I've been trying to continue my review with the HUF footwear but with New York's infamous winter coming strong this year, it's been somewhat prolonged. With winter rearing its ugly taco meat face, I needed to show you what gear to look out for this winter.

Dvs is one of two skateboarding brands I've never skated before. I never cared for their shoes but with the change in season, comes the change in appearance. Dvs just released a brand of skate influenced snow shoes and needless to say they're actually amazing quality footwear. This catalog of shoes are not the kind just trying to soak up your last dollar before the holidays. Unlike your dads hand me down Timberlands, these shoes present style and protection while providing enough boardfeel to skate in. Interesting......

I got the Westridge snow boot because I actually didn't look forward to wearing my hand me down Timberlands and they're much cheaper than a brand new pair of Timberlands. I simply wanted them for snow/winter purposes but after I laced up and walked around in them I began to notice that they felt exactly like a worn in pair of skate shoes. Again, I had no idea when I walked into 2nd Nature that I would be reviewing a snow/skate shoe, none the less a Dvs shoe, huh?





Dvs has introduced CGT on all three models featured and I can really see this same technology being used with regularly seasoned skate shoes. CGT is Cold Grip Technology and is a fusion of materials which gives the outsole improved traction and longevity in harsh climates.

The image above is the Westridge snow boot and is fully padded for any climate. I actually skated these shoes for a minute and to my surprise they skate really well but I need them for the winter so no more skating. They're very light weight; even compared to the skateboarding standards of today. The padding and insulation are everywhere it needs to be and even though they aren't sold as a water proof shoe, I'm more than sure that they don't let water in so easy. These have a thick padded heel collar, padded tongue and deep grip traction marks for no slippage on snow or ice. Nubuck all around so snow and water will slide right off.





The Rico Snow (above) and Torey Snow shoe (below) come with all the same features the Westridge have, but with the exception of being lighter and less bulky for your more casual look without losing protection from cold weather conditions. Basically, you could go outside in the snow without the worry of falling on your ass and without getting frostbite all while looking like you have some skate shoes on your feet.

 The Rico have a synthetic type of technology making them completly water proof. The Torey snow, being designed around Torey Pudwills original shoe have the traditional skate shoe look with an all around suede fabric but carry more insulation to prepare you for shoveling driveways all day. These two shoes have the same CGT underneath them, so any grip you expected with the Torey Snow comes with the Rico Snow. It won't be easy choosing either of these casual looking shoes, but you can expect quality support with the Dvs Snow Series.

With all the newest shoes and shoe companies dropping as of late,  I took a moment to step back and reevaluate what shoe I wanted to skate more than I wanted to review. Bobby Worrest has been one of my favorite skaters for a long time, actually since this video dropped. I also wanted to take a trip back to review a shoe or two that have been released long before Ripped Laces ever came along and started ruining my life. With that said reviewing the eS "First Bloods" was fairly easy, I kept a strict schedule of skating every other day for atleast 1 - 2 hours. Needless to say, my knee hurts and I haven't been this sore since I was 16 but nontheless it was the best and only way to skate this shoe.


Sizing:
This had to be one of the most true to size shoes I've skated in a long time. No small pockets of empty space in this shoe or any annoying heel slipping while walking. With a comfortable slip-on feel, which is credited to the elastic tongue centering straps, the First Bloods give you a snug feeling all around.



Comfort, Cushion and Support:
The eS "First Blood" is Bobby Worrest's first pro model (like you didn't know that already) and have features that eS are tapping into for the first time. This shoe specifically is the first of its kind in the eS catalog to have an extended, stretched (beak like) toe cap and rather unique shape. The shape is narrow but doesn't sacrifice comfort, especially for those with larger feet. I've skated Vans Chucka lows and loved them but after the day was done the side of my pinky would have blisters on it. The First Bloods have a larger footbed for the ball of the foot and in comparision to a Chucka low toe cap, rather than fabric going straight across the shoe, the eS First Bloods have a rubber cup material laying underneth suede for space, breathablity and durability. This allows for higher comfort level and less sweat on your feet when skating.

For the first 3 days the First Bloods felt heavy on my feet, they weighed in at 1 pound 10 ounces. Needless to say the breaking-in process wasn't easy but after the fourth day the shoe comes around. I only had to tie the shoes once and I could just slide them on and go skate. With STI providing the techonology for eS, Etnies & Emerica, one could expect the good old traditional features, all of this is added and yet tweaked with the First Blood. This shoe has a thin padded tongue and collar for comfort thats not too distracting when skating, so no need for tugging of the tongue or any readjusting. A staple of STI is the molded PU footbed and System G2 heel cushioning gel insert, these two features alone provide added support and comfort.



Boardfeel and Grip:
With a straight forward approach from eS designing the shoe, it took me a while to figure out why the shoe felt so heavy. After playing around with other eS models in skate shops, I realized that the Vulcanized Gum rubber sole was suprisingly heavy. This sole is commonly used with most STI shoes and has a much deeper Herring bone tread pattern for added grip.

The First Bloods start gaining some great boardfeel while losing some grip. I never had a problem with the grip, it wasn't ever overwhelming or less than par but it just burns out a little sooner than most shoes. I could only speculate that this is why the First Bloods sole is so heavy, with so much rubber making the tread/grip marks deeper, the grip lasts longer but adds weight to the shoe substancially.


Durability:
This shoe can last approximately 4 to 6 weeks depending on how much you skate. The rubber cup material laying underneth the suede/toe cap area stretches the life expectancy remarkably. Another noticeable feature in this shoe is probably the most slept on. eS avoided unneccessary technology to prevent abrasion on the laces, simply put they're just higher up on the shoe. As said earlier, the grip is great but the constancy of the herringbone tread pattern is ultimately what causes the rubber sole to burn out.



Summary:
This shoe has been one of my favorite reviews so far, I don't whether it was because the shoe was simply yet stratigically put together or what, but the eS First Blood are in my Top 5 favorite skate shoes. My skating was consistant, they're super comfortable and in the era of $80 to $100 skate shoes you really can't go wrong with these.



 
Grading: 1 thru 10
 
Comfort: 10
Cushion: 7
Boardfeel: 9
Grip: 8
Grip Durability: 6.5
Overall Durability: 9


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The eS "First Blood" is Bobby Worrest's first signature shoe. I don't know a better reason to review these than the fact that the Krooked "3D" video just dropped. I've done some skating in them so expect the full review sometime next week. In the mean while check out this interview with Bobby Worrest. He speaks on skating, talks about filming for the Krooked video & even spills the beans on his new shoe in the works.