Lakai  Marc  By:  Walter  Engelhardt         www.allthingsskateboarding.blogspot.com    I  have  been  anticipating   the  Lakai  Marc  shoe  ever  since   last   spring.    Once   I   finally  got  my  hands  on  a  pair   I  decided   to  do   the   first  All  Things  Skateboarding  shoe  review  on   it.    The  Lakai  Marc  was  released   in   late  summer.     It  appeals  due  to   its  stylish   look,  and   its  unique  features.    This   review  was  done  over  a   long  weekend  and  17  hours  of   skateboarding  was  put  into  this  shoe.    I  skated  more  obstacles  in  these  shoes;  a  few  flat  ground  sessions  were  put  into  these  shoes  to  see  if  this  shoe  was  all  around  durable  for  any  way  you  skateboard.    

Comfort:   9.0  The  comfort  of   the  Lakai  Marc   is  a  very  positive  aspect  of   the   shoe.     It   is  comfortable  right  out  of  the  box.    The  lining  that  they  use  is  very  soft  on  your  foot  and  does  not  cause  any  un-­‐needed  friction  that  may  cause  blisters  or  an  overall  uncomfortable  feeling  when   skating   in   this   shoe.     The   minimal   design   of   the   khaki   suede   upper   also   prevents  hotspots  and   friction.    The   thin  padded   tongue   feels  nice  and  molds   to   the   top  of   the   foot  and   increases   comfort.     The   elastic   centering   strap   help   keep   the   tongue   in   place   and   is  successful  with  helping  the  shoe  fit  a  little  more  snug.    The  collar  of  the  shoe  is  moderately  padded  and  has  a  rounded  out  shape  to  it.    It  needs  no  breaking  in  to  have  optimal  comfort.    The  Blue  insole  provides  a  squishy  feeling  that  helps  with  whatever  you  use  these  shoes  for.    It   absorbs   enough   impact   to   keep   your   feet   from   aching.     The   rubber   toe   bumper   also   is  worn  down  enough  so  that  is  begins  to  get  a  more  arrow  shaped  look  to  it.    This  results  in  lots  of  control  when  doing  flip  tricks  

                                   Before  and  After:    the  collar  molds  to  fit  around  your  ankle  and  the  toebox  peaks  out  

 Support:   8.5   The   support   of   the   Lakai   Marc   is   something   I   had   never   experienced   in  another  shoe.    It  has  a  somewhat  uncommon  silhouette.    The  collar  sits  about  ¼  of  the  way  over  the  balls  of  your  ankles.    The  padding  is  about  ½  inch  thick  and  is  just  enough  to  keep  the  board  from  causing  injuries  on  your  ankle  but  isn’t  so  overpowering  that  you  can’t  move  your   ankle.     I   have   found   that   when   flicking  with   the   shoe   there   is   almost   no   difference  between  the  Marc  and  a  low  top  shoe  due  to  the  excellent  flexibility  of  the  collar.    The  insole  is  relatively  flat  just  like  any  insole  on  the  market.    The  problem  was  fixed  when  I  put  some  Remind   Insoles   into   the   shoe   because   they   have   a   good   amount   of   arch   support.     Can’t  complain  about  anything  Lakai  did  a  good  job  formulating  this  uncommon  silhouette                                  

 Before  and  After:    The  collar  becomes  flexible.    The  solid  heel  reinforcement    can  be  seen  as  stitching  towards  the  back  of  the  shoe    

Fit:   9.5  The  fit  of  the  Lakai  Marc  is  nothing  but  perfect.    It  fits  true  to  size,  so  there  is  no  need   to   order   a   half   size   up,   or   down.     The   Lakai  Marc   can   fit   a   narrow,   or  wide   footed  person.    I  have  narrow  feet  so  I  can  fit  into  most  shoes  perfectly.    If  you  have  wide  feet  the  broad   toe   will   suit   you   well.     The   broadness   of   the   toe   box   when   you   first   get   the   shoe  worried  me.     But   after   the   30  minute   break   in   time   and   after   doing   a   few   flip   tricks   the  suede  breaks  in  and  begins  to  get  a  peak  to  it.      The  suede  softens  up  and  becomes  a  little  flat.    This  allows  the  suede  to  fit  over  the  foot  very  comfortably.    The  tongue  feels  nice  and  molded  over   your   feet   after   a  while,   and   the   tongue   centering   straps  help   keep   your   feet  centered   and   makes   your   feet   feel   secured   and   supported   when   using   the   shoe.     The  sidewalls  are  very  sturdy  and  maintain  some  rigidity  when  broken  in.    It  did  not  hang  over  the  side  of  the  foxing  tape.    Clearly  showing  good  craftsmanship  of  the  upper.  Overall  the  fit  is  one  of  the  best  that  I’ve  experienced    

