Walk into a skate shop for shoes and one of the first things you’ll be asked is whether you want vulc or cupsole. It’s the choice that changes how a shoe feels on the board more than any other, and it’s also the one that confuses people most, because a lot of current models mix both builds and product pages don’t always say so clearly.
For this guide we cross-checked the wear tests at Weartested (a German site that has skated every pair for about ten hours under the same protocol since 2009), RunRepeat’s lab measurements, OutdoorGearLab’s test of seven retail-bought pairs, and buying guides from shops like Slam City Skates, Skate Warehouse, CCS and Skatedeluxe. We didn’t test the shoes ourselves. What follows is what those sources found, including the places where they agree and the places where they don’t.
Vulc vs cupsole: the difference you’ll actually feel
How a vulcanized skate shoe is made
On a vulcanized shoe (vulc, as everyone calls it) the rubber outsole is bonded to the upper with heat. That’s how Emerica explains it in its own guide, and the Smithsonian’s object record for a pair of Vans adds the detail: the rubber is heated and stretched onto the lasted upper before it’s fully cured. The foxing tape, the rubber band that wraps around the shoe, is part of the same build.
The result is a thin, flexible sole. You feel the board under your foot and there’s hardly any break-in: Slam City says a vulc needs essentially none, and OutdoorGearLab gave its top board-feel score (9.5 out of 10) to a pair of Vans Old Skools. The trade-off is impact protection. In its review of the Vans Skate Classics, Weartested puts it plainly: a thin vulc sole with a foam insole can’t compete with a good cupsole when you land from height. Vulcs also tend to lose their shape sooner, according to Slam City.
How a cupsole skate shoe is made
On a cupsole the sole is a pre-formed unit, a rubber cup the upper sits inside, usually stitched around the sidewall. It protects your feet better on stairs and gaps (OutdoorGearLab, Slam City and RunRepeat all agree on that) and holds its shape better over the months. In exchange, a new cupsole is stiffer, sits a little higher and takes a few sessions to break in. Vans senior designer Neal Shoemaker told The Ride Channel that the choice comes down to personal preference.
Hybrids are now the norm
This is the part a lot of lists skip: the line between vulc and cupsole has blurred. Vans has Wafflecup, a cupsole with a vulcanized rubber layer from midfoot to toe, which Weartested described in 2016 as a way to get cupsole support with vulc board feel. The Nike SB Ishod 2 embeds a vulcanized rim in a cupsole, and the New Balance Numeric Foy 306 Cup is a cupsole with a vulc-inspired forefoot. Nike sells the SB Force 58 on the promise of cupsole durability with vulcanized flexibility.
Then there are the thin modern cupsoles, like the adidas Glenburn, the Converse Louie Lopez Pro 2 and the Last Resort CM001, which Weartested repeatedly rates very well on board feel for a cupsole.
| Vulc | Cupsole | |
|---|---|---|
| Board feel | More, from day one | Less, especially when new |
| Break-in | Almost none | A few sessions |
| Impact protection | Lower | Higher (stairs, gaps) |
| Shape over time | Loses it sooner | Holds it better |
| Grip | Often better out of the box | Sometimes improves with wear |
Suede, canvas or leather: the material sets much of the lifespan
Slam City sums it up well in its buying guide. Canvas is the lightest and most breathable, but it rips sooner. Suede resists abrasion, gives consistent grip and breaks in fastest. Leather is very durable and holds its shape, but takes the longest to break in and breathes less.
The wear tests back this up again and again. At Weartested, the canvas Last Resort VM003 got a hole in the front within its ten-hour test, the canvas side panels on the Vans Curren Caples wore through at around the same ten hours, and on the Skate Old Skool the canvas midfoot panel took the most damage. Leather isn’t bulletproof either: on the adidas Tyshawn 2 the white top layer clearly abraded, although no new wear points appeared after that.
