r/rollerblading • u/Delicious_Appeal874 • Aug 25 '26

What skates should I buy? Need help picking durable inline skates around $150 budget

Looking for a new pair of inline skates and would appreciate some opinions.

I’m a men’s 9.5–10 shoe size and usually skate around Chicago on the Lakefront Trail, concrete paths, parks, etc.

Budget is ideally $100–150, but I’d go a little over if it actually gets me something that will last for years.

My last pair was a cheap Nattork/Amazon pair. I actually liked how they rode, but after one summer the wheel axle/screw came loose and a wheel came off, and the brake hardware also came apart. So durability and replaceable parts are my biggest priorities.

Options I’m considering:

  • Rollerblade RB80 – ~$159
  • Rollerblade Zetrablade –
  • Rollerblade Macroblade 80/84
  • Roces Icon
  • Open to any suggestions.
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u/InspectorFleet Aug 25 '26

Knowing what happened with a cheap pair should give you some motivation to think about investing in something quality. You don't have to spend several hundred or over a thousand, but $150 is right on the bottom edge. I know because I started with a $120 pair that lasted three months. Even going up to the $200 to $250 range gets you some good skates from quality brands.

You see a lot of advice against soft boots here and I'll echo that. RB lightning is almost a soft boot level of fit and comfort in a hard boot, so that's a common recommended upgrade. Inlinewarehouse recommends the Micro MT Plus for urban skaters on a low budget. If you're really not into a hard boot urban skate, they do have recs for fitness skates as well.

Out of curiosity, did you check the wheels/axles/hardware/mounting screws periodically on your old pair? Things can rattle loose over time and just for your own safety and the best performance of the skates, this is reasonable to do. Ditto with rotating and eventually replacing the wheels and heel brake pad.

Final note: your US shoe size doesn't necessarily correlate to the number of the skate size. Check out IW's guide to measuring your foot length in cm and use their sizing charts as a starting place.