Vans Authentic Pro Shoe Review/Wear Test
Vans Authentic Pro
Shoe Review/Wear Test
By: Jason Lee
Initial Impression
The Authentic looks and feels comfortable; the Ultracush HD insole is a combination of the shoe's insole and midsole. The thick sole seems to limit board feel but strangely enough I experienced a fair amount of board feel skating and walking around. It seems to envelop the idea of being a hybrid of a vulcanized and capsule shoe, leaning more towards vulcanized. The shoe does not cup the heel well, even with all the eyelets laced up. Overall, it seems like a promising shoe for lower impact skating.
Sizing
Fits better for me a half size down, this is mainly to try and combat the fact that the Authentic does not cup the heel well.
Shape
The shape is rather slim and pointed but not as narrow or pointed as Converse's One Star or One Star CC. The shape changes however, later on in the wearing process due to the breathability(see "Breathability" section). The shoe's blunt and shovel-like shape helped with flick, and it felt better for me than the narrow, and pointed shape of the Converse One Star CC.
Durability
The shoe's durability superseded my expectations and the Authentic lasted me about a month or so. It should be taken into account that I spent a fair amount of time doing slappys, so some of the time the shoe's outsole and tread would take the majority of the beating. The initial layer of canvas tore within about a week or so, but the Duracap seemed to last well until the end of the month. This was in part due to the fact that on top of the Duracap there was multiple layers of canvas to tear through as well. The Duracap did an effective job of increasing the shoe's lifespan as well as adding to the traction when needed to ollie and etc. The shoe's higher sidewall or bumper helped add to the traction of the shoe as well. The side panel of the shoe experienced heavier amounts of wear when I did try heelflips or 180's, but it faired relatively well. But, because it did not have any Duracap backing it, the shoe's shape became more floppy or loose.
Breathability
The shoe lacks breathability because it only has two eyelets at the inner sidewall of the shoe. As a result, I experienced a fair amount of swamp foot, and this caused the shoe's canvas to pack out, and expand from its original shape. This means that later on I had to retie the shoe, but it did make the shoe a tad more comfortable, being that I have a wider foot. Although the canvas would have helped with creating more breathability with the shoe, the Duracap(rubber layer underlying the canvas) just added to the shoe's lack of breathability.
Grip/Support/Comfort
The shoe's grip was superb, and I was not annoyed with its lack of grip till about a month in when the shoe no longer had any tread left. The grip seemed to last much longer; this is probably due to the fact that Vans recently changed their rubber formula for skate shoes. The support was below average; the lack of padding around the heel region of the shoe caused my foot to slip in and out of the shoe as I walked or pushed. However, I did not notice my foot coming out of the shoe when skating. The comfort was superb, and this is in part due to the Ultracush HD insole. Walking around in the shoe was enjoyable and so was jumping down stairs. However, I did not go higher than the average 6 stair when I was skating this shoe.
Final Thoughts
The Vans Authentic Pro is an enjoyable, well rounded, and good looking shoe. Where it lacks in breathability and support, it makes up for in durability, comfort, and grip. If one wanted a more casual shoe with added breathability I would suggest not buying the "Pro" version of the shoe. However, the heightened sidewall of the shoe adds very subtly to the shoes support. The shoes only real drawback is its lack of a heel cup, which seems to be fixed with the Vans Era shoe.
Shoe Review/Wear Test
By: Jason Lee
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| Decorative stitching around the sidewall, and no padding around the ankle region of the shoe. The lack of padding is likely one of the main reasons why there is a lack of support. |
Initial Impression
The Authentic looks and feels comfortable; the Ultracush HD insole is a combination of the shoe's insole and midsole. The thick sole seems to limit board feel but strangely enough I experienced a fair amount of board feel skating and walking around. It seems to envelop the idea of being a hybrid of a vulcanized and capsule shoe, leaning more towards vulcanized. The shoe does not cup the heel well, even with all the eyelets laced up. Overall, it seems like a promising shoe for lower impact skating.
 |
| 10 hours of wear. The laces are frayed but not broken. Sidewall of the shoe is torn, and the Duracap is exposed after what looks like two layers of canvas. The canvas seems to go all the way down past the heightened sidewall; this implies that if the glue comes loose it will not look like a broken in Chuck Taylor. |
Sizing
Fits better for me a half size down, this is mainly to try and combat the fact that the Authentic does not cup the heel well.
Shape
The shape is rather slim and pointed but not as narrow or pointed as Converse's One Star or One Star CC. The shape changes however, later on in the wearing process due to the breathability(see "Breathability" section). The shoe's blunt and shovel-like shape helped with flick, and it felt better for me than the narrow, and pointed shape of the Converse One Star CC.
 |
| 10 hours of wear. The traction has faded substantially but will not become completely smooth for at least another couple of weeks or so. Vans' rubber formula seems to have improved but not too substantially. |
Durability
The shoe's durability superseded my expectations and the Authentic lasted me about a month or so. It should be taken into account that I spent a fair amount of time doing slappys, so some of the time the shoe's outsole and tread would take the majority of the beating. The initial layer of canvas tore within about a week or so, but the Duracap seemed to last well until the end of the month. This was in part due to the fact that on top of the Duracap there was multiple layers of canvas to tear through as well. The Duracap did an effective job of increasing the shoe's lifespan as well as adding to the traction when needed to ollie and etc. The shoe's higher sidewall or bumper helped add to the traction of the shoe as well. The side panel of the shoe experienced heavier amounts of wear when I did try heelflips or 180's, but it faired relatively well. But, because it did not have any Duracap backing it, the shoe's shape became more floppy or loose.
 |
| 4 weeks of skating. I retired the shoe not because the Duracap broke, but because the tread of the shoe had worn down to the point where I could see my sock. The heightened sidewall helped tremendously with up-keeping the shoe's life. |
Breathability
The shoe lacks breathability because it only has two eyelets at the inner sidewall of the shoe. As a result, I experienced a fair amount of swamp foot, and this caused the shoe's canvas to pack out, and expand from its original shape. This means that later on I had to retie the shoe, but it did make the shoe a tad more comfortable, being that I have a wider foot. Although the canvas would have helped with creating more breathability with the shoe, the Duracap(rubber layer underlying the canvas) just added to the shoe's lack of breathability.
Grip/Support/Comfort
The shoe's grip was superb, and I was not annoyed with its lack of grip till about a month in when the shoe no longer had any tread left. The grip seemed to last much longer; this is probably due to the fact that Vans recently changed their rubber formula for skate shoes. The support was below average; the lack of padding around the heel region of the shoe caused my foot to slip in and out of the shoe as I walked or pushed. However, I did not notice my foot coming out of the shoe when skating. The comfort was superb, and this is in part due to the Ultracush HD insole. Walking around in the shoe was enjoyable and so was jumping down stairs. However, I did not go higher than the average 6 stair when I was skating this shoe.
Final Thoughts
The Vans Authentic Pro is an enjoyable, well rounded, and good looking shoe. Where it lacks in breathability and support, it makes up for in durability, comfort, and grip. If one wanted a more casual shoe with added breathability I would suggest not buying the "Pro" version of the shoe. However, the heightened sidewall of the shoe adds very subtly to the shoes support. The shoes only real drawback is its lack of a heel cup, which seems to be fixed with the Vans Era shoe.
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