What stands out after reading dozens of reviews is that seams usually fail before the material does. On the New Balance Numeric Reynolds 933, most of the triple stitching in the ollie area tore; on the Converse AS-1 Pro, the toe panel started ripping after three sessions; and on the Last Resort CM001 the eyelet seams came apart after four to five hours. That’s why Weartested likes one-piece toes like the one on the NB# Foy 306 Cup, and why Slam City suggests a thin layer of super glue over the stitching.
Ollie-area reinforcement
Almost every brand now has its own way of protecting the spot that rubs against grip tape the most. Vans uses DURACAP, a rubber layer under the suede that, according to Weartested, aims to prevent holes and adds some structure (adidas has its own version, Adituff). Others put the rubber on the outside: the Etnies Marana’s toe cap did its job extremely well at Weartested, and the Emerica Pillar Mid combines a double-wrapped sole with an ollie guard. On the double-layer suede toes of the Nike SB Air Force 1 and the NB# 770, Weartested found two holes in the first layer after ten hours, and it was the second layer that saved the shoe.
Laces are easy to overlook, and they snap quickly in a flip-heavy session. In OutdoorGearLab’s test the Lakai Carroll was the only shoe with lace protection, and Last Resort places the eyelets on its VM001 and VM003 higher and closer together for exactly that reason.
Insoles and cushioning
Every brand has a name for its foam. At Vans, PopCush is the thick top-tier footbed and UltraCush the older one. Nike SB uses Zoom Air in the heel of the Dunk and the Janoski, React in the original Ishod and an Air Max element in the Ishod 2. adidas puts a Lightstrike wedge (the foam from its running shoes) in the Tyshawn 2, New Balance Numeric uses FuelCell and ABZORB in the 480, and Converse uses its CX foam.
It’s worth keeping expectations in check. Weartested often rates vulc cushioning as only average even with a premium insole, and its Last Resort VM001 review warns that anyone who regularly jumps ten-stairs will feel it. A good insole makes a shoe more comfortable, but it doesn’t replace a midsole.
Low, mid or high top
According to Slam City, low tops are the lightest and the usual pick for technical flip tricks, though they leave your ankle exposed to board hits. Mids are the middle ground (their example is the Half Cab), and high tops give maximum support and stability, breathe less and are often chosen by transition skaters. The Half Cab itself exists because skaters were cutting down the Caballero high-top for street, until Vans made the mid official in 1992, as Wikipedia tells it.
One honest caveat: none of the sources we read offer data showing that high tops prevent ankle injuries. They talk about more support and protection from board hits, which isn’t quite the same thing.
Skate shoe myths worth rethinking
- Cupsoles always last longer. Only partly true. A cupsole upper usually holds its shape better, but a thin cupsole without rubber wrapped around the toe can blow out early: the Converse Louie Lopez Pro 2 did so within a few sessions at Weartested. And some vulcs do very well, like the Last Resort VM001.
- Any pair of Vans or Dunks will do for skating. Not really. RunRepeat measured 1.7 mm of outsole wear on the regular Old Skool in its abrasion test, against a 1.1 mm average. The Skate line adds reinforcements the lifestyle model doesn’t have.
- Pricier means more durable. In OutdoorGearLab’s test the DC Kalis Vulc, one of the cheapest shoes, showed no early wear, while the regular Old Skool holed within a few sessions. The specific construction matters more than the price.
- Skate shoes last a set number of months. It depends on the hours you put in and on your grip tape. Ruben Vee, who writes both Ripped Laces and SkateboardersHQ, notes that fresh, gritty grip such as Mob wears shoes faster than Jessup.
How to use the skate shoe explorer
Below are 30 models that are still in production and that the sources recommend often. You can filter them by brand, by construction (vulc, cupsole or hybrid) and by tag (street, transition, beginner, wide feet, narrow fit, budget, durability, impact or board feel), or search by name.
Each card sums up how the shoe is built and what reviewers found; where there’s no independent test, we say so. Three cards include the videos from CCS’s 100-trick tests.
