When you're looking for a pair of shoes that your sole purpose is going to be to destroy, you might take the price into consideration. We've compiled a list of quality brands and models whose prices came in at the $60–$75 range. That's the going rate these days.
The best place to buy affordable skate shoes is at your local skate shop! We can't stress that enough, and that is the reason why there are no links to the manufacturers' sites in this article. It is your responsibility, as a skateboarder or as a beginner coming into this culture, to support those keeping the local scenes alive. Call your local shop, go visit them, say hello, see what they have on their shelves—they will hook you up! They will have shoes on sale; they will have used decks and wheels they will give you to get you rolling!
You won't see many pro model shoes in here*, as the pros are paid royalties from the sales of their shoes, which ups the price at retail.
Vans: Skate Authentic, $60
The iconic silhouette first made famous by the Dogtown team is still kicking. Vans' thin Authentic is a great shoe at the lowest price you'll find. Since they've beefed up their Classics with "Pro" soles and cushioning, this isn't your dad's Authentic. Grip 'em and rip 'em.
Opus: Honey Slip, $65
Opus Footwear entered the skate shoe market recently with a promise to make durable, affordable skate shoes. Skater-owned, in core shops, and doing just that. Check 'em out.
Nike SB: Charge Canvas, $65
If you're lookin' to rock the Swoosh, they've got the Charge Canvas model that'll be easy on your wallet and you won't have to enter a raffle to buy them. However, if it's another Nike SB model you want, give your local skateshop a ring and see what they're sitting on.
New Balance Numeric: 425, $69.99
New Balance Numeric knows their way around a skate shoe. With a team boasting Tiago Lemos, Jamie Foy, Brandon Westgate and Jordan Trahan, they make shoes for just about any type of skater. Settle into some 425s if your budget's tight this month.
Converse CONS: One Star Pro Suede, $75
Quickly becoming Converse CONS' go-to silhouette, the One Star is also its lowest price offering—a win-win. You see the juicy colorway the Rose Street boys came up with?
adidas: Busenitz Vulc II, Shmoofoil, Puig Indoor, $75
*adidas Skateboarding has three hot models coming in at 75 bones—and they're all pro models (basically)! The Shmoofoil being a riff on Mark Gonzales' art, but the other two models here are like second-tier pro models (both Dennis Busenitz and Lucas Puig have higher-priced "hero" models).
Disclaimer: All these prices were found online, which is another reason to check what your local skate shop has on sale/overstocked. As these shoe companies sometimes pump the shops with too much inventory. Go support your local and get a killer deal in the process!
