The Rowley XLT's are some incredibly nice shoes, I recieved mine from Vans
about two weeks ago and they have been nothing but a pleasure to wear. I
would have to say the best thing about these shoes, is that they look so
good. Once again for this review i have divided the information into 5 different
sections, style, comfort, durability, duration and overall.
Durability:
These are some pretty nice shoes to skate in, the best features are the
waffle grip and firm texture. If you want to feel your skateboard beneath
your feet, then the Rowley XLT's are the shoes for you. Not only do you feel
the deck but you grip to it with strength, with this grip you can pull your board
up into higher airs. The firm texture increases the power of your flip and
pop, which also helps make your tricks bigger and better.
Duration:
After skating in these shoes for a few days, they haven't gotten too badly
worn at all. The XLT's have high abrasion thread in the toe cap and ollie
area, as well as triple stitching. These features make the shoes so firm, they
also mean the shoe will last pretty well, compared with most skate shoes. I
have a strong feeling these shoes are going to last longer than any other
shoe I have tried. They are reinforced in the perfect places and have fine
stitching, so you wont ware the threads. Once my XLT's finally bite the dust
and die, I will add the complete duration to this review.
Overall:
The XLT's are too sweet. They have amazing style, the ultimate waffle grip,
firm texture and triple stitching for the best durability.
Style:
The XLT's are some extremely stylish shoes. They have a great colour combination
and stitch layering that balances out the shoes. Also, these shoes have an
excellent shape, they have an ultimate "skate shoe" look. The padded tongue
increases the effect of the shape, as well as having the classic "Off the Wall"
logo printed on it. The "Off the Wall" logo also features on the sole of the
shoe, which includes another Vans classic, waffle grip.
Comfort:
Usually a new pair of shoes aren't comfortable at all, you need to wear them
in before you can skate well with them or walk in comfort. However, the soft
inner sole and lining of the XLT's help with this fairly well. They don't need
much wear before your feet adjust to the shoes and their shape.
Other than this, these are incredibly firm shoes but this doesn't
let down it's soft comfort. The end of the toes are as firm as a pair of
boots, this factor should make them much more durable than other shoes.
Although the XLT's have no form of gel shock-absorption, it doesn't seem to
make much of a difference. After a few high tricks and some drops, I haven't
noticed it at all.
the XLT's give you extra grip and extra rip: 360flip(left) - ollie indy(right)
check out all the features of the XLT's at Vans.com
