We’ve been a huge fan of Lucas’ skating and pro models since our first review of the Lucas Pro back in 2012. Our most recent review (if 2016 counts as recent), and one of our favorite shoes ever skated, was his updated Lucas Premiere ADV shoe, for which we held a Weartested session in Shanghai, courtesy of Adidas. Since then, Lucas’ skating has matured like fine wine; he’s well versed into his bag of ever-growing tricks and it shows through his effortless style. He’s been a veteran on the Adidas squad and over the past ten years, the brand’s roster and partnerships have only gotten bigger and better, taking core skate brands and putting them in the limelight. adidas’ long term collaborations with European mega-skate/streetwear brand Palace also proved to be a monumental Euro-connect partnership, with Palace naturally announcing Lucas Puig as their newest rider in 2017. In the days we live in now, streetwear, high fashion and skateboarding are more intertwined than ever, and earlier this year, adidas’ introduced a new collaboration with Palace and Lucas, bringing heat and teasing the core skate audience with his all new highly anticipated pro model, the PUIG. After the initial tease in May, the Puig has finally commercialized and we were lucky enough to get our hands on a pair to test out. Read on below to see how the all new Adidas PUIG did during our Weartest.
The Adidas Puig firs true to size; we recommend going for the size you usually wear in adidas.
Overall, the durability of the adidas Puig was good, however there were some areas for improvement. Let’s start off with some highlights; there were three main points that helped prolong the entire lifespan of the shoe while skating. First off, the quality of the materials used in the shoe proved to be very high-performance quality, and in this case, you absolutely get what you pay for. In our 10 hours of skating for previous adidas skateboarding models, the shoe’s vulc and suede would wear out and rip through fast, but in the case of the Puig, the shoe was very resilient to griptape abuse and the suede was a hit. The second durability highlight is the shoe’s sole. The sole is very thick, especially in the toe area. It helps to protect the suede toe from griptape contact and provides great flick, which is a huge bonus especially when trying out a new shoe you’re not used to. The third great feature is the lacing system. The hidden lace system proved to be extremely effective and even the seams in the midfoot area did not show signs of wear.
A detail that was very noticeable that didn’t help with durability was the positioning of seams where the toe area connects to the midfoot area and seams of the panel around the laces. As you can see from the pictures, although the seamster deliberately positioned outside of the critical zone, the seams still ripped and the suede became rather loose fitting. With that said, the suede was still quite thick, so the overall quality of the suede did help prevent the loose suede areas from ripping further. Another flaw of the shoe was the heel collar; even-though the material was very comfortable, the collar gets shredded up very quickly from the griptape, Neither of these affect the overall performance of the shoe, but they do make the shoe look a bit untidy and makes it seem like the shoe has been skated for a really long time.
Even though the differences between vulc and cupsole constructions seem to fade off more and more, capsules still take the cake when it comes down to cushioning. The adidas Puig is no exception. The cushioning is above average, thanks to the high sole construction in the heel area and the additional EVA-foam inlay. However, the absence of a foamed midsole in the center and front-area reduce the model’s ability to dampen high impacts in these regions.
The toebox area of the adidas Puig closely resembles that of the Busenitz Pro, with a more rounded tip. The pointed arrow shape of the shoe offers great flick and allows plenty of control while doing flip tricks. The suede is thicker than usual and thus, the shape also holds rigidity throughout the 10-hour test, without any shoe wrinkles. The mid foot and heel run almost parallel and are very slim gutted which helps that the shoe feels very close to the feet.
Boardfeel and grip are two more strengths of this model. The thin forefoot area and sockliner in the first third of the shoe create a very close connection between foot and board. As shown in the cut-picture, the sole is very thin in the front and quite thick in the last third, the balance between cushioning and direct contact to the board is executed really well. This is further supported by the flexibility of the sole unit. Due to the thin treaded pattern and the medium thick sidewalls of the sole, the Puig adapts very well to the concave of the board, especially for a cupsole.
The most important features for a comfortable skate shoe includes weight, ventilation and a well-crafted inner shoe area. The adidas Puig is lightweight and the inner area is crafted very well, although some slight pressure marks on the top area of the tongue, made out of a very inflexible material, were noticeable during the sessions. The only disappointment of the shoe is it’s below average breathability. The model has basically no areas designed to alleviate the feet heat generated from skating. But when it come to stability, the Adidas Puig is by far the best model on the market. The stability is incredible and well balanced, ensuring a secure feeling on and off the board. The heel area is very stiff, due to the sole, which goes up to almost the mid heel area and acts almost as an external heel reinforcement. The padding in the heel area makes the shoe extremely comfortable and also helps secure the heel when skating. The midfoot area keeps the foot in place and prevents any horizontal movements within the shoe. The suede upper did not stretch out at all during the test. This means the sidewalls won’t get too flexible and lose their shape, and the stability of the shoe should maintain it’s full potential over the whole lifespan of the shoe, which is rarely the case with most suede models.
The third upgraded and sleek new offering from adidas’ Lucas Pro models is highlighted by strong durability in the toe area, excellent stability, and exceptional boardfeel. However, there were some flaws with the comfort of the tongue and certain points of weakness in other parts of the shoe’s durability. If you can cash out for a pair, we definitely recommend trying the new upgrade out.
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Theodore Anderson
December 29, 2020Please send me price of the shoes they look really good.