Vans
Vans Skate Old Skool
A low-top vulc in suede and canvas. The Skate version adds DURACAP reinforcement under the toe suede, a PopCush insole, SickStick rubber for extra grip and taller foxing tape than the regular shoe.
In Weartested's ten-hour test of the Skate Classics line, the canvas midfoot panel took the most wear, and DURACAP stretched the life of the ollie area. On the Old Skool 36+ (2025) the foxing wore through at the kickflip spot while the suede and outsole stayed close to untouched. The regular Old Skool, without the Skate tech, did worse: OutdoorGearLab got a hole within the first few sessions and RunRepeat measured above-average outsole wear.
True to size with no break-in, according to Weartested. The design dates to the late 1970s. The video is CCS's 100-kickflip test with Corey Glick.
Vans Skate Half Cab
A mid-top suede vulc with PopCush, DURACAP and two-piece foxing tape in the version Weartested reviewed in 2022. There is also a Skate Half Cab Wafflecup, so check which one you're buying.
Weartested rated its durability exceptional: after ten hours the forefoot was almost untouched, and the first wear showed up on the tongue and heel, which is mostly cosmetic. Tactics notes that once it's broken in, it goes flat and a bit floppy looking.
It's Steve Caballero's shoe. As Wikipedia tells it, skaters were cutting down the Caballero high-top for street, and Vans made the mid official in 1992.
Vans Skate Sk8-Hi
A high-top vulc. The Skate version carries the Skate Classics reinforcement package, according to retailer listings.
RunRepeat picks it as its high-top option, and it's a common choice for transition skaters because of the ankle protection against board hits. We couldn't find an independent wear test of the Skate version, so its durability is unverified.
Vans history pages date it to 1978, when it was called Style 38.
Vans Skate Era
A low-top vulc and the simplest of the Vans classics. It shares the tech of the rest of the Skate line, and there is also a Skate Era Wafflecup.
Weartested tested it as part of its Skate Classics review: the little checkerboard flags didn't survive, but overall wear was minor. It makes sense if you want board feel and a very low profile.
According to Vans' own history, Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta designed it in 1976 as style number 95.
Vans Kyle Walker
A lot of lists call it a vulc, but that's not quite right. The 2016 Kyle Walker Pro used Wafflecup (a cupsole with a vulcanized rubber layer from midfoot to toe), an UltraCush HD insole and DURACAP. The current model is sold as the Skate Kyle Walker Wafflecup.
Weartested rated its durability very good, with no blowout spots in ten hours, though the board feel was weaker than they expected from Vans because the sole feels thick. Other reports are more mixed: the Tactics tester expected about two more weeks before it ripped or went floppy, and Skatedeluxe lists outsole durability as a drawback on the Pro 2.
Vans Rowan 2
Rowan Zorilla's shoe has changed construction between generations. The original Rowan Pro was a vulc with PopCush; the Rowan 2 uses a cupsole-style ImpactWaffle sole with VR3Cush and a DURACAP toe.
In Weartested's 2023 test the forefoot upper was almost untouched after ten hours, and they rated the board feel good for a cupsole. Thrasher reported the release of the Rowan Z3 in 2026; we haven't seen independent tests of the third version yet.
Nike SB
Nike SB Dunk Low Pro
A stitched cupsole in suede and leather, with the padded SB tongue and a Zoom Air unit in the heel of the insole. That's what sets it apart from a regular lifestyle Dunk.
Weartested reviewed the Dunk Low Pro IW and rated it well overall: excellent Zoom cushioning, average grip and a little stiff at first. The weak point is the visible toe seams, where the first signs of wear and holes appeared after ten hours.
Nike SB launched in 2002, which is the date most sources agree on.
Nike SB Zoom Janoski OG+
A suede vulc with a Zoom Air insole. The original Zoom Janoski came out in 2009, designed by James Arizumi with Stefan Janoski, according to the accounts usually cited.
