Why Vulc.

[vichka fonarev]

Just wondering why everyone likes vulc so much. It's getting nearly impossible to find nice cupsole shoes nowadays.

[BMCsteve]

Vulc - Board feel

Cupsole - impact protecton

There are dozens of great cupsoles out now.  Pretty much every company has a line of cupsoles

[oyolar]

Yeah, you're about 3 or 4 years too late to be complaining about a lack of cupsole shoes.

[Firebert]

Is there a company that doesn't make cupsoles?

[fulfillthedream]

Is there a company that doesn't make cupsoles?

dekline

[MOE SYZLAK]

Expand Quote

Is there a company that doesn't make cupsoles?

[close]

dekline

they had a cupsole a few season back

[HyenaChaser]

Blame the rise of low impact tricks. Kids don't jump down stairs like they used to.

[@thewilleasley]

Is the boardfeel really worth it though? most cupsoles are so thin in the forefoot nowadays its hardly even an advantage anymore. even if you dont jump down shit and just skate "low impact" you still put a decent amount of stress on your knees, back, etc. just messing around doing flatground and after a while it adds ups.  think about all the times your feet, back, knees have hurt just from standing or walking around all day. you put way more stress on those areas just bailing a flat ground flatground or catching yourself from a fall on a ledge or something. its not immediately painful but it takes its toll in the long term. outside of looks, i dont really see any super convincing reason to skate a shoe thats typically less durable and way less supportive than a cupsole.

Chuck Taylors were made as the premier performance basketball shoes back in 1917. in 2015 anyone playing basketball wouldn't go anywhere near them shits on court because they're flimsy as fuck with little to no cushioning. it would literally be ridiculous to see a collegiate or NBA player wear those on court forreal. Hell, even Jordan 1's are primitive as fuck compared to today's standards and those were so loved by skaters because of how much more supportive they were than most shoes at the time. If any of yall know of Nightwing from weartesters when he did the jordan retro reviews he said he could hardly play in the earlier models for a couple hours at a time because his knees would start to ache, and those shoes are still way more supportive than most vulcs on the market. dude aint exactly dunking or doing a bunch of super athletic shit either... Not every "tech" shoe needs to look like a D3 or PRod 8. you can make simple designs on the upper and still have a quality sole the provides boardfeel and adequate cushioning. I just think companies would rather milk the vulc craze because they're easier to make with less materials plus usually sell well to the "casual" market so they dont put as much effort into really developing a ton of different cupsoles. most companies seem to have "just enough" to say that they have them but i feel like there isn't as much emphasis on them as there should be. we need more variety. thats just my opinion tho. companies are always gonna make more of whatever sells the most i guess.

[Dengles]

Vulc feels great, has great board feel, people are skating lower impact than a decade ago, and they look nicer.  I always hated cup soles when they were popular but I always ended up skating them because I was young and thought that they were the only option. 

[Sk.A.T.A.N]

Is the boardfeel really worth it though? most cupsoles are so thin in the forefoot nowadays its hardly even an advantage anymore. even if you dont jump down shit and just skate "low impact" you still put a decent amount of stress on your knees, back, etc. just messing around doing flatground and after a while it adds ups.  think about all the times your feet, back, knees have hurt just from standing or walking around all day. you put way more stress on those areas just bailing a flat ground flatground or catching yourself from a fall on a ledge or something. its not immediately painful but it takes its toll in the long term. outside of looks, i dont really see any super convincing reason to skate a shoe thats typically less durable and way less supportive than a cupsole.

Chuck Taylors were made as the premier performance basketball shoes back in 1917. in 2015 anyone playing basketball wouldn't go anywhere near them shits on court because they're flimsy as fuck with little to no cushioning. it would literally be ridiculous to see a collegiate or NBA player wear those on court forreal. Hell, even Jordan 1's are primitive as fuck compared to today's standards and those were so loved by skaters because of how much more supportive they were than most shoes at the time. If any of yall know of Nightwing from weartesters when he did the jordan retro reviews he said he could hardly play in the earlier models for a couple hours at a time because his knees would start to ache, and those shoes are still way more supportive than most vulcs on the market. dude aint exactly dunking or doing a bunch of super athletic shit either... Not every "tech" shoe needs to look like a D3 or PRod 8. you can make simple designs on the upper and still have a quality sole the provides boardfeel and adequate cushioning. I just think companies would rather milk the vulc craze because they're easier to make with less materials plus usually sell well to the "casual" market so they dont put as much effort into really developing a ton of different cupsoles. most companies seem to have "just enough" to say that they have them but i feel like there isn't as much emphasis on them as there should be. we need more variety. thats just my opinion tho. companies are always gonna make more of whatever sells the most i guess.

