Category: Skateboarding Product Reviews

Before I start to deliberate about whether or not the Etnies Mercury floated my boat, let it be known that Etnies recently celebrated their 20th Anniversary which means that’s two decades worth of knowledge poured into their kicks. I think it’s safe to say that Etnies know what they’re doing when it comes to skate shoes.

So, the Mercury made its way onto my feet and at a first glance everything looks fine. The Mercury is a lo-cut show with enough padding to protect and support your foot with out feeling like a clog or paper bag. In fact, a good sign of a shoe that fits is whether or not you have to tighten those laces. My laces* were threaded neatly, and my feet didn’t resemble kippers which was nice. The other aspect of the Mercury which makes them a comfortable ride is the wide FLO2 tongue that comes a little bit further up than your average tongue, twinned with a protective collar that stabilises your Achilles tendon.

Another aspect of the Mercury is the Etnies patented System G2 in the heel and the STI Foam inner sole. This innersole cushions and cups your foot to prevent slippage and ultimately ankle tweaking. The end result is a stable and comfortable ride that’s ready to rip out of the box.

Now, the Mercury comes in a leather style material which I tend to dislike because it doesn’t generate much friction for the first few games of SKATE. I prefer suede or synthetic fabric. But, the leather on the Mercury is backed up by a 400NBS rubber outsole which keeps everything sticky and under control. The 400 NBS means nothing to me but its tough stuff and won’t slip around on your grip tape, no matter how old the black stuff might be.

The leather takes a couple of skates to wear in, but it definitely doesn’t wear out. In fact the only disappointment was the triple stitching which came apart fairly fast. This damage didn’t result in a case of blown out toe though. Despite the thread being gone, the toe area of the Mercury has held steadfast and protective in the ollie department.

Judging by how fair this winter has been so far, I’ve had more than a couple of weeks worth of skating in these shoes, and their still good to go. For a team shoe that shouldn’t retail at the far end of the market, the Mercury is a good bet.

*Inre: The shoe goo-ed laces- I always goo up my laces because nobody has managed to create the un-snappable lace. Lace savers perhaps..?

8/10
Ralph Lloyd Davis
05.12.06

Damn son… Darkstar just keep coming with the goods. If you’re a Crossfire reader, then you’ll know I was pretty stoked on the Darkstar Armorlight board , so when I received the new Darkstar Lightning Core wheels, I didn’t hesitate to drop my old tyres and hook up a set.

Apparently the Lightning Cores use the mechanics of a inner soft core and an harder outer core to create maximum effect on speed and grip. I’ve never heard of such a concept, with most wheel companies doing the opposite (hard on the inside, soft on the outside) and this results in wheels falling apart if the mould is wrong.

Well, one push was all I needed to roll past the competition smooth as a stallion. Weird as it may seem, the physics of these wheels actually works, so you’re rolling happy around the streets, skateparks and concrete bowls without fear of losing speed. In fact, Darkstar generated three different models to cope with all types of terrain.

I tried the 52mm 96A models which are supposed to show optimal efficiency on the street and in parks which they did, whilst my mated tried the smaller 51mm 98A sets and couldn’t complain either.

Add to this already very positive report the fact that the wheels don’t turn yellow and don’t flatspot… At all! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!

9/10
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
28.11.06

The Enjoy Death logo t-shirt from Death Skateboards has been one of the most successful in UK skateboarding since it was sent to skate shops a few years ago. Since then, the company has built an international roster to attach to it’s current swine-filled UK Team that takes pride on it’s simple but effective branding.

But now, this popular t-shirt logo has grown in size, to be honest i have always worn one and hoped it would grow in the wash but thankfully Zorlac and his Australian design team have unleashed the full version which will be one of the most saught after t-shirts in the UK alongside the wings of the Unabomber this xmas.

You can’t review t-shirts but you can explain how good it feels to rock something that makes you feel proud and this is it. Pick it up in skater owned shops for Xmas or die.

Chuck Bangers
28.11.06

For me, Santa Cruz Skateboards have a pretty good track record: 30 years plus in the business, top grade wood and construction techniques, no flair.

Even when other companies were riding the wave of Chinese wood manufacturers, or dabbling with slim ply techniques, Santa Cruz went alone and produced one of the strongest boards to date – the Powerply. Needless to say, the innovation doesn’t stop there and it wasn’t long before the bulkier Powerply got replaced by the lighter and (believe it or not!) stronger Powerlyte boards. The secret to the strength is the layer of Teflon material applied to the top layer of the board – a technique that has since been copied by other companies.

