What is the best brand of inline skates??

As with most things, there is no such thing as one best brand for everyone.





For recreation and fitness skates, the two major brands in the US are K2 and Rollerblade. Generally, they are approximately equal in quality and technology. They have the size and engineering budgets to stay ahead of the smaller companies.





The biggest reason to choose one over the other is how the skate fits on your feet. In the past, K2 skates were known for fitting narrow feet better than Rollerblade and Salomon was better for wider feet.


However, the fit also varies from model to model even within one brand.





You want the smallest skates that will fit you. The skates should be evenly snug all around your feet without crushing your toes. The skates work best when they act as part of your feet. Try on every skate you can find in your price range.


I bought my current pair of skates online (it was a close out deal when Salomon quit selling skates in the US) and they don't quite fit the same as the same model from several years earlier.





When trying skates on, try both the men's and women's skates. The shape of the foot is different but either one may fit YOUR feet better. One of the changes is that the back of the boot is usually lower on women's skates to fit the common shape of the calf muscle on women.





Other than fit, things to look for are the wheel size and the frames.





Larger wheels roll better than small wheels. I don't recommend any skate that has a maximum wheel size less than 80mm. 80mm is the smallest of the common sizes for rec/fitness skates, and bigger wheels are getting more popular every year. With smaller wheels you cannot have as many options when you need to replace them and cannot get as good of wheels.





Metal frames are better than plastic.





Don't worry about ABEC numbers that manufacturers like to hype. They are an anomoly of the history of skates. The rating is an industry standard for high speed machinery, not skates. Many of the best bearings do not even meet the ABEC 1 standard.



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