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High quality PDF-file:Lakai Marc review

Lakai Marc review

Lakai has trekked through some rough waters during the last year and a half. If you aren’t familiar with their history, they made an executive decision to move under the same roof as Girl Skateboards, had some big names quitting, even more young guns joining, and switched production factories. However, Lakai keeps battling David-esque against all the Goliaths on the market and refuses to settle with “average”. To a certain degree, the Lakai Marc is the prey (check the commercial on Lakai.com) of the hunt for excellence. Produced in South Korea, the Lakai Marc is the brainchild of Team Johns(t)on; it is designed by Scott Johnston, and approved by long-term team rider Marc Johnson. How it fulfills its purpose on the board can be read in the following review.

The Lakai Marc fits true to size.

Durability

The one-piece toebox design is one of the Lakai Marc’s features, but nowadays, this design alone has almost become the industry norm due to its superior durability. No additional panels in the toebox area means no separating layers from ripped stitching. Furthermore the one-piece toebox design offers one expansive contact area rather than single area points for attack.

The Marc successfully avoids several small yet commonly seen durability flaws. The transition between a shoe’s frontal area and sidewall is typically the most critical area. However, Lakai did everything right in this case: the panels are glued together and not just stitched, the interference of the layers is big and a threaded square near the eyestay secures the connection. Furthermore, the Lakai Flare is not an extra layer, but instead shown through decorative stitching and perforations. As a result, it can’t peel off and suits the overall minimalist, desert-boot inspired design very well. Surprisingly for such a seemingly subtle design, a second layer lace protection has been incorporated. As can be seen in the pictures, it worked well during the 10-hour test and the laces stayed intact. Both the bottom and outsole proved to be durable as well. The deep sole pattern shows wear but only minor areas are completely flat.

The additional toebumper, which unfortunately is not an industry standard anymore, was worn down, but there are no grooves in the transition area between upper and sole. This is a clear sign for good durability, especially for a vulcanized construction.

Cushion

The sole of the Marc consists of a thin rubber bottom in combination with thick removable insole. The increasing thickness towards the back to a maximum thickness of 0.43-inch is the primary reason for the solid impact protection.

This construction allows for board feel in the front while the heel area is able to dampen the common impact forces from flatground and ledge skating very well. The foam of the insole is rather soft in comparison. Since the insole is only responsible for the cushioning, bigger impacts seem to cause a complete compression and thereby set a limit to the impact absorption of the whole shoe.

Boardfeel

The first half of the shoe from the tip to the arch is mainly responsible for the boardfeel. The Marc is able to provide two assets in this area. The first is a thin front of the removable insole as well as a thin bottom sole. This causes a direct contact between foot and board. The second is the flexibility, which allows a maximum contact surface and causes the shoe to adapt well to the concave of the deck. The boardfeel is overall balanced; you can feel the deck but certain cushioning is still noticeable, which helps make bails bearable.

Grip

Lakai keeps it classic with the Marc’s herringbone sole. The zig-zag pattern has proven to offer a grippy connection between the deck and sole as long as it is a softer rubber mixture and the grooves are deep.

For this shoe, both are the case and in addition, the rough structure ensures a certain wear resistance as already mentioned in the durability paragraph. The result is a gimmick-less sole with the good adhesion that is typical for vulcanized constructions.

Breathability

Except for two metal eyelets on the medial side, the Lakai Marc doesn’t feature any features that enable air exchange. As a result, the breathability is very limited and sessions in the summer heat can cause uncomfort inside the shoe. The minimal padding reduces the isolation of heat, but doesn’t eradicate the problem.

Shape

The Marc experiences a metamorphosis with wear. Out of the box it features a rather wide, dull frontal area.

After a few sessions it gets softer, adapts to the toes like a suede sock and gets a more defined peak that offers majorly increased flick. While appearing to be a mid-top on the shelf, when worn it turns out to fit more like a low top without a cutout for the ankle.

Comfort

A main feature that plays an important role in the comfort of the Marc has already been mentioned earlier, which is the thick and soft removable insole. This avoids the typical problem that occurs with vulcanized soles, which are worn-down feet after sessions of more than 2 hours. A possible reason for this is a lack of protection. The rounded and soft collar is ankle-friendly and doesn’t cause blisters, hotspots or irritations around the Achilles tendon. The overall craftsmanship is well executed and the interior features only a minimal amount of seams. A minor drawback pertaining to the comfort are the lace-centering straps, but they fulfill their purpose and keep the minimally padded tongue in place.

Support

Usually a sturdy and big plastic reinforcement in the heel of a skate shoe is the key feature for a supportive skate shoe. The Marc is an exception of the rule, to a certain degree. The collar is rather soft and can be squeezed together with ease, However, the extra half inch of thick leather makes it feel supportive when worn. The raised top doesn’t necessarily reduce freedom of ankle movement. In fact, it feels more protective and secure compared to a low cut, possibly because the anklebones rest on the collar, which in return applies a certain reinforcement. That aside, the Marc stretched out quite a bit, especially on the medial side. Keeping in mind that vulcanized low-cut models typically offer very little support, the Marc performs very well in this area. If needed, the support can be further increased when the top eyelet is laced.

Summary

The Lakai Marc is not an everyday vulcanized model. With a rather uncommon silhouette, improved support and solid cushioning, the Lakai Marc is a positive suprise. It also features good durability, boardfeel and grip. The only minor flaw is the below average breathability.

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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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