I like how new versions are now hybrids of thick and thin shoes offering both protection and board feel. Especially the reruns of classics but modified, like DC is doing
I started skating from the start of the 90's. Love chunky shoes. Just to add, Airwalk had a really large influence in the late 80's to the early 90's on shoe style. The chunky styles are coming back. DVS has kept the chunky style in the range since they arrived in 90's. I noticed a lot of shoes appearing to follow different type of music.
duuude, I started out on chunky DC's and then went straight to ÉS Accel OG's. Love the chunk. Sadly, Accel Slims are easier to get at a good price here in Stockholm..
Thanks for making this video! I work a really physically-demanding job and don't have the best feet already because of that so I got a pair of chunky eS accels to help protect them. Definitely feels clunkier than the Joslin 1's I was skating before but I definitely feel more protection, especially on the side of my foot in the ollie area. Time will tell, I am only 2 weeks into my eS shoes. Great content bro!
Good video. I started out with bulky shoes, held on for a decade, then went slim when creative skating met creative spots or ways of skating. Mostly boardfeel. I’m old now and wanna learn old basic tricks and I’ve circled back to chunky shoes
Just bought a pair of big puffy Globes, going big for the first time since the early 2000s, lots of nostalgia attached to the style for me. They were also always the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn. As I age that gets more and more important. Wish skate shoes came in high-topped all leather steel toes, would be great for work. Most work boots are uncomfortable forever, broken in or not.
I recently got back into skating after 20 years off(Literally amounted to maybe 1 week of board time since I only skate once a week) and I've had a super nagging feet, ankle, leg issue. I had been frustrated AF trying to find a better work shoe (literally all steel toes feel like shit). I finally found a shoe that feels as good as my walking sketchers(most comfortable shoe I've ever owned). Timberland pro is the brand , RADIUS MID COMP TOE is the model. Costed 130$ man....but right out the box they feel so much fucking better. Didn't even have to buy a different insole. The bottom sole is hard and slip resistant, but above it is like this really soft sole that feels like walking/running grade material. The insole is pretty good so far, and style wise they look pretty damn good. Check them out if you haven't. What globes did you get? I've had my eyes on that sabre model. Right now I use these high top addidas that probably were meant for basket ball but have like the thin vans type of bottom. Or idk what they were made for. They looked cool, I bought them, didn't wear them for years. Got a skateboard and knew I couldn't skateboard in mesh sketchers lol, couldn't afford skate shoes, pulled those bad boys out and they've done ok so far lol but now after watching this video, I'm literally wondering if these high tops were skate shoes and I just never knew they were. I had those Osiris in the video. They were awesome. My favorite skate shoes I've ever owned were adios that were navy with yellow highlights. They looked so unique and just badass. I miss the 90s and early 2000s man. Lol
éS have a very big variaty of shoes. Currently I'm rocking the éS Eos and they are a great mix between boardfeel & comfort. After this pair will try the Nike Shane's. Let's go
tbf i found that chunky shoes helped my progression too. i always skated slim shoes and could never commit to a tre flip. after injuring my ankle on a stair set i switched to chunky padded shoes (adidas adi 2000) to put less stress on the previously injured ankle. and day 1 i landed tre flips, so that mental advantage to comfort and protection can be really good for committing too. also rail skating all feels easier as the shoes dont roll as easy and ur pretty immune to stomping premos. so if u dont rely on board feel that much, it can be a good thing to try or switch too temporarily as i def broke new ground. probs best to change ur type of shoes fairly frequently, as much as u change parks or boardsize or any other interchangeable thing on ur setup. great vid!
I remember around 1994 Etnies came out with the Rap, inner city, screw, and the Lo and they were like the beginning of puffier shoes then the Es’ sal 23 came out in the all white with black soles and then DC and other followed
I'm not knocking the video by the way. Boardfeel is not an issue on puffier shoes, although some puffy shoes like the eS Accel OG do take some getting used to being so padded. At the same time, there's zero worries about ever hitting your toes, whereas slip-ons are a constant potential for destroying your feet lol. Maybe skaters who land 99% of their tricks will prefer less bulky shoes. I don't blame them. However, I stick with the eS Accel OG, eS Symbol or Etnies Joslins (still kind of puffy and firm being a cupsole shoe). If people consider the eS Accel OG to be 'too much' in terms of how puffy they are, I can kind of see where people come from. However, the eS Evant, eS Symbol etc. are pretty darn perfect. And they do protect your feet better. I'm not sure why slim shoes would have 'more benefits' to be perfectly honest, but everyone will have their own preference which is fine. I would recommend every beginner to start with puffy cupsole shoes, always.
