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Skateboarding => Shoes & Gear => Topic started by: buttpirate on February 27, 2013, 05:39:47 AM

Title: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: buttpirate on February 27, 2013, 05:39:47 AM
the newly manufactured shoes suck. blisters for days. separating rubber sole for days. floppy shoes after 3 sessions. crappy insoles.

am I the only one experiencing this?  the last good pair of vans I had was the DD Spawn pro model, and they've discontinued that now. even the half cabs are getting worse.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Frank on February 27, 2013, 06:06:04 AM
i agree. i just got a pair of tnt5s for skating and the rowley classics because they look dope. although i had 2 pairs of tnt5s before of the same size, the newer ones just suck. super stiff and much more narrow somehow. i wore them for almost two weeks straight and they still feel stiff as fuck whereas i could skate my first pair right away. the rowleys look sick but the materials are dirt cheap, too. sidewalls already start to seperate from the shoe after not even a weeks wear. the synthetic upper feels like cardboard with a rubber coating and has already stains from coming into contact with edgy objects.

i will probably sell the tnts and keep the rowleys for a teenage nostalgia look, but this were most likely the last vans i ever bought. this company is pretty much dead to me now. prices rise every season while the quality of their shoes seems to be at an all time low.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Firebert on February 27, 2013, 08:17:14 AM
I was pretty disappoint with the most recent syndicates I got, the cardboard under the insole wasn't even glued down, and the heel slippage is INSANE, I have to lace em as tight as possible all the way up just to keep em on... I couldn't even be bothered to skate them.

They LOOK nice though...
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Strike A Pose on February 27, 2013, 10:08:58 AM
People don't buy Vans for the quality, they buy them because they like the way the look and how they feel (paper thin).

It's not a secret that they suck and it isn't worth discussing. If the lightbulb FINALLY came on for you guys then you are on some SLOTH shit and need to move forward!


When you build shoes with weak materials and little to no reinforcement they are bound to fall apart!

Fuck VANS
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Will Easley on February 27, 2013, 11:07:11 AM
I've always seen vans as more of a "fashion over function" type shoe brand. Yeah they've got a few solid models, but the ones most worn by skaters (era's, slip-ons, etc) don't even seem o be made for skating. Other than overated boardfeel, their durability is sub-par & they really don't protect your feet at all. Most skateboarders see to give Vans a pass for everything tho so whatever
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: foureyedjim on February 27, 2013, 11:10:04 AM
I've always seen vans as more of a "fashion over function" type shoe brand. Yeah they've got a few solid models, but the ones most worn by skaters (era's, slip-ons, etc) don't even seem o be made for skating. Other than overated boardfeel, their durability is sub-par & they really don't protect your feet at all. Most skateboarders see to give Vans a pass for everything tho so whatever

I see it as some people are just too used to it at this point and can't be bothered to try out other types of shoes
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: paraquat on February 27, 2013, 12:34:37 PM
Vans would be the best if they were cheap/free.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: ontheswarm on February 27, 2013, 02:08:30 PM
While were on the subject of cheap shoes Adidas has forsure gone down in quality. The insoles are total shit that they provide with the shoe. Has anyone looked at the original busenitz insole vs. the new one? Definitely selling cheap products for higher prices.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: GAY on February 27, 2013, 02:12:22 PM
People don't buy Vans for the quality, they buy them because they like the way the look and how they feel (paper thin).

It's not a secret that they suck and it isn't worth discussing. If the lightbulb FINALLY came on for you guys then you are on some SLOTH shit and need to move forward!


When you build shoes with weak materials and little to no reinforcement they are bound to fall apart!

