Wednesday 22 September 2010

What is STI foam?

STI foam is commonly found in many skate shoes manafactured today. Sure it says it ont the box and people just take as given, but , what actually is it? what does it do?

STI foam was developed by STI labs and was a revalution in skateboard shoe technology.

These STI foam inserts create pressure and shock absorbing abilitys and make it comfortable to wear and to ride.

There are three types of STI foam inserts:

- STI Level 0 : basic entry level insole containing a flat sheet of STI foam.

-STI Level 1 : combines STI foam with an arch pad for added midfoot support and comfort.

-STI Level 2 : combines STI foam with a heel cup that wraps around the back of the insole to provide better support and stability for the rear of the foot.

So, next time your buying skate shoes, look out for labelling and see if the product your considering has STI foam for better quality skate shoes.

Tuesday 21 September 2010

Etnies Fader skate shoe review

Etnies fader are great looking , bulky shoes that have a nicely padded tong and collar sprinkled with STI foam cushioning for impacts and an array of different colour schemes.

Strangely the collar split and made wearing them uncomfortable. The laces were also poor quality and split several times. After a long time a hole appeared in the front of the shoe and on the bottom.

Summary:

A really good skate shoe that is long lasting and effect with nice comfort an style.


Rating: 8/10

Monday 20 September 2010

Etnies Digit skate shoe review.

Etnies digit is designed for one thing. Comfort.

The etnies digit is completely suede apart from the sole and the padded tounge and colour make it an exceptionally good shoe for comfort and hard landings.

But like I said, the looks and feel of the sho are overshadowed by it's wear time. It wears out really fast and in a month or two the shoe had it's own mouth gaping open at the nose of the shoe. The soles had began to wear but it was the dude parts that really took the damage.

Summary:

nice shoe if you only skate occasionly but if your a hardcore skater , buy some shoe glue.

Rating: 6/10

Etnies RVM skate shoes review.

The rap vulc mid is a revolution in mid top skate shoes.

Its durabilty outmatches many other skate shoes for comfort and style.

its vulcanised outsole adds much strength to this classic skate shoe. The system G2 in the heel reduces shock on impact and is soft on the old feet. This combined with STI foam for even more comfort.

They wore pretty fast but when there was slight wearing it took months before it got any worse. When it did get worse there were holes in the heels and one on the nose of the shoe.

Summary:

A great shoe for looks but after the looks damage these are pure performance and long lasting skate shoes.

Rating: 8/10

eS Theory Mid skate shoe review.

Surprisingly these were my first ever pair of mid-top skate shoes and damn! i loved them.

These were excellent shoes for durability , comfort and cool ass looks.

The ankle support was great for high drops , stair sets and even preventing ankle damage. The lace-protecting strap worked wonders and held out for a very long time preventing and lace related damage. The vulacnised soles held great and fit greatly with this model. The G2 heel cushioning isnt noticable but im sure this adds to ankle protection and landing support.

Months later the wearing began to show. The material at the nose of the shoe began to tear and the sole began to lose its grip. Although , this damage was the only damage in the shoes until about a month later. The whole side of the shoe tore open and became increasingly irritating for the next week or so before the split int the side spread like fire along the side of the shoe to such an extent that my foot hung out of the shoe.

Yep , they were deemed unskateable and sadly thrown to the side as my feet moved on to new beginnings.

Summary:

A great quality comfortable shoe with excellent ankle support and durability. Also long lasting and well desinged the eS Theory Mid topped the shoe ratings and became an instantly classic product.

Rating: 9/10

Etnies Campbell X Death skate shoe review.

One of the first ever skate shoes i owned, i was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this shoe.

First off , i want to comment on the comfortability of this shoe. It was like stepping into small pillows. They truly have really nice feel on the feet and ultimate board feel and control.

They seemed to ultimately balance board feel and comfortablity , with the size and material of the shoe. They Feature elastic tongue straps combined with padded tounge and collar all topped off with STI foam cushioning.

However in several weeks the signs of wear had started to show , the materials colour had faded and a small tear appeared at the front of the shoe. This was then followed by the grip wearing down and slight lace split.

Weeks later all went downhill. I was sad to see a gaping hole had formed not only at the nose of the shoes, but on the bottom too. The colour went from black to grey in many areas and the laces had split like spaghetti.

Eventually i deemed them unskateable and tossed them to the side to make way for some new skateboarding sidekicks.

Summary:

A great stylish and comfortable shoe with a death collaboration thrown into the mix , but if you are looking for long term trekkers then these are NOT the shoe 4 u.

Overall rating: 7/10.