Beauty Out of Babylon approach's skateboarding much the way a painter would approach his canvas. It is a serious matter that seriously doesn't matter at the end of the day which makes it a perfect stimulant mixed with pure enjoyment. This level of euphoric liberation can only be accomplished when the artist has tools that are deemed worthy and are able to accurately display his or her intentions with no blemishes. I have repeatedly, almost to the point of preaching, refereed to skateboarding as the art that it is and should be appreciated as, and being one of the arts, it is not exception to this rule of requiring quality implements in order to accurately express ones self in the desired fashion. Since this site is dedicated to the skateboarding community, I want to help shed on light on products that fit this bill and stand up to the abuse that our art requires from us and produces those clean lines sought after by all us.
    As in all things in life, it is a wise idea to start from the ground up when beginning a project so I began literally at the "ground" for my Product Reviews and bring to you the DVS Daewon 13 CT skate shoes. DVS has been in the game almost 20 years, since 1995, so they know what works and what doesn't when it comes to bringing you quality ripper slippers and this model is absolutely no exception. Its a low cut shoe that features perforated vinyl on high impact areas yet a light feel due to the minimalistic approach taken by designers in an effort to bring the rider optimum control and feel of their board no matter what situation you throw them through or off of. This shoe screams intelligent design and functionality is what forms the thread holding the panels together at the seams. There are 5 major things I look for in a skate shoe in no particular order:
1.Board Feel through the sole of the shoe it self. I need to be able to feel the board but also have enough cushion to where I feel confident to attempt gaps or stairs knowing that my feet won't pay as a result of a bail
2.Comfort of wearing the shoe not just during the sesh, but in between spots, to work, and on the go in every day life.
3.Durability is key to me because once I get a shoe broken in and used to it, I don't want it to be thrashed. I want the structural integrity of the shoe to remain intact in that "sweet spot" long enough for me to really enjoy it and get all the good out of it!
4.Tread Grip is huge to me especially when I am enjoying gravity and enjoying some inclines. When speed is a factor I want to basically be glued to the deck of my plank making a sticky and gummy sole a must for me when sliding or cornering roads.
5.Price is important but not a tell all end all. Like most if not all of you cash doesn't grow in the tree in my back yard so buying a new pair of kicks every week is not an option. I need a ride for my feet that won't break the bank.

    To test these factors and any others that came my way I wore my shoes for three weeks and put them through my rigors of my daily life and skateboarding life to see if they performed as good as they looked. I wore them every day to work at Eastern Skateboard Supply and skated them every time I stepped on a board. This skating was done at an indoor park and a concrete park, a college univeristy, and some downhill runs in a few different spots. I wanted to make sure that I had a shoe that would hold up to the SKATE EVERYTHING mentality embodied by this site and many of its viewers. I put this shoe through the testing ground that is my life and this is what I thought:

    Lets talk about about #1: Board Feel. Straight out of the box these shoes felt the board perfectly. There was no awkward in between stage where the rubber on the sole was still rigid and tough limiting perception of the feet on what was going on below them on that wooden thing. The DVS Daewon 13 CT's communicate beautifully to all makes and models of skateboards never leaving your commands improperly relayed. I felt a solid connection to any sled that I threw under these puppies which translated to confidence in all of the lines that were generated upstairs in mi cabeza. I was very pleased with the board feel delivered from day one with this model of DVS's.

    Factor #2 is comfort of daily wear both while skating and just livin' life. These shoes fit like a dream and hugged my feet reaffirming them that nothing could hurt them as long as they were inside their Daewon den. I am on my feet all day at work skating and walking to and fro throughout the warehouse performing daily task's assigned to me. I am never dormant for very long so I need a shoe that is going to keep up the support all day long and doesn't leave me high and dry complaining about sore feet at the end of the day. This shoe stood tall for a low cut model and took everything in stride literally. I've been walkin' on sunshine for the past 3 weeks and life has been nothing short of grand thanks my trusty kicks!

