eS Men's Saga Skate Shoe Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I recently got these shoes to start skating in after a long break. What drew me to these shoes was they reminded me a lot of tech skateboard shoes from the mid to late 90s, just before all the shoe companies went overboard with technical features and skate shoes got way too bulky and ugly. This shoe is supposed to be a "best of" or "frankenstein" of all of 'eS's popular models from mid to late 90s era. While it isn't quite perfect, it is a well done shoe and performs far better than the thin, floppy vulcanized sole shoes that are so popular among today's skinny jean clad skaters.
I got these in the black colorway, and these are made of synthetic nubuck with no real leather anywhere on the shoe. If you're a vegan, or prefer synthetic shoes for some reason, this is the colorway you want. The white ones are real leather, FYI.
This shoe basically reminds me of the Accel model on steroids mixed with some features of the first signature models 'eS released in the mid 90s for Eric Koston and Chad Muska. If you were around back then and were a fan of any of those models, you'll like these shoes.
Pros:
The ankle support is outstanding for a low top. It's almost as good as some of the better mid top skate shoes I've had.
The ollie area, toecap, and main side seam are all triple stiched...no double stitching cop out there.
The toecap seems like it will be very durable. Underneath the surface material, there is thick, yet flexible rubber toecap. There is also a "tuff tech weld", which is a hard, thin plastic like cap that goes around the lower portion of the to where the nubuck material meets the sole.
Lots of thick padding around the ankle, achilles area, and tongue.
Mesh tongue for ventilation.
There is an optional lacesaver flap for the first eyelet near the toe. Good feature if you tend to tear laces there.
The outsole is a combination exposed EVA midsole/Rubber cupsole that is quite cushiony and flexible. The outsoles provide good grip on a skateboard and boardfeel is above average for a tech shoe. There is also a nice firm airbag in the heel for impact support.
The shoes are fairly lightweight for a technical skate shoe.
Cons:
The included laces (2 pairs - 1 white & 1 black) are simply too long. I measured them and they were over 60" long. Unless you wear your shoes super loose and tuck your laces inside your shoes, I recommend you swap out the laces for some shorter 45" or 50" ones.
The stock STI Ortholite insoles feel fine for a day or so, but after that I concluded they were too thin for me. I think the insoles were sort of a concession to today's boardfeel obsessed skaters. I felt like there was too much boardfeel and the forefoot area of my feet were starting to hurt from them. Luckily, they are removable, so you can put any kind of aftermarket insoles in there that will fit. I got a pair of Sof Sole Athletes in my size, which fit fine in these shoes after you loosen the laces and wiggle them in.
Amazon sells those here:
http://www.amazon.com/Sof-Sole-Athlete-Cushion-Insole/dp/B002VEGMRS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298666641&sr=8-1
The shoe could be more breathable. Synthetic nubuck isn't the most breathable material to begin with and I feel like these shoes would be better if these had some breathable mesh on the side panel like the old 'eS Kostons.
The terry cloth material around the ankle will rip on the edges from heelflips and ollies. That would happen with almost any soft material on the edge though and this is a pretty common problem on 99% of low top skate shoes. I suggest you apply a thin protective coat of Shoe Goo there at the first sign of ripping.
Overall this is a solid, comfortable, technical skate shoe that will please most fans of 'eS's mid to late 90s heyday and those skaters that just need something with a little more padding and impact support. I can't comment on long-term durability because I've only skated my pair a few times, but they seem like they'll hold up a lot better than most skate shoes on the market these days.


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Get in gear with the Saga skate shoe from eS. It has thick padding in the linings and collar for extra protection, and its super flexible rubber sole will help you get a grip on your board.

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