It’s like the 1990s all over again. It seems like there’s someone skating on rollerblades pretty much everywhere I look these days. And some Generation Xers are coming back to inline skating after a 20-year hiatus. This is a good thing because inline skating burns calories and could even help you make friends.
If you’re looking for the best rollerblades ever made, that’s I get it. But I’m not sure that’s the best question to ask.
Also Read: Best Beginner Rollerblades
The best question would be: what are the best rollerblades for my ability level, budget, or skating style? That’s a more specific question that nets you a more specific answer. And that’s what the rest of this post maniacally dedicates itself to achieving: to help you choose a pair of inline skates that represent the best possible value for your money.
How We Chose the Best Rollerblades Ever
I inline skate, rollerskate, skateboard, and ice skate. And so does my hubby, a nephew who lives with us, and my kids. I also have a bunch of friends who like rolling around on all kinds of skates. Which means I know a thing or two about skates. I’m pretty much an intermediate-level skater, but my experiences and those of my friends and family amount to what I believe is reliable and useful skating advice.
To find the best rollerblades for the money no matter your skating ability or style, I spent hours on Amazon, Reddit, Quora, and rollerblading forums reading. I devoured what other skaters said in comments, asked questions, interviewed fellow skaters, and talked to one rollerblading coaching expert.
Also Might Also Want to Read: How to Carry Inline Skates
Doing all these things took quite a bit of time, energy, and focus. But I can’t complain because, in the end, I managed to compile a list of what I believe are the best inline skates for all skating levels.
Whether you’re new to rollerblading, an intermediate-level skater, or are into aggressive inline skating, street skating, freestyle slalom, or even speed skating, you’ll find this meaty buying guide a big help.
17 Best Inline Skates for All Skating Abilities
1. Best Rollerblades for Beginners:
2. Best rollerblades for intermediate skaters: Twister Edge
3. Best inline skates for rough terrain
4. Best 3-wheel inline skates
5. Best inline skates for hockey
6. Best inline skates for kids
7. Best inline skates for teens
8. Best inline skates for heavy skaters
9. Best rollerblades for aggressive skating
10. Best urban-style inline skates
11. Best inline speed skates
12. Best rollerblades for slalom
13. Best inline skates for dancing
14. Best budget inline skates
15. Best rollerblades for skating trails
16. Best Inline skates for narrow feet
17: Best Inline Skates for Wide Feet
Every skate on my list of recommended rollerblades has either been tested by one of us or has great real reviews online or from real inline skaters on the net and elsewhere.
But this doesn’t mean these recommendations are perfect and have zero flaws. It just means they represent great value versus the price, and that any shortcomings they might have aren’t enough of a bummer to have us deny them a spot on our list.
Choose the Best Rollerblades for Your Ability, Skating Style, and Budget
Even though rollerblading is a hobby and shares little if anything with rocket science, you still need to know a bunch of things when choosing a pair.
Picking the best pair doesn’t distill down to just price and looks. You have to put into consideration a few other factors including the number of wheels, wheel shape, frame type and construction quality, boot type and how stiff or flexible it is, heel brake, and fit and comfort (very important).
Then there’s other selection factors including breathability, the shape of the boot versus your foot shape, brand, and price.
Together, these guidelines are adequate as far as pointing you in the direction of the best of the best. And if you just want to know what the best rollerblades for the money are, take a look at the comparison table above and take your pick.
Below is a nice set of things to remember when shopping for good inline skates.
How Well the Rollerblades Fit
Every skate fits in a certain way. Even two skates from the exact same brand may not always fit the same way. For this reason, it’s best to research how the boot fits before forking over for it. I find the customer reviews section on trustworthy sites such as Amazon to be a great place to find fit-related information.
Related: Why Your Rollerblades Hurt Your Feet
I once bought a pair of skates that I really liked, but I had to return the boots because they simply didn’t fit. They were at least 2 sizes smaller. And guess what? I used the specific skate model’s official size chart to calculate the size. Had I bothered to read what others said about the fit, I’d have ordered a size smaller or bigger. Live and learn.
