lakai marc review
DESCRIPTION
An in depth review on the Lakai Marc Johnson skateboard shoe.TRANSCRIPT
Lakai Marc By: Walter Engelhardt www.allthingsskateboarding.blogspot.com I have been anticipating the Lakai Marc shoe ever since last spring. Once I finally got my hands on a pair I decided to do the first All Things Skateboarding shoe review on it. The Lakai Marc was released in late summer. It appeals due to its stylish look, and its unique features. This review was done over a long weekend and 17 hours of skateboarding was put into this shoe. I skated more obstacles in these shoes; a few flat ground sessions were put into these shoes to see if this shoe was all around durable for any way you skateboard.
Comfort: 9.0 The comfort of the Lakai Marc is a very positive aspect of the shoe. It is comfortable right out of the box. The lining that they use is very soft on your foot and does not cause any un-‐needed friction that may cause blisters or an overall uncomfortable feeling when skating in this shoe. The minimal design of the khaki suede upper also prevents hotspots and friction. The thin padded tongue feels nice and molds to the top of the foot and increases comfort. The elastic centering strap help keep the tongue in place and is successful with helping the shoe fit a little more snug. The collar of the shoe is moderately padded and has a rounded out shape to it. It needs no breaking in to have optimal comfort. The Blue insole provides a squishy feeling that helps with whatever you use these shoes for. It absorbs enough impact to keep your feet from aching. The rubber toe bumper also is worn down enough so that is begins to get a more arrow shaped look to it. This results in lots of control when doing flip tricks
Before and After: the collar molds to fit around your ankle and the toebox peaks out
Support: 8.5 The support of the Lakai Marc is something I had never experienced in another shoe. It has a somewhat uncommon silhouette. The collar sits about ¼ of the way over the balls of your ankles. The padding is about ½ inch thick and is just enough to keep the board from causing injuries on your ankle but isn’t so overpowering that you can’t move your ankle. I have found that when flicking with the shoe there is almost no difference between the Marc and a low top shoe due to the excellent flexibility of the collar. The insole is relatively flat just like any insole on the market. The problem was fixed when I put some Remind Insoles into the shoe because they have a good amount of arch support. Can’t complain about anything Lakai did a good job formulating this uncommon silhouette
Before and After: The collar becomes flexible. The solid heel reinforcement can be seen as stitching towards the back of the shoe
Fit: 9.5 The fit of the Lakai Marc is nothing but perfect. It fits true to size, so there is no need to order a half size up, or down. The Lakai Marc can fit a narrow, or wide footed person. I have narrow feet so I can fit into most shoes perfectly. If you have wide feet the broad toe will suit you well. The broadness of the toe box when you first get the shoe worried me. But after the 30 minute break in time and after doing a few flip tricks the suede breaks in and begins to get a peak to it. The suede softens up and becomes a little flat. This allows the suede to fit over the foot very comfortably. The tongue feels nice and molded over your feet after a while, and the tongue centering straps help keep your feet centered and makes your feet feel secured and supported when using the shoe. The sidewalls are very sturdy and maintain some rigidity when broken in. It did not hang over the side of the foxing tape. Clearly showing good craftsmanship of the upper. Overall the fit is one of the best that I’ve experienced
Breathability: 7.0 The breathability of the Lakai Marc is average. The Marc has two vents on the inside of the shoe, and perforations on the Lakai logo. These points of ventilation don’t contribute much to the overall breathability. The thin design of the shoe doesn’t contribute to breathability. Feet can get very sweaty during sessions and many sweat stains developed on the shoe. This helps breaking in the materials but the sweat stains dry to a white color and makes the shoe look untidy and dirty. When skating in the cold New York weather the average breathability helps keep feet warm, but on warm days you should expects some swamp feet. A mesh tongue or more perforations on the inside of the shoe would greatly increase breathability.
Durability: 9.0 The only wear after a rough 17 hour field test is around the toe bumper, and the slight fraying of materials in the heelflip area and a little fraying in the Ollie area. The one-‐piece toe box was implemented on this shoe and makes for better durability and decreases the amount of seams to rip. The suede has a unique texture to it. It feels fuzzy almost when frayed but does not rip. There are only 3 main panels on this shoe: the two sidewalls, and the toecap. This increases the longevity of the shoe. The stitching around the Ollie area is very recessed and no abrasion of the precautionary layer superglue on the Ollie area was present. Abrasion was only present on the surrounding material. The laces were not torn, or even frayed to the slightest bit. The lace flaps did their job of keeping the laces concealed from the griptape. The lace protection is a feature that you don’t see very often on shoes. I personally thank Lakai for sparing me the torment of changing laces every day.
Before After Grip: 9.0 Lakai has been using a herringbone tread pattern on their new shoes. It features deep grooves so that the durability of the sole is increased. Lakai pairs this tread pattern with a soft gum sole. Softer material usually results in a very grippy outsole, but comes at the cost of durability. The durability of soft material is compromised by the deep grooves. After roughly 17 hours the outsole showed no flat spots. Some wear on the sole
was present, but that is expected of any shoe after 17 hours of skating. There were multiple areas where the foxing tape was peeling away from the sole. These gaps in the rubber began to appear within the first day of skating but were fixed with some super glue and were fine once bonded back together. This doesn’t effect performance at all. The Marc took about 20-‐30 minutes to break in. In the past I have had a few Lakai shoes. The soles burnt out somewhat quickly. Lakai has formulated a tacky sole that has great longevity. Lakai really hit the nail on the head with the sole.
The Marc’s Herringbone Tread Pattern Outsole after 17 Hours
Separations of foxing tape and sole
Overall: 8.75 The Marc Johnson pro model turned out to be an incredibly durable shoe with many uncommon features such as the low-‐cut midtop silhouette and optional lace protection. The shoe has a grippy, and durable shoe putting a good amount of focus on boardfeel. It is a well-‐manufactured product from a company that supports skateboarding to the fullest. The shoe is well worth a try and more Lakai shoes will hopefully be reviewed in the near future. The Lakai Marc is no doubt a great shoe made from a great company.
The Marc is fairly priced at around 60-‐68 dollars. It is priced low compared to many other shoe models with some of the same aspects. Thanks to Lakai on this shoe.