COFFEE BREAK WITH THE ADIDAS 3ST.004, 3ST.003, and 3MCOne of the most consistent comments on recent skate shoe design is “it looks like a rip-off of _____” Well, with the Adidas 3ST series/workshop/whatchamacallit, it seems like Scott Johnston has been listening. While Johnston’s “concept car”* skate shoe designs may not be for everyone (especially anyone holding on to ol’ vulc-days of design), it’s at least hard to simply write em off as “it looks like a rip off of____”. These skate shoes of the future definitely borrow some design aspects, but they can stand alone by both design and (even more so) by comfort.
The shoes
3ST.003
3ST.004
3MC
Toe Shape
3ST.003
The 3ST.003 has a round toe box that is comparable to the Busenitz Pro. Although, when set next to each other, the length of the 3ST.003 toe dwarfs the Busenitz Pro. The 3ST.003 toe box is roomy/bordering on spacious…so, you may want to try .5 size smaller than usual (if you like your skate shoes snug—if not, go TTS).
3ST.003 / Busenitz Pro
Busenitz Pro (foreground) / 3ST.003 (background)
____
3ST.004
The 3ST.004 also has a round toe box, but it is a bit square-er than the 3ST.003. It also feels a bit roomier on the sides of your forefoot ; while, it is also bit a shallower in height. I typically don’t like feeling like my toes are being squeezed out by a shoe’s toe, so I found the orange/suede 3ST.004s to be much more comfortable than the white leather pair. That’s not to say the white leather pair are stiff…it’s just that the orange suede is insanely comfortable—think Busenitz ADV suede, but even a bit softer. Speaking of the Busenitz ADV, the 3ST.004 is very very similar to the Busenitz ADV shoe shape. Fans of the Busenitz ADV (i.e. me) will find the 3ST.004 to be a very similar shoe, just even more comfortable.
Lucas Premiere toe (below) / 3ST.004 toe (above)
3MC
The 3MC has a pointer-toe than both 3STs. It’s toe is very similar to the original Adi-ease and the Lucas Premiere ADV. It is much narrower and shallower than both 3STs… and fits your forefoot similar to most vulc shoes, and nearly identical to the Lucas Premiere.
Lucas Premiere / 3MC
Sidewalls3ST.003
The sidewalls of the 3ST.003 are probably what causes the most hesitation for skateboarders. The rubber ollie guard is initially pretty aesthetically off-putting. However, the more you wear it and skate in them, the less it matters. Especially when the shoes are sooooo comfortable. However, it may prove to be a better seller if the ollie patches matched the color of the upper.
3ST.004
The sidewalls of the 3ST.004 are great. The cupsole comes up high enough to take some abuse away from the sides and the three-stripes are recessed enough that you wont blow them out right away like several other models.
3MC
The sidewalls of the 3MC are again very similar to the Lucas Premiere. Although, in the suede version here, the sides are completely suede and don’t have any of the mesh-suede stuff like the Lucas shoe. It would be cool if Adidas experimented with Sprint Skin again in a simple vulc shoe like the 3MC or the Lucas Premiere.
Collar, Heel Lock, Tongue3ST.003
While the silhouette of the 3ST.003 is most comparable to the Busenitz Pro or Rx, it differs entirely in its construction/guts. The 3ST.003 is built around a super comfortable booty which continues up into the transformer-tongue, which can be worn up or folded. Obviously, the booty does away with the need for centering straps and keeps the shoe in place on your foot. I do wonder about them bagging out abit when worn for awhile, but maybe someone else on here who has skated them for a month or two can provide some insight.
The collar of the 3ST.003 is very form-fitting and comfortable. It molds to your ankle a bit more than most shoes. Again, I wonder if the tongue/booty will eventually bag-out and require you to lace the shoe tighter and tighter during its lifespan. But for now, it has a great fit. The heel lock is really good, but not great (but again, I’m a stickler for heel-lock, so it may be awesome for anyone else).
3ST.004
The most interesting thing about the collar and tongue of the 3St.004 is that it differs between the leather and suede versions. The orange suede collar has a very comfortable/soft collar that is pretty “athletic” in its fit around your ankle. The white leather is a bit more minimal/stiffer.
Similarly, the orange/suede version has a more comfortable/constructed seam along the top of the tongue. While it’s not uncomfortable, the white leather tongue is more akin to a regular skate shoe tongue and the orange/suede tongue feels more like a soccer shoe style tongue.
3MC
Adi-ease / 3MC
The collar of the 3MC is a standard vulc collar. It’s comfortable, and a bit more substantial than say, a canvas Adi-ease collar was, but otherwise, it’s not broken, so why fix it.
The Sole3ST.003
Busenitz Pro / 3ST.003
I’m a fan of the design of the 3ST.003 sole. The gum-ribbon makes the gum ollie patch make a lil more sense. The forefoot of the sole is a lil thinner and the hexagon shapes are very flexible…whereas the heel pattern gives the shoe more stability.
3ST.004
3ST.003 / 3ST.004(orange) / 3ST.004 (white)
The sole of the 3ST.004 is separated similar to the 3ST.003, but it includes some additional areas of denser rubber in the outer-toe areas which help keep the sole from wearing out when youre positioning/moving your foot around on the grip during set-ups.
3MC
Adi-ease / 3MC / Lucas Premiere ADV
The sole of the 3MC is a brand-new vulc sole for Adidas. It has the hexagon pattern of the 3STs, but they are a lil bit more hollowed out and obviously the vulc sole is thinner than the cupsoles. I think I prefer the 3MC sole to the Lucas Premiere sole as it feels a bit grippier on the board (white sole compared to white sole).
Outer Heel of the 3ST.004 
Like the 3ST.003’s ollie patch, the most talked about design element of the 3ST.004 is probably the exposed Boost heel. You can understand Adidas’ desire to showcase the Boost material being in the shoe, but it does seem oddly susceptible to wear on any heelflip tricks. If anyone has skated these for a month or two already, it would be awesome to get some insight.
Initially, I wondered if the 3ST.004 heel would cause concern like the heel of the Silas SLR (which I’ve found to actually be a very stable shoe). However, the 3ST.004 heel is the same width as the rest of the shoe, where the SLR was a bit narrower in order to mimic the runners it was designed after. So, don’t let your fears of the Silas SLR (however unfounded) stop you from skating in the 3ST.004
Silas SLR
3ST.004 / Silas SLR
Final ThoughtsThe 3ST line may be different than the average skate shoe of yesterday, but that’s exactly why it’s been cool to see the progression of the line. Personally, I would love to see the 3ST.003 eventually lose the ollie patch and progress into a new Busenitz pro model. The 3ST.004 is definitely up there with the most-comfortable skate shoes to be made. Hopefully skateboarders will buy them (probably on sale) and skate them to appreciate how awesome the Boost feels in a skate shoe. Hopefully they don’t go the way of the Boost ADV and/or the Dorado Boost ADV and stick around a bit. Finally, if youre looking for a well made vulc, the 3MC is an updated adi-ease that is actually better than the original.
* referenced in Scott Johnston interview via
http://www.weartested.com/3st-004/bonus pic of the 3ST.004 with some grey laces
Topic: COFFEE BREAK with the ADIDAS 3ST.004, 3ST.003, and 3MC (Read 11194 times)