DC skate shoes models thread

[Shesty]

Hi everyone,
for past 10 years I've skated only in DC Shoes (big fan of super suede). Every now and then I want to try some new models and then I came to slap to do some research.
Since useful information is scattered through different topics, I decided to start a new one which will be devoted to dc shoes, their sizing, boardfeel, durability,...

So from my experience :
Wes 1 and 2 - For me, almost identical shoe, 2s were more snug around the instep of the foot.
Sizing: TTS
+ Superior board feel
+ Very durable for vulc
+ Work flawlessly with FP insoles
+ Some said they were the only relevant competitor to Janoskis
- No padding
- After the whole day of skating my feet  hurt like hell from all sides

Lynx OG - My favourite skate shoe of all time with the timeless silouete.
Sizing: as I have slightly wider feet I need to go half size up
+ Almost undestructible
+ Legendary status
+ Build quality
- Little to no boardfeel
- Long time to break in
- Doesn't work with any insole, probability of ankle rolls
- Not comfortable for the whole day of walking

Legacy OG
Sizing: TTS, but the toe box pushes on my toes(like I haven,t cut my nails for years), when I went half size up, shoe would comes off
+ Build quality
+ Boardfeel was good (definitely better then Lynx OG)
+ Compatible with FP insoles (3 mm)
- Bulky, not as beautiful as Lynx OG

Kalis S
Currently my favourite shoe to skate in, snug fit,like a sock
Sizing: TTS
+ Perfect example of modern  skate shoe
+ Light
+ Good boardfeel for cupsole
+ Can use them without the laces
+ Compatible with FP insoles (3 or 5 mm)
- Sometimes my instep hurt because tongue is connected to sides of the shoe
- Don't like the insoles shoes came with

Really curious to try some new models for skating, thinking about Manteca, Kalis Lite, Metric or Lynx Zero.
Anyone have experience with them?  I heard that the Metric and Lynx Zero is poorly made and blow out quick.

Feel free to contribute with your experience with any DC shoes, so we will have all the useful information in one place.

Cheers!

[Pastasash]

I can only speak to the recent OG reissues.

The OG Lynx and OG Kalis 1 are tied for my favorite DC model. Both fit TTS for me and skate great after being broken in (I tend to wear them casually/ dog walks for a couple of weeks before jumping on board). They typically last me a very long time, never get any ollie holes in them, just outsoles wearing down and stitching around the toe box blowing out eventually from flip tricks.

Lukoda fit small and need to go half a size up, but skate similar to the Lynx as they have the same mid/outsole.

The Clocker 2 reissue is another great model, but my experience with them is similar to yours with the OG Legacy where they do fit TTS, but push in around my toes and still haven't really expanded despite wearing them in and already skated them about 4-5 times. After like 10mins into a session you don't really notice it anymore though.

Not for skating (although some people do skate in them) the Navigator boot is great to have for the winter months or for the trails. Also fit TTS and IMO have the perfect amount of "cushioning" but still stable with great traction and grip for snow/ice conditions while keeping your feet dry.

[Mulldrifter]

for a while i could get dc penza for cheap on their official website europe (around 30€), i still have one pair new i decided to wear yesterday they're a perfect stiff shoe very durable
i'm not fan of their vulc shoe, i much prefere their stiffer cupsole but the maswell i could never make it fit my foot properly, it was way too stiff

[fistful0dynamite]

I have a pair of clocker 2s I probably should’ve gone a half size up. And a pair of navigator boots where I did go half size up and they fit perfect. I wouldn’t consider either of these models TTS

[goodatmeth]

Just wanna say the Kalis S is one of the best shoes I've ever skated, and I also miss the Centric S

[emotional_degloving]

Been waiting for a thread like this- I go between DC and Soletech shoes

The Lynx Zero is very similar to the regular Lynx but with the pull tabs removed, less lace protectors and a slightly redesigned nose (still narrow, I lace them loose but it'd be a good idea to go half a size up). Plus, the sole is different and sits way lower. Honestly it might be blasphemy but I prefer the Zero.