Fit becomes even more important if your feet measure outside of what’s considered standard width. If you have narrow feet or wide feet, not every rollerblade will give you a nice and snug fit. And getting wide-fitting inline skates and narrow-fitting boots can be quite the hassle.
And if you have a weird foot shape, the fit problem gets a whole lot worse. A skater I know owns a set of powerful legs, but the shape of their feet makes finding fitting inline skates a nightmare.
Both feet are flat, but one foot has a higher arch. They can’t skate for longer than 15 minutes on most skates without experiencing excruciating pain. Luckily, a skate shop made a custom boot for them, and the problem was solved.
BTW, do inline skates come in half sizes? Yes, some rollerblades come in half sizes while others are only available in full sizes. This type of skate typically fits the same way as your everyday shoes and buying that size works for most people.
If you’re between sizes, sizing down is almost always best unless the model runs small in which case you should choose the next size up. If you size up and the skate is made from a stretchy material such as knitted microfiber, it might get too roomy after some time. But you might be able to make your rollerblades less roomy in some skates.
A Different Blading Style, a Different Kind of Skate
Skaters have over 10 different kinds of rollerblades to choose from, which can be overwhelming if you don’t know anything about this skating sport. So, you need to make up your mind as to the style of inline skating you favor most right from the get-go. What do you see yourself doing with your rollerblades?
Aggressive inline skates
Maybe you’ll mostly skate at parks, gliding down rails, skating bowls, and doing all kinds of jumps. In this case, get aggressive inline skates. These are (mostly) hard-shell boots with a grinding block on the underside. And the frame hides a decent portion of the wheels, which makes the usually small wheels seem even smaller.
Recreational Rollerblades
What if all you want to do is roll around on skates having fun? Get recreational skates. These are usually soft-boot skates designed to prioritize comfort, and the wheels are usually 4 and 80mm in diameter. This is the skate the average person refers to when they say, “I saw Jenny skating down the sidewalk earlier today. Looks like the girl’s looking to transform her life or something. Happy for her.”
These skates almost always have a heel brake to keep riders safe, and this brake is for the most part placed on the rear of the right skate. But if you ever want to move the rubber pad to the other skate, that’s easy to do.
Fitness Inline Skates: “Improved” Rec Skates
Fitness inline skates are a more evolved version of recreational skates. They look similar to rec skates, but if you look more closely you may notice some differences. Below is a summary of the differences between fitness inline skates and recreational skates.
Difference #1: the cuff on fitness skates tends to be taller and tougher for better support and power transfer. Difference #2: the wheels tend to be bigger and thinner and the bearings are better (not always), which means they’re generally faster than recreational speeds.
Difference #3: fitness rollerblades typically cost more, but that’s because they’re usually made from better-quality materials. Difference #4: Recreational rollerblades are for cruising around and performance isn’t a priority, but fitness skates go faster and compel the skater to do a more vigorous workout.
Think of fitness skates as more of an intermediate-level skate, but that doesn’t mean beginners can’t ride them.
Urban or City Rollerblades
Many people say that beginners should get recreational-style rollerblades because they’re comfortable and more affordable. But that’s not the advice I give to new inline skaters.
I advise beginners to get hard-shell boots with a detachable frame. This way, they get used to the initial discomfort of hard-shell boots and get a feel of what a high-performance skate feels like.
Besides, hard-shell boots tend to outlast soft-shell ones, plus if you can upgrade to a better frame and better wheels, your skating ability gets to grow with your skate, which is nice.
I’m talking about the freestyle/freeride/city/urban inline skates here. Urban-style rollerblades haven’t always been around, but I’m seeing more and more of these skates around cities these days. They’re a sort of crossbreed between recreational skates and aggressive skates. This means you can use them to do a bit of each style: skate found obstacles some of the time and just cruise around the city the rest of the time.