I am always interested in trying a company’s product that tries something new with shape and build of a deck. It doesn’t always work, but judging by my past experience of riding SCS I couldn’t turn up a chance to ride a Powerlyte.

Off the bat, these boards have got pop and flex. They are also damn light so leaping over bins and things is no longer a problem. However, if you like lot of concave on your board, SCS might not be your best bet. Despite this Henning Braaten model having a B-52 of a nose, the tail is pretty shallow and short. This isn’t a worldly crisis or anything, but keep it in mind if you like a lot of space to move your feet about on the tailend of things.

Now, after an unfortunate failure at making a super dope ass trick (Hype!), my tail went skywards then downwards resulting in a heavy delam on the tail. Game over..? Nope. SCS boards have strong construction so a brisk knock back into place and that delam has yet to worry me again. Stoked.

Finally, the only weird thing with these Powerlyte boards is the Teflon material getting frayed at the edges when you scrape your board gripside. Just so you know, Teflon is a super tough and light material used in bullet proof jackets, frying pans etc so when your board has a little yellow fuzz around the rails, don’t fret.

Visit www.santacruzskateboards.com for a solution to the crap in your life.

8/10

Ralph Lloyd-Davis

10 November 2006

Someone said to me the other day “…how is it possible to review a pair of trousers?!” so i replied ” just like this, it’s easy…..”

You see Element Clothing make it easy for me because almost everything that they make has quality control and the bods who design and assign the budgets spend their dough on quality fabrics. They also know that if they start to farm out crap gear, their reputation will be shot to pieces and no brand leader needs that sort of grief do they?

I needed some strides to skate in and cheekily asked their PR darling for a pair of these Cannons, put it this way the beers are on me love! These beauties are called ‘pants‘ in the USA but over here in blighty we like to call them ‘trousers‘ as pants in English means ‘rubbish‘, the complete opposite of what these baby’s are all about.

They are not tight fit so you can skate in the comfort that your crown jewels won’t be crushed to death when you attempt a bigspin – made possible by the 2% elastane that is mixed in with 98% cotton.

These slacks are comfortable and the fabric should be able to take some knocks along the way, go try them out this winter if you are not looking to skate in your Y-fronts this Xmas.

More at www.elementskateboards.com

4/5

Chuck Bangers

7th November 2006 www.globe.tv

Punk rock shoes. No, come back! It’s not as ludicrous as it sounds.

Why shouldn’t punk bands have their own line in branded shoes? Punk rock is street music after all and where do you put your feet when you’re out and about? That’s right baby, on the damn street.

The Misfits, Sex Pistols and The Descendents have all recently had their logos splattered all over shoes and now it’s the turn of possibly the greatest punk rock band of them all, The Clash. Globe have issued the world’s first Clash shoe – a stylish looking old-school skateboarding shoe with soft tricot linings for extra comfort. And they give you primal ankle support with high cut internal tongue stabilizers. I should get some of those for my bike…

Screw the technical jargon, however, let’s get to the important stuff. These shoes look damn cool! The Clash logo is actually quite subtle on the design, appearing on the tongue, inside the shoe and in small on the side but not emblazoned in big letters all over the shoes in cheesy colours. Better still, it’s nice that the designers understand that one of the most important things about The Clash was their rousing and inspirational lyrics. A verse from the classic ‘London Calling‘ is transcribed on the side as a reminder of the sadly departed Joe Strummer’s lyrical genius.

In all, this is a comfortable and stylish shoe that any true punk should be proud to wear. One thing’s for sure, Strummer would have wanted a pair this Xmas….

4/5

Sherry

6th November 2006.

Travelling around the UK and Europe on people’s floors on skate trips can take it’s toll so Unabomber Skateboards have come up with the solution: the Unabomber Dos Sleeping Bag!

Now, you could quite easily drop into Millets and pick up a thin, crappy, uncomfortable human cocoon OR you could grab yourself the latest in floor and sofa surfing from Unabomber and feel the difference.

These bags can take a fat bloke easily and are made up of ripstop outer nylon and a sleek supersoft nylon outer, some killer warm filling and can be packed up into a small ball thanks to the silliconised hollow fibres.

When this turned up at HQ, a scrap broke out for the ownership amongst staff. So give your aching bones a pressie this xmas, click here to buy one or visit Unabomber direct here.

