I think the definition is off. It should be more about how much upper foot support you have. I started with the power slide phuzion, clearly a soft boot. Even the cuff is relatively soft. The shell is hard enough on the bottom though. I had to utilized good waxed laces to really make the upper supportive in addition to the straps. I now skate HC Evos which have a carbon fiber shell but a fabric upper. The cuff is plastic but much harder than the phuzion. On these I don’t feel the need to lace up tight at all. The upper is made from layers of Kevlar and a synthetic mesh material. It flexes very little. Coupled with good straps and the very hard cuff it has lots of upper support. I’d call this a hard boot.
And then there would be k2 which are offering support as much als wearing thick socks would do :D Yea im not 100% happy with his definition of soft boot. Doesnt the seba igor or some of the slalom skates have a hard shell but also no removable liner. How in the world could someone call a hard plastic or carbon shell "soft" boot. Especially in the high end segment you get many skates without removable liners because removable parts always lower your performance... So id stay with plastic shell = hard boot. No plastic shell = soft boot and there are hybrid skates and other exceptions. But at the end. These are all skates and if you have a good fitting boot everithing else is secondary....
I dont agree :D 3 wheels or 5 wheels. But i really don't prefer 4 wheels :D Thanks for saying that not every soft boot is the same. 99% of people when talking about soft boots think if k2 skates the really soft boots with nearly 0 support besides that thin plastic part. But there supportive and stiff soft boots do exist. Like the powerslide phusion is no comparison to a k2 skate. And even hybrid skates do exist which seem to be something inbetween. Soft cushion with plastic shell parts inside. Amasing. This is the first video from you, that I see while I often heared recommendations of your shop, and already like that you seem to really don't instantly suffer from such bias.
Not every K2 skate is a crappy mushy fitness K2 skate. The K2 uptown as an example is very supportive despite the front of the boot having no shell external or internal. (I get that you generalized, just pointing out an exception)
Since you stated that all skates that have non removal liner are hard boot skates, and fixed liner are soft boots, where would you place seba/fr carbon boot skates with a carbon cuff that have no removal liner? ;) (The IGOR models are for example, one of the stiffer skates we can find out there)
There are so many phusions with different setups. So price goes from 100-300 bucks but its in my opinion always the same boot just different frames, wheels and bearings..... The phusion is definitely stiffer than a zentrablade or k2 skate. Definitely not comparible to hard shell boots but if that skate is really so expensive you might have found something better. Since its one year later. Where did you go?
I know a few folks who have trouble getting a good fit with hard boots, due to irregular shaped feet. For them soft boots work better. I personally prefer a hard boot, since my feet are very regularly shaped. But I have found hard boots can run small and narrow in the toe box. It’s important to try on different sizes.
On the other side some liners are heat moltable. The inner shoe can adjust to your specific footshaoe while your boot will still be stiff an supportive
No. Not different sizes. Different boots. If a boot is for example to narrow you shouldnt just buy a bigger version of that same boot untill the with fits. It might somehow work but still you will loose tone of bapance and power transfer on all the to big parts....
What about "Hockey" skates, like Bauer and CCM brand? I used to do a lot of roller hockey in my teens and had really expensive hockey skates. Some of the good ones run $400.00 - $700.00 USD. Of course, after more than 20 years, my old skates basically disentergrated when I tried to heat mold them to compensate for my change in foot. I am only going to be doing casual skating, no major tricks and no more hockey. Just skating with my 11 year old daughter. I always loved hockey skates over regular "RollerBlades" and have owned several pairs of both. Would love to see a video about the pros and cons of Hockey Skates over regular inline skates and the different brands. Also, most hockey skates have a "Hi-Lo" bracket where all four wheels are on the ground at the same time, but the front two wheels will be 74mm or 72mm and the back two wheels are 80mm. Any real advantage to this over a regular bracket with all four wheels at same diameter?
Great vid! When you say "Cheap soft boot" how much is cheap? I just bought a pair of zetrablades by rollerblade (soft boot) for about $150. I can def feel some movement in it and usually have to re-tie it tighter and tighter during a skate session. I'm a size 13US and the skates are a 12US. I wish I had started out with a hard boot because I can def feel the shifting. PS: I've had these skates for about a month now and I skate 1-2x/week.
I also have the Zetrablades and notice the lack of support in the upper area as well, which led me to this video! Def looking for a hardboot as my next pair!
@@Thisissoul I find it difficult to believe that speed skaters don't need to stop nor turn. I would believe they don't need hard boots because they don't slide/grind against them. They also don't need the ankle rigidity because their movements don't require it. Keep in mind jam roller skaters are on a smooth flat rink and they don't need ankle support either.
oh dat is stom, ik heb dezelfde soft boot skates voor mijn verjaardag gekregen en nu ik deze video zie dan zijn mijn soft boots niet meer iets waard? ik skieler al 8 jaar en nu pas zie ik dit het maakt mij verdrietig en ik skieler freestyle maar is het oke?
