The fastbreak was a basketball shoe in the ’80s. Similar to how the Jordan 1 was basketball then found its way into skating because of the durability and support. Which is a funny thing considering Converse isn’t known for the most supportive shoe. Yes, I know that the original Chuck Taylor was for skating. But, this shoe has found itself on the feet of the Converse team. Specifically (at least to me), Jake Johnson. Which made it easy for me to pick up a pair.
Fit
Like any converse shoe, I went halfway down. Which fit well, although for this shoe you can go with your regular size.
Cushion and Comfort
Converse has been part of Nike for a while, and they’ve adopted their tech. They began with Lunarlon and moved to the Zoom Air Shoe. I was pleased to see that they ditched the Zoom Air and had their own insole. I like this new one way more. But, I swapped it for the Remind Medic and then the FP Game Changer insole. While comfortable, the shoe did not offer arch support, even for a cupsole like this one.
The shoe is a mid-top; this means it protects your ankle better, and you feel more locked in. It didn’t have tongue centering straps, but it’s a mid-top, there’s more shoe, and your shoe-tongue will shift around. As a wider footed person, the shoe fits excellent lengthwise but not widthwise. Which disappointed me about the Nylon parts.
tested insoles 
insole thickness comparison
Durability
Speaking of Nylon, most of this pair is nylon. This was an intriguing choice; maybe it’s how I ollie, but it held up decently. I got wear but not enough to cause any severe ollie holes. The toe had a weird shiny leather or pleather in the toe that had an interesting flick. As I wore away the top layers, the shoe got grippier. I had to adjust for kickflips as it wore out. Heelfips remained consistent, which is to be expected for most mid-tops.
I shimmy a lot when skating, mostly to set up. The sole wore out in the ball of my foot, and it was a bit noticeable when it came to grip. But, this is the curse of Cup Sole.
Kickflip area wear 
top down view of the wear 
mid area wear 
Heelflip area wear
Summary
This shoe is a cup sole, mid-top shoe; it was nice to skate. It is visually appealing and held up well. I can’t complain and can recommend it. Expect to swap insoles, unless you’re one of those mutants that prefer falt-flat shoes. I haven’t mentioned the boardfeel because I changed the insole for my sake. But, after some wear, it got better. The only complaint is the materials, the nylon, may not hold up as well for everyone as it did to me. The leather toe panel can be annoying, but the shoe is well-built.
Latest from the Blog
Review: Converse Cons Mid Player Pro
Before we went on our extended break, I had reached out to Brian about possibly reviewing old skate shoes for the sake of skating shoes I wish I had bought previously. After skating them, I realized that it’d been seven years since my last Converse review, which all fit well. Fit The shoe is a…
SkatePunk Podcast Season 2 #2 THE INFLUENCE
In episode number two of the second season of the SkatePunk Podcast, we’re talking about everything but skateboarding for the first twenty minutes. Shortly after, the topics get more skating-related, as we’re discussing influences in our skateboarding and our aspirations to be influencers (NOT THAT SOCIAL-MEDIA-LOOK-AT-MY-FANCY-SPONSORS-INFLUENCER-THING) ourselves. If you want to be a guest on…
Review: Emerica Pillar Shoe
I want to start by calling myself out and saying these may count as cheating. The Emerica Pillar comes with leather, and Emerica hasn’t put out many of these in leather.The Emerica Pillar has a vulcanized sole and is available as a mid or high-top shoe. As a fan of the Blazer from Nike, I…
SkatePunk 