I did most of my skating in the mid to late 90s so I was very accustomed to wearing thicker style skate shoes back in the day. I don't skate anymore but I prefer to wear skate shoes for just walking around so I've got a pair of es, emerica, c1rca, and etnies shoes
Flawless video! I personally wear both, I currently have Nike Sb alleyoop’s , globe CTIV’s and Vans slip ons in my rotation lol, also if you don’t mind me asking what/where are the skateparks you’re riding in this video? They look AMAZING
How do you get hold of SB's, you got a link at a local skate shop, or do you pay online after retail price? I've always wanted to try some dunks, but botters buy up every pair then resell on stockx for a fucking huge mark up.
@@LiamTheRealness I switched to és quattros, they feel the same. I have a pair of Orange Label SB Dunk Lows and skated them to absolut death. Then realized that they are reselling for 400€+. Sadly Nike doesn't seem to care about making Dunks available to skaters. Really feels like they only try to bring pointless collabs that appeal to hypebeasts and drive the prices up.
@@r4pid1337 it's not even the collabs, just a general release of a new colourway all the botters buy them out in bulk and then resell. But you're right about Nike not caring, they get paid regardless.
Those D3's were EVERYWHERE in the early 2k's. Every one, skater or not was rocking those + stuffing bundles of socks under the tongue. I skated Vans Cabarello 6's. They were perfect for me. Not wicked chunky like the Osiris, DC, DVS etc, but not slim like the vans old skools. Decided to start skating again this summer (haven't rid a board since 2006) and I've been looking into shoes. I'm leaning towards Etnies Maranas, DC Legacy 98's, and New Balance 1010's. They seem like a good mix of chunky and slim.
I started skating in ‘96 and grew up during the puffy shoe era. I loved the feel and look of chunky shoes. So comfy, felt like pillows on your feet, lots of protection. Got back into skating 2 years ago and couldn’t believe how little padding there was on all of the shoes. Absolutely nothing to protect the top of your feet from getting slammed or crushed by the board. Glad some companies have been bringing back the chunk!! Just ordered the red/white Evant, they look just like the Air Jordans I started skating in back in ‘96. I’m stoked to skate them!
Yeah, they definitely look a lot like the K3, just a little more streamlined. I can’t wait to get em on my feet! - another thing about chunky shoes is, there is more shoe to catch against your griptape. When I ollie and heelflip, I use a lot of the side of my shoe against the grip, and with thin shoes nowadays- I don’t have enough material to utilize. That’s how I came up back in the day, and it’s just a different technique, but it feels great having a bunch of shoe to catch against the grip (for me personally).
The Accel OG may possibly forever be my favorite shoes. While I still mess around with slim shoes from time to time, puffy shoes will always be home for me lol especially the golden boy that is the Accel OG 😎👌
I miss my hand me down D3s from my older brother. They were a size and a half too big for me in Kindergarden, but damn they were so comfortable. With my bleached hair, baggy pants, and D3s I was the most fly kid at my school lmfao
Very good points Lewis, I was going to ask if they were better for transition/vert but waited to hear your input at the end. Kinda funny that we sort of had the same experience with shoes. Growing up I skated a lot of DCs and then switched to Nike, mainly Janoskis. Recently been skating Vans to save money but been trying out the middle ground between protection and board feel. The Chima Pro 2s have a bit more padding than I was used to around the ankle but still great board feel and last quite a long time, even knee sliding on vert.
I definitely do like them for vert / transition. I kinda wish I waited a couple of days to film my final thoughts too because I had a really good street session in a pair of these shoes last night, I didn't feel i missed anything from my usual slim shoes!
Really enjoyed this video - informative and interesting. I'm a big fan of the feel and looks of chunky shoes myself and for me the boardfeel is not that important anymore. I skated the d3s last summer and they felt amazing. I felt secure and planted on the board. I think I did my best skating in d3s and I'm looking to get another pair. I understand why the lack of boardfeel might throw off a lot of skaters, but I think it just comes down to what you're used to. I don't want to pick sides, but I hope this video encourages people to try out big shoes and just see what they feel like. 🙌✌️
I think perhaps the key is smaller perimeter sole, high quality insole, but the big fat thongue and the really pointy nose. I don't think I have seen such in the market, perhaps old reynolds 2 had a bit of that. My favourite shoe was macbeth elliots - extreme flicking things and well lasting. I've tried old globes with eva midsoles and they really help feet not to get too tired too fast, but the sole is bit too wide, makes them get stuck on the ledge. Could be talking of skate shoes for too long.
