One of our favorites over here at TWS, Mr. Jake Johnson, heavily backs the new CONS Metric CLS. And in the spirit of our 2016 Footwear Guide, we briefly picked his brain to learn a little more about his footwear preferences, what works, what doesn’t, and everything else in between.

What CONS model do you skate the most?
I skate the Metric CLS mostly these days but I also skate the Weapon almost equally as much.

What are some key elements that you look for in a good skate shoe?
Durability, materials, colors and heel support are all very important.

How involved are you with the designing of the shoes you skate?
I made small suggestions that went towards the design of the Metric CLS.

How often do you go through a pair of shoes?
Between two weeks to a month. The Metric will stay intact for longer than that with only slight wear on the heels if your light on foot drags.

Vulcanized or cup sole? And why?
Cup sole for thicker frame and extra weight. Vulcanized can be used well as a mix with cup sole. I hope to see more innovations with non-standard shoe materials within sole. The Metric CLS is using a sole that has never been used.

Toe cap or no cap?
I like toe caps.

Hi top, mid top, or low top?
All three—try everything out.

Some dudes prefer to skate without insoles but some dudes need a nice, thick insole to feel comfortable. Which do you prefer?
Thick Insole. It would be nice to have a custom made insole, but Converse makes thick foam that works good.

Do you skate your shoes straight out of the box or do you have some remedies like the microwave trick?
Straight out of the box.

If you could skate one pair of shoes for the rest of your life what would they be?
Haven’t found them yet?!

Check out the full CONS Spring line in our 2016 Footwear Guide presented by Skate Warehouse.