„Damn, this shoe looks massive.“ Those were my first thoughts when opening the box of the Emerica Reynolds Mid. After what felt like ages of flimsy thin vulc-shoes recognized as the hot stuff on the market, we have finally entered a new chapter in skateboarding footwear. One where shoes actually feel solid and jumping down stair sets is possible without pressing 1 on your speed dial and getting welcomed back to the hospital where they know you by name. This new wave of more protective shoes has nothing to do with those ugly brick-like kicks that we used to skate about 10 years ago.

The sole of the Reynolds Mid flexes exactly where it’s supposed to, and although it can’t be compared with a thin-vulc shoe, it provides more than enough boardfeel. It is, however, obvious that protection and comfort were prioritized over boardfeel, which reflects Reynolds hard-impact skating style to some degree.

One can easily spot the similarities to the Emerica G6, as well. For instance the sole pattern is basically the same. The mesh-panels create impeccable air-flow and let your shoes heave and breathe. Especially for a midsole model, the lightweight construction and basically the great overall comfort of this shoe is outstanding.

The sole provides great cushioning, in fact the first thing that was noticed when trying the shoe on was a certain „I wanna jump down stuff!“-feeling that it comes with it. It simply feels as if you cannot get hurt. The next thing you notice is the sock-like inner lining. It wraps around your foot and gives the shoe a snug feel. During the first session the shoe was tied as loose as possible to see what kind of effect that adjustment had. It offers close-to-perfect heel-lock, forget about slipping out of your shoe.

During the first skate session, all those first impressions proved to be true. The grip and flick are amazing (one cannot stop comparing it to the G6, and this is a very good thing) and your feet feel well protected and comfortable. There are basically no signs of wear at all after the first session. During the second session, the progress only continued. Grip and flick improved again, and this shoe proves to put the fun in functional.

The Reynolds mid is somehow not your average mid top design and the support turned out to be highly related to how it is laced. Since it is so light, feels thin and offers more freedom of movement due to the Achilles tendon cut-out, it manages to offer a well-balanced mix between support and a almost low-top feel in case it is not laced all the way to the top. Also noticeable is that you feel slightly „higher“ above your board than with most low-tops. And even though Emerica handled the ventilation issue of high/mid-tops perfectly, you still feel that there’s more shoe around your foot. Another interesting thing that happened was that the shoe seems to look better as soon as it had been skated after some time. The sole doesn’t look as massive anymore since the edges had been rounded out from the abrasion. Due to some wallie-attempts, a chipped board and dumb luck, the medial mesh panel got torn up a little, but that’s not the shoes fault. Overall the durability seems outstanding at first sight and it is pretty obvious that you will have many great sessions with this pair of shoes.

All in all I would say that the Reynolds Mid meets and continues Emerica’s #higherquality slogan that they have been pushing and promoting. If you are over thin, flimsy vulc models that lack protection and durability, this shoe is a great choice.

Tester, Text, Pictures: Stefan Lind         Correction: Edan Qian

High quality PDF file: Lakai Howard review

Lakai`s past few years in the industry haven’t been as pretty sweet as they would have deserved after „Fully Flared“. Some major team riders rode off to more lucrative sponsors, while the switch from Podium Dist. to Girl took the company some time and effort for adjustment. And there is, of course, the perpetual David vs. Goliath fight against the big players in the industry for a piece of the skateboard footwear cake. Nevertheless, Lakai kept on fighting and stands as a prime example for skater-owned brands and with persistence comes triumph.

Scott Johnson’s great design work and Lakai’s amazing „home-grown“ team structure – three out oft the five celebrated „Trunk Boyz“ are representing the Flare – are reasons enough to justify Lakai´s rise. Qualitywise, the switch from production in China to South Korea showed an increase in craftsmanship and durability, which shines humbly when skating the new models. Among these 2013 releases is the Lakai Howard, which we had the pleasure of shredding up for you.