Urban-style rollerblades typically have 4 wheels with a diameter of 80-110mm. The frame isn’t long, which makes them feel somewhat less stable initially. This short frame comes in handy when dodging cars and people in crowded city traffic; the skate lets you turn on a dime.
Freestyle Slalom Skates: for When the Things Get Twisty
Then there’s freestyle slalom inline skates, which look like urban skates but are designed to turn really smoothly and fast around slalom courses. They have a really short frame and a full-rockered wheel configuration for agility when making twisty runs during a competition or practice. You can get a skate with a rockered frame, or you can mount different-sized wheels to create the so-called banana rocker.
Speed Inline Skates
If you’ve forever long-distance-skated and are looking to transition to speed skating, definitely get inline speed skates. Speed skates look different from any other kind of rollerblade, and they’re for advanced-level inline skaters.
These are low-profile flexible boots with a short carbon fiber cuff for maximizing power transfer while promoting unhindered ankle articulation.
Since they’re race-worthy skates, they often have large, slim-profile wheels, usually 5 in number. Only a thin portion of the wheel stays in contact with the surface to reduce friction/rolling resistance and help the athlete skate faster. Also, this shape helps them make quick, precise turns.
Inline Hockey Skates
Inline skating is a productive way to train when off the ice, and the skills transfer nicely. Inline hockey skates look similar to ice hockey skates, but instead of steel blades, they have wheels. Player skates have tough toe caps for protection and longevity. And the cuff is higher, the tongue a tad longer, and the wheels larger compared to goalie inline hockey skates.
One thing inline hockey skates don’t have much enough of is ankle support. You need really strong ankles to use these boots effectively. They typically have thick padding in the boot for comfort, and the wheels have a bullet profile, which makes them fast and agile.
They’re not the best skates for grooving on broken-up sidewalks, going over cracks, skating off of curbs, or riding through pebbles and rough surfaces in general because support isn’t great, and the wheels have a slim profile and can easily catch between objects.
These skates work best on really flat, smooth surfaces. And you want the wheels arranged in a rockered configuration, especially if you’re training for ice hockey.
Long-distance/3-wheeled/Rough-road Skates
If you want to cover longer distances or have really poor road quality, get skates with large wheels. Get skates with at least 100mm wheels, and the wheels need to be soft enough for vibration absorption. The larger the wheels, the fewer the number, which is why long-distance and rough-terrain skates typically have 3 and not 4 wheels.
Since speed and stability are more important than agility and maneuverability, these skates normally have a longer frame. And it’s a sturdier aluminum frame that won’t flex too much at speed.
These are high-quality, long-lasting skates for the most part. That’s why some models can cost you a pretty penny.
Forest-trail rollerblades
Most people love SUVs due to their excellent performance in off-the-beaten-path conditions. But did you know there are off-road inline skates? Yes, they exist, and they’re forest-trail beasts that take you to the remotest corners of the earth.
Most have 125mm or larger wheels. The baddest I have seen had only two 150mm wheels, one at the front and the other at the back. They were Powerslide skates, I believe.
These guys travel really fast and have really stiff boots for support. The frame is super long, too, which means they’re nice and stable. But they suck at maneuverability.
Wear Protective Gear No Matter What Anyone Else Thinks or Says
If you’re a beginner, definitely wear a helmet and pads. I get it. Not everyone at roller rinks and parks wears protection, and some might judge you, but wear protection anyway. Because it’s better to be judged and go home with your brain intact than to seem tough and lose one of the most important organs you have.
Your Skating Ability
If you’re just getting into the fun world of inline skating, get good beginner skates. We agreed it’s best to go with a hard-shell boot that has replaceable parts even if it costs a little more than the usual $100 entry-level skate. If you go with a high-quality hard-shell skate with a removable frame, you can soup it up down the road as you get better at skating.
