Thursday, September 30, 2010

DQM Eat Here, Not There

Curtis Rapp & friends holding it down in this new DQM video "Eat Here, Not There"


Eat Here Not There from DQM on Vimeo.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

CONS Trapasso, Part 2


Week 3, Grip:

My third week of skating the CONS Trapasso, I decided to show more attention towards the bottom of the shoe. The CONS brand uses the "Maximum-Grip rubber outsole compound" for most of their catalog and is a favorite amongst most skaters. I honestly cannot tell whether there is a significant difference between the Cons brand bottom and the commercial Converse bottom, as sold by Target and most major store brands looking to sell cool moms and dads there "hip" converses. For now that question will go unanswered.

A question I can answer is that the bottoms may start to fade in under a month of skating but that doesn't sacrifice, by any means, the grip. The grip remains strong throughout the month and I can only imagine afterwards as well.

Weird enough is the sound made by the rubber sole when putting your foot back on after taking a couple of solid kicks. You know...the Schreech! sound you hear on most basketball court. Kinda reassuring.

I'm regular footed, so you'll be able to tell the beatings each shoe took from kicking and shimmying my front foot in the right position before any trick. (Photos Below)


Grip Grading: 8
Bottom Sole Durability: 7

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Week 4, Durability:

You haven't seen any top photos from week 3 because the transition of the shoe from week 3 to week 4 are pretty much the same. The shoe went into that "survival mode" where it holds up against any abuse before taking its last beating. The following photos cover skating from weeks 3 to 4. (photos below)

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As you can see through the photos, the shoe takes a gouge from kickflips (depending on how you do them, I have a aggro one, sorry) but the most honorable mention in this review goes to the durable suede. CONS uses the "High abrasion suede with internal reinforcement". Hearing something like "High Abrasion Suede" before buying any shoe just sounds like a bunch of bullshit so you'll take another step towards the register, but this suede is the real thing. Initially, I was expecting a blow-out but much to my suprise the small cross hatching stitched area helps the suede never showed a sign of weakness.


Suede Durability: 10

Sole/Toe Cap Durability: 8

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Summary:

Simply by the comfort and durability testing, this shoe is worth it. I've been skating this shoe for approximately two months, trying to get a solid review together and I've found the CONS "Trapasso" provide great ankle protection with its mid top features and solid board feel. More recently, I've been preparing for the next shoe review & I haven't been enjoying it as much, so after coming back to the Trapasso, I realized how well this shoe skates compared to most shoes today. 

I always try to review shoes that I feel have great potential and don't get enough shine as others, but this shoe seems to be an exception. Whether my efforts in this review make you want to buy this shoe anymore than you did 5 mins ago, I don't think this shoe will have any problems getting itself off shelfs at your local skate shop. So, with that said, try to get a pair ASAP.