SIZING

The shoe fits true to size. 

DURABILITY

The AS-1 colorway was the classic black and gum silhouette with a suede upper. The toebox of the shoe features a double-stitched toe panel that is the main defense for ollies and flicks. After three sessions of skating, the stitching of the toe panel started ripping, yet it was more of an aesthetic flaw than a performance flaw. After a few sessions, the suede was worn in and lost a bit of structural rigidity. Thankfully, the side panel of the shoe features four “teeth” that helped drive abrasion from flicks towards itself and prolonged the shoe’s durability lifespan. The sole of the shoe held itself very well during the weartest, with no blowout spots. The shoe didn’t feature reinforcement layers or other panels, which isn’t a bad thing. The shoe was straightforward, featured what you needed and broke in very well to give you an exceptional 10 sessions of durable skating. Afterwards, the shoe started tearing and some blowout spots were noticed, but overall, the AS-1 had solid durability.

CUSHIONING

As a cupsole model, the shoe features two elements that help absorb the impact from skateboarding. As you can see from the side cut picture, the midsole featured small ridges to serve as structural stability but also contribute to cushioning by dispersing the impact. In addition to that, is the CX Foam insole, which is about 3-4 mm thick even from the heel all the way to the toe area is an additional year of support that serves as an immediate response for low to medium impacts. Overall this cupsole model was decent, and is one of the better cupsole models we’ve skated from their product portfolio.

SHAPE

The shape of the AS-1 Pro is quite interesting. Although the shoe looks and feels like it’s a bit wider, it was cut quite close the feet in all areas. The toe area of the shoe also features a more pointy shape than expected.  This turned out to be great, with a feeling of stability and precision in terms of flicks.

BOARDFEELI&IGRIP

As a cupsole model, the AS-1 Pro had great boardfeel. The insole and the sole of the shoe was well balanced. When it came to the toe area, there was an surprising amount of boardfeel and it was quite easy to find the pocket of the board for popping tricks. The grip of the shoe was also good; the AS-1 Pro features a classic herringbone outsole for grip, and could withstand a lot of abrasion without sacrificing grip. Initially, we though the shoe seemed like a wide construction and may feel loose or cut far from the feet, which would impact the boardfeel; but these expectations were well-exceeded after skating the shoe right out of the box.

COMFORTI&ISTABILITY

One of the biggest pluses of this model was the comfort and stability of the shoe. When first wearing the shoe out of the box, the feet feel extremely secure, padded and comfortable. This actually got even better as the shoe broke in, since the suede absorbed the sweat and formed better to the shape of your own feet. The heel foxing was also made of a strong plastic that helped hold up the structure of the shoe. A drawback was the heel collar lining; although it does serve the purpose of stabilizing a higher part of your ankles and was quite comfortable with the leather lining, the inside of the lining consisted of a foam and plastic that would easily get stuck when stepping into the shoe. Another thing to mention, after ten hours of skating, the suede would absorb too much sweat and could change form while losing a tiny bit of rigidity. There could be improvements made to the breathability of the shoe; however this is a small detail.

SUMMARY

The simple and vintage aesthetic of AS-1 Pro packs a lot more features than expected. Overall, the shoe excelled with grip, comfort, stability and cushioning, but more improvements could be made to the durability and breathability of the shoe. This was a fun shoe to skate, and congrats to Alexis on this well-deserved pro model shoe.

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Sizing

The Cons Metric CLS runs a half size big, would recommend going a half size down than what you usually wear.

Durability

If there was one thing that was the most impressive throughout the whole weartest, it would be the durability of the Metric CLS. The shoe features a one piece upper made of high quality suede that showed zero holes after the test period. The whole one-piece toe cap proved to be every effective as there were no seams to be ripped in the line of fire. Moreover, after the 10 hr weartest, the outsole rubbed out before the toe-cap which was a testament to the durable quality of suede being used for this model. One impressive feature was also the durability of the shoelaces that Cons originally includes with the purchase of the shoe; the original shoelaces that are included have a bit of a wax layer that helps a bit to prevent the shoelaces from ripping too fast. In our case, the shoelaces as well as the upper not only lasted our 10-hr weartest, but definitely had enough vitality to last for another 10 hr.