I agree with this! Boardfeel is just a gimmick, 3mm closer to the board will just hurt you faster. After skating a long time in vulcs i switched for nike BAs and even if the boardfeel isnt that great i am skating better than ever. My feet feels safe, stable and confortable. The support and cushioning is so much better that i can actually jump down stuff without getting an instant heelbruise. You get a much better performance out of you if you dont get sore as fast. So if you have the money, try some actually well built shoe and thank me later!

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Yeah, you're about 3 or 4 years too late to be complaining about a lack of cupsole shoes.

[fangen]

Local skatepark has a steep, painted bank. If I try and walk up it in a cupsole I just slide back down it. Vulc, I can walk up it no problems. Apart from the achilles shredding, bald after one skate Nike koston 1, I've never found a cupsole that actually wraps around my feet. They are always like a platform shoe, just waiting to roll your ankle.

[Willie]

I just think companies would rather milk the vulc craze because they're easier to make with less materials plus usually sell well to the "casual" market so they dont put as much effort into really developing a ton of different cupsoles.

The markup on a basic vulc has got to be through the roof.


Compare the workmanship and materials on your basic Lakai (at least Vans has a fancy insole) to something Nike was making in the early 2000s. Probably costs $15 to make the Vulc, $25 for the fancy cupsole.

[Glue Reed]

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Is the boardfeel really worth it though? most cupsoles are so thin in the forefoot nowadays its hardly even an advantage anymore. even if you dont jump down shit and just skate "low impact" you still put a decent amount of stress on your knees, back, etc. just messing around doing flatground and after a while it adds ups.  think about all the times your feet, back, knees have hurt just from standing or walking around all day. you put way more stress on those areas just bailing a flat ground flatground or catching yourself from a fall on a ledge or something. its not immediately painful but it takes its toll in the long term. outside of looks, i dont really see any super convincing reason to skate a shoe thats typically less durable and way less supportive than a cupsole.

Chuck Taylors were made as the premier performance basketball shoes back in 1917. in 2015 anyone playing basketball wouldn't go anywhere near them shits on court because they're flimsy as fuck with little to no cushioning. it would literally be ridiculous to see a collegiate or NBA player wear those on court forreal. Hell, even Jordan 1's are primitive as fuck compared to today's standards and those were so loved by skaters because of how much more supportive they were than most shoes at the time. If any of yall know of Nightwing from weartesters when he did the jordan retro reviews he said he could hardly play in the earlier models for a couple hours at a time because his knees would start to ache, and those shoes are still way more supportive than most vulcs on the market. dude aint exactly dunking or doing a bunch of super athletic shit either... Not every "tech" shoe needs to look like a D3 or PRod 8. you can make simple designs on the upper and still have a quality sole the provides boardfeel and adequate cushioning. I just think companies would rather milk the vulc craze because they're easier to make with less materials plus usually sell well to the "casual" market so they dont put as much effort into really developing a ton of different cupsoles. most companies seem to have "just enough" to say that they have them but i feel like there isn't as much emphasis on them as there should be. we need more variety. thats just my opinion tho. companies are always gonna make more of whatever sells the most i guess.

[close]

I agree with this! Boardfeel is just a gimmick, 3mm closer to the board will just hurt you faster. After skating a long time in vulcs i switched for nike BAs and even if the boardfeel isnt that great i am skating better than ever. My feet feels safe, stable and confortable. The support and cushioning is so much better that i can actually jump down stuff without getting an instant heelbruise. You get a much better performance out of you if you dont get sore as fast. So if you have the money, try some actually well built shoe and thank me later!

Nope.  Boardfeel is huge for me, not a gimmick at all.  If i can't really feel the board i might as well be sliding around in dress shoes, and I don't feel stable at all.  I'm pretty much strictly Vans.

I'm in my late 30's and have a little beer gut and my feet don't hurt me at all, so vulc doesn't automatically equal pain.  Different strokes, man

[j....soy.....]

Price...board feel...style? 

[Sk.A.T.A.N]

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Is the boardfeel really worth it though? most cupsoles are so thin in the forefoot nowadays its hardly even an advantage anymore. even if you dont jump down shit and just skate "low impact" you still put a decent amount of stress on your knees, back, etc. just messing around doing flatground and after a while it adds ups.  think about all the times your feet, back, knees have hurt just from standing or walking around all day. you put way more stress on those areas just bailing a flat ground flatground or catching yourself from a fall on a ledge or something. its not immediately painful but it takes its toll in the long term. outside of looks, i dont really see any super convincing reason to skate a shoe thats typically less durable and way less supportive than a cupsole.

