The Lakai Pledge

[heritage]

I don't think thicker is the right word for the Griffins unless you're talking about the sole, there is very minimal padding on the Griffin, and the Howard is puffier. The Howard does seem like it would have much better board feel. I'm skating the my second pair of Griffins right now and they're great.

No disrespect intended, but the Howard is not puffy in any way imaginable. Puffy is probably the biggest antonym when describing the fit, design and construction of the Howard shoe. It's designed to fit as close to the foot and snug as could possibly be. The board feel is outrageous good.

And indeed, the vulc sole on the Griffin is much thicker than that of the XLK Howard. I have multiple pairs of both. As was posted a few pages back, the opening/throat of the Griffin seems much wider than the Howard and leaves more of the ankle exposed, where as the Howard 'wraps' around the foot and ankle and gives a much more stable feel.

EDIT: Both are really nice shoes, for distinctly different reasons. IMO, the Howard is one of the 3 best skate shoes currently available on the market from any shoe manu. And not for nothing, no other shoe company holds a candle to the functionality of the XLK sole. I thought about buying something out of Huf's catalog to show some love, but there is zero reason (for me) to skate in anything but Lakai. The Camby Mid is up next for me.

[sweat stains]

Haha, what I mean is that in comparison to the Griffin, the Howard is going to look more bulky on your foot. Not a bad thing, a lot of people like that, I'm just putting it out there.

[micky682]

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I don't think thicker is the right word for the Griffins unless you're talking about the sole, there is very minimal padding on the Griffin, and the Howard is puffier. The Howard does seem like it would have much better board feel. I'm skating the my second pair of Griffins right now and they're great.

[close]

No disrespect intended, but the Howard is not puffy in any way imaginable. Puffy is probably the biggest antonym when describing the fit, design and construction of the Howard shoe. It's designed to fit as close to the foot and snug as could possibly be. The board feel is outrageous good.

And indeed, the vulc sole on the Griffin is much thicker than that of the XLK Howard. I have multiple pairs of both. As was posted a few pages back, the opening/throat of the Griffin seems much wider than the Howard and leaves more of the ankle exposed, where as the Howard 'wraps' around the foot and ankle and gives a much more stable feel.

EDIT: Both are really nice shoes, for distinctly different reasons. IMO, the Howard is one of the 3 best skate shoes currently available on the market from any shoe manu. And not for nothing, no other shoe company holds a candle to the functionality of the XLK sole. I thought about buying something out of Huf's catalog to show some love, but there is zero reason (for me) to skate in anything but Lakai. The Camby Mid is up next for me.

[chillout]

for the original person asking, ive skated both the griffin and howard and it really just comes down to if you feel like cupsole or vulc. the howard is just about the second best cup ive skated in a long time second to the pico xlk, and the griffin is the best all around vulc shoe ive skated in forever

[Bluntmane]

I haven't had Lakais in awhile, i found the griffins and marinas on sale they both skated good for about the first week,until they both got a huge hole in the side.(this was not after heavy skating). Lakai need to work on the quality of suede they use for sure. I liked the marinas the best they seemed like they molded to your foot and were skatable right out of the box.

[ThugWaffle]

I haven't had Lakais in awhile, i found the griffins and marinas on sale they both skated good for about the first week,until they both got a huge hole in the side.(this was not after heavy skating). Lakai need to work on the quality of suede they use for sure. I liked the marinas the best they seemed like they molded to your foot and were skatable right out of the box.

What are Lakai Marina?

[Cosme]

^ Guy Marina's !

[swagdragon123]

[chillout]

grabbing a pair ASAP. looks like the perfect cupsole and supposedly has poron in it. and lets admire that nollie back heel

[BraveUlysses]

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I thought I'd like the Griffins more, but the Mariano just feels comfortable and secure before even lacing them up. The Griffins definitely feel a bit heavier due to their sole and the actual opening to the shoe (I believe people refer to this area as the "throat," but that just seems a bit weird right now) just feels a lot less secure and more prone to ankle rolls.

[close]

That's really the only thing I don't like about the Griffin, in comparison with the Howard. The opening on the Griffin seems really big to me and the depth of the shoe is pretty shallow, so it leaves a lot of you ankle exposed. IMO, there is hardly anything around the ankle area at all. Where the Howard wraps around your foot and ankle and feels like it's giving a little bit of support. I still wear the Griffin to chill, but they don't get any skate.

I feel the exact opposite regarding the Howards and Griffins ankle protection. When I was skating the Howards my ankle kept getting hit by my board and I constantly felt like my feet were in danger. When I skate in the Griffins I feel my feet are 10x more safe. Howards are comfortable and I really like the look of them and that sole is perfect but it seems like I'm the only one who was skating in that shoe and started to see their sock the first week.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

every session i have in those Cambys, i feel like they are getting better and better.

amazing.

[Bread Harrity]

every session i have in those Cambys, i feel like they are getting better and better.

amazing.

[DeputyDoses]

every session i have in those Cambys, i feel like they are getting better and better.

amazing.

I really want to get a pair for the summer time, but I tried on a pair at the local shop and the heel slip was unbearable.

does that get better over time, or..?

[Carrolls Chesthairs]

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every session i have in those Cambys, i feel like they are getting better and better.

amazing.

[close]

I really want to get a pair for the summer time, but I tried on a pair at the local shop and the heel slip was unbearable.

ugh me too but I feel like I'm prone for ankle injury if I get them.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

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every session i have in those Cambys, i feel like they are getting better and better.

amazing.

[close]

I really want to get a pair for the summer time, but I tried on a pair at the local shop and the heel slip was unbearable.

