The Dagon is the newest vegan skateboard shoe from Servant; a skater owned and operated shoe maker in Malmö Sweden. In October, we did a first-look review of the Dagon and put it through about 10 hours of skate wear. Several weeks and about 20 more hours of wear, we wanted to show off the incredible durability of this amazingly awesome shoe.
Free of leather, suede, and animal-based glue the Dagon is proof that not only can you skate a cruelty-free skateboard shoe but it can last longer then just about everything else on the market! So much so that Servant has no problem advertising them in Thrasher Magazine, with Mike V. skating and the top features listing as “VEGAN!”
Servant even made a video ad for the Dagon. They back this shoe hard. It goes to show the doubters, we are moving towards a world that doesn’t require the use of animals and we can have a superior product too!
Fresh out of the box, in Speedblue the Dagon is looks clean and the vegan faux-suede microfiber that Servant calls “4Skin”, is super soft. The stitching is minimal and strategically placed on the one piece toe cap. It’s smooth, consistent, and as we saw in skating; super-durable.
The business end of the Dagon with thirty hours of skating has worn the toe caps and foxing thin. However the whole shoe is still intact and still has a long way to go. Servant’s marketing material listed the shoe as having something like 6x longer durability of regular animal base suede. No plans to test the animal suede, but life of the Dagon is beyond adequate.
A closer look at the toe caps shows the wear. You can see the inkling of two ollie holes forming just to the above and to the right of where the red strip stops. The foxing is worn and starting to eat around the toes. You can see the soles stitch holes imbedded to the upper, making a toecap blowout extremely unlikely.
Around back at the collar we had a bit of a tare; result of stuffing feet into laced up shoes. The stability of the collar isn’t as strong but the heel still cups well. A great reveal of the padding though. The red micro-fiber is super smooth on the ankles too. Even when first sliding on the shoe or extended skate sessions in low-cut socks your ankles aren’t going to rub raw.
Fresh out of the box soles.
Gum soles with deep triangle pattern, maybe a style or trend in the industry, or a golden ratio. The Dagon soles have had a close board feel from the first skate. They’re wearing thin around the ball of the foot, but lots of grip still remains.
30 hours of skate wear
The toes and heel add a thicker wear surface for toe dragging. Power slides may look cool but we all gotta put the heel brakes on at some point and toe drags are just an embarrassing reality.
The Dagon has hands down been one of the most comfortable shoes we have ever skated. The fit of the shoes are medium width and finding the right size was a snap. Servant has a “size finder” guide. Just pop out a ruler (metric or imperial), pen and paper. We reviewed the Dagon in size EU43/US10 which feels like the most solid ten we have ever skated. A couple emails came in since the First Look Review, saying that the size finder guide suggested a different size then they normally ride, so use it. However if you are ordering in the states, the shoes are shipping from Michigan so returns aren’t a hassle.
The shoe is super durable and breathes well, so you can skate all day and night, avoiding overly sweaty feet. The heels are protected with “Cush Strobel” and a solid collar. Lace protection and single toe cap construction keep the shoes looking clean and consistent. Excellent art, style, and possibly the best value in a skateboard shoe we have seen in a long while. Servant sent us the Speedblue colorway but they’re available in Red/Black and Black too! 
The reason we do this site. No Cow! Represent! Skateboarders everywhere, the Servant Dagon should be your next skateboard shoe.
US Store sizes 5-12 $65
EU Store sizes 37-46 kr749
Pretty impressed with Servant. Gonna pick up a pair of these bad boys next I think
http://servantusa.tictail.com/product/loiters-green
Super stoked to see the triumphant return of the veganskateblog. I can’t speak for others but I’ve missed it.
These shoes look solid. Glad to see they have withstood the punishment. I am surprised how well the soles have held up. That is something that shoe too can never fix. I want the black colorway.
Oh also I’ve skated that d.i.y. park in Malmo. I might have crossed paths with Pontus Alv while I was there but it was about 7 years ago so I can’t be 100% sure. That commercial ruled too, so nice to see so much coverage for a vegan shoe. I’ll be posting this and doing a write up in the g+ skate community.
definitely going to pick up a pair next time i need new skate shoe.