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.