The Best Rollerblade Brands for Any Skill Level
Rollerblading as a sport seems to be experiencing a revival. People are realizing that it’s a fantastic way to exercise, lose weight, and have fun doing it. One potential hurdle many new skaters have, however, is finding a pair of rollerblades that is comfortable, affordable, and won’t fall apart after a few uses. Even at the beginner level, rollerblades can be an investment and finding a dud can be pretty discouraging, whether you’re a newcomer to the sport or you’ve been rollerblading for years. The best way to ensure your rollerblade investment is worth it is to stick with trusted brands and highly reviewed skates. If you’re looking for a pair of skates for yourself, here are a few brands to be on the lookout for.
Best Rollerblade Brands
K2
K2 is a trusted rollerblade manufacturer, having been around for over 25 years, although they weren’t manufacturing rollerblades that entire time. K2 started with skis before making the jump over to rollerblades.
Check out this article on >>> All About K2 Rollerblades
Still, they were able to apply a great deal of what they learned while manufacturing skis to their rollerblade line-up, and they have become a beloved and respected name in the industry. With a variety of styles under their belt, K2 makes a skate for everyone. And they don’t just stop there– K2 also manufactures helmets and other skating accessories.
Recommended skate: Kinetic 80 Inline Skate
If you’re looking to get started with the K2 brand, the Kinetic 80 Inline Skate is an excellent choice. Featuring traditional lacing in addition to fastening buckles, a frame base interlocking system that allows for a smoother ride, and soft boot technology. The Kinetic 80 is perfect for beginners as well as those looking to upgrade from a cheaper beginner set-up.
Rollerblade
You’ve probably heard the term “Kleenex” thrown around synonymously with “tissue”. This is called a proprietary eponym, and if you’re looking for another example, here it is. Rollerblade and rollerblade. One is a brand, founded by two brothers in Minnesota in 1980, and one is a genericized term. The fact that their name has become interchangeable with the product speaks volumes about their popularity and quality.
The Rollerblade brand is actually credited with creating the modern-day rollerblade. The Olson brothers were looking for a way to practice hockey during the summer months and stumbled across an old inline skate design. They took the new design, tweaked it a bit, and the rollerblades that many of us know and love today were born.
The brand was then sold to investors who could afford to pour a great deal of money into perfecting the Olson brothers’ designs, helping improve both the Rollerblade brand and the rollerblade product even further.
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Recommended skate: Bladerunner Advantage Pro XT
One standout member of Rollerblade’s line-up is the Bladerunner Advantage Pro XT. Perfect for new skaters, these skates are budget-friendly and include a durable composite frame, a padded inner liner, and extra foot and ankle support. Designed to skate moderately fast while still providing a smooth ride, the Bladerunner allows for greater control and stability.
Roces
An Italian company with a commitment to producing quality skates, Roces has been around since 1952. They originally started as a manufacturer of ski footwear, evolving to make ice skates in 1978.
They used the knowledge they developed while creating ski footwear and were able to put that towards creating ice skates that were comfortable and cutting edge. Roces introduced the first plastic recreational ice skates to the market, and they were a huge success.
A few years later, in the 1980s, the owner of Roces stumbled across one of the Olsen brothers (remember your Rollerblade history above,) and was highly impressed with the rollerblade design. After that, Roces, too, jumped into manufacturing rollerblades. One thing is for sure– if they’ve been at it for that long, you know they’re doing something right.
Recommended skate: M12 UFS Aggressive Street Italian Inline Skates
If you’re looking to get your feet into some Roces, there is the M12 UFS. Shock-absorbing insoles help keep your feet comfortable and pain-free, while the memory buckle remembers the shape of the wearer’s foot. These skates are a great choice for intermediate to advanced skaters.
Roces M12 Aggressive Inline Skates
Roller Derby
Roller Derby as a brand has been around for over 80 years. Their impressive history began as the sport of roller derby gained popularity in the United States as a televised sport. Kids and adults, eager to emulate what they saw, sought out recreational skates.
The Roller Derby brand answered their call, and they’ve been making skates ever since. Over the years, they’ve manufactured a variety of styles, from 70s disco skates right on up to modern inline skates.
Recommended skate: Elite Alpha 110m 3-Wheel Inline Skate
The Elite Alpha are recreational skates that were built with fitness in mind. Lightweight, supportive, and comfortable, these skates are a lot of fun. It’s worth noting, however, that they are really best suited towards advanced riders as they lack a standard heel brake.
Final Thoughts
Check out one of the brands on our list for your next new pair of skates. These are the top four best rollerblade brands that I recommend. Thank you for reading!