Speed skates, slalom skates, off-road skates, aggressive skates, and inline hockey skates aren’t exactly meant for beginners. They’re for intermediate to advanced inline skaters.
But you sure can buy any of these and tough it out until you get good at the art form. But stay away from too much skate if you’ve not decided whether blading is for you.
Amount of Foot Support: Hard vs Soft Boot
Those new to rollerblading are almost always advised to get soft boots. And yes, soft boots offer great comfort while not completely sucking at ankle support. Also, they often come in at attractive price points, sometimes as low as $70. OMG, I’ve seen sub $50 inline skates, which I’d advise you to stay away from because they’re usually unsafe.
Hard-boot inline skates do one thing supremely well: providing ankle support. They come with a tough outer shell that gives your foot amazing lateral support. Also, they boast a high and strong cuff for ankle support and power transfer.
Another pro for hard shelled-boots is that they come with holes placed strategically to boost airflow and comfort. Most importantly, these guys tend to last really long. They’re nothing like those $45 inline skates that fail you horribly on day one of skating on them.
Pros and Cons of Soft Boots and Hard Boots
Hard boots pros: More supportive, better performance, more durable, better breathers
Hard boots cons: Pricier and feel stiffer initially (need harder work to break in)
Soft boots pros: Comfier because they’re better padded (usually, at least the good ones), more accessible price points, and more beginner-friendly
Soft boot cons: May not always be the best quality, most aren’t durable, aren’t very supportive, some may not breathe very well
Wheels: Number, Size, Hardness, and Shape
When looking at inline skate wheels, there are 3 factors to consider namely size (wheel diameter and width), durometer (wheel hardness), and wheel shape. Below is how each factor affects skate performance:
Size: Diameter and Width
Smaller rollerblade wheels give you great agility and pick up speed quickly. Also, they keep you skating close to the ground compared to larger wheels. Smaller wheels are often seen on entry-level skates, aggressive skates, and indoor inline hockey skates.
Larger rollerblade wheels accelerate slower, offer less stability, but travel faster once they get rolling. Besides that, they work better when it comes to moving over sidewalk cracks, twigs, and bumps.
The right wheel diameter for you depends on your chosen skating style, where you’re skating, and personal preference. For example, an inline hockey skate may have two 76mm wheels and two 80mm wheels organized in a banana-shaped setup. And outdoor skates for riding over crappy asphalt may be as tall as 125mm.
Width/Contact Patch
Wheel width and contact patch aren’t always the same measurement unless the wheel has a perfectly square-shaped lip profile, which isn’t even possible. Here’s the thing: squarer and rounder rollerblade wheels offer greater stability versus wheels with a thinner contact patch.
The contact patch is the portion of the inline wheel that stays in contact with the skating surface. The narrower/smaller the contact patch, the faster and more agile the wheel. And the wider the contact patch, the more stable but slower the wheel.
Wheel Profile: It Affects Rolling Performance
Rolling resistance and performance and overall maneuverability are a function of wheel shape. A flat-profile wheel doesn’t ride in the same way as a bullet-profile rollerblade wheel. And a bullet profile wheel won’t ride the same way as a round-shaped wheel. Read about wheel profile, size, and wheel hub in detail here.
Flat/Square-lipped Inline Skate Wheels
If you’re wanting to buy skates for skating aggro, small, hard flat-profile wheels work well. Due to them having a wide profile, flat-lipped wheels offer lots of grip, which aggressive bladers need when they’re locking into ledges and railings.
And when jumping over trash cans, benches, and everything else in between, having flat-profile wheels helps. There’s enough surface area to do your landings on. But if the frame is anti-rocker (flat, not rockered), it’s easy to experience wheel bite with flat-profile rollerblade wheels.
They’re the most durable (especially if they’re harder) wheels because they have the most urethane. But they’re the slowest of all three profiles, plus they suck at making quick sharp turns.
