white if you live in heavy snow fall areas, we wouldn’t want you to go missing! It’s 100% nylon and has a 600mm water-resistant coating, that pretty much means you can surf with this jacket and keep your nipples dry. There’s a print pattern all over the garment, but it’s subtle and printed in the same colour as the jacket, it’s kind of looks like weather warnings, perhaps that was the inspiration behind this. The jacket’s got enough pocketing all round you’re your titbits and also sports a custom logo patch at the bottom left.

I actually really like the practicality of this garment, it’s not heavy and keeps you dry whilst maintaining a slim and stylish look. It’s not something I’d wear to a wedding, but when you’re caught in a shit storm or the skies open up when you’re riding you’re skateboard, you’ll be safe as houses and everyone else will be looking at you with hate because it’s pissing down and they haven’t got protection!

2P

Crawl…Walk…Skate

Here in the UK we are serious tea drinkers, so much so that we cannot live without it. Some prefer coffee, personally it makes me spin out and puke but Tea, now that’s a real man’s drink.

It’s a long time coming but those Tea drinking mutha’s at Love’n’Skate have hand crafted a set of the best skateboard related mugs yet and you can now buy them direct from their website, they hold a pint of your morning’s finest .

Go to www.lovenskateshop.com and grab one.

Please note that all mugs come without model in the advert.

Emilio Gonzales

Indigo Raw

The Reynolds Wilshire’s are to me the best fitting jeans to hit the shelves in the last 5 or so years! Levis 501 was my legs of choice, but they changed the pattern and made the leg completely straight, giving them a wider fit at the bottom which annoyed me so much I started searching for a new fit. I tried everything and GAP slims was the nearest I could find, but they have no stretch and we all know what that means…balls out eventually.

I own 4 pairs in this model and they are the only jeans I wear, film premieres, gigs, barbeques, tree climbing and skateboarding, they hit the spot for all the occasions that life has to offer and I therefore am very happy another pair made it’s way to me.

The jeans are 98% cotton with 2% spandex, this saves you’re balls from busting out and avoids balls on griptape contact…THINK ABOUT THAT ONE!. It’s a standard five-pocket jean and is made using Kurabo denim, which is really good quality and strong too. It’s got printed pocket linings and some Reynolds embroidery on inside back waistband.

These jeans are practical, comfy and very stylish, a great combination in anyone’s vocabulary, don’t get left behind, get on the wagon, if you liked the OG 501’s back the 90’s, then you’ll love these in the zero’s.

Visit www.altamontapparel.com for the full range.

2P

Crawl…Walk…Skate

Most things I’ve come across with Jameson in the title have always been an absolute knockout. I’m not on this earth to sell space travel or to develop mind-blowing software that allows you to transfer scents via email, no sirree, I’m here to enjoy the time I have and both Etnies and Jenna are big contributors to my hap-penis.

The Jameson is a low profile shoe with a suede upper that features a rubber cupsole finished off in a vulcanised look. The footbed with it’s STI foam cushioning, provides max protection against heavy pounding and the bottom won’t fall out over time either, trust me, you’re feet will thank you for treating them so well.

Like Jenna, this is slim model with beautiful curves and you can feel you’re ride grinding away underneath you. It’s great for any session and if you like a slim profile with maximum impact, you should tap these, they’re pretty damn good and trust me, you’re holmies would be foaming at the mouth get some!

Summer’s coming kids, don’t get left behind, these will see you through the hottest time of your year and remember, you’re feet will thank you!

The best thing is, the strobel board of this shoe is 70% recycled, so once you toss them, they’ll be remade and will end up serving someone else in the uncertain future.

9/10

Sal Ivating

Now, éS have tried this whole “lightest skate shoe in the world” thing before, and I wasn’t convinced. How do you categorise a ‘skate shoe‘ and say it’s the lightest one? I mean, an obvious comparison would be Osiris D3’s vs. Vans Slip-Ons…. Well, you know what I mean.

The Breeze’s don’t actually feel much lighter than a shoe of similar size; I compared them to a current favourite amongst everyone, the HalfCab. Whilst maybe a tad lighter overall, what really is different is the éS feels a lot more ‘balanced’. It’s hard to explain, but basically it’s like BMW shifting stuff around in their cars to make sure it’s not too front heavy. All the components are there, but they’ve been placed somewhere else to keep the weight even. The Breeze is exactly like that.

The main thing I noticed was whilst the HalfCabs are very heavy in the soles, there is no weight at all on the Breeze. The soles are light and this makes flips so much easier. This is partly to do with Sole Tech’s excellent Flo2 technology, putting holes and perforations in to allow air through to ventilate your sweaty feet. It actually works too, no lie. You can feel cool air flowing into the shoe from the sole and sides.

The one downfall of this, and something I think the Californian designers didn’t think of when shipping this over to wet old Blighty. Puddles. Whilst also letting air in, they also do an incredible job of letting water in if you step in the slightest of puddles. Admittedly though, you wouldn’t be skating in the rain, so I can’t really complain. But it does mean that the éS Breeze is a ‘skate only’ kind of shoe, which is their only downfall but your advantage. Just make sure you check your local weather forecast before going out in these, pray for sun, because skating in blazing sunshine in these is a joy.

Visit www.esfootwear.com for more.