Cushioning

Cushioning is one of the three technical elements Cons is pushing in this CLS model, highlighting the advantages of a dual density construction in the midsole when it comes to absorbing medium to high impacts as well as improving the stability of a shoe. While most skate models use the EVA foam for it’s lightweight and flexibility features, Cons has adapted it’s midsole with two different density foams injected with Nike’s Phylon performance foam that have a similar composition as Nike SB’s lunarlon foam. In high impact skating when you’re jumping down 6 stairs and up, your ankles absorb the heavy impact and the awkward movements with different bails can distribute the weight unevenly to cause over-pronation, where your ankles tend to lean inwards. Con’s midsole and stable heel lock work together and almost correct your feet’s posture to prevent the over-pronation that skaters with flat feet may often face when jumping down these high impact stairs and gaps. The cushioning of this model was great, any heel bruises that would have happened were well prevented.

Shape

Throughout the 10 hour weartest, the Cons Metric CLS held its shape up very well. The one piece suede toe cap held it’s structure and offered no loose seams for the toe box to lose its shape from skating. More impressive was the heel of the shoe, which was reinforced with a strong plastic shell that held up the heel’s structure extremely well, inadvertently increasing the lifespan of the shoe’s stability. Often, when your feet get sweaty from skating, the shoe absorbs moisture and the shape of the shoe changes significantly, losing much of it’s structure and stability. However, with this shoe, despite only average breathability, the shoe’s shape and structure was very well maintained and almost showed no signs of change over the first few sessions.

Boardfeel and grip

The boardfeel of this shoe was only average. Although Cons stresses that their midsole construction allows a cupsole model to have a similar boardfeel as a vulcanized model, the cushioning elements still overpowered the boardfeel and felt relatively thick. Initially, grip was not as grippy as we would have thought, but gradually improved with more skating. An added feature on the shoe is a tread pattern of small dots where the kickflip and ollie hole is, which help to increase the traction of the shoe and directs a lot of the abrasion towards the traction pattern instead of the actual suede. Moreover, the outsole of the shoe features directionally shaped edges that gives the outsole more traction; different tricks require different parts of abrasion on the outsole, the edges prolong the lifespan and efficiency of the outsole’s grip and traction. Essentially, grip got better as the shoe broke in, but right out of the box the grip is only average. The grip of the sole however, was very nice and had zero blow out spots.

Comfort and stability

Comfort was a drawback in terms of the shoe’s overall construction. Right out of the box, the shoe feels extremely stiff, and not very flexible. With time, this improves and after our 10 hour weartest, the shoe felt like it was finally broken into. Breathability was also only average, but thankfully, the Metric CLS’ tongue was slimmed down to a very breathable mesh panel and offered heat and moisture to escape through this panel. Another feature of the tongue that added to the comfort and stability of the shoe was its tongue centering straps that eventually molded into a sock-like fabric which helped hold the shoe and the tongue in place while skating. The toecap however, trapped a lot of heat but the structure of the toe-cap was not affected. Overall, the shoe was also quite light, which was very impressive given the amount of reinforcement used on the heel and the dual density cushioning midsole. Stability of the shoe was great. As aforementioned, the shoe’s reinforced heel provided amazing structure and the inside heel lock was outfitted with some padding to hold your heel in place. Moreover, it was impossible to take the midsole out of the shoe, so there was no worry for slippage. This, combined with the tongue centering straps allowed a very secure and stable feeling when skating with the Metric CLS.

Summary

The first model to come out of the CLS technical platform is an exciting new technical shoe to be added in Cons’ product line. The shoe impresses with it’s prolonged durability, exceptional stability and overall dual density cushioning. But with that said, the model sacrifices a bit of comfort and boardfeel.

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Sizing

The Cons One Star Pro runs large, we recommend going a half size down from your normal size.

Durability

The Cons One Star Pro features an all suede upper that lasted the whole 10 hour test period, with no holes appearing. Durability is definitely one of the highlights of the One Star Pro; the quality of suede that Converse chose to use for this shoe is no doubt one of the better quality suedes we’ve skated. Moreover, the toebox area is double stitched, which held up very well against the abuse of the griptape for ollie’s and kickflips, unlike many other shoes in the past that have ripped in just a few hours. The durability was enhanced by the shape of the toebox. The toebox of the Converse One Star Pro is quite similar to the CTS model, where the toebox is relatively small and pointy and so most contact between board and shoe is focused around the sidewalls. This helps to maintain the grip and durability of the toebox, as well as it’s shape, which we will explain later.

