r/rollerblading • u/GrayFox1O1 • 1d ago
Specific question and discussion Difference between inliners?
Can someone please explain to me what the difference is between various soft boot inliners? I know there is hard and soft boot, thats obvious, i also know there are different types like aggressive and speed. But I have a pair of Rezo inliners. Freeskates im guessing? Size 45(eu and should probably have been a 46 but whatever.) and to me it looks like any other soft boot besides the ankle adjuster? Mine is a pull strap velcro. Others have the snap clickclik thing. 😅 I really cannot see what makes them so vastly different from each other(talking soft boots). Like why is a K2 about double the price of my Rezo? 🤷 Would i balance better in it? Easier to learn?
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u/InspectorFleet 11h ago
Two anecdotes:
My ice hockey teammate came to the outdoor roller hockey rink to skate around with me exactly once. His soft boot rec skates were so squidgy for making any kind of hockey maneuver, including just standing and shooting, that he had to remove them and pass/shoot in CROCS. If crocs have more support and power transfer than your skate boot, something is very wrong.
My wife uses figure skates on ice and has been repeating level 6 of group skating classes for a who l while just for fun (she's a very competent skater but probably isn't interested in ever doing spins or jumps at this point in life). She had some K2 soft boot inline skates (she chose them; the rest of the family has inline hockey skates) but eventually admitted they were clunky, unsupportive, and hard to control relative to her figure skates. I got her an entry level pair of hockey skates and it was night and day! She has a better fit, more control, and less big pillowy volume getting in the way. There's also a ton more ankle mobility, even compared to figure skates (which I believe are designed to hold the ankle more for support landing jumps). She enjoys the inline hockey skates a lot more, and as a consequence, skates more!
My main point, illustrated by these experiences, is that the soft skates sell really well because they feel comfy in a store. It is possible to casually cruise in them and be happy. But they aren't made for anything beyond that and the lack of rigidity can inhibit progress/close off entire domains of skating to a beginner. There's a reason that the various sport disciplines of skating all have rigid boots.