[close]

ugh me too but I feel like I'm prone for ankle injury if I get them.

i have really wide feet, so i usually get all the hold i need in the front area. so no, heel-slip was no problem for me at all. i know a few friends with smaller feet that skated them, and nobody complained about anything like that. maybe go down half a size?

[Cosme]

The catalogue reads July 15th.
My feet need these things right now.

[bbk]

I just got this smartphone fisheye so I tried it out with a #selfie line

Sorry for doubleposting my own clip, but here's the Stevie Perez Owen in action, they're fuckin great!

[DeputyDoses]

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every session i have in those Cambys, i feel like they are getting better and better.

amazing.

[close]

I really want to get a pair for the summer time, but I tried on a pair at the local shop and the heel slip was unbearable.

[close]

ugh me too but I feel like I'm prone for ankle injury if I get them.

[close]

i have really wide feet, so i usually get all the hold i need in the front area. so no, heel-slip was no problem for me at all. i know a few friends with smaller feet that skated them, and nobody complained about anything like that. maybe go down half a size?

I'll have to try another pair on then. I think that they look incredible. I'm just hoping they have my size still...
Too, maybe the mids will have a bit of a better fit.

[heritage]

I'll have to try another pair on then. I think that they look incredible. I'm just hoping they have my size still...
Too, maybe the mids will have a bit of a better fit.

I'm hyped for the Camby mids. It's a beautifully designed shoe, really nice looking and fitting. I haven't bought them yet, because I have way too many pair of shoes to get through, but I did get to try them on. They fit my foot similar to the Howard Desert Boot...they aren't what I (personally) consider a true mid in that they don't cover the part of my ankle that sticks out. They sort of hit right at/under that point. Still gives your ankle support more than the regular low cut version, just not cut as high as other mids.

[pizzafliptofakie]

I'm sure it's already been discussed somewhere in this thread, but I'm probably gonna get a pair of Manchester Selects since they're running fairly cheap now and was wondering if anybody has had good experience with them?

Was thinking of this color, but I dunno how much I trust that material, even though I know it's not mesh.

[HASHTAG]

Holiday 2014 sneak peek..

[nylin]

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I just got this smartphone fisheye so I tried it out with a #selfie line

[close]

Sorry for doubleposting my own clip, but here's the Stevie Perez Owen in action, they're fuckin great!

You know when these come out? That all black colorway looks so good.

[bbk]

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I just got this smartphone fisheye so I tried it out with a #selfie line

[close]

Sorry for doubleposting my own clip, but here's the Stevie Perez Owen in action, they're fuckin great!

[close]

You know when these come out? That all black colorway looks so good.

I'm not sure, either mid june or mid july. The regular ones (black/white, navy/white, olive/white) are mid june for sure, but theese ones are from a Trunk Boyz-pack.

[DeputyDoses]

After skating in the Griffins for two weeks now, I must retract my previous statement about their lack of stability. As for the thickness of the sole, it eases up a lot over a period of time.  The sole is able to flex while still remaining stable - it's incredible responsive. Additionally, they're prime for low to medium impact.
After giving the shoe a proper break in and giving them a real chance (probably two or three times after skating them) they started to soften up and the midsole molded to my foot. What I'm most impressed about is that they retain their shape very well. This is NOT a vulc that's going to get floppy (neither the sole nor the upper has gotten floppy).
I've noticed that after breaking in most vulcs, the upper tends to give out and the suede sags over the outsole ---- this has not even started to happen yet.

The shoe is good to go with the stock insoles due to the crated midsole. Even though the outsole is rather thick with higher sidewalls, the toe is incredible for flip tricks after the sole is worn down a bit. Also, I wasn't expecting much with the grip, but there are not any signs of an areas wearing down as of yet.

Honestly, this is my favorite vulc shoe right now.

Only gripe? -lack of breathability. But, it's spring, so I'm not too bugged.

[Leo Chumack]

anybody skate these?

I would highly recommend this shoe because they're really comfortable. They skated really well and I had two pairs of them and I found other people that skated them only had good things to say about the Pico SWS.
The insole is made out of polyurethane so it's nice and bouncy and it is rather thick in the back where it counts and thin up front so you can feel your board. Lakai's SWS technology is outstanding, it's a shame they're discontinuing it.

[bbk]

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anybody skate these?

[close]

I would highly recommend this shoe because they're really comfortable. They skated really well and I had two pairs of them and I found other people that skated them only had good things to say about the Pico SWS.
The insole is made out of polyurethane so it's nice and bouncy and it is rather thick in the back where it counts and thin up front so you can feel your board. Lakai's SWS technology is outstanding, it's a shame they're discontinuing it.

the insole was really nice on the sws shoes (marino, marc, pico, brea) but the fit was off for me, they're big/wide in size. The Griffin sole that they put on most shoes now is my favourite outsole ever though so I'm stoke for the change!

[foureyedjim]

if they made a pico with ankle support I'd buy it in a heartbeat.  Such a great feeling shoe. 

[Frosty178]

Anyone else tried the camby's and found that the toe box really squashes down on the tops of your toes? Hoping they'll soften up a bit more but, damn, ached after. Tempted by the Fura or the Manchester lean, here's to hoping they're a little more forgiving.

[micky682]

If I'm an 8.5 in the Guy XLK, am I an 8.5 in the Griffin? Or are cupsoles different than vulc?

[DeputyDoses]

If I'm an 8.5 in the Guy XLK, am I an 8.5 in the Griffin? Or are cupsoles different than vulc?

I'd say try a size 8. The XLK shoes (generally) fit half a size small while most of the vulcs fit true to size or slightly large.