culturally at this point old skools and authentics are just mainstream sneakers with skate heritage. whereas i feel like skate-his still have the skateshoe awareness with most people that buy them.
what i mean is that many people that wear old skools and authentics today are oblivious to the fact that skaters actually still skate in these, even tho regular authentics are like the worst shoes to skate in and old skools fit inconsistently. vans in general are still subpar skateshoes in regards to how well they hold up and how well they fit. they skate good for three days, then feel like crap, not including halfcabs.
i still buy vans from time to time because i like how they look so when i see a cheap pair of old skools or halfcabs that fits well i usually get them. it's a bit like with levis 501s, you have to try them on, because they fit a little differently everytime, but you can get em cheap and it's a classic, if boring look.