Hey pals, a bit of a heads up if you're into new Emerica models: don't sleep on the new Spanky KSL3.
Initially got the white leather ones which broke in nice and quick, but just yesterday quickly tried on the navy blue suede ones at my homie's and they felt even better, I could've skated them out of the box no problem. Gonna get them next. Haven't seen the new brown suedes anywhere here in Sweden yet, but they look awesome too.
Anyway, in a nutshell, they're a great shoe. A good combination of protection and boardfeel. Midsole feels really good, front and back, especially at the heel.
Flick is good, as is the overall grip. The sole is solid but not too stiff.
The sizing is TTS for me, albeit a tiny bit snug initially, but not too much.
Been into NB# for a long ass time, this shoe is the first one I feel that can compete with NB# for me.
Oh, and compared to an NB# model? I'd say somewhere between the 440 and the 600. More comfortable than either of them, though, in my opinion. Especially the suede KSL3 feels ridiculously comfy. In a good way.
Spanky commented on an Emerica Insta post a while back the KSL3 are the best shoes he's skated. That can of course be labeled as biased, but he's not totally wrong. There's something there, definitely. Definitely a keeper for me.