Cushioning

The cushioning of the Converse One Star features Nike’s lunarlon cushioning. Like every other model that uses this cushioning, this shoe has definitely been adapted to withstand impacts. For someone who likes thinner chusioning, even walking around feels like the lunarlon cushioning is doing it’s job, maybe even a little too much since it affects the shape of the shoe and boardfeel isn’t as great as your slim insole hard sole combo.

Shape

The shape of the shoe was a bit of a bummer. While the shape of the shoe looks great itself, it easily lost it’s shape within the 10 hour test period. Initially skating, the shape was excellent, it was only after a few sessions and some sweating where we noticed some dramatic changes to the shape. This is due to the lack of breathability allowed for this model, with only a couple holes for ventilation on the side panel where the One Star logo is. When skating, any heat and moisture will get trapped within the shoe, and soaked into the material itself, leaving the shoe quite soft and soggy even.

Boardfeel and grip

The shape of the shoe also affected the boardfeel. The boardfeel increased as the shoe got soggier. The lunarlon cushioning almost made the shoe too thick, but after the 10 hour session, the cushioning was thinner, and the sole of the shoe was more broken in, allowing a better feel for the board. Nearing the end of the 10 hour test period, the shoe was so broken in that it could be completely folded in half and fit into a pocket. The grip of the shoe is definitely one of its strengths, the threaded vulc pattern around the toe is wider than most shoes and helps with a strong flick for doing tricks. The gum sole is also really grippy, when the grippiness of the board was worn down, the grip of the shoe increased its lifespan.

Comfort and stability

Right out of the box, the Converse One Star feels like it’s broken in. In pictures, the shoe looks quite shallow, but in actuality, the shoe features a deep cut, and a good heel lock for your foot to be secured when skating. For those used to slimmer silhouettes may not be used to the high topline rise near the heel area, which could rub against your achilles tendon and cause blisters at first. With that said, the topline of the shoe features premium leather, a surprising addition to the One Star Pro that adds comfort to the shoe. However, the shoe is almost a bit too comfortable and broken into when first skating, especially for those who are used to wearing lower profile shoes. As aformentioned, the profile of the shoe is quite stable at first, but the lack of breathability leads to alot of trapped moisture in the shoe and leaves the profile soggier and soggier with each additional session, leaving the feeling of a sock rather than a stable skate shoe.

Summary

The classic silhouette of the Converse One Star has been revamped into a skate shoe with the addition of a Lunarlon insole, and a strong focus on durability and grip, but falls short on breathability and form stability, which affected the shape of the shoe.

S

Check out the Cons One Star at ARROW&BEAST

ARROW&BEAST Cons One Star

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Sizing

The Cons Weapon fits true to size.

Durability

The durability of skate shoes nowadays is mainly improved by reducing the overlapping material in the toe box. However, contrary to popular design, the toe box of the Weapon has a lot of material overlaps and seams in this area. Although the seams held up well during our weartest, this design could show vulnerability to wear with more skating. The laces, however, are well protected and have tough durability. Moreover, the outer sole is slightly thicker than most cupsole models and results in better durability. Due to its extremely deep design, the sole is very durable and ensures a long lasting grip.

Cushioning

Nike’s big brotherly connection with Cons helps ensure that the Weapon is equipped accordingly with a Lunarlon foam insole. Developed by the engineers at Nike Running, the foam has an impeccable cushioning effect and fits perfectly to a skateboard shoe. With this insole, the Weapon not only provides comfortable cushioning, but also offers a good impact protection.

Form

Due to the resemblance of a classic basketball shoe design, the Weapon is a bit wider than most models. However, the Cons designer made the silhouette ​​more narrow. The midfoot area is cut slim, making the shoe fit close the foot and the toe box is slightly wider, but tapers forward to a rounded tip.

Boardfeel and Grip

The toe box area of the Weapon has direct boardfeel while the heel area offers impact protection. With that said, the grip did not reach its full potential in our weartest sessions which is expected for a cupsole. The sole was a little stiff at the beginning, and the grip needed a few more sessions for the sole to soften and mold better to the concave.