Fuck VANS

This. A thousand times, this. Vans have ALWAYS been the most terrible shoes on the market but they're a "look" and unfortunately that "look" became super popular and destroyed the skate shoe industry over the past...7...8 years? Vulc shoes suck.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Big Skatefase on February 27, 2013, 03:07:29 PM
Vulc shoes suck.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: L33Tg33k on February 27, 2013, 03:12:02 PM
Fuck every single one of you guys. Vans feel the best and look the best. Era Pros are the best shoes I've ever skated.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Cthulhu! on February 27, 2013, 03:12:46 PM
But they're such a core company!!!1!
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Steyv Seynystyr hyhy on February 27, 2013, 03:30:18 PM
Fuck every single one of you guys. Vans feel the best and look the best. Era Pros are the best shoes I've ever skated.
this

been skating eras/halfcabs for the past couple of years. one session, some "shoegoo" and i can skate them just as long as you skate your janoskis.
and look 10 times better!

Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: idealhandmades on February 27, 2013, 04:02:00 PM
Expand Quote
Fuck every single one of you guys. Vans feel the best and look the best. Era Pros are the best shoes I've ever skated.
[close]
this

been skating eras/slipons/halfcabs forever. one session, some "shoegoo" and i can skate them just as long as you skate your janoskis.
and look 10 times better!


I'd also like to point out that destruction is an inevitability of any (good)shoes you skate, as friction is one of the key elements to grip. and if anybody were actually concerned/bummed about that, they can go skate some weather treated hard leather DC snowboard boots.

But again, I'm one of those guys that doesnt jump down what I can't jump up, so maybe some of yall tight trucked hucksters are bitching about lack of airbags for good reason...

Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Glue Reed on February 27, 2013, 04:15:53 PM
so i've seen threads about vans going downhill, adidas going downhill, and nike going downhill. 

who's gonna step up?  dekline where you at??

Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: foureyedjim on February 27, 2013, 04:46:15 PM
so i've seen threads about vans going downhill, adidas going downhill, and nike going downhill. 

who's gonna step up?  dekline where you at??



dc is upping their shoe game with new tech, emerica just came out with the g6 which everyone really seems to like, and they're coming out with the new reynolds soon too.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Steyv Seynystyr hyhy on February 27, 2013, 04:51:46 PM
well you would be amazed how nice i can reinforce my shoes.

and no i don't really mind, figure i will have to do it even if they are nikes, emericas or whatever.
Vans have that waffle grip and they make me look sharp as fuck.

Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Paco Supreme on February 27, 2013, 05:12:59 PM
Era Pros are the best shoes I've ever skated.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: wallieD on February 27, 2013, 05:52:49 PM
eras would last me a few months but the soles on the last couple pairs were done after 2 weeks. swore off vans after that
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: NCSB on February 27, 2013, 06:24:35 PM
they've proabably been losing alot of money in the past few years because they arent popular in the non-skate world anymore. now they have to cut costs, resulting in cheaply made shoes.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: AsianVegan on February 27, 2013, 09:35:28 PM
I dunno where you are, but I honestly don't know a person that doesn't own at least one pair of era's/authentics. Not talking about skaters either, so I think they're doing fine. Large scale companies like that are constantly looking for ways to shave production costs and increase margins. But yeah, I haven't touched Vans since I noticed the soles becoming so concave that the only part touching the board is where the vulc wrap meets the waffle part. 
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: idealhandmades on February 27, 2013, 09:47:36 PM
... But yeah, I haven't touched Vans since I noticed the soles becoming so concave that the only part touching the board is where the vulc wrap meets the waffle part. 

This is why I steer clear of any vans that don't have the OG orangey/brown gum sole. The warped ones are ALWAYS when they make that shit purple or lava camo or some bullshit.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: biggietoms on February 27, 2013, 10:18:50 PM
just skate rowley xlt and greco 2's

seriously tho.....i was wish they'd bring back that cupsole low cab....scott kane's signature i think. retro em or sumthin. vans was sick in the early-mid 2000's before they basically converted to vulc only. loved me some rowley slims too
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: scorpion1001 on February 27, 2013, 10:26:38 PM
skating the spitfire chukka lows now and before that, the spitfire AV6 - both held up damn well.  i've had the best luck shoe-wise with vans so they're the shoes i usually get now
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Paco Supreme on February 27, 2013, 10:57:54 PM
i will say this for the pair of era pros im skating right now, im used to the average ollie marks and worn down suede, but on this pair, once the black wore off, theres now this bright pink ollie mark...
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: otis shredding on February 27, 2013, 11:22:07 PM
i got upset with vans after how good the first batch of era pros were when they first came out and how the got progressively worse after that.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: JoeyDirt on February 27, 2013, 11:51:53 PM
i got upset with vans after how good the first batch of era pros were when they first came out and how the got progressively worse after that.

