Is there anyway to get the insoles out of normal ass chucks??
I've yanked some out before... it's a nightmare! It's tough because the shits are practically cement-glued in.
I just got a flathead screwdriver and tried jamming it into the underside of the heel until I loosened up some room to put a finger grip on it. I tried scraping up the glue areas with a jabbing motion, while simultaneously pulling the insole away with my other hand until I got deeper and deeper towards the toe. It's no easy task though. Prepare for some sore hands (It took me little by little over the course of a couple of days because of this). I'm sure there's smarter ways of approaching it, than the practical way I did. It won't come out perfect, but at least they'll be out.
Not sure the metal eyelets would go well in a microwave or not, if you wanna try that. Maybe run a hairdryer on high heat over the insoles for a couple of minutes?
I'd definitely forgo the non-skate versions next time if I were you. Some things I didn't like about these skating wise (by the time I got them rolling):
-They'll still feel way too thin, regardless of what insoles you replace them with.
-The soles are grippy, but have a felt pattern on them that you'll have to burn through for a maximized grip (unless you try stripping em out: good luck, they're a bitch to remove as well).
-The lateral kickflip area of the sole is okay, but not the nice softer grade of rubber you'd get in normal skate shoes. It's more of a harder kind of grip. Although It lasts long, it won't feel as great as skate ready vulcs that kickflip nice.
All in all, they'll pass as a decent shoe & have that classic feel of regular chucks. My bet is from what I've heard, skate cons will feel way better. Being that they're more skate ready (insoles and better grade of rubber).