Comfort and Stability

The comfort and stability are strengths of the Weapon. The comfort is mainly due to well designed ventilation on the inner side of the shoe as well as the toe box area. The shoe-in-shoe construction maintains an almost seamless interior. The stability in the heel area is outstanding, but levels off towards the front of the shoe. The heel offers a lot of stability for the foot due to the high cut and can almost be compared to the feeling of a mid-top. The stability in the toe box is not as good since it is a bit wider and the suede can develop waves from abrasion.

Summary

The Cons Weapon shines with its stability, comfort and cushioning. The toe box however, could use some work as well as the grip, which needed a couple more sessions to develop its full potential.

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Converse KAII

After watching the obligatory intro clip for the new Converse Kenny Anderson signature model, you could ask yourself: did I just watch a 60-second ad for a bicycle-chiller shoe? Where was the skateboarding?!    But even if all of us would have preferred to see Kenny riding his skateboard like the style-god he is, the shoe itself had its charm. According to Mr. Anderson, his first pro model for Cons was a bit too thin for him. This leads to a more solid and sturdy second model, yet still maintained a flexible cupsole construction by featuring the Lunarlon insole that Converse’s owner Nike features in their models. How all this influenced the KAII’s performance on your skateboard will be revealed below in the following review.

Sizing

The Converse KA II fits normal, but rather slim. If you have wider feet you could go half a size up for a better fit.

Durability

Contrary to Kenny Anderson’s first pro model, which featured stitchings around the toe-box area, the KA II goes a more minimalistic appeal. Nearly the whole upper is comprised of one single piece, with the Cons logo as the only exception. This, of course leads to improved durability, since there is nothing to rip or tear off.

The soft suede feels extremely sturdy as well. The only little surprise was the missing interlayer in the toebox area that many Converse models feature. The embossed logo seemed to be the only weak spot in the design as it showed signs of tear, at least according to the 10 hour test. Moreover, the rather wide lacing system and lace loops led to an increased risk of ripped laces. The outsole itself didn´t show any signs of abrasion, although a rather fine pattern did emerge.

Cushioning

As aforementioned, thanks to Cons parent company Nike, the Lunarlon insole technology is also incorporated in its models, as well as the KA II. The formula for success has remained constant: a thin frontal area for impeccable board-feel and a wider heel area for moderate cushioning that works well unless you skate big gaps.

Shape

The silhouette of the new Kenny Anderson model can be described as low and well molded to your foot, with credit due to the unlined shoe tongue. Unlike many other cupsole models the KA II is rather pointy similar to a previous vulcanized model, the Kenny Anderson vulc. This, of course, leads to great flick especially in combination with the very soft suede.

Boardfeel and grip

Like most cupsole models, the boardfeel and grip took some time to fully develop, with help from the adaptive nature of the sole. After a somewhat disappointing grip during the first session, flex and grip improve greatly until they somewhat resembled the flick and flex of a vulcanized sole, which was again supported by the exceptional quality of the upper suede. As for the boardfeel, it was good from the start, and only improved after a few more sessions.

Comfort and stability

Everybody knows that ventilation is a crucial factor for skate shoes. None wants that foot sweat to be sloshing up and between your toes. Fortunately, the KA II implements ventilation really well, and creates an all around pleasant feel in combination with a really comfortable inner area. The asymmetrically designed Cons logo is also exceptional; it features a  durable leather on the lateral side with breathable mesh on the medial side. Perforations along the toebox and a thin mesh-tongue do their part in terms of breathability too. But, as with most soft and comfortable models, the soft inner and heel area lead to cutbacks in stability. Compared to other models, the KA II does offer only average stability for your foot.

Summary

The Converse KA II is a simple, modern cupsole shoe with a flexible sole. It shines when it comes down to cushioning, durability and comfort. Its weaknesses are its average stability and low support in the heel area.

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The KA-One fits true to size compared with other Converse models and about half a size bigger than other brands.