The Lakai Howard fits true to size.

Durability

The Howard uses a well-proven design principle: maximal durability by minimizing the amount of stitching and incorporating a one-piece toecap.

The toecap itself turns out to take up nearly one third of the shoe. This leads to a even distribution of griptape contact, which prevents any isolated weak points from popping up. Another constructive element of the Lakai Howard is the harder rubber lining (in this case blue) around the top of the sole. While the soft, white sole provides great flick, this smart detail provides improved longevity by protecting underlying layers and increases the overall lifespan of  the shoe. The Lakai Flare logo has been glued on, which prevents any possible peeling from ripped stitches. The shoelaces are well protected from ripping because of the conscious placement of the eyelets above the critical area for tearing. However, the canvas itself around this area was worn out quickly.

Furthermore, the sole with its deep grooves is a big advantage of the Howard. It showed only minimal wear during our 10h test. Based on previous weartests, this indicates that it should hold up for almost the whole lifespan of the shoe.

Cushioning

The sole of the Howard is made up of a thin layer of EVA-foam in the midsole, matched with a thin removable insole.

Light impacts are cushioned well and the boardfeel isn’t compromised since the frontal part of the sole is thinned out as much as possible. However, when it comes down to heavier impacts and bails, disadvantages of their cushioning strategy is evident and can be felt easily. This is a frequently seen case of incorporating maximal boardfeel over cushioning.

Shape

The Howard fits snug to the foot and features a low silhouette that makes it perfect for people with slimmer feet.

The padding in the tongue and shaft area is noticeable but rather thin, which leads to direct contact between foot and shoe. The toecap is nice and pointy, which allows good control while doing flip tricks.

Boardfeel and grip

Lakai´s XLK construction confirms that a vulcanized sole isn’t needed to provide excellent grip and boardfeel.

The Howard’s frontal part of the shoes provides terrific boardfeel by keeping the sole as thin as possible, whilst the deep herringbone-pattern provides great grip. The freedom of flexibility maximizes the grip by allowing the shoe to adapt well to the concave of the board.

Comfort and Stability

The Lakai Howard can basically be skated right out of the box; it features minimal wear-in time. It feels quite soft but stable and fits the foot right away. The breathability is only average, even though there are perforations in the tongue and metal lace loops on the inner sidewall, which show that breathability was at least attempted. The elastic bands that center the tongue are a little distracting at first, but soon disregarded as wear-in time accumulates. The overall craftsmanship is on point and there’s only minimal stitching within the shoe. The heel reinforcement is stiff and provides great stability, but since it is rather small it cannot provide perfect support against high impact landings. The stability is average for a cupsole model, but that’s not necessarily a disadvantage since this leads to more freedom of movement, which many skaters prefer.

Summary

The Lakai Howard is a modern cupsole model with a thin sole-construction, which leads to a great balance between cushioning, grip and boardfeel. Apart from the average stability, this shoe meets and excels in durability.

We are currently working on a small article about the new Emerica Reynolds. As a teaser, have a look at some pictures:

Thanks, Clemens

High quality PDF-file: Emerica Herman G6 review

After the sudden death of éS footwear in spring 2012, things in the industry were uncertain, and skaters were left with open-ended questions. Would Soletech and respectively, Emerica and Etnies, plummet down the same path or would they get a boost due to the possibility of newly available resources and attention? One year later, it is safe to say – at least from an outside perspective – both brands are doing fine and Emerica in particular, is coming out with a fair amount of not-so-mediocre designs.

Personally, the push towards improved breathability with the Herman G6 and the soon-to-be-released new Andrew Reynolds signature model made the largest impression on me. This is especially so, since major players in the shoe game have shied away from releasing a truly breathable model in recent years, even with the resources available. Needless to say, Emerica surprised many. Whether or not the Herman G6 has more to offer than just breathability can be read in the following review.

The Emerica Herman G6 fits true to size.