Round-shaped Blading Wheels
Freestyle, city skates, and aggro skates use round-shaped wheels. Think of these wheels as a cross between ellipse-shaped wheels and flat-profile wheels. They have a decent amount of thane, and they’re faster and more agile than square-profile wheels but thinner and slower and less agile compared to elliptical wheels.
Round-shaped rollerblade wheels do a great job of balancing stability and balance with speed and agility. No wonder these are the most common wheels in the rollerblading space.
*some aggro skaters love round-lipped wheels because tricks and jumps aren’t sketchy, plus there’s less wheel bite if mounted on a flat frame.
Bullet-profile Rollerblading Wheels
These have a really slim profile and the narrowest contact patch. This profile translates to a dramatically reduced rolling resistance, making them the fastest wheels that can be had. Additionally, these wheels slide better than flat-profile wheels and round wheels.
Freestyle slalom skates, urban skates, and speed skates. Where the skater needs to go really fast and make sharp quick turns without slipping out, elliptical rollerblade wheels are the best bet.
Aggressive skaters are also beginning to embrace bullet-profile wheels because they have faster reaction times. But landings can get pretty sketchy on wheels this narrow, and there’s no room for error.
Tip: When using these ellipse-shaped wheels for a competition, be sure to use new wheels. Old ones wear down into round-shaped wheels, lacking the precision needed to demonstrate great performance.
Hardness Rating
Rollerblades come with mostly urethane wheels, and you can bet on getting clunky plastic wheels if you go with $40 skates. If you want the absolute best rollerblade wheels, get Hydrogen wheels from Rollerblade (brand). Not only do Hydrogen rollerblade wheels last longer than stock wheels, but they also post better overall rolling performance over different terrain profiles.
Skate manufacturers use a hardness rating scale known as the Shore Durometer Scale to give urethane end users an idea of how soft or hard a wheel might feel. A 90A rollerblade wheel is way harder than a 78A wheel, but the chemical formula used to make the wheel also contributes to roll quality aspects such as rebound and also affects durability.
Unfortunately, wheel formula details isn’t the kind of information anyone provides liberally on the web. I mean, you have to guard your trade secrets or you won’t survive as a business.
A simple durometer rule to guide wheel selection: The rougher the terrain gets, the softer and bigger your wheels need to be.
But this doesn’t necessarily mean that smaller harder wheels are the best bet for smooth surfaces. In fact, soft wheels are the soundest selection for ultra-slick surfaces because they grip the surface great. If you’ll do lots of blading on asphalt, understand that very softer wheels are awesome shock absorbers but just won’t hold up well under these riding conditions. Harder wheels also roll faster and resist deformation better versus softer wheels.
Beginning skaters using recreational rollerblades do well with 80A wheels, almost always. The right durometer rating for you depends on your skating style, the quality of the skating surface, and your weight (heavier guys need harder wheels and vice versa). If you want to learn more about inline skate wheels, go here.
Frame: Material, Length, Height, Weight, and Design
Budget rollerblades can and do often come with plastic frames made from nylon. These frames can be lightweight, but they may vibrate quite a bit and aren’t designed for heavy rollerbladers. They can snap without warning or be unsafe. All that said, some plastic frames can be super tough and supportive. If the skate costs $150+ and has a plastic chassis, chances are the frames aren’t too bad.
Most rollerblades have a metal frame, usually aluminum. The best quality aluminum frames are lightweight yet thick and sturdy enough to defy road shocks. Generally, cheaper rollerblades have thinner/flimsy aluminum frames that can rattle or flex too much, which can’t be a good thing.
Titanium frames are lightweight and super strong, but they can dramatically bump up the overall price of the skate. You mostly see titanium frames on pro-level inline skates. They’d be overkill for new skaters.
Recreational skates, especially those in the $100 range tend to have integrated frames. Big problem: you can swap out this frame and mount a better one. Also, these kinds of frames don’t let you put in wheels past a certain diameter, usually 80mm. I believe picking skates with upgradeable frames is a really good idea, and most hard-boot skates tend to have swappable frames. Be sure to check before buying.
