Sports Product Review

Necessity is the mother of invention. So when the mother of a soccer player needs something that doesn’t exist, her only option is to invent it.

The genius behind Cleatskins, (www.cleatskins.com), is an example of good, old-fashioned American ingenuity. Rick and Marianne Kay were tired of replacing worn cleats for their three sports-playing children. Together they came up with the idea of a protective rubber sole that could easily fit over the cleats to quickly transform them into street shoes. The resulting product is one of the most innovative, exciting, and brilliant ideas we’ve seen come along in years.

Why do you need Cleatskins? The first answer is that they’ll pay for themselves in a short time. I just bought two pairs of baseball cleats yesterday – not because my sons had outgrown them, but because the cleats were worn down to a nub. All of that walking across asphalt, from the parking lot to the dugout, from the dugout to the parking lot, across sidewalks and streets, takes its toll. Slipping on Cleatskins means cleats are only used where they belong – on grass and dirt where they can’t wear out – not grinding against cement.

And, speaking of grass and dirt: How many times have you driven your player home and had to vacuum the car interior because of dirty cleats? Cleatskins will keep the floor mats mud and grime-free, extending their life and saving you time.

Saving time? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the parking lot of the restaurant or grocery, where we’d decided to stop on the way home from the game, waiting patiently while my kids take off their cleats and put on their street shoes or sandals so we can go inside. It seems to take forever when you’re hungry or in a hurry. Boy, it would be nice if you could just slip something over those cleats and go. Oh that’s right, now you can. And I can remember a time when my son forgot to bring any change of footwear and had to tromp into the store wearing his metal cleats. The way he slipped and nearly fell on each aisle was enough to make sure we never tried that again.

This highlights what is maybe the most important benefit to the ‘skins.’ Locker-room floors were not designed for cleats; nor were any smooth surfaces. Cleatskins rubber soles are actually designed to be as safe as the sole of a tennis shoe, so that no matter where they’re worn, kids won’t slip, fall and hurt themselves. Yesterday I was at my son’s Pop Warner game. Everywhere you looked, kids were walking around, still in their cleats, wearing them down. And a pack of youngsters who had played an earlier game was fooling around, running back and forth on the aluminum bleachers. It was an accident waiting to happen. 

My daughter loves her Cleatskins. Just the other day, as she was waiting to be picked up for her soccer carpool, she wanted to ride her brother’s “Wave” skateboard. She slipped on her rubber soles and instantly converted her cleats to shoes, rode until her teammates arrived, and then hopped into their car. I imagine our friend who was driving didn’t mind seeing her bring “clean skins” in, instead of dirty cleats, either.

The product has just been released to the market and soon, I’m sure, you’ll see it everywhere. From the impressive website, the quality of which surpasses that of most Fortune 500’s, to the world-class product presentation, one look at this company and you know they’ve got their act together. The sports world is chock-full of great ideas, creative inventions and “better mousetraps,” some of which take off and some, sadly, that never see the light of day. But if you’re betting on success, the folks at Cleatskins have the wherewithal to be the closest we’ve seen to a sure thing.

Source: Cleatskins