Skate shoes come in all kinds of colors, styles, and flavors with more added each year to the already mind-boggling selection. Regardless, what’s funny is that skate fashion is always changing, so what’s in right now might not be tomorrow. Thus, personal preference will play a bigger role in what you’ll like versus what anybody else says. It’s all a matter of what you enjoy skating the most. Technical skateboarders prefer vulcanized shoes for boardfeel, skateboarders who jump down big stuff lean toward cupsoles for cushioning and support, die-hard skate rats love durability, the modern skateboarder love minimal shoes, and slip-ons offer convenience and comfort. If you haven’t yet, read our article on how to choose skate shoes to get a better idea of what you want. If you already know, read on to find out what our top picks for best skate shoes are, happening right now!
Tips for Picking Skate Shoes
Share This Guide On Your Site
Best Skate Shoes of 2018
| All-Around | Vulcanized | Cupsole |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Durable | Minimal | Slip-On |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best All-Around Skate Shoes
For our top picks for all-around skate shoes, we looked for shoes that excel at anything that has to do with skateboarding. The ones that made our list feature the whole nine yards, including boardfeel, cushioning, support, durability, and style.
The award for best all-around skate shoes include the Emerica Romero Laced, the Nike SB Blazer, and the Lakai Griffin.
- Cupsole or Vulcanizedfont-weight: bold; font-size: 16px;
- Upper Material
- Available Cuts
- Details
- Cupsole
- Suede
- Low
- Heel drag pad
- Tongue-centering straps
- Triangle tread
- Vulcanized
- Suede
- Low, Mid, High
- Herringbone tread
- Bootie construction
- Elastic gusseted tongue
- Zoom Air Unit
- Vulcanized
- Suede
- Low
- EVA sockliner
- Herringbone tread
Best Vulcanized Skate Shoes
Vulcanized skate shoes offer a lot of boardfeel so you can know exactly what’s going on underneath your feet. This gives you more confidence when performing flip tricks and more technical types of skateboarding. Usually, shoes with excellent boardfeel are thicker in the heels for cushioning while thinner in the toe area for a closer foot to board feeling. All things considered, shoes with vulcanized soles have the best boardfeel although support and cushioning can be lacking.
Our top picks include any Vans Waffle sole shoe (favorites include the Old Skool, Sk8-Hi Pro, and the legendary Half-Cabs), the Huf Classic Lo, and the Nike SB Zoom Janoski.
- Cupsole or Vulcanizedfont-weight: bold; font-size: 16px;
- Upper Material
- Available Cuts
- Details
- Cupsole
- Canvas/Suede
- Low
- Original Waffle Outsole
- Duracap reinforced rubber
- UltraCush HD sockliner
- Vulcanized
- Canvas/Suede
- High
- Original Waffle Outsole
- Duracap reinforced rubber
- UltraCush HD sockliner
- Vulcanized
- Suede
- Mid
- Original Waffle Outsole
- Duracap reinforced rubber
- UltraCush HD sockliner
- Padded tongue/collar
- PU midsole
- Vulcanized
- Suede/Canvas
- Low, High
- Minimal padding
- Rubber toe cap
- Vulcanized
- Suede
- Low
- EVA sockliner
- Herringbone tread
Best Cupsole Skate Shoes
On the other hand, you have cupsole shoes for skateboarders who enjoy a high level of cushioning and support. This helps with high impact skateboarding such as jumping off stairs and gaps, grinding handrails and hubbas, and catching big airs on transition. Ultimately, what makes a good pair of cupsole shoes is the type of rubber, midsole, insole, and heel support a shoe uses. In the end, cupsoles are the victor when it comes to cushioning and protection.
Our cupsole winners include the Emerica Reynolds G6, Etnies Marana, and the eS Accel OG.