Durability

One of the cornerstones of shoe durability incorporated in the Herman G6 is the well-established one-piece toecap. It assures a large contact surface between the shoe and the griptape, thereby avoiding concentrated abrasion on small areas. In addition, the suede itself is of high quality, as it withstood the abuse extremely well.

Consequently, the toebox looks as good as new after the 10-hour test period. Only minor flaw is the development of slight waves in the suede due to the large panel, which lead to abrasion points along the front, however, they are hardly noticeable.

To some degree, the large side panel made from roughly structured mesh seems to be a weak spot, but since it is located on the medial side of the shoe, it rarely comes in contact with the griptape; it held up very well and kept its initial shape. Another positive detail is the suede collar that doesn’t fray as opposed to the common mesh collar of comparable models. Likewise as the upper, the sole performed well. As you can see in the pictures, the outsole shows just minor wear except for the kickflip region. Also, the thin groove that is intended to mimic the stitching of its ancestors shows minor wear but is still intact in most places. The bottom sole didn’t develop any areas that were worn flat, except for some parts where the rubber-colored areas were worn off which revealed the black base underneath. Apart from that, the sole is in great shape after the 10 hour test.

Cushion

The G6 features the new full length “G6 foam” midsole. It’s kept thinner in the front to provide enough boardfeel while the thicker layer in the heel protects against bruises. It is combined with a removable insole that adds a certain dampening effect as well.

As a result the Herman G6 can be recommended not only for low impact skating but also for tougher landings as it manages to cushion bails quite successfully.

Breathability

Air ventilation is a heavily overlooked but important feature of skateboard footwear. The Emerica Herman G6 is setting a new standard of breathability in the current market. The used material features open mesh layers on the medial sidewall and the tongue that are stabilized by an internal grid that results in a sandwich construction.

As a result it is rigid enough to be used as a bigger panel without sacrificing stability. The smooth synthetic inner lining material that feels similar to neoprene dries quickly and works well in conjunction with the mentioned mesh panels. As a result, air flow is enabled to a high degree and the feet stay noticeably cooler while skating.

Shape

As opposed to many one-piece skate shoes, the Herman G6 features a slightly shorter toebox. The width from heel to toe doesn’t vary much and tapers fast in the last fourth towards a slightly dull peak.

However, it transforms into a more arrow shaped peak with wear, which provides excellent control while doing fliptricks. Furthermore, the shoe fits close to the foot and provides direct feedback, as padding is kept to a minimal.

Grip

It takes about one or two hours of skating until the grip of the G6 is fully developed. After this initial wear-in time, the deep grid pattern that almost all new Emerica models will feature in 2013, provides good friction that is quite close to the sticky grip often attached to vulcanized soles. Based on the depth of the tread pattern, the sole should last for the lifespan of the shoe.

The initial grip continues increasing to a certain point as the sole becomes more flexible with wear and as a result, adapts better to the concave of the deck.

Boardfeel

Although it features a full length foam midsole, the G6 feels very close to the ground. It provides above average boardfeel for a cupsole that increases with wear, but can’t fully compete with thinner vulcanized sole designs. Similar to the grip, the boardfeel needed some time to fully develop, which is an acceptable trade-off considering the strong durability and resulting lifespan of the shoe.

Comfort

As aforementioned, it is recommended to wear the model a few days prior to skating in them. When wearing the shoe at first, the Herman G6 feels a bit minimalistic and the sturdy upper is noticeable. However, this initial impression is gone within minutes and overall, the shoe feels very comfortable. A disadvantage is the lack of heel lock caused by the minimal padding and the relatively straight heel profile. It feels a bit too lax and doesn’t securely keep the foot in place when laced loosely, thereby it is recommended to lace them to the top hole. The overall craftsmanship is very well executed and the details are very on point. A pleasant surprise are the tongue centering straps that are a lot thinner and softer than usual and are barely noticeable. To top it off, the Herman G6 is very light due to the sole design that only features rubber in areas of high wear.

