Kozy Soles' McSteeze Slippers

Here is something a little different...another pair of Air MAGs for the collection and for review.  These are slippers by Kozy Soles.

Kozy Soles "McSteeze"

I got the awesomest Christmas gift from my cousin, a pair of Air MAG slippers.  Oops, (most likely) due to legal reasons, Kozy Soles calls these "McSteeze".  Again, these are awesome!

For those of you just joining us, I have done reviews and comparisons on the 2011 Nike Air MAGS with the V2 Knockoffs, Halloween Costumes, and V3 Knockoffs.  Feel free to click those links, you may want to read those to get an idea of the different versions out there.  Although, this review of the McSteeze will be a little different and not as lengthy, for obvious reasons.  I am not even going to physically compare these with the Official Nike Air MAG's.

These images with the white background were 'borrowed' from the Kozy Soles website. The pretty shots with my car, are mine.  Again, as I mentioned in my last Air MAG post, if you need to 'borrow' my images, please give credit.  Bit of a tangent, I happened to stumble on MY IMAGES on someone else's Instagram feed...without giving credit to the source.  Anyway, here we go.

Packaging:

The Kozy Soles come in a mesh bag.  No fancy box, just a bag.


Shoes:

Well, these are slippers.  I guess you can call them knockoff, but are they really?  Actually, really comfortable and...as the name states...cozy slippers.  There are many 'non-screen accurate' areas, but many things Kozy Soles totally nailed!

McSteeze, beauty shot

The outside is constructed from a plush material, giving it a soft feel.  I had stared at the slippers for a long time only to realise that they have no left or right distinction.  Once you wear them for a while, they will 'form' to your feet.  A custom fit...much like power laces.

Speaking of power laces, these obviously do not have power laces.  They do use the same execution as the other Air MAGs, by using four elastic bands across the top of the foot.  They do provide a snug fit.

McSteeze, side

An elastic band is also used for the Achilles pad.  Other versions use a strap with hook and loop closure.  The Achilles pad, like the rest of the slipper, is also made from a plush material.  There is a foam-like form inside the pad to give it structure and very minimal protection.  The elastic strap has the Kozy Soles company logo on it, instead of Nike...no light up.  There are no Nike Swooshes or any reference to Nike, Air MAG, or Back to the Future on these.

There is a good amount of padding on the footbed.  The soles of the slippers have little dots for traction.

McSteeze, top

The collar looks like Yoda's ears (see image above), but when you put them on, they sit pretty close to where they should be.  The triangular hole on the collar is represented by a triangular patch.  Great solution to what would have been a costly and aesthetic problem if it were a real hole.

McSteeze, back

The heel cup displays the Kozy Soles logo instead of the "MAG" logo.  Because there is no left or right, they have heel lights on both the inside and outside of the heel cup.  No, silly.  They do not light up, there are no electronics in these.

The midsole area that normally lights up is also mirrored, so you have the blue half-moon shapes on both sides.  They went to the trouble of creating a separate piece for the midsole, but did not use a different coloured material, or deco, to represent the splatter. This would have also been a nice addition to the heel cup.  But that is really nitpicking on something that is does not claim to be official or screen accurate.

My slippers on top of my car

Conclusion:

What a great pair of slippers!  In its core, these are great slippers.  Throw in the Back to the Future reference and you have a winner.  The folks at Kozy Soles did an amazing job on these.  I have no complaints on these.  In fact, I think these are the best replicas out there, especially when you factoring price and comfort of the slippers.

I did not know these even existed until I unwrapped these.  Had I known, I would have definitely ordered a pair.  I highly recommend these if your feet get cold, or if you are somewhat of a Back to the Future fan.  If you want a pair, head over to the Kozy Soles website and order yours.

New driving shoes!

Fake Omega Silver Snoopy

If you have read some of my posts before, you know that I am fascinated by the artistry of luxury watches, and I am also fascinated by the craftsmanship of knockoffs and fakes.  Well, lucky me, I have found something that meets both requirements.

We all know that Asia is the headquarters for knockoffs, fakes, and bootlegs.  A friend picked up a fake Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy while on a trip to Asia.  Since this is a Limited Edition watch, few people have seen it live.  Now, I have a real Silver Snoopy Speedmaster, so I know what it looks like.  I was pretty excited to see a knockoff watch, as I am with most knockoff items.

