Vans Era vs Vans Authentic: Who is the Winner?

For a more modern look, serious padding, and comfortable feel, Vans Era edges the Authentic. Vans Era is my sure winner.

I suspect that Vans Era is better than Vans Authentic. Also, the price of Vans Authentic is lower than the price of the Vans Era.

In this case, people will think the cheaper price should be a reason to buy this pair rather than the other one. I think they are wrong. Vans Era is more expensive but it is better than Vans Authentic.

In general, Vans Era is more comfortable. You can wear Vans Era with almost all kinds of clothes.

You can go out with your friends wearing Vans Era feeling more confident than wearing the Authentic or some other shoes or sneakers. (If you are wearing it with the right clothes, of course).

Vans Era	Vans Authentic
Softer footbed	Solid footbed
Roomy uppers	Compact uppers
More padding	Less padding
More stitching	Less stitching
Skinnier canvas	Durable canvas

Why is Vans Era better?

The Authentic has more room in the arch, which makes it more comfortable for people with flat feet. They also have a slightly wider midsole, a better waffle sole for grip, and slightly higher sidewalls, which makes it more stable.

The Authentic is also lighter because of its minimalist design. So if you have flat feet or don’t like a lot of support from your shoes or want a little more structure and a little bit more stability, I recommend getting the Authentic.

More popular and more fashionable

To begin with, the Era is the most popular kind of Vans shoes.  They look more fashionable than the Authentic.

The pattern on Vans Era is more special than that on Vans Authentic. If you want to be cool and attractive, you can choose Era instead of Authentic. Besides, the quality of materials is different between Era and Authentic.

The material of the Vans Era has a softer feel to it

The material of Era is much softer than that of Authentic. Your feet will feel so comfortable when you wear it.

Another good point about Era is that it might have better durability than Authentic, but it won’t get deformed after you wear it for a long time.

I like its suede finishing design very much because I think it is convenient to wear and take off this shoe. It’s really a worthy item to possess if you like skateboarding.

More durable

What’s not good about Vans Era? Because they’re new, no one knows yet whether they will be durable enough, but the first impression is that they will last long enough for your daily use, and no one had any problem yet with their quality or durability so far.

Differences between Vans Era and Vans Authentic

The Era has softer cushioning

• Era is different from the Authentic mainly because they have a softer sole and a cushy insole.
• The softer footbeds of the Era may be comfortable, but they’re less functional and durable than the Authentic.
• Vans Era’s soles are so soft that they can’t support your footwell enough like the Authentic.

Most shoes have solid soles: they are made of a single material that makes up the whole sole. But some like the Vans Era, have softer footbeds.

These can be more comfortable, especially for people who need to walk on hard surfaces, because the soft layer absorbs some of the shocks. But the Era’s sole does not last as long as the rigid Authentic.

Maybe this is why so many people prefer the vulcanized sole of the Authentic more. They are looking for shoes that are durable not just comfortable.

If you want something that lasts, you need to consider whether you are willing to put up with discomfort during the time it takes to get there.

The Era though, is better for walking on sand or snow, because it conforms to the surface more closely. And if you notice closely, it’s easier on your feet when you’re walking over smooth, hard surfaces like stone or ceramic tile.

But the soft soles on the Era are worse in other ways. They wear out faster, yes, but they give you more protection against the cold because of their thick uppers and immaculate stitching.

So which kind of sole do you want? It depends on what kind of ground you’re going to be walking on.

If you walk across the sand, snow, or anything that’s soft, go for the Era; if you walk across rock or concrete, go for the Authentic.

There’s one catch: to get the benefit of the softness, you have to be able to feel it.

If you’re wearing heavy boots with thick rubber soles, they will protect your feet from cold but will also isolate them from the ground so that you don’t feel how soft it is underfoot.

Vans are not the lightest shoes in the world but your feet can feel the difference between sand and stone.

The Era has roomier uppers

I think there is a big difference between shoes that are made with roomy uppers and shoes that are made with more compact uppers. That sounds like an odd claim.

I can tell you that shoes that are made with roomy uppers tend to be attractive, while shoes that are made with compact uppers tend to be well, less attractive.

The roomy-uppers’ philosophy is to make shoes that are comfortable and last a long time. For example, the Vans Era comes with a thick insole and a thick midsole.

That makes the shoe feel comfortable right out of the box. It also gives you more support and cushioning. This is why the Era holds its shape better than the Authentic when put on.

The Authentic provides lesser padding

Some people like shoes with more padding and some like shoes with less padding. There is no objective reason for one choice or the other.

People’s preferences for more or less padding differ; they even change over time, as fashions change.

• To see the effects of the padding on both shoes, you have to skate hard on a rough road.
• Choosing shoes based on their level of padding makes sense: if you want to reduce soreness after skateboarding, choose shoes with more padding.
• The Era provides less sore after skating than they would be if you had skated without enough padding.

