Rolling Along. (No Fear Mens Moulded Skate)

Member Name: wendybull

Product:	No Fear Mens Moulded Skate
Date:	28/01/08 (285 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lightweight

Disadvantages: See Review

Having already reviewed the lovely quad roller skates I have been wearing to my weekly skate sessions, I thought I would let you know about the completely different style that my teenage son has been wearing.

He opted for roller blades rather than the quad style I prefer. He had tried quad skates as we hired them for a couple of weeks before buying our own, so he knew how different they would be as he had used blades before as well.

I decided I didn't want to spend a lot of money on skates for him this first time round as I was firstly unsure whether he would continue skating with me, but also his feet still have growth in them and I felt if I spent £50+ on his pair and he grew out of them within a few months I would be gutted. Amazon provided some really good deals and we opted for the No Fear Mens Roller Blades - on sale for £12.50 - bargain I thought!

They seemed to be perfect when they arrived. We went for the correct size in these skates, rather than choosing a size up as I did with mine, and thankfully they seem to be a perfect fit in terms of foot size. However I have noticed that he tends to stop skating quite frequently through the lesson to straighten out the long tongue within the boot and also to adjust the strap buckles that keep the blade tight on your foot.

This is the major problem I have had with this type of skate and these are no exception. It is very difficult to get the buckles exactly right. They are the kind that has a tough corrugated plastic band that feeds through a metal buckle device and slowly clips into the desired place. You then push down on the locking device to make sure it stays there. Trouble is, everything is so taut and tough that it actually hurts your fingers when you are trying to get the band through, and this leads to a less than satisfactory fit.

The actual boot itself is simply a padded material "sock" within a tough plastic frame and can be completely removed if needed. I guess this would be useful for washing although we have not needed to pull it out for any reason so far. However I much prefer the style I have where the boot is a proper boot, like the everyday kind you wear but on wheels! The sock style my son has seems far less supportive, even though the actual skate mould the sock sits in is very tough.

The other problem we have had is that various parts of the skate do rub on his lower leg and ankle. This obviously means in my opinion that not enough research was put into where the various parts of the plastic mould would lay on a person's leg/foot. The padded sock is not thick enough to absorb the various bumpy parts of the moulded plastic and therefore they dig in and rub when he is skating around. This has proved to be really uncomfortable and has given him red marks on his legs at the end of a session. I think if we skated for longer than an hour and a half they may even rub into blisters.

The blade itself is fine for people who are learning to skate. It is not too heavy but the wheels are solid enough to allow for the weight to aid balance when moving your feet along. The runner is bolted on firmly to the boot and I would have no concerns about it coming loose, unless my son managed to learn how to do tricks in the very near future and began giving them some serious punishment. I don't think this will happen however and so I am confident they will stay in one piece for the foreseeable future.

The stopper is totally the opposite from mine and is located on the back of the blade, rather than the front like mine. It is also made from a softer rubber. My skates seem to have a hard plastic mixed in with rubber on the stopper but these blades are a softer, purer rubber. I think I may even prefer the substance used for this stopper as it allows for a smoother stop in my opinion, although I think it will wear down quicker than mine. However it will also leave marks on the surface you use for stopping on. In our case it is the sports centre hall, and we are not the only ones to leave black marks on the shiny floor, however it is something to consider if there is a possibility they will be practiced in around the house at all! The fact that the stopper is located on the rear of the boot is also another major difference to mine and means you have to learn a completely different way of stopping which in my opinion is much harder than with a stopper on the front. Having to lift your toe to make your heel go down and stop while retaining your balance is harder to master than simply dragging your toe as I do. However the stopper is replaceable which is a bonus, as they do wear down eventually and again you can pick them up pretty cheaply from most skate websites.

Overall, I am not entirely impressed with these roller blades, although my son does like them (even though he has decided he would like some quads now!). They are not a comfortable fit in my opinion and although they look good there are too many off-putting traits about them to make them worthwhile. For only £12.50 I suppose they were worth a try but I am happy to pay slightly more for a pair of quads for him now as I have seen what a cheaper brand of skate will provide.

I wouldn't really recommend these, especially to an adult - they are adult's blades. I think an adult's leg and ankle would be too much pressure on the unsmooth surface of the mould and would definitely result in blisters and an uncomfortable skate. I think the clasps would be mastered over time but valuable skating time is being lost through repeated attempts at getting it right and laces are a much preferable option for me.

He still loves to skate and we will be going regularly but I am going to invest in a pair of quad skates rather than roller blades and see if it helps with his style!

Summary: Not really recommended.