This isn't your casual shoe review saying they are comfortable and what not... Because we skated these hard.
There's always been some hype on these shoes, usually when a decent color way finally comes out but I never bought into em. But then when I saw this Anthracite (basically grey), Black, and University red color way I had to snatch em up.
I've owned these for about 2 and a half months, and when I first bought them I had no intention of skating them. I have only worn them about 5 times, only wearing them when I had a outfit with red in it. But then I blew a massive hole in my vans, I needed new shoes. I had three other pairs laying around. All three have already been shredded. Then I saw the Janoski box in the corner of the room. I was thinking to my self wondering if I should skate them or not then finally said "Why not?" Threw on the Janoski's and hit the streets.
Before we look at the pros and cons of this shoe, I want to give you some quick information about this particular Janoski I am reviewing because the materials vary. The Janoski I skated and tested is made of suede and canvas. It has double stitching in the top cap and is a vulcanized shoe. Alright so thats about all you'll want to know going into the reviewing.
So first off we will start with the pros:
- The Nike SB Zoom Janoski is a nice weight, not to heavy but not insanely light either.
- These shoes came with a white rubber outsole, that was very durable.
- This shoe had a lot of board feel!
- The sole proved to be insanely durable! I am shocked at how little the sole has wared down after a good month and a half of skating them.
- It features metal lace eyelets.
- The Nike Zoom air insole is very comfortable and shock absorbing.
- Under the insole where your heel would be it features a Nike Zoom unit, which is a shock absorbing pad. The Zoom unit is one of the best features of this shoe it definitley saved me from a few heel bruises.
- The super thin tongue and suede make this shoe very breathable.
- The suede is surprisingly durable and didn't tear fast at all.
- And in my opinion this shoe is very nice looking, and stylish.
Obviously Nike SB put out a great shoe, but with all pros come cons. So let's take a look at why these shoes aren't the greatest:
- The laces were torn up by the third day.
- The white rubber outsole lasted a decent amount of time, but it didn't always provide the grip needed.
- And the biggest con. The price. This particular model coming in at $80.00 isn't exactly affordable to most young and teenage skaters, especially because we go through shoes so fast.
But we have to say we are very impressed with this shoe, and especially the insole. But the biggest matter is always price, then again you can expect any Nikes to be cheap. Let's see how price effects the overall rating this shoe gets.
Ratings:
Price: 6/10. This is not exactly a affordable shoe.
Performance: 8/10. This is a good all around performing shoe.
Durability: 8/10. This Janoski held up just fine, with the exception of the weak laces which can be a big inconvenience.
Looks: 10/10. The low profile, great color way, and nice materials team up to make a great looking shoe!
Overall Rating: 8/10
We get the Overall Rating by averaging the price, performance, looks, and durability ratings. An 8/10 doesn't make this shoe the best, but it definitely sets it self away from others. If you got 80 dollars to burn, go ahead and get yourself a pair of these. We don't think you'll be disappointed.
More photos of the Nike SB Zoom Stefan Janoski:
