Possible alternative shoes... again

[WyrmFyre]

Just spotted these on the Bay of E, when I first was the image I mistook them for lavers

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mens-Lonsdale-Lac ... 1|294%3A30

Ive been such a good boy so far, I havent considered any alternative other than lavers, but these dont look too far out, and i am finding myself tempted. I just wanted to get some opinions, but Ive got a feeling I just need to be a little more patient and sit on my handsto stop myself making a rush purchase

[Cass]

Don't do it.


Those would require so much modding and still wouldn't be nearly as good as lavers.

[mc]

^^ +1

[WyrmFyre]

I suspected as much!

*sits on his hands*

[PoisonTaffy]

Matt, Cassy, when you look at it, what do you see that disqualifies it as an alternative?

I can tell the material looks inferior to the Lavers' mesh, but people do use and love the Lavers leather so that's not necessarily a disqualifying property.

What else am I missing? They seem rather decent to me.

[mc]

Well, specifically, the sole is sloped and we can't see the inside. Also, we don't know how thick, flexible, or grippy the sole is. We also don't know the weight, the thickness / stiffness of the material, etc. Someone could clearly bust out some moves in them, but I can hit moves in Dr. Marten boots, so, that's not saying much.

and, as a general comment - at one of the Funtastik tournaments (03 probably) I went to the cheapo shoe store down the street from Sunshine Park, and bought (not one, but) two pair of US Polo Association brand laver look-alikes! Structurally, they looked exactly the same, and they were only $30 each, so I thought, what the hell, let's give 'em a try!

Turns out the sole was heavier, stiffer, and slipperier than the laver, so, even though it looked like a great footbag shoe, it turned out to be not nearly as good (and even dangerous; that's how slippery they were) when compared to the laver.

So, now my general policy is that looks can be deceiving. I think it's also good for beginners to go with something "tried and true" before getting themselves into what could be a very frustrating experiment. We all know that the last thing a beginning footbagger needs is more frustration.

so that's why.

[PoisonTaffy]

Good points, I'm relieved to see it's mostly bad experience with promising looking shoes and not an obvious fault I couldn't tell from the picture

I agree: Even if these shoes seem promising, a person needs a reference to a good shoe before they can experiment, for sure. Maybe some UK player with lavers who doesn't mind the expense is willing to be a test dummy?

[WyrmFyre]

Turns out the sole was heavier, stiffer, and slipperier than the laver, so, even though it looked like a great footbag shoe, it turned out to be not nearly as good (and even dangerous; that's how slippery they were) when compared to the laver.

Glad you mentioned all of this Matt as I never gave consideration to the sole of the shoe, I was too busy comparing the toe area/sides and general shape I never considered grip.

Back to kicking in these bad boys for the time being then

[mc]

oh man, ian.... you're gonna love the lavers when you get them save up! you owe it to yourself to get some proper shoes!

[Wasabi]

Matt, have you had your hand (or feet) on the Macbeths, the "Laver clone" that we had our eye on last year?

That guy named Cody from the NYFA jam who was supporting Miyachi was sporting them, and I saw him again at this year's NYFA shindig with the same pair. I didn't get a chance to inspect them any further, however.

[mc]

Way,

yes. The inside was sloped. The toe was great. The sole was grippier than the laver. The shoe was lighter than the laver. The pair I bought, 8.5, were a bit too small for me, so, they are sized a touch smaller than laver.

They were the Macbeth Manchester.

Overall, a good vegan footbag shoe, but the inside is only for people with LOTS of crank, because of the slope. I removed the white "M" bits from the inside surface.

[turtlesacker]

Matt, have you had your hand (or feet) on the Macbeths, the "Laver clone" that we had our eye on last year?

That guy named Cody from the NYFA jam who was supporting Miyachi was sporting them, and I saw him again at this year's NYFA shindig with the same pair. I didn't get a chance to inspect them any further, however.

Just curios, What is miyachi?

[mc]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=myachi

[turtlesacker]

Wow, Thats amazing and thanks.

[maverick-morley]

i know it doesnt exactly follow suit, but it is to do with shoes so i thought i would put it here.

was just wondering wether YOU as in the footbagging community wear your "modded" shoes in general to walk around in (going shopping, meeting friends, whatever), or do you like keep em in a bag and carry that around with you, and when you fancy a lil shred, maybe when waiting inline to get your granmas pention, do you slip em on and have a quick shred. haha (you wish)

or do most people just shred with whatever they have on, when they are out and about and just happen to have a footbag with them?!?!

reason i ask is becasue a bag is alot easier to keep on you than shoes so was wondering what everyone does?!?!?!

[mc]

i know it doesnt exactly follow suit,

that's how you know it's time to start a new topic

mods, split?

[maverick-morley]

i was going to start a new topic, but i didnt really fancy people getting cranky because i put a random thread up. it was more a general inquirey than a major topic.

but ok thanks for the tip, i will keep it in mind.

[Wasabi]

People who worry about their toes are definitive hos, in my book.

Wear whatever makes you feel comfortable, in and out of the sport of footbag. Wearing footbag equipment when playing footbag, however, is necessary in getting better at the sport, which needn't be said.