The 4 Best eS Skate Shoes (Rated By Real Skaters)

1. eS Accel Slim

8.4out of 10

Shoe Design8

Durability8.5

Comfort8

Board Feel9

The Accel is one of eS’s long-time most popular skate shoes, but the Slim model removes some of the chunk and bulk from the original Accel to provide a more modern feeling shoe.

Although a cupsole, the outsole is relatively thin, giving you some of the best board feel you’ll find in a shoe this supportive. Out of the box, these feel quite stiff and will take some getting used to, but after the first session, we noticed them feeling looser and more worn in.

What I love about these shoes (and most other eS skate shoes, for that matter) is the super padded tongue. When you fumble a trick and the board chops your foot, it makes a huge difference in preventing sore feet compared to thinner shoes like Vans or slip-on models.

The suede around the toe took quite a while to blow through, making this one of the more durable shoes you can find from eS. The triple stitching around the suede toe cap is also less prone to ripping off compared to the eS Caspian or Quattro shoes.

The downside of this shoe is that it might be a bit too thin if you regularly skate drops and gaps. However, it shines if you are more of a low-impact tech-focused skater that loves to get as much board feel as possible without losing support.

2. eS Swift 1.5

8.3out of 10

Shoe Design8

Durability8

Comfort8.5

Board Feel8.5

The eS Swift 1.5 skate shoe feels similar to the Accel Slim but with a slightly more narrow profile and snugger fit. These shoes are another cupsole design with better overall impact protection while still keeping a good amount of board feel.

The printed rubber toe cap feels great to flick tricks with but, unfortunately, wears out pretty fast. You shouldn’t expect more than a week or two before that rubber cap wears out. This slightly changes the feeling of tricks once it wears away.

Fortunately, the suede underneath has no stitching and holds up super well. Even with regular skate sessions multiple days a week, you can easily expect 2-3 months out of this shoe.

And as far as skate shoes go, that’s pretty good in our books.

The tread on these shoes holds up well and stays grippy for the shoe’s lifespan. The pointier toe box also makes flicking tricks in these feel very responsive. A nice bonus to that is the fact there is a hidden lace system in these shoes, so you don’t need to worry about your laces ripping no matter how many times you pop a trick. The only expectation of that is the upper lace which is exposed and can get frayed pretty easily.

Overall these are a great alternative to the Accel Slim if you want a snugger fitting shoe with better impact protection and board feel. These shoes are also Vegan, which you might like to keep in mind when buying skate shoes. In my experience, vegan suede often holds up better than animal suede in the shoes I’ve worn.

3. eS Quattro

8.1out of 10

Shoe Design7.5

Durability8

Comfort8.5

Board Feel8.5

The eS Quattro is another one of the OG models that were super popular in the late 90s and have had a bit of a resurgence in recent years. With a cupsole design, this shoe is super supportive and relatively stiff out of the box. However, they break in quickly, making flicks feel less clunky while the heel and mid-foot stay sturdy with more rigidity.

Since this shoe is a mix of suede and mesh paneling, they are one of the more breathable shoes from eS that stays comfortable even when skating in the heat. The stitching around the suede overlays on the toe does wear out quickly and can cause the suede panels to lift a bit. Although annoying in the looks department, the suede panels never ripped off, so it wasn’t that big of a problem.

The mesh along the side panel does start to fray a bit, depending on how you pop your ollies, but they never wore a hole.

The downsides to this shoe are that they tend to fit 1/2 size small, which is easily avoided by going up from your usual shoe size. I typically wear 10, but 10.5 fits better with these shoes.

The second issue is the tread pattern likes to pick up and hold onto small rocks if you wear these shoe street skating or out and about. Fortunately, the tread groves aren’t big enough to pick up larger rocks, so it doesn’t cause too much damage to your grip tape besides a couple of scuffs from time to time.

Ultimately these are a good option if you want a breathable skate shoe with a well-padded and comfortable upper. The flick feels consistent, and the shoes have a great board feel. You can’t expect them to be the most durable shoes you’ve skated, but they will last you a couple of months if you’re skating a few days a week.

4. eS Caspian

8.1out of 10

Shoe Design8

Durability7.5

Comfort8

Board Feel9

As the only vulcanized shoe on this list, the Caspian has an amazing board feel and is an awesome shoe for tech tricks and low impact skating like ledges and rails. However, being that it has a thinner sole, these aren’t the most fun to skate drops with because you’re feet end up feeling bruised and tired after a big session.

These shoes are more flexible than the other ones mentioned in this list and break in almost immediately when you put them on. They are double-wrapped vulc shoes, which means there’s more rubber around the toe to wear through and ultimately extend the shoe’s lifespan. The layered suede around the toe also takes its sweet time to wear through and held up decently well compared to other baseline shoe models I’ve worn from other brands.

The impact protection in these is almost nonexistent, but the insoles are relatively padded and comfortable to skate and walk around in. However, you might consider upgrading the insoles to something more padded to dampen primo pain a bit.

Overall this is a super simple skate shoe that gets the job done without doing anything exceptionally unique. What you see is what you get with this shoe, and it’s an awesome starting point if you’re a new skater or focus heavily on flat ground skating.

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