Beauty shot stolen from internet, most likely from Omega

I did not have my watch on me when I took photos of the fake version, but I stole some stock images from the internet for comparison.  Here we go...

Fake Omega - Dial

The first thing I noticed was the huge size of the fake.  At 46 mm, it is 4 mm larger than the 42 mm case of an Omega Speedmaster, almost a 10% size increase.  Because of this, the lug width is 22 mm on the fake, versus the standard Speedmaster 20 mm lug width.  Overall the watch is about 10% larger.   I showed these photos to my 'watch guy' and he mentioned that the 46 mm Speedmaster was from a few years ago, so they must have used that as a base for this.

At $150, you are probably not going to get a mechanical movement.  The fake Snoopy is a quartz movement with chronograph function.  The running seconds is in the 6H subdial, while the chronograph minute counter is in the 9H subdial.  What is interesting is at the 3H subdial, it acts as a running hour counter, or second time zone.  In the image above the main time is 9:21:16, the 3H subdial shows that it is 4:21 somewhere.

Like all Speedmaster Professionals, the running seconds is on the 9H subdial, in this case the one with Snoopy on it.  The chronograph minute counter is the 3H subdial, it counts 30 minutes.  The 6H subdial is the chronograph hour counter.  The real Silver Snoopy has a hand-wound mechanical movement.  There is no second time zone on the Silver Snoopy.

Silver Snoopy caseback

The caseback on the Limited Edition Silver Snoopy is what makes it stand out from other Speedmasters.   It has, well, a Silver Snoopy.  The makers of the fake did not replicate this, at all.   Also missing is the serial number and case material etched on the lug backs.

Fake Omega - Caseback

The logo on the back is supposed to line up with the case.  This caseback is a replica of an older model Speedmaster from the late 90's, according to my watch guy.

Tachymetre and dial detail

Looking at the tachymetre markings, they are different from the modern Speedmaster.  While the fake has a ring with little arrows marking the numbers.  The real watch has dots as indicators, with no ring.

If you look at Speedmasters dials, you will notices that the subdials are recessed and beveled in.  The fake does a pretty good job of replicating this.  One thing they missed is the slight bevel which creates a slight crease about where the index markers end.  I have highlighted with a red dotted line in the image above.

Dial detail

It is hard to tell in my images, but the white of the dial is a bit off.  It is more of 'warm white', a vintage white, like yellowing teeth.  The real Snoopy is pure bright white.

A minor detail, but it looks like the markers on the fake are glued or applied on top of the face.  In the Snoopy, it looks like (at least to me) that the index markers come up from the bottom via holes in the face.  On the real Snoopy, you can see a what looks like a hole around each index.  I could be wrong, but the when comparing the two, this does stand out.

Because of the 10% increase in size of the case, the hands look short.  They did not increase the length of the hands to fit the larger dial.   As if they used hands for a 42 mm watch for a 46 mm watch For example, the chronograph second hand on the real Snoopy goes almost to the edges of the markings.  On the fake, the chronograph second hand is about 1 mm too short.  The hands, in general, are also wider than the real version.

Speedmaster profile

The Speedmaster has a unique profile, with its raised bezel and semi-bubble shaped crystal.  It is what makes a Speedmaster a Speedmaster.

Profile detail

I have marked where the crystal and bezel profile should be.  I am not sure if the fake has a Sapphire crystal like the Silver Snoopy.  The crystal on the fake is more domed shaped than the unique 'semi-bubble' shape that we all know.

Note that the bezel profile is not as deep as a real one.  A real Speedmaster should have about a 45° bevel, it looks like the fake has about a 60° bevel.

Other things that raised a flag is the finish.  There are a couple of rough areas on the case.  These look like casting flaws.  I am pretty sure Omega uses some sort of CNC to mill their cases.  Either way, Omega would finish their cases to perfection.  Also, I noticed what looked like a parting line on the fake case.  I think I captured it in the photo above, it looks like it could be a reflection of the lugs, but I am pretty sure it was a parting line.