The Kalis Vulc is okay-ish. I have the Mids, the Half-Kabs, they're pretty sick, they just feel like a basic vulc shoe though, basically a Vans-ified Kalis. Nice nose but the insole is fucking garbage, I swapped them out for a G6 insole which works a lot better. The sole didn't blow out immediately either like most other vulcs which is decent. I've retired them to chillers.

As a side note, are the Kalis S still in production or have they been discontinued? They're out of stock on DC's UK website and I can't find a pair anywhere, I really want to try them because I love Kalis

[Texas_Tone]

Skated 3 pairs of the Jahmir Brown Lynx zero with super suede, all skated great, really liked that colorway, I’d say the flick was prolly the hardest thing to get used to, but yea they lasted awhile but I super glue the stitching on all my shoes so they last longer, uhhhhh cushioning was better than the es cupsoles I’ve been skating, oh yea the jah ones come with the oval laces too so that’s nice, yea good shoe, I never skated the other models of the Lynx zero though so I cant speak on those

[chris.]

Breaking in some Lynx Zero now. Was pretty iffy after the first session but they’re growing ok me.

RIP Legacy Slim? One of my favorite shoes.

[Mean salto]

How far back should we go?
DC tonik/Bristol:
good super suede but basic vulc sole that while very grippy wore out quickly. No cushioning at all really but as they were my gravis substitute at the time that was fine.
Cole lite:
Only got these because it was a 2 for 1 deal and they only had one pair of toniks but it changed everything for me. They looked bulky (especially at the time) but they were maybe the thinnest and lightest upper ever. Kinda reminded me of the avera but a thousand times better. Crazy grippy and decent lasting sole and prob best cushioning ever.
Cole light 2:
Much tighter and overall firmer than the first one. Prob looked nicer and less panels to rip tho
Mike mo:
Maybe the best skate shoe of all time for real. Fit really snug but crazy grippy and long lasting sole and upper. Very light and decent cushion



A few months back got some pure mids. They were advertised as a cupsole with a faux vulc wrap which is probably technically true but they really don't feel like cupsoles at all. Sole is grippy. Upper is probably not very good leather if it's even real leather at all. Fit is probably snug (I sized up) but most importantly they were very cheap.

[rocklobster]

Agreed on the Kalis input, here's mine:

Kalis Vulc - skated 6 pairs of these
- Pretty basic vulc and the insole is trash (like someone said above), go with an aftermarket one
- Great price to performance, they regularly go on sale too with abundant colorways to choose from
- Foot sits pretty low in the shoe
- Great flick, sole and suede is pretty durable
- Solid buy at under $50
- The mid cut version looks great
- Avoid the eco fabric models, blew a hole in them within a day
- Fits TTS for a wide foot

Kalis S - skated 2 pairs of these, own 2 pairs as chillers
- Amazing fit, feels a lot slimmer than it looks, the bootie feet helps give a secure fit
- Only 3 lace loops, so protect them with Shoe Goo or super glue
- Sole is amazingly grippy and durable, the upper was mostly Shoe Goo by the time I was done with it
- I love the puffy tongue, they make great chiller shoes
- Fits TTS for a wide foot

[blahblah999]

Tried the Metric recently and it didn't work for me fit wise. See my comments in the cupsole thread.

Last DCs I tried before that were the Nick Dompierre mid tops. I liked those. Too bad DC doesn't have anything like them now.

BITD I had the old DC Boxers and the original Colin McKay model before that. I liked both, but remember the Boxer's sole wearing down very fast at the time.