The warning you'll see most is about sizing: the review summary on Nike's own site says it runs very narrow and small and suggests going up. Some people go up a full size.
We don't have a recent Weartested review. The only hours log we found comes from a single author (Ruben Vee) and puts it at about 60 hours, so treat that as anecdotal.
Nike SB Ishod 2
A hybrid build: a vulcanized rim embedded in a cupsole, a drop-in insole with an Air Max element glued into it, a stability strap and medial ventilation. It's Ishod Wair's shoe.
In Weartested's test the first wear appeared on the suede at the kickflip area, but the layered suede held up and so did the lace protection. True to size. On the original Ishod, reviewed in 2022, the heel collar got shredded by grip tape quickly.
Nike SB Vertebrae
A cupsole with a honeycomb-cored outsole and a mesh and suede upper. It came out in February 2024, according to Tactics Japan's first look.
We found no independent wear test. One guide describes it as firm, with some break-in and a narrow fit, but that's a single source, so try it on first if you have wide feet.
Nike SB Force 58
A stitched cupsole that flexes like a vulc: Nike markets it as cupsole durability with vulcanized flexibility. Canvas and suede upper.
It has the best lab numbers on this list. RunRepeat named it the most durable shoe in its guide: in its Dremel abrasion test the outsole lost 0.8 mm against a 1.1 mm average, and the toebox scored 4 out of 5 for durability. It weighs about 332 g.
It runs small, and Nike and RunRepeat both suggest going up half a size.
adidas Skateboarding
adidas Busenitz Pro
A suede cupsole with a soccer-boot look, descended from the Copa Mundial line. Dennis Busenitz signed with adidas in 2006 and his shoe arrived in 2009, according to most sources.
RunRepeat calls it the best cupsole in its guide, with a durability score of 89 out of 100, a true-to-size fit according to its user votes and a slightly narrow toe box. It isn't very breathable. In Weartested's long 2009 test (27 hours), the upper holed before the sole did.
adidas Samba ADV
A cupsole according to adidas and most retailers (one magazine has described it as a vulc, probably by mistake). Retailers mention two layers of Adituff toe reinforcement.
Weartested gave it its 2017 award for best board feel and grip, with no blowout spots in its test. It's one of the shoes that shows a slim cupsole can feel close to a vulc. We didn't find more recent independent tests.
adidas Campus ADV
A cupsole that replaced the Campus Vulc in October 2018, according to Skatedeluxe. Two-layer suede and Adituff in the high-wear areas.
The only test we found is Skatedeluxe's, which gives it 10 out of 10 and says it needs no break-in. Skatedeluxe also sells the shoe, so take the score with some caution.
adidas Tyshawn II
A leather cupsole with a Lightstrike foam wedge (the foam from adidas running shoes) and a dual-layer toe cap. It's Tyshawn Jones's second shoe, presented by adidas in 2024.
At Weartested the white leather clearly abraded, but once that top layer wore away no new abrasion points appeared, and the sole showed minimal wear. Sizing advice is split: Weartested says true to size, while the Tactics Japan tester went down half a size.
New Balance Numeric
New Balance Numeric 480
A cupsole with a FuelCell midsole and an ABZORB sockliner. It's based on a 1983 basketball design reworked for skating, according to the shop LB Skate.
In Weartested's test there was only minor stitching wear on the double-stitched suede toe, and no holes. True to size. It comes up a lot as the pick if you want comfort and protection without a bulky cupsole.
New Balance Numeric 440
A low-profile cupsole with a C-CAP heel wedge. Retailers sell it as vulc feel with cupsole protection, but that's marketing copy.
We found no independent wear test, so we can't tell you how long it lasts. If you're curious, try it on in a shop next to the 480 and compare.
New Balance Numeric Tiago Lemos 1010
A cupsole with FuelCell foam and a suede, leather and mesh upper. Tiago Lemos's shoe came out in 2022, according to WearTesters (not the same site as Weartested).
