To prevent this hub from being flagged as overly promotional, I present this disclaimer:

I DO NOT promote the use of CCS.com or any other corporation. The links in my hub are for visual examples. I picked to link to shoes on CCS only because they had the best information on each shoe. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTION TO ADVERTISE CCS.COM AS A "GOOD" SITE OR MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE. In fact, I advise against buying shoes at CCS.com and mention that I personally shop elsewere. The purpose of the links is for the benefit of the reader so that they may see the shoes I talk about.

First and foremost, I am creating this guide to help the reader determine what skateboard shoes to buy and where to buy them. To do so, I will help evaluate the reader's needs as a skateboarder or just a casual wearer of skate shoes, what they should look for in a shoe, the color scheme that would make them happiest, and where you can get the best price on the shoes.

I had links to example shoes, but had to remove them because nobody understood that the links were not in promotion of the site. I will also provide a personal opinion on most facets of a shoe. At the bottom of the page, I will write a list of the shoes I have owned and quick reviews of them to help you pick the right shoe. So, without further adieu, enjoy my guide!

The first step is to determine what you need in a skate shoe. This part of the guide is written primarily for skateboarders. Casual wearers who are just in it for looks should skip to the next section. Now, the best way to evaluate your needs is to take a look at your last pair of shoes.

The first thing to look at is the toe, primarily of your front foot. If you have what i call "toe blowout", than the toe stitches are gone and your toe has a signifigant sized hole at the toe. Also, you may notice a large amount of wear on the front of the sole. If this is the case, and this hole formed fairly shortly after you purchased the shoes, than you probably should look for shoes with triple or quadruple stitched toes, like Emerica Hsu's, or even single-piece toes, such as the eS Garcia 2's.

The next area to check is your laces, again, primarily those of your front foot. If you find your laces get torn often, this is normal. It comes from doing kickflips and other tricks like that. Torn laces happen all the time, and there is not a foolproof way of preventing it. However, there are two things that can help. Some shoes, like eS Theory 1.5 Mids, feature straps over the laces to prevent tearing. The other option is to buy round laces, like the ones on these Fallen Rivals. These laces are harder to tear than flat laces. However, the are still not tearproof and, quite frankly, can look worse than flat laces.

The third and perhaps most important aspect of a shoe is impact support. It is hard to gauge the level of impact support each shoe provides. However, you will feel it if you land flat on your feet in crappy soles. If you are like Don Nguyen and are planning on hucking yourself over 15 sets, you should definitely look into good soles. It is very hard to tell by descriptions what a shoe feels like for support, but you should look for special technologies. You know, the trademarked ones. For example, most eS shoes feature System G2 Heel Cushioning, eS's trademark insole, on shoes like the eS Accel TT's. Other shoes feature similar signature technologies. The absolute best way to find out about the impact support of a shoe is to ask someone who skates them. Many sites feature customer reviews of products, which are very important. Look not at a single guy whining about the low amount of cushioning, but a general trend of like or dislike of a shoe's support.

On a more personal note, my best impact support experience is with Osiris Bronx's. They had great cushioning. However, mine were of an older batch, and I am losing my faith in Osiris as they move toward the mainstream form-before-function funk that has snatched up good companies like DC and Etnies.

The final thing you need to decide on is your shoe "level". By this I mean deciding between Low, Mid, and High top shoes. Each type has their pros and cons. Low top shoes, such as Emerica Reynolds 3's, offer better control of your feet, but leave your ankles exposed to rolling and bruises, etc. from various sources. Believe me, you will shriek in pain as your board rolls into your heel more times than you think. High top shoes, like Supra Vaiders, usually have some padding around the ankle, making you much less prone to the aforementioned injuries. However, you sacrifice a good bit of control over your feet. Mid tops, like Lakai Carroll Select's, are my personal preference. They are a fulcrum between Low and High tops. They offer some ankle protection, but not at much loss of control. I also find them to be the most comfortable shoes to wear. Choosing which type of shoe you want is all a matter of preference. If you currently wear Low tops and see lots of scratches, etc. around your ankles, you should try High tops. But if you feel like you don't have enough mobility, you should stick with Lows or Mids.

Now that you have determined what you need, we can move on to the fun part: what you want. Before that, there is one more matter to address.

There are some shoes out there, such as eS Breezes, that have special technologies designed to improve your skating. I call these "Tech" shoes. The can feature things like ultra breathability and be extremely lightweight. Many feature "ultra-durable" laces and single toe panels. It is my opinion that these shoes are not worth their price tag. However, if you see a tech shoe that is on sale for about the same price as a regular shoe, and you like the shoe regardless of it's status as a "tech" shoe, go for it. They won't really improve your skating much, but lightweight, breathable shoes are much more comfortable.

This is where is gets fun. Picking the right shoe is mostly about the function of the shoe, but for shoes like the aforemention eS Accel TT's, there are often many color schemes. You will make the right choice if you think hard about your taste.

First, do you want a colorful and flambouyant shoe like the Circa 99's or a simpler colorway like the Fallen Trooper SL's? Bright, colorful shoes can look good, but they will look much worse when they become dirty and torn. It is again a matter of preference, but keep in mind that color does fade and get dirty. I personally prefer simple colorways because I like function-before-form shoes. However, I will occasionally buy a colorful shoe and wear old shoes skating.