I'm not a fan of hardboot skates, i have 2 pairs of Powerslide Nexts and i can't make them fit around the from of the foot, the material isn't flexible enough to allow the lacing to close the shell enough for a good fit i finally caved and bought a pair of HC Evos , and man what a difference they made , they can easily be made to be snug enough around all of my foot. I later found out how much the toe strap helps, i bought a pair of HC Evo Sam Crofts (they don't have a toestrap) and they don't fit quite as snugly around the front of my foot, even after heatmolding. oh and i also think the Next boot look enormous , i'm a size 46 and the Next look more like a ski boot than a skate boot, whereas soft boots are way more sleek and elegant. I must admit that the FR hardboots look much more sleek than the Nexts
@@Thisissoul thanks for the offer, but i'll stick to my EVOs they work great for me 😍 I am however waiting for you to get the Endless Trinity Arc ES frames, and hopefully some other Endless stuff :-)
I've had a pair of Powerslide Next skates for nearly a year, and I agree that the boot isn't flexible enough for the lacing. In fact, I leave the laces off, since they make no difference in the front of the boot, and at the ankle and cuffs, the straps are secure enough. However, for me, the Powerslide Next fit my foot size perfectly, and the toe area is snug enough but not too much. (And because of the snug fit, the boots don't look huge.) I love these skates. It's important to try different skates to find the model that provides the best fit: snug, supportive, comfortable, and neither too loose nor overly tight.
I would have asked what type of skating you are. More into. Just convenient. Recreational. Skating and maybe do you have special feet which hardly fit into most standard boots or do you prefer a good performance and on urban skating also feet protection would be a topic...
Currently i also enjoy my Rollerblade Twisters. The only downside for me is getting them on and off due to the stiffness of the hard plastic shell and i always need to wear footy's to protect my feet from injury. I want to try on the HC Evo Pro's 2021. The nice thing about these carbon boots is the ability to heat mold them.
I can assure you. Don't try the powerslide next. The longest time i needed for taking on my shoes was 30 minutes... And i have to say the boot is even a bit to big for me, not to small. Getting inside and out easily is really no quality of the boot especially if you would have a high instep. Never skated a hc evo but im really interested into the low cuff skate powerslide arise.
You missed the Hockey Rollerskates - brands like Bauer, CCM, and Reebok (but not anymore). They are Soft boots : non-removable liners, not much ankle support, but their boots are relatively stiff and they are comfortable. I like them but the lack of ankle support - for the extra manoeuverability needed in Hockey - is not great.
A very important bit about cheap softboots. They aren't just harder to control (thus much harder to learn on), but they also tire you out a lot more quickly AND they are much harder on your joints. Now, most people won't ride them long enough to feel the impact, but if you stick with it, then you're bound to have trouble. I had growing knee and lower back pain learning on cheap soft boots, riding pavement was like taking a hammer to my knees, sharp turns felt like my ankles are about to break. Cheap softboots are legitimately a hazard.
I have a pair of softboots and never had problems with wheels tilting. Now with softboots it's hard to maintain a good tilt, I sometimes do alot of outside wear and tear and they wear uneven.
I currently ride K2 Sodo’s which are a soft boot with a very long frame 4x100 I use them as a fitness skate but you really need to tighten the laces and buckles to have it fit snug and have more control on the other hand my FR3’s 3 x110 are a lost more stable and do not have to tighten them as much.
Okay but what about rough roads? I can skate, not a complete beginner, but not advanced either. I tried cheap mostly soft boot skates on rough roads/asphalt and the vibration makes it just impossible to skate for me! What's the verdict here?
For roughness there is much influence. What material was used? Does it take or lower the vibration, what mounting do you have. Do you have softer or harder wheels and so on. And for me personally the biggest influence. How big are your wheels. Bigger wheels ride smoother...
So if you don't recommend a soft boot because lack of support, but you do recommend a more expensive soft boot, can you tell us why? Is it because those do offer good support or there's some other reason someone should actually buy an expensive soft boot?
Yes expensive soft boots offer much more support. They often have some hard parts inside, and much stiffer lastic cuffs around. With his definition there are even soft boots, which I would never call so at all. Like a hc evo from powerslide or seba has some carbon fibre skates without removable liners. There are also hybrid skates which do have soft material outside and inside but a thin plastic shell inbetween.
What’s the best hardboot brand I wanner just skat around the park and to get to work so what would be the best brand and do you guys ship to Australia?