It's heavy: one retailer lists it at about 455 g. Our sources include no independent wear test, so it's more of an option for skaters who put cushioning first and don't mind the weight.
New Balance Numeric Foy 306 Cup
A cupsole with a vulc-inspired forefoot, a one-piece suede toe and an Ndurance outsole. It's Jamie Foy's shoe.
Weartested found the board feel impressive for a cupsole and liked the one-piece toe because it cuts down on seams, which are where shoes usually fail. The downside is that the tread collects small stones. Don't confuse it with the original vulcanized 306, which is a different shoe.
DC
DC Kalis Vulc
A suede vulc (SUPER SUEDE, in DC's terms) with an Ortholite insole, according to the brand. Complex describes it as the 2020 vulc reboot of the 1999 Kalis cupsole. OutdoorGearLab's spec table lists it as a cupsole, but its own review text says vulc.
OutdoorGearLab named it the best value in its test: good board feel (8.5) and no early wear, although it lost its shape fairly quickly. Its durability score was 6 out of 10.
DC Manual
A suede vulc with a rubber toe cap, according to DC. It comes in a low and a high-top (Manual Hi).
CCS ran one of its 100-trick tests with Ish Cepeda doing heelflips in the Manual Hi; the results are only in the video, which you can watch here. Beyond that we found no written independent test, so its durability is unverified.
DC Lynx
A cupsole with a suede and mesh upper and shoe-in-shoe construction. These days it's sold in versions such as the Lynx OG.
Weartested reviewed the Lynx S in 2014: after ten hours, the sidewalls and sole showed hardly any wear and the board feel was surprisingly good. The original release year isn't clear in the sources, so we've left it out.
Etnies
Etnies Marana
A cupsole with a rigid outsole and an STI foam midsole. It was originally Ryan Sheckler's pro model, and it now also comes with a Michelin outsole and as a vulc (the Marana Vulc).
In Weartested's test the rubber toe cap did its job very well and the mesh at the heel was the first thing to tear. The shape is wide, which makes it one of the few shoes reviewers recommend for wide feet.
Etnies and Michelin claim up to three times longer life for the Michelin version, but that figure comes from the brands' own test of 30 skaters over 30 days, not an independent one.
Etnies Josl1n
Chris Joslin's shoe has a Michelin outsole, STI Evolution foam, a removable footbed and a hidden toe cap that reaches into the ollie area, according to retailer listings. It's most likely a cupsole, but we couldn't confirm it, so check etnies.com before you buy.
Skatedeluxe skated the Joslin Pro for about 20 hours and says it still held its shape, though they found it heavy and firm.
Other brands
Last Resort AB VM001
A vulc with a thick one-piece suede upper and a dual-density PU insole. Last Resort AB is the brand Pontus Alv (Polar Skate Co.) founded with Sami Tolppi.
Weartested rated its durability very good in 2021: only light marks on the suede and one ripped eyelet seam, with plenty of life left. They also note the cushioning falls short if you jump ten-stairs often.
It runs slightly big, so go half a size down; it breaks in after two or three sessions. Its canvas sibling, the VM003, got a hole in the front during its ten-hour test.
Last Resort AB CM001
The brand's first cupsole: a leather upper with a suede panel in the ollie and kickflip area, and a Cloudy Cush insole.
At Weartested the eyelet seams ripped after four to five hours, which turned out to be cosmetic, and the board feel was very good for a cupsole. It runs small: the reviewer wears a US 9 in the VM models and a US 9.5 in the CM001.
Converse CONS AS-1 Pro
A suede cupsole with CX foam and a herringbone outsole. Alexis Sablone designed it, and it came out in 2023.
Weartested rated the board feel great, but the double-stitched toe started ripping after three sessions and blowout spots appeared around the tenth. True to size.