Support

The only disadvantage of the model worth mentioning is the internal heel reinforcement. It seems too thin and flexible for the rest of the design and does not provide as much support as necessary. However, the sidewalls are sturdier than usual and sustained its shape very well, even the medial side with the extensive mesh panel. A feature that will hopefully be incorporated in many other skate shoes in the future is the solid middle foot sole part on the medial side, which prevents painful primo landings.

Summary

The Herman G6 is a milestone in Emerica’s lineup that provides unparalleled breathability, very good durability and low-profile cushioning. The heel-lock and support both have room for improvement but these two minor flaws are easily outweighed by the positive aspects of the model.

]]> http://www.weartested.com/preview-emerica-g6/feed/ 0 http://www.weartested.com/bright-january-2013-recap-part-iii/ http://www.weartested.com/bright-january-2013-recap-part-iii/#comments Wed, 23 Jan 2013 07:13:43 +0000 Clemens Dyckmans http://www.weartested.com/?p=1785 Last but not least, part III of the weartested Bright recap. Have a look at part II here and part I here.

Supra

With probably the longest shelves and a shoe for everybody, Supra’s booth generated a lot of traffic. besides the recent releases of 2012 in updated colorways, they introduced a vulcanised version of the “Stacks”, Terry Kennedy’s pro model. The “Hammer”, that will be released in the following weeks was shown in new colorways, too and seems to sell quite good.

The new, vulc-soled Stacks.

The Hammer, Jim Greco’s signature style and inspired by a cut-down Skytop 3.

Lakai

With subjectively the most new models on the shelfs, Lakai definitely impressed. A new Guy Mariano, the first Vincent Alvarez, a Rick Howard boot in smooth brown and anthracite suede as well as the Quite Life capsule collection, there was something for everybody.

The newest Guy Mariano model that successfully combines a clean toebox and sophisticated lines with vintage running elements in the heel area.

The Vincent Alvarez signature style, well deserved and somehow brings back Lakai Manchester memories.

The Rick Howard/Fourstar collab boot was very well received according to the Lakai rep.

Lakai overview

adidas

Mark Gonzales is celebrating 15 years with adidas in 2013 and receives an expanded capsule collection including two new signature styles. Besides that, the Seeley is getting a color treatment by the adidas pros and the pro models of Dennis Busenitz, Silas Baxter Neal and Lucas Puig were presented in great new colorways for fall 2013. Adidas’ apparel offerings get broader and better with every season as well, especially many pieces of the Silas Baxter Neal range stood out.

Three columns, three team riders. Adidas presents great colorways every season, including fall 13.

The Mark Gonzales collection, at least parts of it.

The Adi Ease by Nestor Judkins, his third (?) colorway of the model and always a favorite one.

Other highlights

Praxis footwear had a tiny but stacked booth including an all rubber shoe, definitely an eye-catcher.

For more behind the scenes pictures, the Nike SB 10 years exhibition opening as well as pictures of the “House of VANS” party, have a look at our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram (@weartested).

DC

After its hiatus in mediocrety in recent years and after probably the best footwear-brand-comback ever, DC keeps going strong. New models for fall 13 include Nyjah Huston’s first signature style, a solid cupsole that keeps it simple, but doesn’t look boring. Wes Kremer will receive a pro model as well (not pictured) that is vulcanised and nothing too exciting. The key styles of the DC line, the Cole Lite S, the recently released and soon to be reviewed Mike Mo, as well as the Mikey Taylor model got dipped in color and will come for example in fresh blue/yellow combos. Overall DC’s line features a lot of cupsole models, a noticeable trend for 2013.

The Cole lite S (top) and the new Nyjah Huston pro model (bottom).

The Mike Mo Capaldi signature shoe in some bold colorways.