Hey ;).
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: paraquat on February 28, 2013, 08:31:28 AM
Emerica
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: pizzafliptofakie on February 28, 2013, 11:37:42 AM
I'm loving my TNT 5's.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Mad Lauder on February 28, 2013, 11:43:22 AM
While were on the subject of cheap shoes Adidas has forsure gone down in quality. The insoles are total shit that they provide with the shoe. Has anyone looked at the original busenitz insole vs. the new one? Definitely selling cheap products for higher prices.

yeah while thats weak it really shouldnt be a serious problem.
their not a skate company so their gonna cut costs when ever they can.
you should be doubling up on insoles any way.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: truthislie on March 02, 2013, 06:26:02 AM
I got a pair of old skools today that I probably won?t skate for now (I have skated some pairs and loved it - but they fell apart too fast). What surprised me is that they didnt come with spare laces. Not that I dont have enough spare laces at home, but come on, I mean its called their "core line" or some bullshit...
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: paraquat on March 02, 2013, 09:26:27 AM
I got a pair of old skools today that I probably won?t skate for now (I have skated some pairs and loved it - but they fell apart too fast). What surprised me is that they didnt come with spare laces. Not that I dont have enough spare laces at home, but come on, I mean its called their "core line" or some bullshit...

Yep. Noticed that too. bummer vans. bummer.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: pizzafliptofakie on March 02, 2013, 09:56:41 AM
Mine did...
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: Binomial Nomenclature on March 02, 2013, 05:15:57 PM
I have definitely noticed inferior rubber quality at Vans in the last 3 years.  But it varies between pairs.  Also; the tighter half cabs with hardly any tongue padding have better and longer lasting treads than the fatter ones with the thick sole.  I guess Vans just has multiple factories to keep up with demand and not all standards are equal across the company.  Publicly trade this!
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: NowhereInLife on March 02, 2013, 08:33:50 PM
Got some blue AVE skate lows late last spring which I thought were going to become my shoe of choice, they were classic, low profile, and just fine looking (I was a "vans man" for the longest).  They started to show signs even in the first week when I was just chillin in them.  They literally fell apart second session...the sole just detached.  This broke my heart and drove into the arms of nike, converse, and eventually even DC which I never thought would happen again because they had become so...well you know. Fittingly enough the AVE ones were that last dc's I owned way back when, but I digress.  The mike taylors  were the best shoes I skated all year.  Every time I paused to admire their construction I realized I was likely done with vans.

Flash forward through a summer, fall, and winter of putting my feet in anything that gripped wood and looked supple and I found myself (not without trepidation) buying some era pros.  Perhaps for nostalgia's sake or succumbing to false hope but in either case readying myself for disappointment.  The first few ollies felt like being reunited and I stopped caring if this was only going to last a few days because it felt so good.

Well it's been a couple weeks and things are holding up pretty well actually, and I feel like all is as it should be and even have some Natives on deck!

The moral of this story is that sometimes you will find yourself tied into something defective and life just sucks.  But you can't let the defective ones ruin all the other ones for you even if they look just like the ones that were garbage.

Waffle grip fo life!
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: BRIX SKWIKZ on March 02, 2013, 08:46:10 PM


 I stopped caring if this was only going to last a few days because it felt so good.

Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: buttpirate on March 05, 2013, 01:24:17 AM
Got some blue AVE skate lows late last spring which I thought were going to become my shoe of choice, they were classic, low profile, and just fine looking (I was a "vans man" for the longest).  They started to show signs even in the first week when I was just chillin in them.  They literally fell apart second session...the sole just detached.  This broke my heart and drove into the arms of nike, converse, and eventually even DC which I never thought would happen again because they had become so...well you know. Fittingly enough the AVE ones were that last dc's I owned way back when, but I digress.  The mike taylors  were the best shoes I skated all year.  Every time I paused to admire their construction I realized I was likely done with vans.

Flash forward through a summer, fall, and winter of putting my feet in anything that gripped wood and looked supple and I found myself (not without trepidation) buying some era pros.  Perhaps for nostalgia's sake or succumbing to false hope but in either case readying myself for disappointment.  The first few ollies felt like being reunited and I stopped caring if this was only going to last a few days because it felt so good.

Well it's been a couple weeks and things are holding up pretty well actually, and I feel like all is as it should be and even have some Natives on deck!

The moral of this story is that sometimes you will find yourself tied into something defective and life just sucks.  But you can't let the defective ones ruin all the other ones for you even if they look just like the ones that were garbage.

Waffle grip fo life!

wait till you try those AVE natives - thought they would be awesome, pretty bad. floppy shoes, 2nd session

Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: BigMoe on March 05, 2013, 07:55:51 AM
Never seen this thread before.
(http://imnotatoy.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/rapistbeware_cucumberbite.gif?w=500)

Thanks Guys
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: I Can't Think on March 05, 2013, 10:05:47 AM
Gotta agree, vans skate great for about a week, at least for me. I know you can shoe goo them, but a supposedly "core" brand should be able to make a product that stands on its own. There's better alternatives at least to me.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: brokenheadphone on March 06, 2013, 06:56:11 AM
seriously tho.....i was wish they'd bring back that cupsole low cab....

If you mean these from '96 or so, I had a pair of those and they sucked. Hurt my feet and totally inferior to what Etnies had out at the time (Sal 23s, Screws, Raps).

I've gone back and forth with almost pulling the trigger on a pair of Half Cabs, Stage 4, TnTs, etc a few times but in the end I just end up passing them up for other shoes. Too many reports of inconsistent quality and durability issues, even if I wasn't really going to skate them.
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: biggietoms on March 06, 2013, 10:12:17 AM
Expand Quote
seriously tho.....i was wish they'd bring back that cupsole low cab....
[close]

If you mean these from '96 or so, I had a pair of those and they sucked. Hurt my feet and totally inferior to what Etnies had out at the time (Sal 23s, Screws, Raps).

I've gone back and forth with almost pulling the trigger on a pair of Half Cabs, Stage 4, TnTs, etc a few times but in the end I just end up passing them up for other shoes. Too many reports of inconsistent quality and durability issues, even if I wasn't really going to skate them.


nah im talkin bout the ones from the early/mid 2000's....if i recall it was scott kanes shoe or double pro modelor sum shit. they look sick

http://www.kateskates.co.uk/pics/rotate/Vans/2147362587/Spin/imageslarge/IMG_6196.JPG (http://www.kateskates.co.uk/pics/rotate/Vans/2147362587/Spin/imageslarge/IMG_6196.JPG)
Title: Re: we need to talk about vans footwear
Post by: DeputyDoses on March 06, 2013, 01:16:34 PM
Expand Quote
seriously tho.....i was wish they'd bring back that cupsole low cab....
[close]

If you mean these from '96 or so, I had a pair of those and they sucked. Hurt my feet and totally inferior to what Etnies had out at the time (Sal 23s, Screws, Raps).

I've gone back and forth with almost pulling the trigger on a pair of Half Cabs, Stage 4, TnTs, etc a few times but in the end I just end up passing them up for other shoes. Too many reports of inconsistent quality and durability issues, even if I wasn't really going to skate them.

Pull the trigger man. The past few vans that I've skated haven't had any durability issues or defects. They get pretty floppy, but they're still wearable after that. The new pro insoles are reaaaal nice though.  And if there's anything wrong with the shoe, vans will replace it; they're under warranty.