Next, the shape of a shoe seems unimportant, but it is a factor. Some shoes feature very simple, streamlined looks, such as Lakai Commerce LK's. Others have an old-school feel, like Nike SB Blazers. It is once more all about opinion. I like the streamlined shoes, but everybody has different tastes.

Finally, texture has a minor role. An important part of this is your lace type. Flat laces, like the ones on these DC Smith 2.0's, usually look better. But as I mentioned before, they are more prone to tearing than round laces. Your choice of lace really depends on the shoe. Many shoes come with both round and flat laces, so the choice is yours. Other texture styles, like the torn look of Globe Vagrants, can make or break the look of a shoe. It is up to you - keep it simple, or go extravagant.

Before I go on, I must make mention of collaboration shoes. These shoes are usually colorways of pro model shoes that are made in collaboration with the pro in question's board or other sponsor. Examples include the grey eS Theory Mids, designed by professional skateboarder Justin Eldridge in collaboration with his board sponsor, Chocolate Skateboards. Why do you need to know about these shoes? I think that these often look better than normal shoes, because they can feature board graphics and other logos, etc. in various spots. Also, you can rep multiple companies with one shoe.

There are several places to buy skate shoes. The first and most obvious is your local skateshop. This is the best place to shop, as the money will stay local. Note: Pac Sun is not a skateshop, and certainly not local. I recommend avoiding these types of store unless you are on a very tight budget. Not to worry, because I have been hearing rumors that Pac Sun is getting rid of its shoes, probably to make more room for Big Black clothing. Whatever.

The second option is the mail-order catalog. The only good such catalog that I am aware of is CCS, which you can recieve for free after signing up at CCS.com. This is a fairly good catalog. But I have noticed they are entering a downward spiral as they stop stocking good quality skate shoes and clothing from companies like Lakai and eS to make room for more "popular" brands like DC and Volcom. Their prices are decent, but are not the best.

Your third option is to shop online. There are several good places to do so. CCS has the same stock online as in their catalog, and their site is fairly easy to use. Another good site is SkateWarehouse.com. They have slightly better prices than CCS. They also have a smaller but better selection, with more function shoes than form shoes. The last site for skate shoe shopping, and probably the best, is 6pm.com. This is not a skateboarding website, but they have a good selection of skate shoes from multiple brands at unbeatable prices.

The absolute unbeatably best way to find the best prices on skate shoes is simple: Google Shopping. I recently purchased a pair of eS Theory Mids. I was getting ready to order them from Skate Warehouse for about 65 dollars. But before I did, I decided to give Google Shopping a try. I searched for the same shoes, and found them at Peter Glenn Ski & Sports, a very unlikely source, for only 40 bones. There is definitely no better way to find the best prices on shoes.

I can help you if you are indecisive. Below is a list of the shoes I have owned and can remember in chronological order from oldest to newest, along with short reviews of each. I hope this can help you make the right choice for you.

Fallen Heritage's - God, this brings be way back. I don't remember much of these shoes, but they were extremely comfortable, and I have heard good things about their successors, the Fallen Heritage 2's.

eS Accel Rip Pack's - These held up well after 12 months of abuse. They are not around any longer, but the eS Accel TT's are based heavily on them.

eS Accelerates - These have also been discontinued, but the eS Cessnas (sorry, no link available) are extremely similar. This was the first shoe that had a toe that blew out, which is a pivotal moment in my skateboarding career. There isn't much else I remember about them.

Emerica Reynolds 2's - I hated these shoes. I don't think I had a good reason, but I remember being glad to replace them. On a happier note, I landed my first kickflip with these puppies. Although they won't make your frontside flips god-like, the Reynolds 3's are much better, and they feature a heel cushion similar to eS's System G2.

eS Accels - These shoes were great. They gripped well, which helped me learn my first few grind tricks. They also had a triple-stitched toe, which held up well through hundreds of kickflip attempts.

Globe Finale - These are slowly being replaced by the Puzzle Series, but they are excellent shoes. They had good impact support, which helped during my phase of bigger and bigger drops and gaps.

Lakai Mariano 2's - These were very, very grippy. They had decent impact support. Their only major setback was that they got torn up and fell apart unusually fast.

Osiris Bronxes - These had the best impact support of any shoe I ever skated. They were extremely comfortable. The toe blew out fairly quickly and opened up pretty big. However, I had one from an older batch, and the quality of these shoes is deteriorating as form takes over function. 

Lakai Carroll Selects - Perhaps the best shoe I have ever worn. They were very comfortable. They were super grippy, whiched spurred a park phase in which I became very good at skating pipes, bowls, etc. These are the only shoes I've skated in a while that have not had major blowout. They have a hole in the toe, but it is from wear rather than bad stitching.

eS Theory Mids - I have not skated these yet as I write this hub. But I look forward to using them. They have a lace strap to prevent ripped laces and seem to have a good level of stiffness. I may or may not update this hub after I skate these.

I hope this guide helped you pick the right shoe. I did my best to help. If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas for a new hub, please leave a comment. Thank you for reading!