Etnies Marana Michelin Wear Test Review

Etnies' best skate shoe just got even better; introducing the Marana Michelin.

When Etnies dropped the original Marana back in 2013, they knew they had something special on their hands. The shoe performed so well, both skating and sales-wise, that over the course of the last four years they've dropped four new versions of the shoe; the Marana Vulc, Marana Vulc MT, Marana XT, and most recently, the Marana Michelin. While the entire goal of the Marana XT was to make the shoe more grippy, durable and long-lasting, the Marana Michelin expands upon that about three-fold.

We had our team rider and warehouse hooligan, Caleb Grant, take the Marana Michelins for a spin out at Springfield Skatepark. One of the first things that he noticed was how even though the sole of the shoe used a new rubber compound it still felt like a regular Marana, no added stiffness or decreased boardfeel. He also said the grip of the shoe performed just as well as advertised, his feet stayed planted on his board and he didn't even slip when stepping off the slick-as-hell waxed ledges at the park.

A common grievance (the only one, really) of the original Maranas was that the upper housing of the shoe was so durable that it kept outlasting the outsole. The utilization of Michelin's rubber compound in the sole was an attempt to balance both parts of the shoe and therefore making it three times more durable than its predecessor. After 30+ days of skating them, the only visible wear on the sole was directly under the balls of his toes, and other than that the sole was still completely grippy and intact. Aside from breaking through the toecap and ripping a couple laces, the only real wear on the upper was a seam between the toe and outside panel beginning to split. He said it didn't really affect how the shoe performed and that it just made the shoe feel looser over time, resulting in him tying his laces about as tight as they can go. Peep said he'd recommend this shoe to any skater who wants to feel planted and solid on their board and is looking for a shoe that's, quite literally, built to last.

Click the link directly below to grab your pair of the Marana Michelin by Etnies!

Shop Etnies Marana Michelin Skate Shoes