Silver Snoopy Award lume

The lume on the Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award is just amazing. In the image (stolen from internet) you can see that Snoopy glows.  Yes, Snoopy glows!  How awesome is that.  The tachymeter scale glows, along with the hour indexes.

Knockoff Omega, lume

The fake Snoopy only has lume on the hands.  I was hoping that at the very least, they may Snoopy glow.

Final note.  The fake came on a bracelet, which looks pretty good.  There are some markings missing but on the wrist, you cannot tell it is an knockoff bracelet.  The real Snoopy comes on a coated nylon fabric strap with leather backing.

Conclusion

I think this knockoff Omega Snoopy is a good 'first pass'.  There are many areas for improvement.  But, if like most, you have not seen a real Snoopy, this watch can fool you.  If you know Speedmasters, this will not likely pass.  Still, I give this a sold B...and for $150 it is a great price for a fashion watch.

FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - January 2017

Who is excited for the first call of the year?  Me...well, not really.

4 January 2017
  559-462-7008 Springville, CA - First call of the year, and since 20 December.  It looks like the telemarketers took a little holiday break. Christmas Miracle is real.  Well, holiday is over, get your asses back to work.  Four days into the new year and they are back in business.  Fuck you!

12 January 2017
  323-922-5767  Los Angeles, CA - Little disappointed that we are twelve days into the year and only receiving my second call.  What, too cold to cold call?  Ha, see what I did there?  Not even funny...and neither is telemarketing.  So, fuck you! 

20 January 2017
   323-844-0822  Los Angeles, CA - Seems like a wrong number, but as in many cases, it most likely is a routed call.  A quick search shows this is currently a 'real' number, and no affiliation to telemarketing...yet.  Still, fuck you!

   323-897-1099  Los Angeles, CA - Hmm...I think we can scratch what I said in the previous post.  I think these are both telemarketer numbers.  For sure this one is, and at the very least the first call of the day was routed.  Maybe I should pick up to be sure...nah!  Fuck you!

21 January 2017
  323-897-1099  Los Angeles, CA - Yep, our first return caller of the year.  On a Saturday morning, no less.  Fuck you!

22 January 2017
   289-938-2199  Burlington, ON - Oh, this is a first, I think.  Not only an out of state number, this is an out of country number.  A call, well text, from Canada.  Kinda excited about it, but scared for our neighbours up north.  Wait, do I get even more screwed with this?  Is it considered long distance?  Then the added texting charge?

Oh, Canada

 Let me break this down.  A text, from another country on a Sunday evening.  What the fuck!  Why are you sending me something at 6PM...wait, 9PM your time...for a 'special' that is one day only.  It basically leaves me lest than three hours to jump on this 'deal'. Oh, I highly doubt that someone is working at 9PM on a Sunday, this is definitely from a fucking bot.

Oh wait, Ray-ban?  First of all, you should probably spell the product you are pushing correctly.  Capital R and B, Ray-Ban.  Well, I guess I could "Tap to Load Preview". What, you think I am stupid?  I am would not tap that ass with your dick.  And really, Ray-Ban's?  It was cool in the eighties when it was still own by the Bausch and Lomb.  But this brand has not been the same since it was sold to Luxottica.  Ugh, do not get me started on the grammar.  Fuck you!

26 January 2017
  612-297-8566  Minneapolis, MN - Been a long time since I got a call from Minnesota, You would have to go back to 2012, five years ago since the last call.  As per usual, I did a search for this number and this is a confirmed telemarketer with their 'scam specialty' in credit card services.  What is interesting is, the complaints that I found were within five minutes of each other, and my call.  So, this is a new one floating around and making its rounds.  Feel free to block...or answer and Rick Roll them. Fuck you!

30 January 2017
  352-527-4981  Beverly Hills, FL - Pretty sure this is a telemarketer.  But, what is more 'impressive' to me is this...there is a Beverly Hills in Florida?  What!  First there is a Hollywood, Florida, then there are those amusement parks like Universal Studios and Disney...now Beverly Hills?  What the fuck?  Florida is officially 'Fake California'.  Kinda awesome that there is a bootleg version of the west coast...where?...on the east coast, of course.  You know me and my love for knockoff...still, fuck you!