Vans Syndicate Rapidweld Pack

[48waffle]

Old skool gray- $79.99 + 12.50 shipping
http://m.ebay.com/itm/251389591619?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1

Sk8 hi grey - $89.99 + 12.99 shipping
http://m.ebay.com/itm/261340515613?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1

[miles_hi]

The picture from ebay makes me really excited.
They look like futurism 2025 release

[tmrsn]

Got the Old Skools yesterday.
SO Super Light.
Great Shape. Snug Fit
Details are amazing. (blue tinted clear soles, 3M stripes, Leather Free, DriLex)
Box, Brown Paper Wrap and Stickers are cheap
i hope they are tough and wear/skate well
Did I mention how light they are?

[rocketgoof]

Now that we've had some time, I'm really interested in what Brant had to say on these! They're definitely seeming awesome to me, but I haven't seen any in person yet.

[silokinesis]

Sorry for not chiming in earlier... Wanted praise / hate to not be shadowed by me running my mouth.

so, my 2 cents -- first reaction is probably the same as all of you guys to at least a small degree --a little too LXVI'd out. I was actually surprised how positive everyones visual reactions were right off the bat. I really like subtle shoes unless its a pattern, etc, so to have it be a basic b/w but still be so busy with the mesh and the drilex peeking out took a little getting used to. lots of contrast stitching and 3m everywhere...The rapidweld toe is definitely more of a grayish than a black, you will notice it in person in your hand for sure.... so thats my negative on the whole thing. to summarize that - in HAND it looks a little too busy.

So, once I got over the visual tech, I put it on. Wearing a pair of chino's, these suckers blended right in and immediately all those striking visuals melted away... on the foot it just comes off as a normal old skool or sk8-hi. If i had someone come in wearing these and didnt look too closely or they didnt catch the light, i wouldn't even notice that they were not a classic. Which I think is a huge positive. Its got the 3m flash when you need it / want it for something fun, but all the other stuff fades into the background.

Material wise, they knocked it out the park. Everything is there for a reason and you can tell its been considered greatly. This shoe fits like a glove right out the box, hugging where it should, with no hot spots. I grabbed an 9.0 in the OS, which is TTS, but jammed my foot into the 8.5 for the Sk8-hi, and think that was the right choice for me. The toe maaaay get a little creased over time with that material, i haven't worn them enough to see how it bounces back, but it molds so quickly and nicely its a worthy trade off. The tongue is absolutely amazing. stays put and forms around to really protect. The ballistic mesh and drilex do exactly what they are supposed to... BREATHE. Very nice profile to both sku's btw, which had to be a battle... getting these materials to work together and look right-- too slim / too bulky, etc.

tmrsn is dead on about the weight... shaved a ton off with these materials. Really noticeable difference especially after all day wear... Vans putting a spring in my step is a good good thing

I also just happened to be nosy enough to stumble across a drawer of these samples at Vans pre production, and they had a bunch of them sliced open to see what the rapid weld would look like torn up, and the ballistic, and I am confident they found just the right balance of thickness for comfort and durability.

Overall, I don't see these being worth $300 bucks any time soon.... but they are worth every penny at retail -----a great set to pick up and beat to death... there is definitely room for styles like this in the program and it is refreshing to see a new twist on a classic. Glad to see them have an option for comfort for a guy would wouldn't be caught dead in an LXVI. I think they will move forward with this idea every now and again and I can't wait to see what they do with it next.

I didn't book as many because I sell so many online, that I thought customers would really need to try these on instore before buying.... and that has definitely been the case thus far...people that have access to them physically have been very positive. It may be a bit of a delayed reaction sell through, but once they start to go, I think they will go quickly.

[Vandol]

Damn Brant nice write up, I can picture everything you said. Now I just need to decide on the sk8 hi or OS.

The stamp of the toe stitching on the sk8-hi bothers me

[SupremeAssassin]

I just got the sk8-hi's in the mail from Skatewarehouse like 10 mins ago. These motherfuckers are probably the lightest shoes I've ever owned (I don't have any nike frees). Everything about these shoes are top notch, in looks and feel!

[mackiv]

Seems like everything I'm hearing about these is only getting better..! Might have to find a pair somewhere for the low...

[miles_hi]

my rapidwelds came in and i love them.
the little details are awesome i will compare these to the ballistics %100
very nice looking.

[Asami]

This shoe looks perfect for biking, definitely gonna have to check them out when they drop.

[rocketgoof]

This shoe looks perfect for biking, definitely gonna have to check them out when they drop.

Agreed, grabbed some with that in mind since it gets dark so early right now, but it's also been so cold, snowy, and salty that I haven't worn them yet. One of these days!

[Asami]

Can someone chime in on sizing? I used to be a US12 man in Syndicate stuff which would fit me roomy, but overall I seem to have gone down a bit in my shoe size and I remember hearing that the more recent Syndicate releases don't have as thick an insole as they used to? In Air Max I fit a US11, Jordan 1 US11.5, Roshe Run US11.. I'm looking at a US11 and a US11.5 on Ebay from different sellers, US11 is a lot cheaper though. Thanks!