As you know, Emerica is one of the world’s leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art skateboarding shoes and the brand endorses one of the best skate teams in the game. On your mark, get set, go! This time in my wear test: The Emerica Figueroa shoe.
The Emerica Figueroa
„…In my shoe, the toe just makes you want to kickflip. I look down and it makes me hyped to skate in…“At the first sight, Justin “Figgy” Figueroa’s signature shoe convinces with a clean and simple design. All in all nothing special. But wait! I took a closer look and explored a very interesting inside with a lot of technology. A connected Ortholite™ footbed feels like wearing tight socks made out of Neoprene. These „socks“ are stitch-bonded with the shoe. For this reason, you can skate the shoes even without laces.
You can skate the Figueroa like a Slip-On without laces and without loosing stability. According to Figgy, the Emerica designer developed a special shape of the shoe. His words about the personal design: “In my shoe, the toe just makes you want to kickflip. I look down and it makes me hyped to skate in.” I wanted to skate this shoe as well as soon as possible, too!
FIT AND FEEL
„…Remarkable is the relatively thin sole which gives you a first-class board feel…“
The Figueroa is designed as a narrow and low cut shoe with a cup sole. The cup sole feels great at this shoe. Compared to similar models his heel area is thickly padded and in combination with the cup sole, It pays because your feed stays safely and comfortable. Remarkable is the relatively thin sole which gives you a first-class board feel and provides you also a good grip. With cup soles often it’s the other way around, but not with the Figueroa. With the Emerica Figgy , Flip tricks are highlights! This skate shoe has a reliable flick, guaranteed control for your moves, and you get fast used to.
The cushioning and padding is not too bad and perfect while park and street skating. I would not recommend jumping off the big stuff. But all in all, I must be lavish with my praise of the Emerica Figueroa and the wearing comfort straight out the box. This feeling even lasts after intense sessions. Just in the toe area, it gets a little bit softer by the time. If you have wide feet, the shoes can be a little bit too tight at the beginning.
Durability
„…The sole is abrasion resistance and even after numerous sessions I just could see a few wear marks…“
With a view to the durability, the Emerica Figueroa shoe delivers a solid performance and a very reliable sole. The sole is abrasion resistance and even after numerous sessions I just could see a few wear marks. That’s very nice. The suede upper is wear-resistant as well and sticks to the standards of other brands. The displaced seam at the side is protected against abrasion, too. High standard!
Conclusion
All in all the Emerica Figueroa is an all-rounder. You can expect a nice board feel, stability and a lot of grip. The cup sole is really reliable. The unique selling points are the integrated Neoprene socks. They feature a nice wearing comfort and stability. For me, these points make the Figueroa a perfect skate shoe.
| + | cup sole with a lot of board feel and grip | nicely wearing comfort with Neoprene lining | resistant material |
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| – | fitting problems for wide feet possible |
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