[Terminal]

Agreed on the Kalis input, here's mine:

Kalis Vulc - skated 6 pairs of these
- Pretty basic vulc and the insole is trash (like someone said above), go with an aftermarket one
- Great price to performance, they regularly go on sale too with abundant colorways to choose from
- Foot sits pretty low in the shoe
- Great flick, sole and suede is pretty durable
- Solid buy at under $50
- The mid cut version looks great
- Avoid the eco fabric models, blew a hole in them within a day
- Fits TTS for a wide foot

Kalis S - skated 2 pairs of these, own 2 pairs as chillers
- Amazing fit, feels a lot slimmer than it looks, the bootie feet helps give a secure fit
- Only 3 lace loops, so protect them with Shoe Goo or super glue
- Sole is amazingly grippy and durable, the upper was mostly Shoe Goo by the time I was done with it
- I love the puffy tongue, they make great chiller shoes
- Fits TTS for a wide foot

Yep I'm running Kalis vulc mids with a different insole (agree with both above, out of the box insole garbage)
Great bang for buck (best I've found)
Minimal break in time I've found, they feel familiar pretty quickly
No vulc blow-out yet and I've skated them pretty hard
Super happy with them except the factory insole
Super happy to support Kalis

[Frank]

rob dyrdek 3-at the time a confusingly named shoe to me as i didn't know who rob dyrdek was.
+i was 12, this was my first pair of dc shoes, i wanted clockers but they were out of clockers in my size, but still rad
+they look very good in retrospect
+i remember them being very comfy until i eventually grew out of them.
+/-i can't say anything about the board feel, because i barely knew how to skate at the time

weird supraish hightop sample from the mid 00s i don't know the model name of but was similar to a manteca
+comfy, with a dunklike shape
-zero boardfeel
-looked ridiculous due to the colorway which was like pale blue/silver with orange highlights. looked like a ny knicks shoe.

manteca high from some point past 2000
+comfy, with a dunklike shape
+/-way more padded than the new ones, like og accels almost
-zero boardfeel
-uncomfortable to walk in for some reason, maybe because they are 20 years old and all the softener has evaporated from the sole unit

pure-had a bunch of pairs in their first run
+comfy with a dunklike shape
+decent boardfeel
+perfect padding
+held up nicely
+very grippy sole
-sole used to go out/develop holes rather quick whereas the upper would stay good for longer

looking back, pures were one of the best performing shoes i ever had. with all the reissues of some of those models, i might give the new mantecas a shot. they look really good in footage and they seem more modern and reasonable in terms of padding than my vintage pair.

[Sila]

Wish they re named the Tiago shoe and still made them. Looked liked a really good simple but techy and slim cupsole.

[the_oldtype]

Currently skating Lynx OGs and I like them so much I bought another pair. I wore them walking around for a few weeks first which definitely helped give them some flex.

Before the Lynx I tried some mantecas which were also great. Like a less floppy, better quality dunk.

[Bigfoot is real]

I have actually been wanting to try a pair of DC recently. My last pair was some ryan smith halfcab knockoff that were super nice.

how does the Williams slim,  kalis lite, or striker fit/ skate?

[FUBAR]

Anyone skate the Manteca 4 yet? The skate version. I want to try those.

[scab]

Anyone skate the Manteca 4 yet? The skate version. I want to try those.

I love them. Great TTS fit, good durability, best flick I've ever had in a cupsole shoe. Some homies have blown through multiple pairs of Dunks while I'm still on my same pair of Mantecas even though I'm skating more, so I'd say the_oldtype is on to something here:

Like a less floppy, better quality dunk.

[whale]

What’s up with the Lynx Zero? I know they’re slimmer than the original, but how much slimmer? Like compared to Dunk maybe?
Is there 2 versions out? I see them on sale on non-skate sites for really cheap, but the original price is also only like 49-55€.
Skateshops have them for little under or over 80€, depending on the materials.
I do want to support skateshops, but 30€ for shoes that are either hit or miss is tempting…

[kook1234]

I have actually been wanting to try a pair of DC recently. My last pair was some ryan smith halfcab knockoff that were super nice.

how does the Williams slim,  kalis lite, or striker fit/ skate?

my understanding is that this wasn't intended to be a skate shoe but that doesnt stop the man himself from skating them - is this correct?

ive skated quite a few pairs, love how they look, my only complaints are the smaller toe box and I burn through the sole on these quicker than other shoes.