- Cupsole or Vulcanizedfont-weight: bold; font-size: 16px;
- Upper Material
- Available Cuts
- Details
- Cupsole
- Suede/Leather
- Low
- G6 insole
- Heel anchor system
- One piece toe
- Vulcanized
- Suede
- Low
- Pro Foam 1 insole
- PU rubberized toe cap
- STI evolution foam
- Vulcanized
- Suede
- Low
- Foam Lite 1 insole
- Elastic tongue straps
- 400NBS tread pattern
- Padded tongue/collar
Best Durable Skate Shoes
Durable shoes are a must for some. After all, your shoes go through a lot of abuse constantly ollie-ing and flipping your board. Griptape isn’t soft like your grandmother, it’s rough and abrasive. Even after a couple decades, skate shoe manufacturers are still finding new ways to improve on durability. Overall, the type of material used for the upper, the rubber outsole, and any additional features such as lace guards or rubber toe caps all contribute toward durability.
Our top picks for durable skate shoes include the Nike SB Dunk, Etnies Marana Michelin, and the Converse CTAS Pro Suede.
- Cupsole or Vulcanizedfont-weight: bold; font-size: 16px;
- Upper Material
- Available Cuts
- Details
- Cupsole
- Suede or Suede/Leather
- Low, High
- Heel Lining Pods
- Forefront Hidden Lacing
- Internal Forefoot Construction
- Re-Engineered Outsole
- Injected Phylon Midsole
- Zoom Air Unit in Sockliner
- Cupsole
- Suede
- Low
- Pro Foam 1 insole
- PU rubberized toe cap
- Gum rubber outsole
- STI evolution foam
- Vulcanized
- Suede
- Low, High
- Molded ortholite sockliner
- Nike Zoom air bag heel
- Rubber underlay @ ollie area
- Rubber backed suede
Best Minimal Skate Shoes
Minimal skate shoes have everything you need in a skate shoe without all the bulk. Minimal features, clean uppers, and a style that’s easy on the eyes is what we looked for. This makes the skate shoes we’ve chosen exceptionally lightweight without compromising on performance. Just goes to show that less is more!
We’ve bestowed the award for best minimal skate shoes to the Vans Era Pro, HUF Cromer, and the DC Trase S.
- Cupsole or Vulcanizedfont-weight: bold; font-size: 16px;
- Upper Material
- Available Cuts
- Details
- Vulcanized
- Suede/Canvas
- Low
- Original Waffle Outsole
- Duracap rubber reinforcement
- UltraCush HD sockliner
- Padded tongue/collar
- Vulcanized
- Suede or Suede/Canvas
- Low
- Rubber toe cap
- Internal heel counter
- Vulcanized
- Super suede
- Low
- Mesh sockliner
- Super suede for durability
Best Slip-On Skate Shoes
Slip-ons are all the rage nowadays in the skate world. There are probably a couple reasons why. They are extremely comfortable, you can wear them on a night in the town without looking like a total dirtbag, and you don’t have to tie your laces which means you get to hop on your skateboard even sooner!
Top picks for slip-on skate shoes are the Emerica G6 Wino Slip-On, Adidas Matchcourt Slip ADV, and of course the original Vans Slip-On Pro.
- Cupsole or Vulcanizedfont-weight: bold; font-size: 16px;
- Upper Material
- Available Cuts
- Details
- Vulcanized
- Suede
- Low
- G6 Insole
- Elastic Tongue-Centering Straps
- Heel Anchor System
- Triangle Tread
- One Piece Toe
- Double Wrapped Foxing
- Vulcanized
- Suede
- Low
- Gusset Tongue
- Rubber Toe Cap
- Nylon Heel Pull
- Vulcanized
- Suede
- Low
- Original Waffle Outsole
- Duracap rubber reinforcement
- UltraCush HD sockliner
- Padded cuff
Best Skate Shoe Brands
| Emerica | Vans | Nike SB | Adidas | HUF |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| DC Shoes | Etnies | Lakai | Cons | ES |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
