Cop or Not is a new shoe review series I'm doing that basically serves as somewhat of a quick buyer's guide for those thinking about picking up some of the new shoe models out there. No ten paragraph descriptions of toecaps or multiple number ratings. I pretty much just skate the shoe for about 10 hours to get a feel for them, write a simple, straight to the point description of how they skate, and give my recommendations as to what kind of skater would get the most out of said shoe. I'll post pictures to show the main areas for general wear and tear but I'm not spending a month doing more kickflips than usual in order to test durability. Everybody skates different and in turn wears down their shoes differently so I'm asking anyone who's skated these shoes to chime in and share their experiences. Anyways, let's get to it.SIZING & FIT These shoes have a very streamlined feel to them. They seem to have
just enough padding in the collar while overall just feeling as slim as possible. They aren't over the top comfortable, but they feel solid. They fit true to size (got them in my usual size 10) but like I said its very streamlined. They feel as tight & snug as possible without cramping your feet at all. It's a very delicate balance that NB pulled off pretty well in my opinion. If you have wide feet you might want to go half a size or maybe even a full size up if you
really need that extra space.
UPPER & SKATEABILITY If I had to describe the type of suede on these I'd say it's quality mid-grade suede. They don't seem super high quality like DC Super-Suede or the suede used in the Emerica Reynolds, but its pretty solid and not bad by any means. Again the upper is has that thinner feel to it like the rest of the shoe but the toecap is reinforced a little bit. The shape of the toe itself is fairly pointy. People who have more of a delicate, toe-heavy flicking motion when they do their fliptricks should love it. The fused-on N on the side adds a little bit of durability in that area as well because it isn't paper-thin as seen in some of the Nike models that use a similar process for the swoosh.
INSOLE, MIDSOLE, & OUTSOLE I actually really like the insole in these. It seems to just be your typical EVA insert but it provides some good cushioning and has that "springy" rebounding feel to it when you press down on them. I've actually used them in other shoes too so they're definitely good for that. They're really the only thing on these shoes that doesn't seem to be as slimmed down as possible, not that they're "bulky" or anything like that. As far as impact support goes, these are doing most of the work for these shoes.
The midsole is pretty thin with a little bit of built in foam. I bent & flexed them with my hands before I skated em and were literally 100% broken-in after about an hour of skating them, which was nice. It hasa lot of boardfeel especially for a cupsole but it isn't exactly built for super-high impact. Like I said, the insole is doing most of the work with support and is good enough for low to medium sized impact, but I'm not looking to jump down anything bigger than a 6 stair in these. Obviously that won't be an issue to most people on here, but if you DO jump down shit frequently, this shoe might not be your first choice to do it in. Then again, Ishod jumped down the LOVE gap in janoski's so if you
really value a ton of boardfeel over support you might be OK with that.
The outsole uses a grippy but still kind of hard rubber, with a solid tread pattern. However, the pattern itself isn't all that deep. The harder rubber should help with it's durability but if you got that ashtray foot I'd imagine that it'd bald out over time. Still, the grip is solid and the shoe flexes well so I'd say its feels pretty solid.
Would Recommend for: People who skate a lot of tech stuff should love these & vulc-heads looking for a cupsole shoe with as much boardfeel as possible should look in to them as well if interested.
Would Not Recommend for: Anyone who prefers to have more supportive shoes. That's how I am personally and while I do think these are quality shoes that felt great when I skated ledges & flatbars, overall it's just not my type of shoe.
Topic: Cop or Not?: New Balance Stratford's (review) (Read 3676 times)