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What’s Up, Snailiens!
Hello everyone, it’s Michael. How are you? The subject of this video is Converse Chuck 70s. Okay, so everybody knows there’s, you know, the classic Converse Chuck Taylors. Basically, Converse made galoshes for a while, just rubber boots, and then they ended up moving into athletic shoes, which was great.
Everybody loved them. They became really popular in Massachusetts for basketball players, then everywhere for basketball players.
And then a certain someone named Chuck Taylor, who was a basketball player at the time, said “Hey, here are some great things you can do to change your shoe that I think will make basketball players fall in love with you.” Converse said, “All right,” and then named it after him.
I feel like there was a time in shoemaking where when anybody made a suggestion about shoes, someone was like, “Great, that’s a great idea! Do you want to name the shoe after you?” Like Stan Smith. I have really no examples besides Chuck Taylor – hopefully, that was a good enough one for you.
What We’re Covering Today
So, anyway, let’s break down the subjects that we’re gonna get into today. Obviously, the first one is fit – how do these shoes fit? It’s pretty simple, but also with Converse sometimes it’s not so simple.
Two, why these shoes are so great, why you should basically get these ones and how they beat out regular Chuck Taylors.
My Weird Journey with Shoe Sizes
The first time I tried on a pair of Converse, I had an identity crisis. My shoe size journey was weird because in like sixth, seventh, and maybe even eighth grade, I was a size four – just a size four men’s shoe, or maybe a child’s, I don’t know. I had tiny feet, and it was the weirdest thing ever.
One day, my shoes just didn’t fit, and I had to get new shoes. And I was a size nine, nine and a half, ten in Nike athletic shoes because I used to only wear Nike from head to toe for a while.
And then I wanted to get a pair of Converse when I was in college, so I ordered a size 10 from the internet, and lo and behold, it was way too big. It fit like a clown shoe.
I sent those back ordered a size nine, and those were also too big. And I had a few thoughts, the biggest one being, “Oh no, my feet are shrinking back to a size four!”
Long story short, you should just size down a size in Converse, or if you’re a big fan of boots, you should get your boot size.
Usually, it’s a size smaller than your athletic shoe, but Converse usually run a size big. Since Converse are also so popular, I just recommend you go to the store and try them on.
Let’s Break Down Why These Are Better
So you may be asking, what is that $30 of extra money due to the shoe? And basically, the answer is: make it a good shoe in every single way.
The Chuck Taylor 70 is a dramatically better shoe than the original Chuck Taylor’s – well, I can’t say that – than the current line of Chuck Taylor’s.
Anyways, though, talk is cheap. If you’re really feeling froggish, leap! Yo Slim, you’re gonna let him get away with that? Sorry. The biggest thing that you’ll notice right away is just the fact that the canvas on the actual Chucks is a lot thicker.
It’s a 12-ounce canvas, which is a light denim weight but a pretty heavy canvas weight, and the canvas of these Chucks actually feels pretty thick and substantial.
All About That Canvas, Baby
It’s lined, and there are a few different things we’ll get into in a second, but the canvas itself is really cool because it looks like it actually has some of the seeds from the cotton when it was being made still in it, which to me is always a big plus. I love seeing the little black dots. These are also cream-colored, so you may not be able to see them in other colors.
So then if we’re looking down near the toes on kind of either side of them, there are two things: one, stitching, but on the inside of that stitching, there is another thick canvas lining and then stitching that goes all the way through the canvas to the outside.
Obviously, the canvas adds more structure, but I also think the stitching adds even more structure, so that is a big plus for me. All right, so basically, we’ll go from the inside out.
These soles are thicker than regular Converse soles, but they’re not the Nike Lunar soles, so there you go. It’s not just like a thin, glorified board when you’re walking on Converse.
Getting Spicy with the Outer Sole
Okay, so anyways moving on to the outside of the shoe – we covered the canvas, the inside, the sole – now the outer sole is where things start to get spicy. We have the regular outer sole, we have the foxing, the heel tape on the back, and then the – what the heck is the front of the shoe called?
We’ll call it the bow. So then we have the bow tape on the front of the shoe. Those are all upgraded, and I feel like since Converse started out as a rubber company, this is where they would take the most pride besides making, you know, great shoes and stuff like that.
Starting with – actually the complete package – all the rubber on the outside of the shoe, it feels nicer, it has a coat of varnish, which we’ll talk about in a second, and it’s just… it’s thicker, it’s heftier, I think it’s denser, and that’s what it is – it’s better.
So, like I said, the entire outer part of the rubber is coated in varnish, so it’s really shiny, feels really nice, and looks really premium. I don’t really know how much protection that will give you – it looks like it kind of comes off kind of easily.
I can scratch it off with my nail – I think maybe I can’t, but it looks like I can – but from what I read, that basically protects it from the elements a little bit more, protects the rubber from the elements, from staining or water and stuff like that.
Also, as a side note. I feel like I’ll never understand the treads of shoes that well, but these are a little bit deeper to give you more traction.
So that’s great, and I could feel it when I was walking around on wood floors. I was squeaking everywhere I went, and I was like, “Well, this needs to end.” I would rather fall.
Just the outer sole itself is way thicker, a lot heavier, and that’s great, but when we’re looking at it more, you’ll also see foxing – a term I learned yesterday. Foxing is that little line of rubber tape around the top.
Now that’s a lot thicker, too, and the red tape on the outside of there is a little bit thicker as well and goes a lot higher than a typical pair of Converse Chuck Taylors, which brings us to the biggest clown fact so far: since that tape goes higher – and I think it’s the tape but maybe it’s just the outsole itself is higher – it shows less of the canvas itself but also shrinks the toe box, which to me considerably reduces the clown look per Converse that you have.
The Deal with the Toe Cap and Other Cool Stuff
Side note: I was doing a lot of research to figure out what the toe cap was for on Converse, and really, the only thing I could find was that it’s not a steel toe boot, but it’s rubber toed so it’s a little bit more protective than just having like a 12-ounce or an 8-ounce or a 10-ounce canvas on your foot.
And I think that mainly did two things: one, it was an athletic shoe built for basketball, so I think Converse was thinking, “Well, if Robert Parish jumps up and Larry Bird is chilling under him and Robert Parish’s foot lands on Larry Bird’s, it’d be nice to have some sort of protection.” So that’s what I think the rubber toe cap was for.
I also think just as a side note on the playground, because these were popular with kids too – they’re athletic shoes – they were probably great for kicking a kickball because you have more structure and something in front that won’t move as much, so could be for that too.
Okay, so anyway, we have the foxing, the outsole, and we have the toe cap. Now, there are two more details: one, like I said, is the bow tape on the front, which you’ll notice there’s a bigger pattern, and then below that, there’s a smaller pattern.
I think the smaller pattern actually on the bottom is thicker than a normal Converse, which you can kind of see if I do like a side-by-side, but it adds a little bit more of a lip, a little bit more protection obviously, to the front. And then on the back, it’s kind of like a sticker at this point – that’s their heel protection, probably just really just to advertise at the very most.
Watch This Review
Final Thoughts and Future Testing
That’s about it for the Converse Chuck 70s. I’ll be interested in a few things, TBH. I’ll be interested to see: one, if the canvas rips; two, if the rubber cracks or separates, especially at the point of high stress where your feet bend; and then three, just the general quality – how does it stack up to a regular Converse, which I will be testing out if you want to see me do that.
It’s going to take a while because I have to wear the shoes in obviously, but I’ll be interested to see that. I hope you are all happy and healthy! Bye!
This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here.
The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered.
