There has to be a really good reason for a shoe more or less 16 years old and to keep topping lists of the greatest skate shoes ever since its release. Regardless of what kind of skater you are, Half Cabs are amazing. Worn and loved by different generations to attack bowls, stairs, vert ramps; even the highest ollie in the world was nailed wearing these beasts. Half Cabs skate brilliantly straight out of the box.
Like most Vans, there isn’t a breaking in period, although after having a leather pair a while back they did take a bit longer to get to grips with, but nothing that a few nights in the pub didn’t loosen up. It’s the sacrifice you make balancing durability with comfort I guess. I’m rocking a canvas pair at the moment and despite looking good they aren’t lasting as long as the suede version but that’s to be expected. After wearing through the outer canvas there’s still a couple of layers before you start shredding skin but if push comes to shove, its nothing a bit of ShooGoo won’t sort out.
If I had to pick just one fault with them then it would be the thickness of the sole which is a unfortunate hallmark of the waffle; so if you are prone to jumping down things or hooning at rails then it might be worth slinging a pair of insoles in just to pad them out a bit. However, considering I can only do layback grinds on mini ramps, it’s academic to me and as such – I reckon they’re amazing. They’re cheap, they last and they look good – what more could you ask for?
Dickfingers