When I started skateboarding, I don’t know for sure but it was around the year 2000. For simplicity lets say it is more than 15 years ago by now.
When you start skateboarding there are a few essential things you need: A skateboard and a pair of shoes. The rest is pretty much optional.
In the beginning I have tried a few different shoe brands but one company and one model of shoe stuck with me ever since I came across them: The és Accel.
I am wearing this shoe almost every single day since then. Although it is now the slim version which I prefer.
Now that I don’t do skateboarding anymore, a given pair will last me about 2-3 years, wearing them every single day. In summer, in winter, on festivals, at concerts, in rain, on beaches, or on a sail boat.
What is so special about this shoe?
The thing that got my attention at first was that it is one of the very few sneakers / skateboarding shoes which are available without the white sole. In fact my favorite model is the black with black sole one as you can see on the initial picture. I’d also say it is a timeless design and looks as good 15 years from now than it does today – especially in the slim variant.
Equally important to me is that the shoe is lasting for a long time and is comfortable to wear.
One of the common problems with other common shoes of this category is that the glued soles over time detach from the shoe which lets them deteriorate much faster after the first gap has been established.
The Accel is one of the few sneakers which feature a glued and stiched sole. So the sole detachment problem happens much later in the shoes lifetime. The sole itself lasts also very long as well before it breaks, gets thin or is lacking grip.
Almost every other seam on the shoe is double or triple stiched.
Those three things, aesthetics, comfort and unmatched durability, are the reasons why the Accel stands out to me.
A few years ago és announced that they would stop producing the Accel and I immediately searched on the internet for two more pairs in my size and favorite color. When I got them and walked around with the new pair, two different people aproached my on the street and asked me where I got them and that it was their favorite shoe as well.
Luckily és came back after a while and so did the Accel with its slim variant. Two days ago my latest pair of Accels were finally telling me it was time to get a new pair. When I went to Onlineshop, I’ve checked my past orders to find out when I bought the last ones. Two years and 3 months.
This is what they look like now:
The sole broke on one shoe and they barely have any grip left.
What could still be improved?
Even though I love this shoe, I still would like to see some improvements on the current generation:
- On the original Accel the Sole on the front/cap was stitched two times. Currently its only one line. Especially this part of the shoe would benefit of getting the two lines of stitches back
- The ends of the threads used to stich the sole on are sometimes a bit loose and if you don’t fix them right away, they will continue to undo the stitching which sucks.
- The insole could be lasting a little bit longer. That might not be accurate but I have the feeling they used to last longer before. Now at about half time of the shoes lifetime, I replace the insole. Its not a huge problem but would make the shoe even better.
Final words
It is rare that I’m enthusiastic about a piece of clothing for 15 years. I must have had about 6 or 7 pairs since then. I hope this shoe will never go away and I hope és will try to improve it carefully even more when it comes to its durability and comfort.
It is not the cheapest sneaker but for something that lasts that long I happily pay a few extra bucks.
All the other cheaper and uglier sneakers / skate shoes I’ve tried over the years fell apart so much quicker and often wouldn’t even last one year before they would disintegrate.
I know – it is a bit silly to write this kind of homage to a skateboard sneaker but they carry me through the world for such a long time now, its almost emotional when I have to retire a pair.
