In the case of the DK-1, that thought never entered my mind. The swirling mixed and matched gray with white color combination is just too sick for me to even review, but in the grand scheme of things that’s the last thing you really worry about. If it came down to a comfortable, fast sliding, long lasting skate that came in hot pink, or an uncomfortable, unreliable skate that looked good the choice would be hands down. So what really sets these skates apart from the others??

Well the pre-release of the skate we got showed that the DK-1 was moving far away from the traditional hard plastic shell. The skate fetaures a soft boot that was definitely made with comfort in mind. I mean lets face it, you wear shoes all day long, but would you wear a plastic shoe with a liner inside them all day? Hell no you wouldn’t, so why would you do it with your skates if there are other options available?? Well the DK-1 is made of 100% lightweight soft boot materials on the outside (not a bulky plastic shell and cuff). And the inside consists of comfortable CoolMax climate control liners making your feet feel more like they are in a shoe and not a ski boot. Makes sense right?? Tucked away inside is an anatomically shaped footbed that features a patent pending airflow system to let your feet breathe.

All of these features make the skate extremely lightweight as well. A size 9 Deshi weighs in at a whopping 88 ounces. Not bad eh? So we’ve established that they are lightweight, AND off the hook for comfort. Those are definitely 2 of the first features that I look at on any skate, but there’s gotta be more… Well lets move back to the outside of the boot again. First off, one might think that the fact that these are 100% soft boot makes them frail or weak skates. That is simply not so. There are abrasion resistant, "high frequency lines" on the outside of the boot to protect the whole skate from the harsh wear and tear of rolling. Also instead of the normal plastic barriers that are referred to as buckles, the Deshi comes with a Velcro strap around the bottom of the shin area that allows more comfort and better flexing. There is also a Velcro strap around the top front of the boot that locks your heel into place.

Heel locked in place = better control and feeling in your boot, and less blisters (which are caused by friction and movement). There is also soft upper padding in the boot to ensure freedom of flex and movement at the same time. If you skate everyday, you know how important that is. Now one my favorite features of these skates is that they are made with the idea that you have to use your own creative energy to complete them. They ship in a "boot only" format so you start from scratch and make the skate that represents you.