Etnies Estrella Wear Test – a classic, high performance skate shoe

As expected from a well designed cup sole skate shoe, the shoes are very light. The design doesn’t look too complex to the naked eye. Yet, as I looked closer I could see all the skateboarding focused features, as well as, the attention to detail. The stitching is reinforced but not visible and the rubber is mindfully placed.

The first thing I noticed was the construction of the cup sole. The sole is nicely rounded on the edges so there is no need to break in the flick on the shoe. The sole is shaped to match the contours of everything a skateboarder wants. I felt I was putting on shoes that were in the perfect point when the flick is just right.

Secondly, the sole has well placed areas with extra rubber material near the ollie area and at the tip of the sole. I can tell that a lot of thought went into the materials that were used. In areas that experience more wear there is thick, high quality suede that is reinfored with an underlayer of rubber. The shoe lace locks made me realise that there are still shoe companies that focus on what skaters need.

The fit is a bit wider and gives a bit more room for the balls of the feet to move. I can still feel the flick from the very beginning. It is a very similar fit to the És Accel Slim but with a bit more structure in the sole. The sizing is true to size. The first time I put the shoes on I noticed that the sole wasn’t particularly thick. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to feel the board. This wasn’t at all a problem. I did replace the insoles, though.

The insoles were nice and soft with a slightly higher heel but I prefer my Footprints which are a bit harder and flat. I would say that I’m surprised at how thin the sole is based on the high impact skating Ryan Sheckler is known for. The sole didn’t feel too thick.

The shoes did feel surprisingly ready for skating. They weren’t particularly grippy at first but the sole soon became more flexible with a grippy rubber underneath. Within a short time the shoes became significantly grippier.

The attention to detail in the shape of the sole was very noticeable. The additional rubber was perfectly placed for my ollies. The flick was quick and only got quicker as the session went on.

Loving the sessions more and more as the shoe became more elastic but didn’t lose its form and structure. The ollie shows almost no wear as the rubber is doing all the work and preventing a lot of the damage.

It´s worth mentioning that the rubber is of very high quality. It has the quality of a good vulcanised style shoe foxing tape in texture but is a bit harder. Once the rubber broke in the material underneath is nice and grippy. It don’t feel like plastic. The additional rubber material in the tip of the sole gave me a stronger flick and made the front of my skateboard dip down for kickflips. The perfect kickflip catch. My kickflips felt just great with these shoes.

The shoes are still very solid and have maintained their structure. The heel and sole are firm but not stiff. I would say the rubber is unique to the brand as being particularly hard but not at the cost of losing grip. The stitch is starting to rip in the ollie area but there isn’t any issue with holes, yet.

I set up a new board with new grip for these last ten hours thinking the shoes would be much more worn down. Not a chance. The shoes are even grippier now then in the beginning. I would say the shoe is designed more for skaters that flick with the tip of the foot for kickflips than with the side of the foot.

The only wear I can see is in the sole and on the upper near the top lace loop. With my skate style, I wear down the upper shoelace area and the middle of the foot a lot. Yet I can say that the sole has prevented a lot of that damage as well.

The design of the sole and the entire shoe left me thinking how great a shoe can be yet still provide a pretty simple look. They are very well developed and any skateboarder that tries the shoe can quickly see and feel that etnies has skateboarding in mind. The etnies Estrella is a very pleasant surprise for me and I would recommend them as the price does suit the durability.