Buying skates. A first time buyers guide.
How do I buy the right skates? Which skates should I choose? What are the best skates to buy for my needs? What's the difference between rollerblades and inline skates?…Quad skates and roller skates? …and why is everyone always going on about being 'aggressive' …can't everyone just be nice?
If you are new to skating then you're probably asking some of these questions. This buying guide will provide you with the advice you need to get the right skates for you. As you may have figured; there are a few different types of skating. Our website breaks them down into 3 different categories; Aggressive Skate, Rollerblades and Quad / Roller Skate, each clearly labelled in the main menu:
Which category should you be looking in and which skates are the best for you? If you are a first time buyer or simply don't know where to start watch the video above to see which discipline of skating fits your criteria. Once you know which type of skates to choose click on the relevant guide link below for a full buyers guide for that discipline of skating. 'Which skates are best' is up to the individual's opinion so in these guides, instead of giving you a top 5 skates or top 10 skates, we've listed some of the most popular brands and models for each category of skate to make that final decision a bit easier...
3 WHEEL SKATES - BUYERS GUIDE
Also known as: 3X3, tri blades, three wheeled skates
Used for: Cruising, speed, leisure.
AGGRESSIVE SKATES - BUYERS GUIDE
Also known as: Stunt skates, trick skates, street skates.
Used for: Tricks and stunts on the streets and in skateparks
FREESTYLE SKATES / POWERBLADE - BUYERS GUIDE
Also known as: Freestyle skates, urban skates, slalom skates.
Used for: City-skating, manoeuvrability and slalom.
RECREATIONAL ROLLERBLADES - BUYERS GUIDE
Also known as: Fitness skates, inline skates, recreational skates, leisure skates.
Used for: Leisure or fitness, the park or the seafront.
QUAD / ROLLER SKATE - BUYERS GUIDE
Also known as: Quad skates, roller boots, retro roller skates, disco skates.
Used for: Keeping it old-school! Uses a 4x4 wheel formation.
More...
LEARNING TO SKATE | BEGINNERS GUIDE
Don't be worried. Asha takes us through the first steps of skating.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SIZE SKATES
It's a bit more tech than you think! We lay down some theories to
help you get it right first time.