So here we are. As the competition in the shoe market only gets harder as Emerica has heard tons of outcry from long-time costumers over shoes with bad suede, defect soles that fall off, & lack of variety between models, they've decided to step it up with this new "Higher Quality" campaign, lead by shoes like the G6 & now, The Reynolds. A pro-model midtop cupsole is definitely something we haven't seen from Emerica within the past few years, so I'm sure many are wondering how these things actually skate. Well, Reynolds himself has stated that these are "his best shoes ever" and he isn't lying. These shoes are a direct response to much of the criticism Emerica's received over years, as well as a breath of fresh air to a genre that's been lacking diversity in the skate shoe market these days.
This review is gonna be split into 5 categories. Appearance, Fit/Comfort, Support, Skateability, and Durability. So let's get started.
Appearance
Very simple design with a few aesthetic touches in the back heel area. I think the simple design is a plus for this shoe because it provides a more conservative alternative for those who don't wanna skate in something flashy like dunks or skytops, which is pretty much this shoe's main competition. The grey areas in the back & top of the tongue are made with some "reflective" material but its not something that really draws much attention. Yeah its reflective but only when you happen to see it at a certain angle with the right lighting. 90% of the time it just looks like grey suede or leather. I've really only noticed it when they're laying on the floor & I happen to see em out of the corner of my eye. It's a small aesthetic touch but its not like it's overly "shiny" or anything like that. If you're wearing jeans they look your typical black suede shoe, as seen with any of Reynolds recent footage where he's wearing them.
I'll give em an 8/10 for a simple design that doesnt look super generic. Fit/Comfort
First things first these things fit true to size and are fairly wide. If you have generally normal feet they'll fit perfect, but if you have really wide feet you may or may not want to get half a size bigger but that's more of a personal preference. The sock liner will keep your foot securely in place while there's still a little breathing room within the rest of the shoe to wiggle your toes n all that good shit. The padded mesh side panel & tongue give this shoe very good breathability. Mind you I skated these for 2 weeks straight (with at least 2 hour sessions) in Phoenix, Arizona so I figure that's saying something. I only got super sweaty feet on the hottest of days & the longest of sessions. The insole is your typical foam insert that really isnt anything special, but I guess they do their job. You may wanna put in your own insole if you find these lacking. These shoes aren't "OMG THEY'RE LIKE WALKING ON PILLOWS" comfortable but they're easy on your feet. I wanted to keep everything stock so I didn't try any other insoles so if you have your own lil Kingfoams or some shit that may be a different story.
They're a lighter shoe (for it's class) that fits comfortably enough & the sockliner keeps your foot in place just enough to be secure without restricting inside foot room. A solid 8/10. Here's a close up of the comfy mesh side panel & tongue
Support
Here comes the fun stuff. Obviously if you're skating a midtop cupsole you're looking for support, so this is one of the more important categories of the review. Let's start with the collar. I think online pictures make the shoe look a little taller than it really is. I compared them side by side and The Reynolds are about the same height as a Dunk Mid with the back slightly lower but the front slightly higher. It'll just barely cover your ankle, giving you the best balance of protection and range of motion. As for impact support, the red foam-like footbed built into the sole is gonna be doing the most work, as the insoles are pretty basic. When jumping down small to medium sized gaps (1-7 stairs) they do their job very well. I jumped down a handful of gaps around this size with a couple "trying over n over n over until you get it" ordeals & my feet never bothered me. Of course you're gonna
feel the impact but it doesn't actually hurt, even after several attempts. For most this should be sufficient, but if you plan on backside flipping your local 10 stair I'd suggest switching up the insoles just to be safe.
So despite having an unimpressive insole, the footbed does its job well and the collar of the shoe is protective without restricting movement. 8.5/10, probably even higher with a better insole. Here's some pictures of the insoles, sockliner, & a peek at the footbed.