[emotional_degloving]

What’s up with the Lynx Zero? I know they’re slimmer than the original, but how much slimmer? Like compared to Dunk maybe?
Is there 2 versions out? I see them on sale on non-skate sites for really cheap, but the original price is also only like 49-55€.
Skateshops have them for little under or over 80€, depending on the materials.
I do want to support skateshops, but 30€ for shoes that are either hit or miss is tempting…

The Lynx Zero is slimmer in the sense that it's slightly narrower than a Lynx OG and the tongue isn't as wide (still hella thick and padded as fuck). It's not the difference between the Accel OG vs Accel Slim if that's what you're worrying about. The Zero's main thing is just the different sole and stripped back on features like lace protectors and the heelside pull tab.

As for the differences between the Zero and the Zero S, the Zero S has tongue centering straps which I see as kind of a take it or leave it sort of thing, though the S does get better colourways imo.

I think the Zero gets a bad rap because it's advertised as slimmer and people think of the accel slim vs the OG, give it a chance.

[whale]

Expand Quote

What’s up with the Lynx Zero? I know they’re slimmer than the original, but how much slimmer? Like compared to Dunk maybe?
Is there 2 versions out? I see them on sale on non-skate sites for really cheap, but the original price is also only like 49-55€.
Skateshops have them for little under or over 80€, depending on the materials.
I do want to support skateshops, but 30€ for shoes that are either hit or miss is tempting…

[close]

The Lynx Zero is slimmer in the sense that it's slightly narrower than a Lynx OG and the tongue isn't as wide (still hella thick and padded as fuck). It's not the difference between the Accel OG vs Accel Slim if that's what you're worrying about. The Zero's main thing is just the different sole and stripped back on features like lace protectors and the heelside pull tab.

As for the differences between the Zero and the Zero S, the Zero S has tongue centering straps which I see as kind of a take it or leave it sort of thing, though the S does get better colourways imo.

I think the Zero gets a bad rap because it's advertised as slimmer and people think of the accel slim vs the OG, give it a chance.

Padded as fuck doesn’t sound like my jam, man.
Always looking for something with medium padding, like the Dunk, Telford, Tyshawn etc
Maybe just for chillers if I find a ill colorway.

[MusclesMarinara]

Just ordered a pair of DC Pure. I had this Dyrdek shoe that was basically a pro model pure but it had an air bubble.

[emotional_degloving]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

What’s up with the Lynx Zero? I know they’re slimmer than the original, but how much slimmer? Like compared to Dunk maybe?
Is there 2 versions out? I see them on sale on non-skate sites for really cheap, but the original price is also only like 49-55€.
Skateshops have them for little under or over 80€, depending on the materials.
I do want to support skateshops, but 30€ for shoes that are either hit or miss is tempting…

[close]

The Lynx Zero is slimmer in the sense that it's slightly narrower than a Lynx OG and the tongue isn't as wide (still hella thick and padded as fuck). It's not the difference between the Accel OG vs Accel Slim if that's what you're worrying about. The Zero's main thing is just the different sole and stripped back on features like lace protectors and the heelside pull tab.

As for the differences between the Zero and the Zero S, the Zero S has tongue centering straps which I see as kind of a take it or leave it sort of thing, though the S does get better colourways imo.

I think the Zero gets a bad rap because it's advertised as slimmer and people think of the accel slim vs the OG, give it a chance.

[close]

Padded as fuck doesn’t sound like my jam, man.
Always looking for something with medium padding, like the Dunk, Telford, Tyshawn etc
Maybe just for chillers if I find a ill colorway.

