Category: Skateboarding Product Reviews

Sometimes doing something you’ve wanted to do for ages has a negative effect in the end as your expectations have reached their limit and you find it hard to find new reasons to be happy with your newest addition.

I’ve had my eye on a pair of Manchester’s from the first time I saw them in the suede. The simple design and flat sole made it look like the most comfortable skate shoe I have ever laced my eyes on, until I finally got a pair, which exceeded my expectations 10 fold!!!

The first thing that impressed me about my new kicks was the fact that they are so skinny and soft, yet your foot feels totally secure inside the perforated panels of suede which ventilates them old socks quite br-easily. I also thought the thin polyurethane tongue was a nice touch and rounds the shoe’s design off in a practical and simplistic manner.

The main point of my concern was the soles durability and its impact resistance. I wouldn’t recommend these for big 4’s or leaps of faith (unless your gonna ride it out bolts), but for everything else they are brilliant. The articulated cup sole formula must be the reason why these puppies are so popular amongst skateboarders. They flex beyond belief and your ‘board feel’ is something that’s hard to describe, its kinda like skating in your favourite pair of socks, without worrying about harming your feet in any way! They have an excellent grip contrast and I think they are very much on par with the famous waffle sole that we all know and love.

The shoe’s overall design is beautifully crafted, the blind stitching sees you fit to ride these for longer than anticipated and the durable gum sole leaves you wanting to ride a second pair. Lakai certainly worked towards a skateboarders need when the created these and if there was a prize for ‘Shoe Of The Year’, then I’d nominate this model for first prize.

www.lakai.com

9/10
Live Fast, Ride Fast: 2P

Belong 51mm Wheels

The Blueprint Camp makes top-quality gear and you can’t deny it. I recently got to test some wheels they were flogging on the market and was pleasantly surprised.

There were four of them. White, with pastel pictures on the side. Perfectly round and soft enough to grip the ground without flat-spotting. Oh, and they didn’t turn yellow either. In my case book, that qualifies as something good to roll about with.

In fact, I even switched to some new wheels and then switched back because I enjoyed them so much! How often does that happen?!?

8/10
Ralph Lloyd Davis

7.8 x 31.6

If you’re a Crossfire regular, you might recognise Syndrom from newsbits and even a few Moooves. Basically, Syndrom is an independent French operation headed out of Marseille. They pride themselves on being different and pushing the local scene whether its running a board company or getting parks built. I had spotted their first line of decks in a skateshop and instantly noticed the unique concave. To explain simply, these boards were essentially flat with direct inclines of the nose and tail. No curves, no dips, no shit!

The Syndrom Varnish Series comes in 4 different wood grains varnishes – Oak 7.6, Cherry 7.8, Walnut 8 and Mahogany 8.2. I got to try the Cherry tree stain. The concave on these boards is supposed to be progressive, even if it seemed very minimal, as it increases the further you place your feet up the board. Initially the board feels flat as an ironing board and then the nose and tail have steady ascensions to the heavens.

The minimal concave on this deck definitely made for more stability in boardslide manoeuvres. Both the nose and tail have no concave or rocker effect so your foot sits flat across either end of the deck. This accentuates pop, but also renders the habit of getting the right scoop or flick all that harder.

It took me almost a month to really get to grips with this board which can seem like an awfully long time if essentially you want to buy a board, grip it and rip it within the hour. However, the overall finish and standard with which these boards have been finished, results in one of the most solid and strong decks I have ever ridden. Add to that the beautiful wood varnish and you’re aesthetically smiling.

It might be worth tracking one of these down if you’re ever on the continent, and keeping an ear to the street for future designs and construction innovation from the Syndrom camp.

6/10

Ralph Lloyd-Davis

Pioneer product test.

With girls skateboarding coming of age, the Gal 86 demonstrates how Etnies is supporting this side of the sport to be taken more seriously.

Reflected in the adaptation of the shoe over the last few years (as life began for it as standard fashion skate shoe based on the Sal 23) the Gal 86 series has been updated to give the durability needed for the wear and tear demands of skateboarding. The outer shell is made from suede with reinforced triple stitched seams.

Pioneer is the chosen skate park to put the shoes to the test, so they will be thrown straight into some hard working ramps from the off.

The first thing I noticed when putting these shoes on is how comfortable they are. Some shoes take a bit of time getting used to when stepping onto my board but I found I took to these straight away, forget any wearing-in time, I could skate quite happily forgetting I had a new pair of shoes on my feet.

The padding is just enough to stop you feeling any knocks from your board, but they are not too bulky to loose all feeling. I also noticed that every part of my foot was well supported and I felt like I had better control between shoe and board. There is a good grip outsole and they are also pretty light.

The only problem I did find was after wearing for copious amounts of time was; where there is an overlay at the ollie area it was slightly too thick and rubbed on my little toe but other than that these shoes are comfy and really well designed for support.

After several days of skating, there were no noticeable marks, which considering they have a suede outer shell, this was quite impressive. If like me you like your shoes to last, then these are a pair that are worth investing in.