Skateability
Man these things skate like a fucking charm! The sole will take a little while to break in for some, but I think mashing down that inner footbed is the key. I've had a few people ask me about breaking them in, and I assure you, with enough work the sole will loosen up just fine. Boardfeel is what you would expect from your typical cupsole shoe. Pictures make the sole look kinda thick, but boardfeel isnt an issue once broken in.
The toe shape isn't super pointy but the subtle curve from along the side panel up to the toecap makes this shoe really good for flicking kickflips n whatnot. I'm normally a heelflipper but I did ALOT of kickflips in this shoe to the point where I almost feel more confident with those than my heelflips. And that's saying something! Part of that was my durability struggle (more on that soon) but they just feel really good to do in this shoe. No fairy-footed, tip-of-the-toe kickflips. Really strong, powerful kickflips that use more than half your foot. They feel so nice in this shoe forreal. The grip is what you would expect from some pseudo-wafflegrip, which is pretty good and durable. I also love the fact that you dont really get rocks stuck in the grip patterns or anything, so that's a plus as well.
As far as skateability goes, these shoes are the shit. They feel really good to skate once broken in, the grip is solid, and I love the flick. An easy 9/10 for me. Here's a close up of the grip in case you haven't seen it yet. Note the lil window of the footbed & the "skid panel" on the end of the heel.
Durability
Man this part of the review as a stubborn bitch, and I mean that in the best way possible. I skated em a couple times (with a brand new board/fresh grip just for this review) before I went to Arizona for 2 weeks where I skated just about every day for at least 2 hours at a time. I once skated 2 sessions the same day as well. Basically I just wanted to fuck these shoes up as much as possible. I didn't super-glue the seams or anything like that. Outside of changing the laces once, I didnt do shit to preserve durability. I rubbed my feet into position more than I normally do, I skid on that back heel panel almost every time i wanted to come to a stop, did lil flatground tricks when riding around...I did everything I could to fuck these shoes up, AND THEY STILL LASTED. I swore once I saw the edge of the sole meet with the toecap, I thought I was gonna rip thru it a few days later, and even at the end of this review I still havent. The toecap JUST started to rip 2 days ago on my second brand new board with these shoes. The grip is a little worn down on the toes but more or less the same everywhere else, and despite the fact I've finally started to rip sizable holes into the shoe, I'd say they still have a good 1-2 more weeks of life in them. Even moreso had I been super-glueing them like many people do. I aint the type to skate really haggard shoes if I can help it, but if you're more likely to do than myself these shoes will last you a LOOOONNNNG time. I can't put an exact number on the time I spent skating these but I can confidently say it was anywhere between 25-30 hours of hard skateboarding. 20 Hours is the standard used by Ripped Laces, if you need something to compare that to. The toecap has 3 different layers. The outer suede, reinforced underlayer, and the grey foamish material on the inside. I will say that the seam between the side panel & toecap was the first to develop a major hole, but even then there's that reinforced layer so it wasnt like it was bothersome once it happened. Same with the seams on the heel
Durability gets a strong 9/10 overall, but I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
Conclusion
When you think of the "best" midtop cupsole shoes, how many immediately come to mind? Dunks? Skytop 3's? Ceiro Mids & Telfords? Then there's......well that's about it really. When you compare the amount of viable options between midtop cupsoles and say, lowtop vulc shoes, there's a BIG difference in the amount of good models you have to choose from. So props to Emerica for making a shoe for a market that's generally lacking in that regard, as well as giving skaters a more "toned-down" alternative compared to most other models in the category, which are generally on the flashier side. I also think The Reynolds is the perfect shoe for the man himself. Much like a Busenitz Pro, Nike P-Rod, or even Dylan's Gravis shoe, The Reynolds truly
feels like something The Boss would be frontside flipping some double set in. Only time will tell if they become another "classic" pro model shoe, but at the end of the day these shoes do what they're made to do and perform well while adding another strong option in a class of shoes that's certainly lacking selection.
Overall I give The Reynolds a solid 9 out of 10. Higher Quality for sure.
Topic: Emerica "The Reynolds" Review (Read 6439 times)