The Footprint: Converse CONS Louie Lopez Pro 2 Shoe Review

So before we get into it, a few ground rules. To test the shoes, we’re going to give them around 10 solid skates, fresh out the box, with a completely open mind. This will give them enough time to wear them in, get used to them, and for us to see how well they hold up. Skating will be heavy on the flick, mainly skating on flatground, hip, bank etc. to get the shoes working to their full potential. Although, I won’t be hucking myself down 10 stairs, only down to a dodgy ankle, and in no way because of a lack of ability or minerals.

Alright, now we’ve got all that admin out of the way, onwards with the shoe test. First impressions of the shoe were: it’s a beauty. Clearly influenced by indoor football silhouettes and other sports trainers, the look down factor (which aside from performance and durability, we think is pretty damn important) in our very own Super Baggy Jeans is real nice, giving a blokecoreish vibe. The LL2s come with two sets of laces (one spare). I stuck with the black out the box as I am a big fan of all black shoes.

On foot, the shoes run a wee bit long so if you have a shorter foot, maybe go half a size down, but as a size 9 I found that it was only a slight bit longer than say, a blazer, which is one of my go-to skate shoes. The LL2 is also a very light shoe without a huge amount of bulk to it, which is great for people who like their shoes to feel pretty weightless, but maybe not for those who like a chunkier silhouette on foot.

I had heard that this shoe was ready to go straight out the box, but I didn’t quite have this experience. They felt a little tight at first and rubbed on the heel, but spoiler alert: they broke in like a dream.

During my first session, which was exclusively flatground (and will be for every shoe going forward), the LL2 had a very different feel to my usual shoe picks, which are generally vulcanised (Nike SB Blazers and Vans) and have great board feel, and these felt a little firmer. Despite being a cupsole, the flick felt amazing straight off the bat and tre flips felt like butter, something which I personally place a lot of importance on.

Once worn in, I honestly couldn’t have been happier. I could feel everything underneath, but the shoe still felt super supportive. CONS have obviously worked hard with Louie to mimic the benefits of vulc construction from his first silhouette and blended with the support of the cupsole.

The flick was like nothing I’ve ever skated. I think they’ve got it spot on. I was unsure about the suede overlay on the toe at first, but, aside from the durability purposes, I think it makes the transition from sole to upper pretty seamless.

At no point did the LL2 feel bulky on foot, but equally at no point did it feel as though it needed more support underfoot. Importantly, the shoe is full of perforations, which did indeed improve breathability on this shoe, which probably, combined with the lightness of it, was the reason why I was never extremely desperate to get the shoes off after a long skate. Looking at the tall heel, what started as a bit of rubbing, ended up being a solid Achillies support that gave the shoe a locked in feeling, despite its extremely low profile.

The wear test. This is where the LL2 shocked me. With it being such a lightweight, slimmed down shoe, I honestly expected it to wear down so quickly, but boy was I wrong. They held up so well, considering how many flip tricks were done over the 10 skates (as mentioned, the majority of sessions were flatground and hip). Whilst scuffs and the usual wear and tear are present, no real signs of serious damage can be seen anywhere, evidenced clearly in the ‘after’ photographs in this review.

The one, and potentially only, downside to this shoe, I went through three laces on my regular flicking foot, which got a little bit annoying. But let’s not end this on a downer. Whilst such a simple addition, the suede top cap was honestly a revelation – adding a seamless flick whilst protecting one of the heaviest wear areas, and as the evidence shows, it holds up unbelievably well.

I think what the above has made clear is that I was pretty blown away by the Louie Lopez 2. I mean, if it is good enough for Louie, why wouldn’t it be good enough for me? But seriously, this shoe was an absolute banger.

But a quick rundown for those who (understandably) ain’t reading all that: aside from how sick the LL2 looks, the lightness of the shoe without the loss of support underfoot is impressive; the high heel provided locked in support for long skate sessions. On the durability side, there was little to no serious wear anywhere on the shoe (except for a few ruined laces) and the suede overlay on the top cap proved to be one tough cookie. But the pièce de resistance of the shoe, without a doubt, was the exceptional flick.