    Factor #3 is perhaps the hardest of the requirements that make a good shoe to be met. I tend to be very rough on all of my equipment and shoes tend to bear a frontal load in this all out assault. Far to often I find blown out side walls or busted laces left and right that may not ruin the current session, but bode to interrupt one in the future. Not having a shoe lace to replace a completely devastated one is not the way you want to close out your day at your local spot I promise you that. This shoe has been ridden on various options of grip coureness to ensure that what ever you may be riding out there, this shoe has seen a similar situation. It held up very well with 0 popped laces but countless popped ollies and retained plenty of the rubber around the toes which is subject to wear and tear during use. The sole as well as the side walls held in tact very nicely all the while providing excellent performance whenever and where ever demanded. You can tell that Daewon actually tested and skated this shoe before it was put into manufacturing. 

    Factor #4 comes into play much more when I am chasing that adrenaline rush associated with downhill skateboarding but also is a big factor when skating transition or parks as well. A shoe with no tread is susceptible to sliding around the deck of your sled and that to me is one of the worst situations imaginable while skateboarding. I love knowing that I am in total control no matter what and that my equipment will perform as I predict it to and as it is intended to do. The CT 13's did just that and made it so I never once had to think about them which left me to focus on nailing the critical section of the line I threw my self down. I always felt plenty of grip whether I was pushing, just riding or performing a maneuver.

    The last factor, Factor #5 is not necessarily a performance feature, it is a very important figure to keep in mind when looking for your next pair of digs. No buddy wants to give away a Benjamin one a set of shoes you intend to thrash the very next day but you also must consider the old proverb of, "You get what you pay for". The listing price on DVSshoes.com is at a cool $60.00 which puts these shoes in the affordable, yet still good quality range. You get what you pay for with these bad guys too so go cut the lawn, sell lemonade, wash the dog.... do what ever it takes to round up the dough to do your self the honor of picking up a pair of these skateboard shoes! And while you are in the mood to support a skater owned and skater operated company ( SO RAD!!!!!), double down and go down to your local shop and scoop your pair up and spread the shred support around!!! (EVEN RADDER!!!!)

SUMMARY:
I did not take it easy on these shoes by any means wearing them nearly non-stop for this 3 week trial period and they have been given the stamp saying the stand up to life and ask what more they can do for you. I absolutely love these shoes for all disciplines of skating and highly recommend them to anybody looking for a light weight, comfortable, low cut shoe that has a long life span in this self destructive habitat we have created for them.

RATINGS:
#1 Board Feel: 5/5
#2 Comfort: 4/5
#3 Durability: 4.5/5
#4 Tread Grip: 5/5
#5 Price: 4.5/5

I highly recommend the DVS Daewon CT 13 to everybody and anybody out there! I really enjoyed getting to skate and wear this shoe around and look forward to continuing to do so for a while to come!

A huge shout out and thank you goes to Ryan Langhore with DVS for hooking it up big time and supplying the test material in question. Thanks to all of y'all as well out there in cyber limbo for taking the time to tune in and check out the site and this amazing product. Support DVS and check out these and their other shoes in their expansive lineup and by doing so you will be an active member aiding and nurturing the skate community! JAH Bless y'all and shred on!!

    Here at Eastern Skateboard Supply there is a lot of really, really talented skaters, many of whom absolutely demolish anything you put in front of them. Robby Johns (@rabbit231) is one of these elite riders and he often can be seen poppin' clean flip tricks causally as he works his way around the receiving bay or when he indulges in a game of S.K.A.T.E. on the afternoon break. Every trick this guy does, he does with proper form along with a touch of unique style. This being said, I thought I would allow Robby to demonstrate a trick that many have done, but few have enjoyed as much as him: The Butt Bomb.
    You'll notice the text book technique displayed here from the warm up all the way to the final realization and awakening that a new sled is needed. With out further ado, I present to the world, the proper butt bomb performed by Robby Johns.

    Thanks for checking out the page and for all the support! I wish you all happy and safe shredding and make sure to gear up at your local shop! JAH Bless!

    I love this video. Plain and simple. I am a huge fan of the less is more approach to editing skate clips and this clip needs no editing. The rawest raw run I've seen in a while. S1 Helmets presents "Sam Hay and Ethan Galaif Dangle For Danger". Enjoy.

JAH Bless and make sure to support your local skate shops and skater owned companies!!