Home News Review by: Kevin Little, editor-in-chief, @kevinmlittleMIKE FRENCH LAVA SKATESIf you have been following freestyle blading for the last few years, you have likely seen Lava Skates being ridden by some incredible skaters from all over the world. They are a fairly new brand within our industry, but they have made a huge impact in a very short amount of time. From selecting a formidable team of international professionals to represent their brand, such as Ivan Kovtun (Russia), Stephen Swain (U.K), Steve Dürr (Austria), Richard Vasquez (Venezuela), and Derek and Mike French (United States), to supporting youth programs and sponsoring countless competitions, Lava has really shown to be heavily invested in our culture.With all of their recent work behind the scenes, I was curious about how the Lava Skates would perform, as I was hearing lots of positive feedback from very knowledgeable skaters that they were very high-quality skates. So I had to see for myself! So I reached out to my good friend Mike French and asked if Lava might be willing to send me a pair of his new skates to review, and he got me in contact with the homie Eric at Lava Skates, who very generously sent me a pair to test out.The skates arrived very quickly, and I was super excited that they fit my alien feet perfectly right out of the box. I went with a size 10, which is what I wear in the majority of skates on the market, and the sizing was almost dead on. The only thing I added to the skates was a cushy shock absorber from Dead for my sensitive heels. I made a breakdown of each of the skates’ key parts, where I go into more detail; check it out.ShellsThe Lava shells are VERY lightweight and made of a fairly thin plastic that is flexible, yet surprisingly rigid. The toe box is just the perfect fit where it isn’t too restrictive, but also roomy enough to let your toes expand, but not so loose that your foot is slipping around on the inside. If I could compare the feeling of the shell to another skate currently on the market, it would be a mix of a Razors SL and a USD Throne.CuffsThe cuffs fit the Lava shells perfectly, and there was no major gap between the cuff and the shell, as seen in other skates on the market. This definitely helped with giving good support for my bad ankles. The cuffs have a raised area beneath the straps/buckle area that helps to protect from the abuse that usually comes from missing tricks and smashing straight into the strap/buckle. Mine took a considerable amount of damage, either from missing tricks or sloppy cess-slide fails. Luckily, the plastic was durable enough to keep my straps in relatively good condition.StrapsThe straps are made of a durable material that held up decently, although I did see some stitching come up in a few spots. The biggest drawback that I had was the excessive length of the straps, as they were entirely too long and flopped out like dog ears after strapping them up. I was going to swap them out, but I left them on to test their durability, and was surprised they held up okay even with the ears flopping out and getting scraped on. Lava has addressed these issues and shortened the straps to better fit each shell size.LinersThe Lava liners are very basic in their design, and the padding used is not too thin or bulky. I tend to find that liners with excessive overdesign tend to not be as comfortable for me as simple, straightforward liners without all the bells and whistles. The liners fit inside the shells perfectly and, for a stock liner, were surprisingly comfortable and durable.SoulplatesI really wanted to show the durability of the Lava skates, so I made sure to skate as many ledges as I could, since I feel like reviews set in skateparks or primarily on rails don’t really capture the wear and tear that comes with abrasive street skating. The plastic is a harder blend than the ones used in the cuff and shell, but I am happy to say the soulplates held up well after a solid few months of harsh skating and were still sliding nicely in the last sessions I had with them.Frames / WheelsI didn’t have the opportunity to skate the stock frames and wheels that came with them, as I mainly skate flat setups, and with nursing an injury, I figured it best not to tempt fate and injure myself on a setup I wasn’t sure of. But I can say that the frames seemed very well made and looked very similar in design to a Ground Control Featherlite or Kizer Fluid anti-rocker frame. The 60mm 88a wheels were donated to a friend who was in desperate need of new ones, and he said they roll great and felt very soft but still durable even when rolling on rough West Texas concrete.ConclusionThe Mike French Lava Skates held up great over the last few months of skating for me, and I was quite sold on them actually! I was admittedly having a difficult time trying to find a skate on the market that both fit my alien feet comfortably and weren’t incredibly difficult to adjust to a flat wheel setup on, but thankfully these Frenchies checked off all the right boxes for me, aside from the stock straps, which I will likely swap out for some Kekoa straps for future Lava setups. But I can’t speak highly enough about their performance, especially considering the affordability of these skates is quite impressive! You can literally buy two pairs of pro skates from Lava for the price of one pair of boots from some other brands on the market. I know the cost of premium parts is a great selling point, but if you are on a budget and looking for a durable skate with the most bang for your buck, the Lava skates are a solid option!This is the final shot I got of them before wrapping up the review. As you can see, they are a little banged up, but still have plenty of life in them, and I will likely ride these a little while longer before I cop either the new Derek French or Richard Vasquez pro skates from Lava and donate these to a kid in need. I highly suggest picking yourself up a pair of Mike’s new skate before they sell out, as they are supporting one of blading’s most professional and hard-working skaters around!www.lavaskates.com Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more quality skate content.