Find them at Etnies Girl

Jenna Selby

Does the proverb ‘Third time lucky’ really work? Well, in the case of Element Skate shoes, I guess it does. The Etna was the third and final pair of shoes that Element sent us to test and seeing how the two previous models fell below standard, our hopes weren’t high.

I received this pair of Etna’s from Element Europe rider Bas Janssen himself. He recently switched from Etnies to Element Shoes and claimed the Etna’s were one of his favourite pairs to date.

I explained my scepticism, but with his offer of a free pair of kicks, I couldn’t refuse. Plus, I really wanted to find out if this new power move into the shoe business was actually going to pay off for the environmentally aware skate company.

Please note that Bas skates regular and me goofy, so the left shoe already had a hole in the toe area that I quickly amended with Shoe-Goo (Is that stuff still illegal..?).

Much like the other Element shoes Crossfire had tested, the Etna was light, flexible and grippy. That’s three key elements to getting a skate shoe right. However, the shoe design was just another rip-off and bland spin of a Nike Dunk with extra padding. When will the skate shoe market start getting creative like Airwalk or Etnies back in the day? There are only so many versions of the Rap or Calicut that can get ripped off.

Anyway, back to the task at hand- skating this shoe to bits. It’s mid summer so the sessions are long and hard, but these shoes haven’t budged or bust a stitch yet! I mean, apart from the gradual wearing away of rubber sole or the odd shoe lace that hangs on for dear life before an inevitable snap (Bring back the lace saver!), the Etnas on my feet are still keeping their shape and performing well. Could we have a winner for Element Shoes? Third time lucky?

The Etna was a pleasant surprise after a disappointing debut for Element’s shoe business. These also come in different colours. Go to www.elementskateboards.com/shoes for all info.

Ralph Lloyd Davis
8/10

Now, I know a lot of skaters are all hardcore and strictly stick to one domain i.e. Street skating, but this is only a small part of skateboarding as a whole when you look at all the areas we can ride boards in and around. In any case, I’m down for all board sports and all terrain, so when I was approached by Tim over at BeYou, I had to have a butchers.

Instinctively dirt boards rhyme with juggling balls, and boomerangs for me. I know that is a prejudice, but all my prior experience of 180mm wheels, 25 inch wheelbases and 10 ply planks has been hanging from the wall of a kiteshop… Oh well. Tim insisted I try one of his unique Freestyle All Terrain boards and once I read the brochure and watched the demo videos I knew I couldn’t refuse. You see, the special design quality to these boards is the fact that the trucks are fixed on top of the deck with a foot strap behind each axle. This technique means the board is low enough to the ground that you can actually use the concaved tail to pop tricks and slide across surfaces.

When the box arrived, I got permission from my girlfriend (We’re going on holiday soon and sunny beaches and plaster casts are not a good look!) and reconned a forest setting where bikers had moulded bumps and jumps. Visions of Rick Howard from Mouse came flooding back. There was even a natural downhill halfpipe! Along with a the board came distinct instructions to pad up which my frieds and I complied with because needless to say, be it dirt gravel, sand or stone that shit hurts when you slam. It literally took about two test runs each and we were already powering through the undergrowth, popping ollies here and there, rotations but no slides. Sorry but we were so stoked to get my mate to leap a huge tree stump that we were all tired out by the time we got to Nature’s birch handrails. Next time I guess.

Before I sign this off, I must say two things: The Freestyle All Terrain board leaves you with a bizarre sensation of snowboarding at times. I don’t know if this is intentional, but seeing as the board is slightly shorter than a snowboard, this makes carving and sliding a lot more fun. Secondly, I think you might want to watch out for your back foot and leg which when you twist and turn can make contact with the wheels. This may result in undesirable effects, but this is mainly a design remark. Overall these boards have a great and functional design and a lovely finish to their 10 plies. Look outside the box children and be unlimited.

For more info visit email Tim Paddock at timpaddock@ntlworld.com

Or

BeyoU Ltd. Registered Office: 109 Westbourne Rd. Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, U.K. CF64 5BQ
Company No. 4683123

For the UK
Contact: –

Shiner Ltd.
Church Rd,
Lawrence Hill,
Bristol,
UK.
BS5 9JB

Tel: – (UK) 0117 955 6035
E-mail: – chris@shiner.co.uk

8/10

Ralph Lloyd-Davis
13/07/2006

Death are probably one of the most recognizable independent skate companies out there and I must say I’m proud that they come from the UK. Something tells me American Customs officers would have trouble dealing with Dan Cates dressed as 50 Cent and a naked Dibble.

In any case, this team board is a no nonsense length of maple. Straight rails with slightly raised nose and tail, slick black paint finish and a rather mellow concave sum this board up – No bells or whistles. When I started riding the board, I couldn’t quite understand how it measured up as a 7.75 but I’m guessing that was due to the length and wheelbase. If a board is slightly elongated, the width magically slims..? Anyway, I also noticed that this board’s nose and tail are virtually identical give or take a quarter of an inch. Some people enjoy their boards resembling double tails, but I must say it can get confusing at times so I focused on a spot of gum squashed into the grip to remember where the nose was. From there on out this board rode very nicely indeed. Suits you sir!

