It’s fairly evident. As a skater owned company, Last Resort AB is doing all the right things and creating top-tier products for skateboarders across the world. Not a plug, we just checked out their website and they also have an insane summer sale with classic models for half the price. Anyhow, in all of our previous Last Resort AB weartested reviews, we’ve always put their vulcanized models to the test, and in the past we’ve mentioned that some of the VM models we’ve tried definitely left us wanting a bit more support and stability that’s often found in cupsole models. This time, we got our hands on a pair of the CM001’s, a snug fitting classic cupsole model designed in true Last Resort AB fashion. It’s an absolute understated look with every detail of the shoe shaped with a specific function in mind, and the recent color ways they’ve been dropping has brought us back to the nostalgic skate shoes from the past. Without further ado, we present you with the CM001 weartested reviews.
The shoe fits slightly smaller so we recommend to go a half size up. As a reference, in the Last Resort AB vulcanized models we had a US9 and for the CM001 model, we chose a US9.5.
The Last Resort CM001 withstands our 10-hours wear test very well and has proven to be a durable shoe. Let’s look into the details, starting with the material selection of both, leather and suede. It is basically a leather upper with a suede panel in the Ollie- and Kickflip area, which helps immensely for flicks. The thought behind the construction worked. The leather made the shoe stable and durable, whereas the suede worked as the main point of grip for flicking flip tricks. Although the position of the suede piece is risky, it still withstood the wear and did not show too much abrasion. Another plus was that the seams also didn’t rip. The sole is rather low and thin in the forefoot area, which resulted in more abrasion, especially around the kickflip area. The areas which showed most signs of wear are typical to Last Resort AB wear tests from the past. The seams connecting the main upper piece with the eyelet reinforcement ripped after 4-5 hours of skating. With that said, this was more of a visual issue as opposed to a durability issue.
Cupsole constructions tend to have better cushioning capabilities compared to vulcanized soles. For the Last Resort AB CM001, this is true when comparing it to their VM-series. The cushioning construction is a combination of the the insole, which is called “Cloudy Cush” and the actual cupsole. It absorbs regular impact very well and it plays well together with the shoe’s stability and padded upper, to create a cohesive cushioning feeling. Overall, the CM001 is definitely recommended for medium-impact skating.
The Last Resort AB CM001 is definitely a slim-fitting silhouette. This leads to a shoe that is cut very close to the foot, especially in the heel and forefoot area, while the midfoot area is slightly roomier. The heel and midfoot area run parallel and the shape starts narrowing in the toe area to end in a rather square toebox. The shoe offered a great flick and allows plenty of control while doing flip tricks. The leather and suede materials also helped to hold the rigidity of the shoe throughout the 10-hour test.
Creating a new sole construction to improve stability and cushioning could lead to reducing boardfeel. But, the boardfeel of the CM001 is very good for a cupsole. As shown in the cutted picture, the cupsole has a special combination of a skeleton pattern and a foam wedge. This makes the shoe flexible right out the box without sacrificing stability and cushioning in the heel. The sole and insole are thin in the forefoot and due to its flex grooves, the sole can mold onto the griptape for maximal surface contact.
When it comes to grip, the shoe performs solid. The sole held up extremely well during our 10 hour wear test and the grip feels balanced but is not really sticky, which some skaters prefer. In that regard, positioning your foot comes easier than with some of the very sticky vulcanized models.
The CM001 has some flaws when it comes to comfort. Firstly, the shoe is a bit more on the heavy side and despite its great stability function, the leather is not giving much room for ventilation. Also, the tongue is not fixed by straps, which leads to a lot of side to side movement with the tongue. On the positive side of things, the lining, the padding in the heel area and the tongue work well together for a comfortable feeling.
The stability of the shoe is extremely good. The high cut heel area in combination with heel reinforcements, along with the the rigid quality leather and stable cupsole, help the CM001 shine. The heel design also helps to prevent a slippage feeling occur, even when the shoe got became a bit moist with the lack of ventilation. Although the shoe is slim fitting, the midfoot area felt a bit too roomy.
Last Resort AB’s first cupsole model has excellent durability, along with great boardfeel and stability. The shoe is well suited for medium impact skating. The model showed flaws on the comfort and grip side. Overall, it’s a fun model to skate and a great offering in terms of price and value.
