These sneakers passed our nine-year-old boy's "coolness" test, with their springs built into the heel that actually seem to provide some bounce to the shoe. They are nice-looking, and the break-in period consisted of wearing them around the house for an hour before he declared them comfortable.

It's too soon to gauge longevity, but his last pair of Skechers lasted nine months, and ours is a kid who is hard on his shoes. We were replacing cheap pairs every other month. If the Voltz wear as well as the first pair of Skechers we tried for him, they will be an excellent value.