Converse CONS Louie Lopez Pro 2
A slim cupsole with CX foam and a wedge. Board feel is the standout: there's no break-in and the grip stays consistently strong.
The weak point, according to Weartested, is a blowout within a few sessions at the junction between toe and midfoot. The fit is slightly narrow and snug. It's the clearest example that a cupsole doesn't always outlast a vulc.
The CCS video (100 kickflips with Louie Lopez) features the first-generation Louie Lopez Pro, not the Pro 2.
Emerica Pillar Mid
A mid-top suede vulc with a double-wrapped rubber sole and an ollie guard.
It was OutdoorGearLab's best overall pick, scoring 8 out of 10 for durability with no holes. The insole is flat, so if you have high arches you may want to swap it for an aftermarket one.
Lakai Carroll
A cupsole with no forefoot midsole foam, a T-shaped suede toe cap, hidden laces and a herringbone outsole. It's Mike Carroll's shoe.
OutdoorGearLab gave it its top durability score (8.5) and the best impact absorption of its group, and it was the only shoe in the test with lace protection. Weartested, on the other hand, points out that without forefoot foam there's limited dampening on big gaps. It runs small: the OutdoorGearLab tester went up half a size.
Nothing matches those filters.
Quick comparison: 11 key models
| Model | Construction | Material | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vans Skate Old Skool | Vulc | Suede and canvas | Street, beginners, board feel |
| Vans Skate Half Cab | Vulc (Wafflecup version exists) | Suede, mid-top | All-round with some ankle cover |
| Vans Kyle Walker | Hybrid (Wafflecup) | Suede | Street with more protection |
| Nike SB Zoom Janoski OG+ | Vulc | Suede | Board feel; narrow fit |
| Nike SB Dunk Low Pro | Cupsole | Suede and leather | Comfort and impact |
| Nike SB Force 58 | Hybrid | Canvas and suede | Durability per RunRepeat; runs small |
| adidas Busenitz Pro | Cupsole | Suede | Street; slightly narrow toe box |
| adidas Tyshawn II | Cupsole with Lightstrike | Leather | Stairs and gaps |
| NB# 480 | Cupsole with FuelCell | Suede | Comfort without bulk |
| DC Kalis Vulc | Vulc | Suede | Tight budgets |
| Etnies Marana | Cupsole | Suede and mesh | Wide feet, impact |
How long do skate shoes last? What the tests really measure
We couldn’t find anyone who publishes a standardized hours-to-blowout figure. Each source measures something different, so it helps to know what.
Weartested skates every pair for about ten hours and reports where wear shows up, not when the shoe dies. That makes it useful for comparing weak points: the Half Cab’s forefoot came out almost untouched, the Dunk Low Pro IW gave way at the toe seams, and the NB# 480 showed only minor stitching wear. The longest test of theirs we found is from 2009: a pair of Busenitz Pros skated for 27 hours, where the upper holed before the sole.
RunRepeat measures in the lab. With a Dremel applied to the outsole, the regular Old Skool lost 1.7 mm against a 1.1 mm average, and the Nike SB Force 58 just 0.8 mm. Those are real numbers, although the site tests few dedicated skate models.
OutdoorGearLab bought seven pairs and put them through 25 consecutive kickflips, dozens of flip tricks, a braking test at around 15 mph and several weeks of skating. On durability, the Lakai Carroll scored 8.5, the Emerica Pillar Mid 8, the DC Kalis Vulc 6 and the Vans Old Skool 5.5.
Then there are Ruben Vee’s hours logs. He writes both Ripped Laces and SkateboardersHQ, so they count as one anecdotal source. By his notes, shoes last around 60-80 hours for street and park and up to 200 or more for bowl. By model, he logged 170+ hours on the original adidas Tyshawn and about 60 on the Nike SB Janoski.