I wish i could buy another pair of es Koston 3’s. My favorite shoe by far. The es Evant are the closest shoe and i just ordered them today. This video was awesome thanks
Nothing 'went wrong' when it comes to chunky skate shoes. Brands just saw how style in pants become slim fit and fat shoes won't 'fit' those pants. In reality, it was never about puffy shoes being 'worse'. In fact, they ARE HUGELY beneficial to skating. People do very very very advanced tricks using puffy shoes. It's a non-argument to say the shoes held skateboarding back. Slip-ons are only popular for being cheap. And the whole 'surfers created skateboarding' narrative is actually false. Kids have been riding around on home made 'skateboard' decades before that. Sometimes it resembled more of a scooter with a wooden crate as handle bars, but sometimes it was a slim deck more similar to modern day skateboards. The reality is, skateboarding has very little to do with surfing actually. The only reason anyone ever wrote articles about surfing in relation to skating, has to do with marketing efforts by skate brands.
Timestamps: 0:00 - My skate shoe problem 2:22 - The History of skate shoes 5:30 - My history with skate shoes 6:40 - Skate session wearing chunky shoes 1 9:47 - Skate session wearing chunky shoes 2 11:00 - Final thoughts of Big vs Slim skate shoes
This was a really cool video,I used to skate thin vulc shoes, but then started trying out some thinner cupsoles and now vulc shoes hurt my feet. I think you might be interested in trying some thinner cupsoles shoes. You rode some of the bigger shoes that es has in retail. Some thinner one like the es accel slim or the es swift 1.5( which is actually the shoe that got me into cupsoles all over again) you might find the perfect middle ground. Adidas has a lot of really nice shoes they offer as well. If you can find 3st.004's or 3st.003's from adidas they have super good board feel and aren't chunky at all. The adidas tyshawns are great too, although I'll admit they definitely need a few days to get a really good break in and get the most out of the sole. I'd love to hear your thoughts on some of these slimmer cupsoles shoes which I believe have the best of both worlds.
I really wanted a pair of D3s back in 2002. I was in high school and many of the other boys had the same model, whether they actually skated or not. I remember the look of horror on my mom's face as I was trying on the shoes in the store. I looked like a clown. I was quite skinny back then but my shoe size was a 13(US). No chunky shoes for me.
I think I learned these shoes are training wheels for flip tricks while watching this video lol lots of old guys scared to relearn 360 flips I am here to say you skate fat shoes you wanna flip your board
@@SirMbenchodewala well, full disclosure... my definition of "perfect" in this context is really "well its good enough"... with that said, compared to the joslin 2(didnt skate his first model), the comanche 2.0 falls significantly short for going down big gaps(i feel fine at around 5 to 7 stair) but the comanche 2.0 has a bit more board feel, so for me i found that dvs is literally good enough to be my kind of perfect... for additional context, im 5'8, 170lbs, and i do wear the shoe quite often when not skating.
I lived through and skated in the 90's-2000's and the reason thick shoes went away is all trendy fashion bullshit. Mainly because some skaters switched to the whole punk rock aesthetic. Board feel is overrated imho, and is just an excuse that millennials use to not want give up their trendy fashionite bias. Bring back chunky skate shoes!
I started in 94 and was there for it all. I can only say that I hate big shoes with all I've got. I think they're gross all around. The next few years I think will see another reduction in brands and team sizes and it will be all simple shoes again. With the current bloated industry and trend cycles, it has to.
Yeah I can see a lot of brands falling off at some point, though it could possibly go the opposite way with the Olympics bringing in a whole horde of new skaters etc. I guess time will tell!
As per usual the editing and music is spot on. Feels professional and groovy. I hate the look of the bigger shoes. Especially the D3. It has to be one of the ugliest shoes ever made. It looks like a kid shoe met a worker shoe and had a horrible offspring. Wouldn’t surprise me to learn that it had a steel toe cap too. As for Koston, I saw a vid of him once where he showed off this huuuge collection of shoes he had and the video ended with him buying some new shoes for like 1200$. Thing was all his shoes looked, to me, absolute shit. Garish colour combos and chunky monkeys. But with all that said people should skate/wear whatever combo of feel good and feel stylish they appreciate and think they are achieving. Who am I to judge?
Thanks man, glad you enjoyed - took a while to finish this one! I agree with you for the most part, the HUGE chunky shoes are pretty gross and I can't imagine ever skating a pair - especially the D3's!
Slim shoes are for california sissy boy park skaters and non skaters. Thats why nike and vans makes them. Thick shoes are for the real dudes out here in them streets doin real skating