What I want to know is: What are the actual effects of more and less padding?

In shoes with more padding like Vans Era, the padding absorbs shock. The padding provides some protection from pressure but it also makes some parts of your foot feel more pressure than they would otherwise.

The result is that you can either feel comfortable and be sore or be sore and feel okay. It all depends on your weight and how you walk and so on.

And since a lot of people don’t understand why this is true, they just try to find a shoe that feels good to them right out of the box, and if it hurts they think something is wrong with their feet.

But there is nothing wrong with their feet; they just chose the wrong kind of shoe.

When you walk into a shoe store looking for those shoes with very little padding like the Authentic, people will call you a “minimalist.”

This means less is more and the Authentic is one brand that presents this. There is less padding but it will give you similar features to the more comfortable Era.

In this case, efficiency means doing the same thing faster or using less material to accomplish the same purpose.

The Era has better stitching

Shoes with more stitching will last longer than shoes with less stitching.  Shoes with more stitching will support your feet better, and be more comfortable.

Vans Era has more stitching but will cost more than shoes with less stitching like the Authentic. Although, you can probably find better performance for less money.

This is a silly point of comparison, of course. But it brings up a point. In some cases, shoes with more stitching cost more, perform more, and look better.

In other cases, there are differences between shoes with more and less stitching that has nothing to do with price or quality.

What matters is not how many stitches there are in the canvas, but whether they are in straight lines. The more consistent the stitching, the more the shoe will hold its shape; this is Authentic’s strong point.

The more consistent the stitching, the less weight goes into making stitches and thread. If you want to be fast, you need to make shoes with regular stitching.

If you want to be slow, you can put in irregular stitches or no stitches at all; then your shoe will be light and comfortable.

According to one of my recent findings…

• Fashionable women’s shoes often have five thousand or more stitches per shoe.
• The lighter a shoe is, the faster you can skate in it.
• The reason Era looks better has nothing to do with quality: it’s just an accident of fashion.

The canvas

I discovered that there are different kinds of shoes with canvas, some are with durable canvas while others are with skinnier kind of canvas. So, what are the differences between these two kinds of shoes?

First, you can consider the durability. Skinnier kind of canvas which can be found in the Era is good for lightweight because it can make your feet feel lighter.

But if you go hiking, skating, or jogging with a skinnier kind of canvas, your feet will hurt because this kind of canvas is not strong enough to hold your feet firmly.

If you need to skate for a long time, you should choose shoes with a durable kind of canvas because this kind of canvas is much stronger than the other one.

But if your shoes are heavy, it will make your feet feel uncomfortable too.

Similarities between Vans Era and Vans Authentic

Vans Era is a best seller alongside the Authentic Vans Era given their skateboarding prowess.

Though many people have tried to compare the two types of shoes, there are some significant differences between them.

• Both Vans shoes are very popular among skateboarders.
• Both consist of cotton-blend
• Both have rubber soles
• Both have cushioned insole for added comfort
• Both shoes have a lace-up closure for an adjustable, secure fit

Similar Shape

I started to think about the similarities between different Vans shapes. It was clear that the Vans Era and Vans Authentic had a very similar shapes.

Both of them have a low profile, a high heel, a slimmed-down toe box, and a low sidewall. This is great news for anyone who owns both of them because you can get the best of both worlds.

High soles platform

Vans shoes have a very high sole platform, which makes the base of the shoe very wide.

Both the Vans Era and Vans Authentic are so popular among skateboarders and skaters because they offer a very good balance between the two aspects of skate shoes: being comfortable and being stylish.

Both Shoes are the ideal shoes for skateboarding because of their high sole platforms. Since the most reliable type of skate shoe is a low top, these offer less ankle support, but allow easier tricks like kicking the board around.

Lace-up design

As with most shoes, the laces of a pair of Vans Era are there to adjust the fit and to allow the wearer to be able to slip their feet in and out quickly; the same thing with the authentic.

However, there is another purpose that many people do not know about. The lace-up design of both shoes gives the shoe extra support around the ankle area.

It is for this reason that skaters like to wear them since they allow skaters to push off with greater ease. It is also for this reason that some basketball players choose them as well as some other athletes.

Similar topics:

• Vans vs Air Force 1
• Vans vs Puma
• DC vs Vans
• Vans Classic Slip-on vs Asher
• Vans Old Skool Pro vs Old Skool

Final words

Vans have been making shoes for over 50 years now and they have made some radical changes along the way to be able to keep up with new trends and technology changes without losing their core identity that makes them so unique from other shoe brands.

The design on the Vans Authentic still remains the same since the 80s. But they have a lighter and more flexible canvas upper than the Era with vulcanized sole for support and flexibility.

The vulcanized outsole is incredibly durable and the waffle pattern provides superb traction and board feel.

It is difficult to separate them but my hat goes to the Era though, mainly because of the modern feel which is a critical requirement of modern skateboarding, fashion, and style.