Seasoned skaters can use high-profile frames without a problem, but such frames can feel pretty squirrely to inexperienced skaters. The closer to the ground the frame sits, the lower your center of gravity and the more stable the ride.
Long frames translate to more stability and less agility. Choose longer frames when all you want to do is travel long distances and get there fast. Short frames feel less stable, but they give maneuverability a nice boost. You want shorter frames on your freestyle slalom skate and urban skates and really long ones on your forest-trail skates.
Boot: Material, Stiffness, Breathability
PVC, microfiber, carbon, and carbon fiber kevlar are the main materials used to make rollerblade boots. Leather and suede are also used to make inline boots, such as when making inline figure skates, but boots made from these two materials aren’t common. PVC boots are the most common.
Microfiber boots look nice, but the boot rarely has vents for breathability. According to ScienceDirect, microfiber is a lightweight material that breathes reasonably well but also traps heat. And due to it having higher thermal insulation properties, skate boots made from microfiber keep your feet warmer on cool days.
But the same boot might roast your foot when you’re inline skating on warmer days because this material doesn’t let heat escape easily. Expect this kind of skate to be lighter and comfier especially in cooler weather compared to PVC skates.
Also, microfiber skates don’t provide an awful lot of foot support, at least they’re not as sturdy and supportive as PVC skates.
PVC boots may not be as comfortable as microfiber ones, but they’re super supportive, more durable, and most have a few openings on the boot so that cool air can get in and cool your foot on warmer days. In terms of overall skate performance, PVC/hard-shell skates do a spectacularly better job.
If you’re an advanced inline skater and are wanting to buy a lightweight, high-performance boot, get carbon fiber boots. These can be pretty expensive. You’re looking at a $300+ bill here for the most part, but these are quality boots with an awesome level of foot support and longevity.
Braking: Heel Brake vs No Brake?
Recreational and fitness skates come with a brake for safety reasons. Learn to stop using the brake as well as other stopping methods before you start pushing the limits.
Speed skates and freestyle slalom skates typically lack any kind of braking mechanism. And the same goes for inline hockey skates, aggressive skates, and even urban skates. For the most part, freestyle/urban skates come with a brake, and you sure can add the break to the skate.
Most urban and street skaters usually choose to not use the break, though. These aren’t often amateurs, and it’s not surprising that they stay safe even when battling crazy city traffic and maneuvering around people and vehicles.
Your Foot Width: Narrow or Wide Feet?
If you have wide feet, you can do one of two things: 1. size up, which is not always a good idea because rollerblades are supposed to hug your foot really snugly for efficient striding. 2. Get rollerblades that work for wide feet.
Wondering what rollerblade brands have wide-fit skates? Rollerblade RB skates, FR skates, FILA skates, and SEBA skates typically fit wide while Powerslide skates and K2 rollerblades have a narrow fit.
I insist that you analyze customer reviews before whipping out that credit card so you won’t end up with the floppiest skates for your narrow feet or skates that squeeze the living daylight out of your wide forefoot. There’s all kinds of charts online to help you decide whether or not you have wide/narrow feet, so use them before ordering.
Buying Rollerblades for Women vs Men
Women’s feet differ from men’s in terms of anatomy. If a woman and a man are the same height, the man’s feet are naturally longer and wider. That’s why most shoe size charts place women’s sizes at 1.5 sizes smaller than men’s sizes.
If you’re a lady and are looking to purchase a men’s rollerblade, that’s fine. But if you’re a size 10 in women’s shoes, order the skates in size 8.5 men’s. But if you have standard-width or narrow feet and are wanting to buy a wide-fitting skate in men’s sizes such as the FR skates, look for something else. Those skates just will be too loose for you, and all you will get from them are blisters and possibly broken ankles.