Ahh I get ya. I'd say it's more padded than a telford, at least tongue wise, with like a grain more padding around where your heel sits. I think maybe you'd be more into the Mantecas if you haven't tried them.

[whale]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

What’s up with the Lynx Zero? I know they’re slimmer than the original, but how much slimmer? Like compared to Dunk maybe?
Is there 2 versions out? I see them on sale on non-skate sites for really cheap, but the original price is also only like 49-55€.
Skateshops have them for little under or over 80€, depending on the materials.
I do want to support skateshops, but 30€ for shoes that are either hit or miss is tempting…

[close]

The Lynx Zero is slimmer in the sense that it's slightly narrower than a Lynx OG and the tongue isn't as wide (still hella thick and padded as fuck). It's not the difference between the Accel OG vs Accel Slim if that's what you're worrying about. The Zero's main thing is just the different sole and stripped back on features like lace protectors and the heelside pull tab.

As for the differences between the Zero and the Zero S, the Zero S has tongue centering straps which I see as kind of a take it or leave it sort of thing, though the S does get better colourways imo.

I think the Zero gets a bad rap because it's advertised as slimmer and people think of the accel slim vs the OG, give it a chance.

[close]

Padded as fuck doesn’t sound like my jam, man.
Always looking for something with medium padding, like the Dunk, Telford, Tyshawn etc
Maybe just for chillers if I find a ill colorway.

[close]

Ahh I get ya. I'd say it's more padded than a telford, at least tongue wise, with like a grain more padding around where your heel sits. I think maybe you'd be more into the Mantecas if you haven't tried them.

Thanks, had my eye on some Mantecas too for sure.

[sus]

Skated some Teknic S recently and they feel pretty solid. I'm not a fan of Vulc shoes but the outsole held up longer than a normal vulc shoe. The foxing tape and outsole rubber seem a little thicker than most vulc shoes. It was also nice that the suede and canvas both had rubber underneath so the upper is pretty sturdy

Also - for anybody getting Metrics, i'd recommend going half a size up

[Dooky-shoes]

I bought the maroon manual with the rubber toe cap. As a size 12 they literally look like clown shoes.

[Mean salto]

Skated some Teknic S recently and they feel pretty solid. I'm not a fan of Vulc shoes but the outsole held up longer than a normal vulc shoe. The foxing tape and outsole rubber seem a little thicker than most vulc shoes. It was also nice that the suede and canvas both had rubber underneath so the upper is pretty sturdy

Also - for anybody getting Metrics, i'd recommend going half a size up

Does it just feel like a regular vulc shoe? The way they advertised it it seemed like it could be a perfect halfway between cup and vulc but maybe that's always gonna be just out of reach

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CovOm9CsR6F/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

[sus]

Expand Quote

Skated some Teknic S recently and they feel pretty solid. I'm not a fan of Vulc shoes but the outsole held up longer than a normal vulc shoe. The foxing tape and outsole rubber seem a little thicker than most vulc shoes. It was also nice that the suede and canvas both had rubber underneath so the upper is pretty sturdy

Also - for anybody getting Metrics, i'd recommend going half a size up

[close]

Does it just feel like a regular vulc shoe? The way they advertised it it seemed like it could be a perfect halfway between cup and vulc but maybe that's always gonna be just out of reach

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CovOm9CsR6F/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

I usually prefer slim cupsoles, and I’d say this is pretty close to that feeling without being an actual cup. It has the flexibility of a vulc but it comes with a good insole and the rubber is slightly thicker so it feels sturdier than a vulc shoe so I’d say its better than a standard vulc.

I don’t really skate vulcs but I’ll probably skate a few more pairs of these

[somethingmustbreaknow]

skated a couple of DC tonik S some years back. very solid shoe. good durability with the super suede and this special rubber thing for the sole they had going on.