Vans

Vans exhibited two of the trade show’s personal highlights, the Alien Workshop collaboration and the Chima Ferguson pro model. Additionally they presented Old Skools colored by Tyler the Creator infront of a larger-than-life wall print. Overall they will offer a more than solid line-up with revised classics and new silhouettes. The apparel looked very appealing as well with the upcoming AVE denim that is “made in USA” as the flagship of the collection.

Alien Workshop teamed up with Vans for a capsule collection. Dill’s Chukka boot features a tiny alien pattern and looks amazing.

Not sure who this guy is, but he colored some Old Skools for Vans.

The Chima Ferguson pro model. They are mostly canvas, but it’s TPU reinforced, which will improve durability up to usual skate shoe life time. The navy one is a personal favourite.

Emerica

Not sure what happened, but Emerica is doing things right lately. Both new Andrew Reynolds models, the high-top dropping in spring and the low in fall, are bullet-prof gap killers that seem highly capable of taking a beating. The Colin Provost model (not pictured) looks like a Reynolds Cruiser on first sight, but has a few smart features under the hood aka in the sole. The Heritic on the other hand is straight forward technical, but it’s still wrapped into a subtle design. The sole seemed a little stiff and bulky though. Breathability seems to be the new boundary to push for many brands, and Emerica is definitely at the peak of this new trend with the G6, the Reynolds and also the Heritic at first sight.

The Reynolds high-top, release is sceduled for spring 2013.

The new Heritic

The Reynolds low, fall 2013

Other Highlights:

Sweet Skateboards from Sweden had a booth with pick-and-mix candy and well-designed board graphics, you don’t need that much more.

For more behind the scenes pictures, the Nike SB 10 years exhibition opening as well as pictures of the “House of VANS” party, have a look at our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram (@weartested).

Unfortunately key-brands of recent years didn’t have a booth, such as Nike, Converse, Etnies…as a result they won’t be covered in this recap. However, here are a few impressions as well as personal highlights of the companies that attended Bright. We will start with Habitat and HUF footwear, two younger companies that are able to claim a solid piece of the skateboard footwear cake for several seasons now. Check back for part II and III and more Fall 13 footwear of brands like adidas, Vans and Lakai later this week.

Habitat Footwear

Following the successful and aesthetically grown up skateboard department, Habitat footwear is cementing their existance with new silhouettes and – besides adidas – the best colorways in the business. Austyn Gillette will have a second pro model coexisting with his first vulcanised shoe, the AG, and the relatively new Kerry Getz signature shoe looks solid as well.

Overview at Habitat’s booth: many subtle earth-toned colorways.

The Habitat AG, Austyn Gillette’s 2nd signature style. The lacing is pushed far towards the heel, so the laces shouldn’t break. It features a very thin and flexible cupsole construction that should offer outstanding boardfeel. One of our favorite colorways of the trade show.

The Habitat Kerry Getz, a slim vulcanised style that features design DNA of his former signature models.

HUF footwear

Hand in hand with the very successful HUF apparel, the footwear division gains more and more momentum. The young company’s success is based on daring design that takes elements of classic silhouettes and mixes them up to something fresh, not just a blatant copy. An example is the reworked and improved Vans Old Skool sibling Southern with the leather patch that we reviewed. For Fall 2013, they will realease new colorways of models such as the Joey Pepper and will introduce the Peter Ramondetta signature style that features a unique toe box. They also keep pushing the lines with a hiking/running hybrid that apparently prebooked very well.

The Joey Pepper signature model in bordeaux and grey, well deserved Mr. Pepper!

The Peter Ramnodetta shoe that will be out in June or July 13. The toebox is pretty unique and an example for HUFs creative endeavors.

The HUF hiking/running hybrid, can you pull it off?

Other Highlights

Alien Workshop has besides Habitat – as always- awesome graphics lined up for 2013. Almost too precious to be skated, these belong on the wall.

For more behind the scenes pictures, the Nike SB 10 years exhibition opening as well as pictures of the “House of VANS” party, have a look at our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram (@weartested).