Brand figures deserve some caution: Etnies and Michelin claim up to three times longer life with the Michelin outsole, based on their own test of 30 skaters over 30 days. Putting it all together, our reading is that lifespan depends more on the upper material, the rubber around the toe and where the seams sit than on whether the shoe is vulc or cupsole.
To get more life out of a pair, these are the tips that come up most:
- Shoe Goo on the ollie area before the first session (Ripped Laces).
- A thin layer of super glue over the stitching (Slam City).
- Taking the edge off fresh grip tape in the flip area by rubbing it with a scrap of old grip.
- No foot-braking, spare laces in your bag, and patching holes with suede from an old pair.
How to choose skate shoes for the way you skate
If you’re just starting, Slam City and RunRepeat recommend a vulc for the board feel and the zero break-in, preferably suede over canvas. RunRepeat names the Old Skool its best overall, but since the regular version did poorly in durability testing, we’d go for the Skate version. If you want some ankle coverage, the Half Cab got the best durability verdict at Weartested. Once your shoes are sorted, our guide on how to build a skateboard covers the rest of the setup.
For technical street and flip tricks, the usual combination is a low-top vulc. Check the toe (one-piece or with few seams), the reinforcement under the suede and whether the laces are protected. If you want a bit more protection without losing much feel, thin cupsoles like the Samba ADV, Louie Lopez Pro 2 or CM001 are a reasonable choice. Slam City even considers a cupsole the better option for switch heelflips.
For stairs, gaps and big drops, go cupsole; every source agrees here. Look for a foam wedge or a FuelCell or Lightstrike midsole (NB# 480, Tyshawn II, Dunk Low Pro), and avoid shoes with no forefoot foam, a limitation Weartested points out on the Lakai Carroll.
For transition, park and bowl, high tops are common, and the Sk8-Hi is RunRepeat’s high-top pick.
With wide feet, Weartested recommends the Etnies Marana for its wide shape. Try on carefully, or skip, the models that several sources describe as narrow: the Janoski OG+, Force 58, Busenitz, adidas Nora and Louie Lopez Pro 2.
On a tight budget, the DC Kalis Vulc was OutdoorGearLab’s best value pick, and Skate Warehouse names the adidas Glenburn as its budget option.
For kids, Nike makes the SB Day One, which sneaker press reports launched in 2024 as the brand’s first skate shoe designed from the ground up for kids. It only comes in kids’ sizes, so it isn’t an option for an adult beginner.
Skate shoe sizing and break-in
According to Weartested, most models fit true to size. These are the exceptions that come up in our sources:
- Half a size down: Last Resort VM001 and VM003.
- Half a size up: Last Resort CM001, adidas Nora, Lakai Carroll, Vans Skate Slip-On and Nike SB Force 58.
- Up to a full size up: Nike SB Janoski OG+, according to reviews on Nike’s own site.
- Mixed advice: adidas Tyshawn II (Weartested says true to size; the Tactics Japan tester went half a size down).
Skate Warehouse recommends a fit that’s snug without being too tight. Break-in varies as well: Last Resort’s VM models take two or three sessions, the Vans Safe Low three or four and the Old Skool 36+ none at all. With cupsoles, Ripped Laces suggests walking around in them before you skate them.
Don’t assume a brand always sizes the same, either. The Weartested reviewer wears a US 9 in Last Resort’s VM vulcs and a 9.5 in its CM001 cupsole. If you can, try shoes on in a shop, which is what both Slam City and Weartested recommend.
How much do skate shoes cost?
Prices vary a lot by shop, country and season, so we can only give rough ranges. Retailer guides put most skate shoes somewhere around $60-130 a pair. In Europe, entry-level skate-line vulcs tend to sit around €60-85, and pro models and more technical cupsoles around €90-120. Last season’s colorways get discounted often, and Ripped Laces simply recommends buying during sales.
Keep exploring
- How to build a skateboard
- How to choose a skateboard deck
- Affordable skateboard decks buying guide
- How to ollie on a skateboard
- Skatepark etiquette: the unwritten rules
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