Moose

Any shirt that comes with a stash pocket sewn into the inside and a label inside that says “Wash when necessary” is definitely my kind of shirt. Not that I’m going to hide anything illegal inside it of course, but it’s useful to have there, just in case.

So, my first outing in this garm was an art exhibition in ‘trendy’ East London, so already I managed to camouflage myself into the crowd with its 1950’s plaid design. Now it’s a good job that this thing says to only wash it now and again, because the free booze on offer quickly flowed straight down my front, and I don’t know about you, but I still don’t deem that worthy of getting a proper wash, just yet.

The stash pocket did actually come in useful for hiding cigs inside it too, as well as trying my damndest to get a bottle of beer inside it to smuggle into another place we went to. No such luck though, and I steadily got very drunk indeed.

However, the great styling and quality of this Altamont shirt meant I still looked ‘cool’ enough to get into some swanky bar, with its detailing distracting the bouncers long enough for me to get inside without them seeing that my face had tried jumping about 3 inches to the right of my head, and my brain had long since gone. Thank you Altamont!

This is the perfect summer shirt, as the weather in ‘orrible Britain gets better. Light cotton means it’s great to skate in too, and provided it doesn’t stink too bad at the end of the day, will make you look fresh as you stroll to the pub in the evening. And you could always wash it, if you wanted…

Go to www.altamontapparel.com for more.

Moose

Skate Mental are pretty much my favourite company at the moment, and they haven’t really done anything yet. But a team which consists of Matt Beach and recent signing John “tre flips in water, whilst acting like Gollum” Motta has gotta be good.

So I set this new shred sled up whilst watching A Happy Medium, with the intention of going out and doing polejam wallrides and ollieing through tree, and naturally ate shit going up a curb, like I always do. The only thing that made me smile from this scorpion-like slam was the excellent graphics that Skate Mental come up with. Brad Staba’s evil doll emblazoned on the bottom of this 8.25″ beast cheered me up a lot, so I set off to try and land something.

Although my feet are about the same size as cross-Channel ferries, this board is wide and big enough that I felt like there was enough room to wander about all over it. Moonwalking, river dance, and the rest were all possible with the amount of footspace this offers. Great for games of skate, when my kebab flips need a little ‘after land’ readjustment, aka. The Shuffle.

Skate Mental are all about having a laugh, which you can see from the amazing tshirts and board graphics these guys release. And while all boards are essentially the same, the fun I’ve had skating this deck far exceeds any others, even just hacking it through pedestrians in central London, laughing as I go like some deranged lunatic. Skate, Mental? Yes I am.

Click here for the Skate Mental ‘Am Chowder’ video review.

Moose

Truth be told, I saw these at last year’s trade show and I remember thinking then that they would be a real good summer hit! About 6 months later, these 80’s inspired Devo classics landed on my doorstep…Pump fucking Pump! The shoes are great, but I wouldn’t skate them to be honest, they’re too good for a grip tape spanking, I’m rocking these for summer play and the occasional curb roll.

It’s a canvas style upper with a vulc sole, it’s more like a loafer than a skate shoe I’d say, but the sole would last you just as long as any other Globe skate shoe, which we all know is pretty good.

When you’re out buying a pair of these, which I highly recommend you do, make sure you pick up you’re first Devo-Tee too, they’re super cool and obviously, when Devo tour here soon, you’ll have the perfect merch to get Jocko Homo with a Mongaloid and the Girl you want… Shrivel up!

Check out the rest of the Devo flight pack by Globe, especially the cruiser reviewd here, they have some real gems out there right now and they will nto last long…especially them cartoon boardies, I want those so bad.

Go to www.globe.tv for more.

2P

Crawl…Walk…Skate

Woke up this morning and these beauties are sat at the end of my bed. Usually a cup of tea is needed to get me amped for any day ahead but the glow of the soft yellow wheels had the same caffiene affect. Within a flash I jumped out of bed, knocked over a full bucket bong, stained the carpet with the dirty water and made my way to the wardrobe. Out sprang a jump suit, and my favourite flower pot hat. I’m ready…I’m ready for anything.

The harsh concrete floor of my street felt as smooth as icing sugar as my shoulders lead the charge. Pump by pump, the wheels of this beast rolls over driveways, the trucks cushion the pressure from my thighs and the smell of petrol from the garage forecourt fills my nasal system and forces a sneer. I whistle ‘Whip It‘ as I four wheel slide underneath a stationary truck delivering crates of food to a local shop and then push as fast as I can, hair streamlined in the wind as the hill in front of my engulfs every last push. Splat. I’m taken out by a passing car. I didn’t see it coming and now my flowerpot is broken and soil spills onto the open road.

I awake in a sweat to find that 2 Globe/Devo cruisers were still at the end of my bed. If you think i’m skating these ever you are some kind of fool.

Go to www.globe.tv for more Devo/Globe madness and look out for these in your local SOS this month. Go on, treat yourself or dream on.

Emilio Gonzales

Here we have a classic example of less is more. This shirt has no special features, just a nice plain and simple check pattern in a classic cut that will fit any averagely built man.

Element really have been making an effort to keep their clothing ranges solid and diverse and this shirt shows the simple side of their vision. The shirt is lightweight and very pleasing to the eye, they’ve not tried to come up with this year’s new purple, they simply made a shirt for everyday use.

Another good one to have in you’re summer cupboard, it’s good for rocking and rolling, both boxes ticked!

2P

Crawl…Walk…Skate