Breathability:   7.0   The   breathability   of   the   Lakai  Marc   is   average.     The  Marc   has   two  vents   on   the   inside   of   the   shoe,   and   perforations   on   the   Lakai   logo.     These   points   of  ventilation  don’t  contribute  much  to  the  overall  breathability.    The  thin  design  of  the  shoe  doesn’t   contribute   to   breathability.     Feet   can   get   very   sweaty   during   sessions   and  many  sweat   stains   developed   on   the   shoe.     This   helps   breaking   in   the  materials   but   the   sweat  stains  dry  to  a  white  color  and  makes  the  shoe  look  untidy  and  dirty.    When  skating  in  the  cold  New  York  weather  the  average  breathability  helps  keep  feet  warm,  but  on  warm  days  you  should  expects  some  swamp  feet.    A  mesh  tongue  or  more  perforations  on  the  inside  of  the  shoe  would  greatly  increase  breathability.    

Durability:   9.0  The  only  wear  after  a  rough  17  hour  field  test  is  around  the  toe  bumper,  and  the  slight   fraying  of  materials   in   the  heelflip  area  and  a   little   fraying   in   the  Ollie  area.    The  one-­‐piece   toe  box  was   implemented  on  this  shoe  and  makes   for  better  durability  and  decreases  the  amount  of  seams  to  rip.    The  suede  has  a  unique  texture  to  it.     It   feels  fuzzy  almost  when  frayed  but  does  not  rip.    There  are  only  3  main  panels  on  this  shoe:   the  two  sidewalls,  and  the  toecap.    This  increases  the  longevity  of  the  shoe.    The  stitching  around  the  Ollie  area  is  very  recessed  and  no  abrasion  of  the  precautionary  layer  superglue  on  the  Ollie  area  was  present.    Abrasion  was  only  present  on  the  surrounding  material.    The  laces  were  not  torn,  or  even  frayed  to  the  slightest  bit.    The  lace  flaps  did  their  job  of  keeping  the  laces  concealed  from  the  griptape.    The  lace  protection  is  a  feature  that  you  don’t  see  very  often  on  shoes.    I  personally  thank  Lakai  for  sparing  me  the  torment  of  changing  laces  every  day.  

                                                               Before                                                                                                                                                After    Grip:   9.0   Lakai   has   been   using   a   herringbone   tread   pattern   on   their   new   shoes.     It  features  deep  grooves  so  that  the  durability  of  the  sole  is  increased.    Lakai  pairs  this  tread  pattern  with  a   soft  gum  sole.     Softer  material  usually   results   in  a  very  grippy  outsole,  but  comes  at  the  cost  of  durability.    The  durability  of  soft  material  is  compromised  by  the  deep  grooves.    After  roughly  17  hours  the  outsole  showed  no  flat  spots.    Some  wear  on  the  sole  

was  present,  but  that  is  expected  of  any  shoe  after  17  hours  of  skating.    There  were  multiple  areas   where   the   foxing   tape   was   peeling   away   from   the   sole.     These   gaps   in   the   rubber  began   to   appear  within   the   first   day   of   skating   but  were   fixed  with   some   super   glue   and  were  fine  once  bonded  back  together.    This  doesn’t  effect  performance  at  all.    The  Marc  took  about  20-­‐30  minutes  to  break  in.    In  the  past  I  have  had  a  few  Lakai  shoes.    The  soles  burnt  out   somewhat  quickly.     Lakai   has   formulated   a   tacky   sole   that  has   great   longevity.     Lakai  really  hit  the  nail  on  the  head  with  the  sole.  

   The  Marc’s  Herringbone  Tread  Pattern                                    Outsole  after  17  Hours    

                         Separations  of  foxing  tape  and  sole    

Overall:   8.75  The  Marc  Johnson  pro  model  turned  out  to  be  an  incredibly  durable  shoe  with   many   uncommon   features   such   as   the   low-­‐cut   midtop   silhouette   and   optional   lace  protection.     The   shoe   has   a   grippy,   and   durable   shoe   putting   a   good   amount   of   focus   on  boardfeel.    It  is  a  well-­‐manufactured  product  from  a  company  that  supports  skateboarding  to  the  fullest.    The  shoe  is  well  worth  a  try  and  more  Lakai  shoes  will  hopefully  be  reviewed  in   the  near   future.    The  Lakai  Marc   is  no  doubt  a  great  shoe  made   from  a  great  company.    

The  Marc  is  fairly  priced  at  around  60-­‐68  dollars.    It  is  priced  low  compared  to  many  other  shoe  models  with  some  of  the  same  aspects.    Thanks  to  Lakai  on  this  shoe.