The Death team board has kept it’s pop, not chipped and been responsive to my every order. The only problem I did have with this board was the way the nose and tail were late starters after the bolt holes. For example, this is an advantage on slides, but a big disadvantage when you throw the board down and start tanking it, only to realize your foot has settled too far up the board and your balance goes out of the window. It’s not drastic, but something to think about.

There will only ever be one Death Squad and if these are the guns they use then the competition should be scared. Support your local scenes and support British skating.

7/10

Ralph Lloyd-Davis
13/07/2006

I have a lot of time for the simpler things in life and the VOX Troopers are a pristine example of how simple life could be. The shoe is a tasteful blend between the Rowley 1’s and Fallen’s Chief model, not a bad mix, dare I say!

The design of this particular model suits nobody more than the everyday skateboarder who endeavours for a bit of transition as well as being wild on the streets. I wouldn’t recommend these for stairs and drops, but they are great for hips, bars, ledges, banks or anything that’s not too strenuous on the heels as their cushioning leaves room for improvement. The vulcanized soles are grippy and will keep you attached to you skateboard like snot sticks to a woollen blanket! This will wear off gradually, but that’s bound to happen to any skate shoe and these have lasted me for a good couple of months!

The shoe has a very stable hold on your foot and the suede uppers takes quite a while to soften up, but it does and that’s what counts! The side panels sport embroided logo’s, which blends in craft fully with the rest of the shoe’s design. Under your laces rests a ventilated mesh tongue with perforations to keep your toes ventilated and smelling fresh, which is a good thing, considering they are protected by thermo plastic reinforced toe box.

VOX Troopers are decent and I’d say you definitely get what you paid for, a stylish design with simple features to suit your everyday needs…what more do want?! This obviously does not apply to D3 lovers. (Riders of the storm!)

7/10
Live Fast, Ride Fast

2P

OK, lets start by saying that this shirt is one of the best shirts to ever grace my toneless body! Now i will try and expalin why it is the bomb.

The Troop contains 97% cotton and 3% lycra, meaning when you first put this on, you suddenly feel it stretch just a little bit, which is bizarre at first, but then when you do it up and pull it over your shoulders, it fits like a goddam glove and you still have loads of space in there!

Now, next thing is, you go out skating and realise that everytime you contort your body, the shirt goes with you by the millimetre so this shirt gets the full 5 out of 5 for skateboarding. I know it’s hard to review clothjing but this has been made to skate in and it bloody well works better than any cotton shirt i have ever worn. Oh and by the way, the first night i wore this shirt out to a club, i pulled a tight unit – no shit.

Go buy one and see if it happens to you.

www.elementskateboards.com

Chuck Bangers

I have to admit that I received these shoes seond hand- But that actually works in their favour as you will soon find out… The Es Accel Plus is a jazzed up version of the classic Es Accel being in that extra flair was added with an ankle strap. Why an ankle strap on a lo-top shoe, I don’t know but it definitely makes for a steady shoe on your foot and that beats broken and twisted ankles any day!

So, like I mentioned at the start, these shoes were passed on to me by a friend who had barely skated them, plus he’s the opposite stance to me (Goofy) so it all works in my advantage. I owned a pair of Accels in the past and knew they were a staple for good skate shoes, but the Accel Plus is that level higher of fresh-o-meter. Firstly, the material Es have used a synthetic suede, is bloody grippy and tough. No slippery leather of grazed suede here. When the material does wear through, it reveals a weird fluffy white coat which does stand out on a pair of black shoes, but remains nonetheless resistant to a good scrape.

Another sweet feature to the Accel Plus is the gum sole. You just can’t go wrong with a gum sole on your griptape. Look how many companies are ripping the ‘vulcanised’ gum grip at the moment! The sole does wear away gradually, and the grip fades, but that’s only after a good solid few months of skating. Any sole that maintains it’s function of connecting you and your board for a few months or more is a good sole.

Finally, we’ll finish on the ‘plus’ factor of this shoe, the ankle strap. Like I said earlier, it definitely secures your foot like a seatbelt and doesn’t dig into the top of your foot because of the padded tongue. However, the stitching last about a week before it starts to rub away and the cut material starts to flap about in the wind- This rates pretty low on the fresh-o-meter. I just fixed it up with some shoe-goo, but I can imagine some people will straight cut those things out if they look like that.

All in all, the Es Accel Plus is a top skate shoe. It’s simple and functional. I know Es have been getting a bad rep for making footwear oddities that try and look tech but end up looking like badly tuned blobs. Then there’s the argument that Es are trying to disguise every shoe as an Accel, but I don’t see the problem in this at all. The Accel blueprint is one of skateboarding’s finest and most copied shoe of all time. I’m still skating mine, and if I get a chance to ride some more (especially with this synthetic material!) I will without hesitation.

9/10

www.esfootwear.com

Ralph Lloyd-Davis
22/06/2006