Chuck Taylors were made as the premier performance basketball shoes back in 1917. in 2015 anyone playing basketball wouldn't go anywhere near them shits on court because they're flimsy as fuck with little to no cushioning. it would literally be ridiculous to see a collegiate or NBA player wear those on court forreal. Hell, even Jordan 1's are primitive as fuck compared to today's standards and those were so loved by skaters because of how much more supportive they were than most shoes at the time. If any of yall know of Nightwing from weartesters when he did the jordan retro reviews he said he could hardly play in the earlier models for a couple hours at a time because his knees would start to ache, and those shoes are still way more supportive than most vulcs on the market. dude aint exactly dunking or doing a bunch of super athletic shit either... Not every "tech" shoe needs to look like a D3 or PRod 8. you can make simple designs on the upper and still have a quality sole the provides boardfeel and adequate cushioning. I just think companies would rather milk the vulc craze because they're easier to make with less materials plus usually sell well to the "casual" market so they dont put as much effort into really developing a ton of different cupsoles. most companies seem to have "just enough" to say that they have them but i feel like there isn't as much emphasis on them as there should be. we need more variety. thats just my opinion tho. companies are always gonna make more of whatever sells the most i guess.

[close]

I agree with this! Boardfeel is just a gimmick, 3mm closer to the board will just hurt you faster. After skating a long time in vulcs i switched for nike BAs and even if the boardfeel isnt that great i am skating better than ever. My feet feels safe, stable and confortable. The support and cushioning is so much better that i can actually jump down stuff without getting an instant heelbruise. You get a much better performance out of you if you dont get sore as fast. So if you have the money, try some actually well built shoe and thank me later!

[close]

Nope.  Boardfeel is huge for me, not a gimmick at all.  If i can't really feel the board i might as well be sliding around in dress shoes, and I don't feel stable at all.  I'm pretty much strictly Vans.

I'm in my late 30's and have a little beer gut and my feet don't hurt me at all, so vulc doesn't automatically equal pain.  Different strokes, man

OK, i should have said "boardfeel is just a gimmick for me"
I'm not that old tho, I'm just 21 but i think my feet were tired after 2years of janoskis and adieases. If you feel fine skating vulcs and your feet dont hurt, ok thats awesome, but if you feel your feet sore after a session i think boardfeel isnt worth the pain. Things like a good heel lock are soo much importante for me now! But like you said, different strokes...

[Turtle Boy]

Nike needs to relaunch the Blazer CS with a reworked sole, and I'm set for the rest of my skateboarding life.

Had these


And the break-in period was a pain in the ass, but once they were good (around 10 hours); they were perfect.
Would buy again with a re-engineered sole.

[Young Satchel]

As one who tends to favor cupsoles, I think it's still worth noting that with more vulc options than ever before, it's actually possible to find a shoe with a vulcanized sole that offers a pretty happy medium of board feel and support/impact protection. To put it concretely there is a huge difference between a pair of classic vans and something like the Nike Bruin/GT. The former leaves my feet feeling like they got run over by a cement mixer after an hour-long manual pad session, while I can push around town for 3 or 4 hours in Bruins with my feet not much worse for the wear after.

[Sk.A.T.A.N]

As one who tends to favor cupsoles, I think it's still worth noting that with more vulc options than ever before, it's actually possible to find a shoe with a vulcanized sole that offers a pretty happy medium of board feel and support/impact protection. To put it concretely there is a huge difference between a pair of classic vans and something like the Nike Bruin/GT. The former leaves my feet feeling like they got run over by a cement mixer after an hour-long manual pad session, while I can push around town for 3 or 4 hours in Bruins with my feet not much worse for the wear after.

This is true, you can have a good supportive vulc. I remember that the guzman model on circa was a vulc model with actualy some thought behind. They had a primo pad, a gel heel, a nice insole, etc, and they dont look half bad either. That type of features would be nice to see in some newer vulc models. 


The Vans Pro line isnt half bad too because of the great insole they use... Flimsy Eras turn into a decent shoe actually!

[skateboardnorth]

I went through a vans vulc sole phase for about a year or so.  I loved the board feel and found they didn't need to be worked in.  The bad part was my feet started hurting pretty bad and they fell apart pretty quick. 
I can get use to almost any shoe, but I'd have to say the best I ever skated were ES Square One Cupsoles.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

#becauserowley1s

[Sk.A.T.A.N]

I went through a vans vulc sole phase for about a year or so.  I loved the board feel and found they didn't need to be worked in.  The bad part was my feet started hurting pretty bad and they fell apart pretty quick. 
I can get use to almost any shoe, but I'd have to say the best I ever skated were ES Square One Cupsoles.

Isnt that an Accel? 

[Tracer]

vulc is bad for you wallet, good cupsoles feel like vulc but last langer

[artsy]

Is there a company that doesn't make cupsoles?

Does Vans make a cupsole?

[Stanley Spadowski]

Expand Quote

Is there a company that doesn't make cupsoles?

[close]

Does Vans make a cupsole?

sites.vans.com/microsites/wafflecup/

[artsy]

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Is there a company that doesn't make cupsoles?

[close]

Does Vans make a cupsole?

[close]

sites.vans.com/microsites/wafflecup/

Ah, thanks. Didn't know 'wafflecup' was a thing.