Six months in, the thing that goes first on a Vans UltraRange EXO is not the sole. It is the mesh. Specifically the panel right where your big toe flexes, which is also where every pair of these ends up looking tired before the tread has even thought about wearing down. That is not a…
The Vans Ward is a good sneaker for what it costs, and a bad one for what people keep asking it to do. For errands, commuting, and casual rotation, it does the job at a price that stings less than almost anything else in the Vans lineup. For standing all day, walking real distances, or…
The first pair I ever saw in the wild was on a guy at a bus stop, and I spent the whole ride trying to figure out what Vans had done to an Old Skool. Bigger stripe. Fatter tongue. Everything about it looked inflated, like someone had pumped the classic up with a bike pump….
Most people buy the Vans Era because they think it is the comfortable Vans. It is not. It is the less uncomfortable Vans. That distinction is the whole purchase. The Era sits in the middle of the Vans lineup – more padding around the ankle than the Authentic, less shoe than the Old Skool –…
I bought my first pair of Sk8-Hi’s because of a photo. Some dude on a skate forum, black jeans, black high-tops, that was it. No info, no review, just a vibe I wanted to copy. I wore them for a week straight and by day four my heels were raw and my feet ached in…
The Authentic is the better sneaker, and the Slip-On is the better shoe. That is the whole thing, and everything else in this comparison comes out of that one split. Laces give you control over how the shoe sits on your foot, and control is what makes a canvas sneaker wearable for more people in…
The people who sell sneakers for a living will tell you the same thing when the customer walks out: the Vans Slip-On is the easiest sale in the store and the hardest shoe to talk somebody out of. Nobody needs help deciding they want one. What they need is somebody to tell them the truth…
The Vans Authentic is a cop for casual style, light everyday wear, and anyone who wants the cleanest version of the Vans look at the lowest sensible price. It is a pass for all-day standing, serious walking, and anyone who needs real underfoot support. That is the whole review in two sentences, and most people…