Chuck Bangers

This board from Krooked is a standard team model, its about 7.75 x 31.75 inches with a medium depth concave and has all the characteristics you’d expect from a board out of Deluxe.

Deluxe wood always seems to be just right for me, a nice stiffness and pop, without overdoing it so you’re afraid of snapping the board any second.

I set this board up with some Indy 139’s, some reds and some 54mm spitfires. (You can obviously I trust Deluxe products). This setup was a nice mix for skating both street and park with the slightly longer board and wide trucks providing a smooth controlled ride comparable to a bigger 8 inch board whilst still retaining its maneuverability for flip tricks and skating street.

I have been riding this board for about 3 weeks now and its still kept its pop even after a lot of abuse. I’d highly recommend this board to anyone wanting a board for a variety of terrains. I’d happily give it 8/10.

Adrian.

In a purely personal opinion, I reckon that in a room of 100 skaters, only 6 of them will own up to riding Darkstar wood.

This might sound harsh, but I don’t see kids screaming to watch the new Chet Thomas part, or bum rushing the skateshop to grab the latest take on a medieval knight graphic. But that’s their image, and so be it. When a Chet Thomas deck arrived on my doorstep, a grimace worked it’s way across my face. Oh no…

Oh yes! The board I had been kindly sent to test was one of the new Darkstar Armorlite decks which boast, and I quote: “Exclusive carbon composite center for extra strength. Ultra light weight maple veneers for decreased weight. Super bonding resin glue for superior stiffness. Team tested. Team preferred. All strength. No weight.” Boom! Add to that a 120 day guarantee against warpage, delamination or holes drilled wrongly, and this board is a winner. So, as a critique of skateboard material, I made sure I’d test this board thoroughly.

The Test

To begin with, I thought most Dwindle related boards were flat. Not true. This Armorlite deck had concave and pop.

Secondly, I thought despite the carbon composite layer, all Dwindle related boards go soggy after a couple of months. Not true. This board has remained just as responsive as the first day I started riding it.

Thirdly, I thought all Dwindle related boards had shit graphics. Ummmm…. I plead the Fifth Amendment on that one. But who cares, because it’s all about the shape and quality of the board, not the pretty picture underneath, right? Plus, I scratched most of it off with boardslides and noseslides anyway.

In reference to shape, the nose was big and round and the tail was slightly pointed which is just the way I like them.

Honestly, I can’t knock Darkstar for what they’ve brought to the table this time around. I’m still riding the damn thing! It would seem like the carbon composite idea is a good one when it comes to keeping a boards pop and strength, so I guarantee you that a lot more companies are experimenting with different layers and veneers as we speak.

If for some bizarre reason, I dreamt I was being chased by a horde of Hell Bound Knights as Darkstar likes to portray on all their merchandise, I might actually feel safer wielding one of these Armorlite decks as protection…

Go to www.darkstarwood.com for more.

8/10

Ralph Lloyd-Davis

Clipper – 8″

FACT: If your riding something unfamiliar, people tend to ask questions…Is it a new company? Who makes it? Who distributes it? and most importantly, IS IT BRITISH?

Well over the last couple of weeks, these were questions I failed to answer confidently as I knew just about as much about this new board company as the rest of you do! But one question I did often get asked, was whether or not this was a cool ride, my answer to this normally went along the lines of: “being cool is not as cool as you think, but the board fucking rocks!”…Literally…and yes, it is BRITISH!

I’m not used to riding a wood with a lot of bend and have to be honest, the concave on this particular model is noticeable to say the least, but I’ve come to realise that its not a bad thing. It’s rather comfortable and hasn’t bothered me in the slightest.

The nose has a significant lift, which leaves your nollies and switch ollies bit of getting used to, but nothing out of the ordinary for anyone who doesn’t ride the same board all the time. The tail lift comes in a bit more on the mellow side and is longer than what I’ve been used to in the past, but I think this new flavour has grown on me immensely.

It’s kind of like riding a J-LO skateboard; the tail needs an acquired taste, but it’s got plenty of room for every possible position and makes for a lovely pop shuvit. The width of my wood is about 8 inches and people keep saying it’s a beast, but I find it pleasant and feel comfortable with the size. It’s solid as a rock and feels a bit like Canadian maple, the kind that would stand tall in the event of any natural disaster. It’s not a light weight by any means, so be prepared to ride the beast if you choose to fight IT!

Find them at your local skater owned shop and visit the pirates that make these planks direct with all team and product updates at www.heathenskateboards.com

7/10
Live Fast, Ride Fast: 2P