High Quality PDF file: Converse KA-One review

Also check out the teaser clip

Durability

The Converse KA-One proved to be a durable model for many reasons. The new, truly one-piece toebox, which lacks the extra panel in the front and only features decorative stitching, is one of them. On one hand, it doesn’t feature an extra layer in the kickflip region anymore, which is a flaw, but on the other, it doesn’t have any components to come apart and the toe doesn’t offer any easy points of attack.

The sleek and additionally sturdy upper generally doesn’t offer the griptape any areas where a tear-apart process could start. This, in combination with the new, compressed suede upper of this colorway, which seems to be less sensitive to wear, meant the abrasion after the test duration of 10 hours was minimal. At the same time, it offers a bigger surface because of its microstructure, which results in better grip and flick.

Furthermore, the sole durability is great. The pattern is only of medium depth, but still, more than half of its initial depth was left after the test, even in regions with high wear. Keeping in mind that the side area of the sole is not very high, and the edges at the connection of upper and sole were still intact in many areas, the Cons KA-One sole unit handled the griptape abuse very well.

Cushion

The overall sole construction focuses more on great boardfeel than on dampening abilities.

The thin, removable insole is only able to cushion smaller impacts and the additional thickness of the sole unit in the heel area is also limited regarding distributing and absorbing forces. Overall – although it’s a cupsole – the KA-One is more suited for low-impact skating. After all, the good boardfeel comes at a price, which is less cushioning in this case.

Breathability

Converse and Kenny definitely put some effort into incorporating better breathability than most other skate shoes offer. The KA1 features a part-mesh tongue and ventilation holes on both sidewalls in the area of the logo and on the toebox. Unfortunately, the perforations are only punched into the outer layer, not the inner material, which is not as effective. Additionally, there are two metal eyelets on the inside sidewall that improve the breathability further. All in all, the model allows good airflow for a skate shoe.

Grip

Kenny’s cupsole pro model can’t entirely compete with vulc shoes regarding grip. Still, the soft and flexible sole causes enough friction to anchor the feet securely and fulfills today’s expectations of cupsole skate shoes.

The grip benefits from the updated sole unit that adapts well to the concave, causing a maximum contact area between shoe and deck. All in all, the sole unit balances to offer both great durability and moderate grip.

Shape

The soccer-inspired silhouette of the KA1 features an arrow-shaped toebox with a slightly dull peak. It offers good flick and fliptricks are easy to control. Towards the middle and heel, it noticeably widens, which seems to positively affect the stability due to a larger area to land on. Overall, it features minimal padding and fits very close to the foot.

Boardfeel

The thin insole has a positive effect on the boardfeel. The minimal amount of material between foot and deck in the front allows for good to very good boardfeel, especially for a cupsole. The increased flexibility of the sole unit contributes further to the direct contact. In conclusion, the KA1’s boardfeel can compete with most vulc soles.

Comfort

The KA-One is another model that proves that thin padding doesn’t have to be uncomfortable. Furthermore, the lack of tongue-centering straps, in combination with good craftsmanship and flat stitching on the inside, ensures comfort while they are worn and skated in. A disadvantage is the flat and thin removable insole. A more ergonomical shape, with a noticeable arch support, would be an improvement. The sole unit doesn’t require any wear-in time, it is ready out of the box, which is due to the flexibility of the sole. Still, some initial wear-in time is recommended. This way the feet will accustom to the rounded collar in the area of the Achilles tendon and friction will be prevented.

Support

Thin cupsole models tend to offer many advantages over vulcanized models, but often it also means reduced support, which is normally one of the strengths of classic cupsole models. This is not the case with the Converse KA-One. It features sturdy sidewalls due to the material choice of pressed suede and its construction. In addition, the plastic reinforcement in the heel helps create a supportive collar that offers a secure feeling. The medium-high cut around the ankles gives extra support to the foot  . With these features, expectations of a cupsole regarding stability and support are definitely met in the case of the KA-One.

KA-One vulc

At the same time as the improved cupsole version, Converse introduced a “sibling”-model with a vulcanized sole, the KA-One vulc.

On first sight, both styles look very similar. A closer inspection, however, reveals that the vulcanized one is a lot slimmer overall, more arrow shaped and, especially in the toebox area, a lot narrower, which offers outstanding flick. As a result, people with wider feet should try them in person before buying and when in doubt, opt for the cupsole, which has an overall wider silhouette. Apart from that, they fit the same.

