SIZING

The Etnies Estrella fits true to size.

DURABILITY

Overall, the Etnies Estrella demonstrated impressive durability during the our 10 hour wear test, with no significant signs of wear that would compromise its longevity.

Looking at the upper, it features a one-piece toe area that stretches to the midfoot where it is stitched to the rest of the upper. This critical suede piece proved to be very durable showing minor signs of wear in the Ollie- and Kickflip-area. If you look closely to the cross-section picture, you can seen Etnies added even a thin rubber layer under the suede to expand the lifetime of the shoe once the suede would develop a hole.

The shoe’s thick sole, especially in the toe area, protects the upper from griptape damage and provides excellent flick. The sole showed actually most signs of wear but did its job well in protecting the upper. Additionally, the shoe offers a hidden lacing system.

A minor negative impression left the durability of the collar around the ankle which showed signs of wear, but this was judged more from an aesthetic point of view.

CUSHIONING

The Estrella’s cushioning performance was all in all good. There are two main elements in the sole construction to create cushioning. The first one is a full length, rather stiff EVA foam cushioning layer to provide impact protection and the second one is Etnies’ removable Pro Foam 1 insole which creates a soft step-in feeling. As a result, the Estrella can be recommended not only for low impact skating but also for tougher landings as it manages to cushion bails quite successfully.

SHAPE

The Etnies Estrella boasts a clean and classic silhouette that is both stylish and functional. Its multiple foam padding elements, including the tongue, heel, and forefoot area, give it a bulkier cupsole profile. The shoe maintains a consistent width from the heel to the midfoot section before narrowing towards the toe, which ends in a distinctive peak.

BOARDFEELI&IGRIP

The first half of the shoe from the toe tip to the arch is mainly responsible for the boardfeel. The Etnies Estrella offers two key advantages in this regard. The first benefit is a thin front area, reducing material between the foot and the skateboard. The second benefit is the flexibility of the shoe which developed fully after 2-3 sessions and stayed on a high level due to the cut outs on the sole profile as well as sole’s side. Both features helped to feel maximum surface area contact between foot and board while skating.

The boardfeel and the grip are balanced; you can feel the deck for feet positioning while feeling confident with enough cushioning, which helps make bails bearable when you’re trying a trick. Etnies keeps it classic with the Estrella’s herringbone sole pattern which performed solid in our 10-hour wear test.

COMFORTI&ISTABILITY

The most important features for a comfortable skate shoe include weight, ventilation and a well-crafted inner shoe area. Despite the appearance, the Estrella is actually quite lightweight and the inner area is crafted very well with lots of padding. A very positive feature is the fixated tongue which helps keep everything in place and your feet secure. The only disappointment of the shoe is it’s below average breathability.

As far as stability goes, the shoe has pros and cons. On the positive side, the padding, as well as a close cut to the feet, both create a secure and comfortable feeling. While skating, the heel area made a very stable impression due to the higher cut sole (the feet sit below the sole) and multiple outer and inner reinforcement layers. The downside was that the design entrance area around the ankle and achilles heel is cut quite low and sometimes feels like your feet may slip out. Nevertheless, the overall comfort and stability of the Estella were good.

SUMMARY

The Etnies Estrella, Ryan Sheckler’s most recent pro model shoe, convinces us with an excellent durability as well as good cushioning and boardfeel. However, the grip could be improved as well as the low cut ankle and heel area both take time adjusting to.

The post Etnies Estrella appeared first on Weartested - detailed skate shoe reviews.

When a new shoe is introduced one year earlier than planned, there must be something special about it. In this case, the public demand for the newest Ryan Sheckler pro-model made this happen, especially after it was crowned as the „most durable shoe I ever skated“ by Ryan himself.

Flashing the red model with the obvious white Etnies logo at various Street League and X-Games events along with the clever use of social media lead to an ever-increasing momentum of hype. As a result, Etnies decided to release the Marana to the public way sooner than they initially planned, and the success proved them right. Weather the shoe can live up to these new levels of hype can be read in the following lines.

Sizing

The Etnies Marana fits true to size.

Durability

Needless to say, the most noticeable feature of the Marana is the toecap. It’s made of a soft plastic-like material and although it may look a little unfamiliar at first, it does its job extremely well.

After 10 h of skating, the suede below the cap is hardly visible. This key feature is especially advantageous when learning new tricks and the abrasion takes place in the same small areas over and over again. Other areas of the Marana proved to be very durable as well. The sole shows only few signs of wear and the lateral sidewalls are protected to some degree by the rubbery Etnies logo, which is one of the main contacts of the griptape in this area. Even the shoelaces stayed mostly intact due to the clever placement of the eyelets. The only thing that suffered mentionable abrasion was the mesh-material around the heel-area, which is torn up easy, especially when doing heelflip-variations.

Cushioning

As shown in the cross-section, the Etnies Marana uses a foamed midsole of yellow „STI Evolution Foam“ as well as a „Pro 1“ PU – insole, both innovations of Sole Technology and its STI lab.

Fancy names for sure, but for good reason since they are actually able to provide a lot of cushioning. Overall the model is build for high impacts and the combination of a dampening midsole with a rigid outsole unit manages to absorb ground reaction forces due to bails very well.

Shape

Contrary to belief, the Marana doesn´t feel as bulky as it might seem at first sight.

Even though there is quite some cushioning in the tongue and heel area, the contact between foot and shoe still feels close. The shape itself is rather wide, which is great news for people with wider feet that nowadays might have a hard time finding properly-fitting models. Moreover, the broad, slightly rounded toecap provides surprisingly good flick and control.

Boardfeel and grip

After examining the shoe’s boardfeel it is clear that the compromise between cushioning/boardfeel resulted in a larger focus on cushioning and protecting the foot.

The foamed midsole and especially the stiff outsole decrease the overall boardfeel to some degree. For that reason models with a vulcanized sole are ahead of the race here. However, after some time wearing and skating the Marana, the boardfeel increases noticeably since the sole becomes softer and more flexible. This also increases the grip of the sole since the shoe starts adapting better to the concave of the deck. Again, it can’t entirely be compared to vulc-like standards, but the Marana still provides above-par grip.

Comfort and stability

The overall craftsmanship of the Etnies Marana is great. The small amount of stitching inside and non-existent tongue-straps make it a very comfortable shoe. The only drawback is that the heel-lock is relatively weak, which means that the shoe has to be tied rather tightly to provide a proper fit without the foot slipping out. This is partly due to the very soft upper part of the shaft, which prevents blisters and increases comfort to some degree, but noticeably decreases the heel lock. The Marana provides a great amount of stability and supports the foot at the most critical points. Even though heel-lock is rather weak, the overall rigid and supportive construction compensates this flaw very well. It is able to provide a very secure feeling while skating due to the stability of heel area and sole unit, especially if you are aiming for bigger gaps.

Summary

The Etnies Marana is a shoe that lays focus on durability, cushioning and stability, to some degree at the cost of boardfeel. If you are mainly skating heavy impact spots or are aiming for maximum longevity for your buck, this shoe will suit you well.

The post Etnies Marana appeared first on Weartested - detailed skate shoe reviews.