The vast majority of rollerblades on the market today are in men’s sizes, some are unisex, and some come in women’s sizes. You can wear whatever you want as long as the fit works great for you.
Buying Rollerblades for Kids
Kids have feet that grow really fast. But buying oversized rollerblades for a kid because they’ll grow into the extra room over time is a bad idea. If the skates have a poor fit, the young skater may use them less often or even abandon them and start demanding a scooter, a hoverboard, or something else.
One smart thing to do when fitting skates for a kid is to buy size-adjustable rollerblades. The good news is that there’s tons of size-adjustable kids’ inline skates on Amazon and many other online places. Of course, you can drive with your little one to your local skate shop and get him fitted by experts.
Related: Best Kids Rollerblades
These skates have a button or lever that you press or move in some way and elongate the skate a few sizes, usually up to 5 sizes. The person who dreamed up this little skate-size growing idea sure deserves recognition, because parents save loads of money because they don’t buy replacement skates too often.
If you opt to pick up adjustable skates for your kid, make sure they’re high quality. Because what’s the point of choosing size-adjustable rollerblades if they’re not built to handle constant abuse?
Rollerblades Price: How Much Do Good Skates Cost?
If you’ve never spent money on a hobby, it’s easy to feel like rollerblading is an expensive pastime. I agree that buying all of the gear needed to blade safely can leave your bank account a little unhappy. But in all honesty, inline skating isn’t too expensive and remains accessible for most people.
Compared to skateboarding, BMX, mountain biking, cycling, and skiing, inline skating is pretty affordable. Consider this: a half-decent budget mountain bike can set you back $800. In comparison, you can easily find skateable $70 rollerblades, a safe $30 skate helmet, and $35 pads and get into rollerblading. That’s a total of $135 versus $1000+ or more if you buy a good MTB, shoes, and padded sleeves for your knees.
You sure can use rental inline skates if you don’t want to make a significant financial commitment from the get go. That’s what roller rinks are for, but there’s one small problem: there aren’t that many functioning roller rinks these days.
This means getting renting rollerblades can be a real hassle for many people out there. So, skating with one’s own gear is the only viable option for most people in many places.
If you want to get in cheaply, go ahead and get any of those $50 rollerblades. I guarantee you that skate makers skimp on all kinds of components including wheels, frame, boot, inner liner, and whatnot. And if there’s things you shouldn’t cheap out on, it’s wheels, frame, and liner.
Do Brands Matter and If Yes What Are the Best Brands?
Well, brands matter, but buying from the right brand is way less important than, say, fit or comfort. Not every skate from some of the most trusted and popular companies is fantastic, but the chances of ending up with complete junk dramatically diminish.
Lots of blading enthusiasts love Rollerblade, FR, Roces, Zoom, Adapt Brand (premium skates that cost a small fortune), Flying Eagle, Seba, and Powerslide among a few others. For kids, Marlee and K2 Raider are decent brands.
I don’t recommend getting your skates from fly-by-night brands with questionable reliability. But you really should stop overthinking brand and focus more on the skate’s overall quality, durability, and most importantly skate fit.
A volunteer skating trainer I recently spoke to at Panari Hotel, Nairobi, Coach Dennis, said that an OK-quality skate that fits is always better than a high-quality skate that doesn’t fit right. While the coach’s advice relates to ice skates, I assure you it’s the exact same advice when it comes to rollerblades for any skating style or level.
Are Used Inline Skates Worth It?
Yes, you sure can buy used rollerblades as long as they’re not in such a terrible condition as to be unsafe. I’m sure you can find a good deal on eBay, FB Marketplace, various relevant FB groups, and even Reddit. Be patient and make sure to describe exactly what you’re looking for.
Ask for the most recent pictures of the item or even request a fresh photo to help you do a more objective assessment of the offer. Definitely wash the secondhand rollerblades and disinfect them before using them. It’s not unheard of for people to snag insanely high-quality skates at incredibly low prices.