The vulcanized sibling features superior boardfeel that is – typical for Converse vulc – as close to the ground as still bearable. It is easily possible to feel the threat pattern while walking. In return, a disadvantage is a further reduction of cushioning, an area where the cupsole is better equipped. Also regarding stability and support, the classic KA-One brings more to the table than the vulcanized version.

A Cons-exclusive feature is a new vulcanized sole mixture, advertised as “engineered for skateboarding”. The bright light blue color is easy to spot and in fact really offers very good grip with the typical stickiness vulc soles provide. However, whether this remains the case with wear and over the total lifespan can not entirely be foreseen, but the first impression is very good.

The durability of the KA-One vulc’s upper is similar to the cupsole version because of the shared upper design. The white sidepart of the sole does appear to wear out faster than the cupsole version, though, since it’s vulcanized. As a result, the cupsole has a slight advantage regarding durability.

Summary

The Converse KA-One is a thin, cupsole model focusing on good boardfeel and durability. It features above average breathability, medium grip and is quite supportive.

The KA-One vulc features many similarities with the cupsole version, but lacks cushioning and some stability and durability in comparison. This is compensated for, though, with very good grip and even better boardfeel.

If you attach very high importance to grip and boardfeel and overall appreciate a slim and very thin skate shoe, the vulcanized KA-One is recommended. If you prefer a longer lasting, more sturdy and supportive model, go with the improved KA-One cupsole version.

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Converse KA-One review teaser from weartested skate on Vimeo.

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VANS Stage 4:

One of the oldest -if not the oldest- skate shoe brands out there surprised after years of sticking to the classics with a technical but still subtle model. The Stage 4 features the new “wafflecup” sole, an almost one-piece upper and new sunken eyelets.

Converse KA1 vulcanised:

Cons has an equal approach as Vans: stick to the classics and keep it low-tech. Again, this brand tries something new in 2012 with a new vulcanised sole unit. Same pattern, different rubber mixture for more grip and a bright, baby-blue color. One of the first models to adopt it is the KA1 vulc, as seen in the picture (please excuse the bad quality…). Furthermore, the KA1, Kenny Andersons original model, has been redone and features an improved cupsole in fall 2012.

adidas Lucas Puig:

adidas skateboarding presented itself stronger than ever: bigger booth, classic as well as innovative models, nice colorways and always the best craftmanship. The highly anticipated Lukas Puig promodel didn’t dissapoint in person. I don’t want to reveal too many of the technical features right now, but it is light and thin, but still offers support…and the never-seen-before toebox design looks great and unique.

Lakai Marc:

Lakai didn’t disappoint either. It is one of the last true “core” skate shoe companies which has been brave enough to believe in cupsoles since years. Their unique and time-proven XLK sole unit spreads trough the whole collection now. The team loves it, so the models have it, it’s that simple. Many styles are offered in two options now, vulcanised or XLK-cupsole. Newest member of the XLK-family is the Pico. Pictured above is one of the few remaining, but still exciting vulc models, the “Marc”, which has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated.

Nike Blazer:

Picture: www.dunkbar.de

Nike will fuse the Nike SB and 6.0 programs into one in 2012. The first hints were already visible at Bright. Nevertheless, they overall impression of their booth was: they will continue to make very good skate shoes. Lunarlon, which has been introduced with the Koston 1, will spread into more and more models and the Blazer, one of the classics, got redone, too. It features now a toe stiching resembling the original Blazer design with the toe bumper, the vulc sole seems slightly thinner and ,one of the best features, the collar features now a very soft and stretchable, achilles tendon-friendly, heel panel, as seen in grey in the pictures (to the left).

Habitat Austyn Gilette:

Since no pictures leaked so far of this new model and since it is not an “everyday”-design, we will stick with a brief description of it for now. It features a sole unit similar to the Garcia and is overall boat-shoe inspired. At the same time it doesn’t look like a Janoski or another Vans Chukka low at all…a very unique design. It has 3 lace holes and the lacing is pushed far towards the heel, rounded up with a sidepannel design that reminds of the OG Emerica Johnson.

All in all skate shoe design is more brave again in 2012 compared to the last few years. Companies try again to be different, innovative and exciting, which we appreciate a lot.

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