THE THRASHER BACK TO SCHOOL PRODUCTBURNOUT
he magazine industry is notorious for using things like product reviews
as thinly-veiled excuses to cash in on some free shit. When Thrasher
set us apart from the ass-licking, pocket-lining monkeys that permeate our
constituency. So we took the mounds of loot that piled up at our door and let
some friends who don't usually get free schwag pick through it and choose
what they would like to skate; then we had them put it to the test and tell us
what they thought. After the dust settled, we did one last test that would put
any persistent product whores to rest.
Shoes
Kastel: The shoes are comfortable to walk in
but you can't really skate in them. When I
skate in 'em, the interior side walls hurt my
feet every time I land. I've been wearin' 'em
for about four hard skating days, and the
sides are already worn down, regular and
switch stance. Overall they're OK, but I
would never spend eighty dollars on them.
Emerica Ed Templeton: I was lucky to get
the chance to skate in these nice shoes. To
start off, the shoes are hella comfortable to
skate in. I like the outside part of the shoe
because it has this rubber ollie guard, and
that's always good for a skate shoe. The
shoelaces fall apart in about a day, but I'd still
recommend these shoes to other skaters.
but
⚫és Eric Koston: They're really comfortable,
but I just know these Kostons will fall apart in
two weeks.
Clothing
Droors: The socks are very, very com-
fortable. They got this smooth feeling to
them when you skate. The shirt is just a
regular plaid shirt; but it costs a lot more
than a regular plaid shirt for some rea-
son. The backpack's good, if you plan on
doing some camping.
Zoo York cargo
pants: Cargo pants
are the style nowa-
Cameron Bohannon
days to skate in,
and these ones are
waterproof and
double-layered-
hella tight.
Ecko Unlimited
shirt: This shirt is a
bit different from
regular shirts. It's
got a cushion logo
around the neck
and these big-ass
graphics on it.
•Mad Circle shirt:
Standard issue.
Skateboards
•First setup: Zoo
York board,
Venture trucks,
China Bones bear-
ings, Pig wheels
54mm. The board
was a perfect
a
shape, but a little
too big. Everything
else
was good.
•Second setup:
Chocolate board,
Venture trucks,
Swiss Bones bear-
ings, Foundation
wheels 53mm. This
is the setup for flip
tricks. It's a good
board-felt fast.
DC Legacy shoe
OZ
Jerime Yoki
ATL
The Four Star cargo pants were
cool; just be sure to get the right size.
OK, the NSS shoes suck like hell. When
you fall it's like falling on concrete. The
Destructo belt feels OK until you try to
tighten the bitch with pants that don't
fit
t you. The Droors socks feel hella
good, man, indoors and out. The ATL Stamina
shirt is cool. Zero backpack: cool. The Droors
blue
pants are good; they're with you all the way.
The Girl shirt is OK. The Rudy Johnson 3 DC
shoes are tight, man, and I think they're going to
last for some time. The Kris Markovich Duffs
shoes are good-good but thick with a fat sole.
At least they have an air bubble. OK, on to the
skateboards. The Pig bearings are fast as fuck,
man. The first time I put on those bearings and
went down this fat hill, I almost wiggled out
when I normally don't. The Venture trucks are
cool, I guess. The Elissa Steamer Toy Machine
board looked weak at first, but when you start
riding it, it's hella good. As for the Silverstar
board, it's only cool if you like to ride big boards.
Other than that, I wouldn't get it.
They're comfortable and they grip good too. At first
they were kind of stiff, but after they broke in they were
OK. The shoelace guard is a good idea, and the plastic
material on the side of the shoe is a good idea too. The
side of my shoe didn't wear down at all; they still look
new. The only bad thing about the shoe is sometimes
when you stop suddenly your foot slides over the soles.
DC Lynx shoe
Like the Legacy shoe, they're comfortable and they grip
good. The soles don't wear down too fast, and the
shoelace guard is a good idea. Usually I break my laces,
but on these shoes they lasted. The only thing that
sucked about them was on the front top side of the shoe
the strings break kind of fast. And after those break, the
rest of the shoe falls apart pretty fast.
és nylon outfit
The pants and the coat were pretty light. They give
your legs a lot of freedom to move around. And the
coat is pretty loose-fitting too. It's pretty warm when
you zip it up too.
New Deal pants
They're comfortable, loose-fitting and they have cargo
pockets on the side. They're also pretty thick so if you fall
a lot you don't have to worry about getting a hole.
Jonathan Bohannon
93