Roller Hockey Skates: What to Buy and Why

Choosing a roller hockey skate can be difficult especially when buying on the internet with no way of trying them on first. There are usually 4-8 models of skates in each brand ranging in price from about $50 all the way up to $600 and anywhere in between. And this is only for the currently model year, with all the old stock lying around from previous years it just increases the number of roller hockey skates to choose from. This can be good as it gives you many choices at many different price ranges but without knowing which one to pick it can all but give you a headache.

Price Range:

The first thing you need to decide is the price range you are looking at. Roller hockey skates for all brands usually fall around $100 then the next model is $150, then $200, then $300, then $400+. The lower priced skates tend to be a little heavier with a boot that is built more for comfort and less for performance. All this means is the skate boot will not be as stiff as the model above it which is great for a beginner because they are trying to learn and love the sport of hockey and not deal with the pains of breaking in a new pair of skates. Usually the $100 skate in any brand is a good start for a beginner as the boot is not too soft where there is no support and not too stiff where it takes 2 weeks to break them in. As you go up in price the boot will get stiffer/lighter, come with better wheels and bearings, extra features like anti-bacterial boot lining, and more padding in the ankle area to help with comfort since the boot will be stiffer. A stiffer boot will give you more performance because when you go to push off, stop, or turn your power will not go into flexing the boot but will get transferred straight to the wheels.

Another thing you must consider is your weight and where you are playing at. The bigger you are the more support you will need. If you are nearing 200lbs a $100 roller hockey skate will not offer you enough support and will break down quickly. What surface you are playing on is also important. Most of the lower priced skates come with harder inline wheels like an 80a and higher durometer( this is just a measure of the hardness with a higher number meaning harder wheel). The softer the wheel the better grip you will get on any surface but if the surface is rough you will chew through the wheels very quickly. So playing indoors you will want to spend a little more on new skates that come with a softer wheel, something 78a or lower with 74a being the softest. Counter to that if you are playing outdoors on a rougher surface you might want to get a cheaper skate with a harder wheel so that you don’t go through them too fast as wheels can be quite expensive, ranging from $4 all the way up to $10 per wheel.

To summarize, for most beginners you should be looking to get the $100 or $150 dollar skate as the price is good and the skate will be forgiving to your feet while allowing you to learn to skate. A good example of the $100 skate is the Mission BSX Senior Roller Hockey Skate.For better skaters that are playing once or twice a week you shouldn’t need something more than the $200 - $300 dollar skate as it will be plenty stiff, come with good wheels/bearings, and be lightweight. For someone who is playing 3+ times a week at a high level you will want to spend the extra dough and get a higher end skate as the more you skate the quicker the skate will break down. If you start with a really stiff skate, ie: more expensive, the skate will last you a much longer period of time.

What Brand?:

So hopefully you’ve decided on a price range and now you need to decide which brand to go with. There are many hockey companies that make roller hockey skates such as Bauer, Rbk, CCM, Mission and Tour each with skates ranging in price as we’ve discussed above. Sure you can pick which ever skate looks the coolest but with each brand comes a different fitting boot. First off, all the brands besides Mission run 1 to 1 ½ sizes bigger than your normal shoe size which means you will want a skate 1 to 1 ½ sizes smaller than your shoe size. Mission is the only company that runs true to your normal shoe size. The different brand skates also fit different width wise. From narrowest to widest: Mission, Bauer, CCM, Rbk, Tour. So Tour hockey skates fit the widest of all the skates, Rbk owns CCM so they should fit similar and a just a little narrower than Tour. Then Bauer will fit even narrower and finally Mission fits the narrowest.

Obviously nothing is better than trying the skate on at your local hockey shop but hopefully we have given some helpful suggestions to let you pick the best skate that’s right for you. Remember if you are buying Bauer, Tour, CCM, or Rbk get a size 1 to 1 ½ sizes smaller than your normal shoe size plus account for growth. If you are a beginner its best to get one of the less expensive roller hockey skates as the boot will have a quicker break in period. Finally, the different brand skates fit different width feet so if you have a wider foot its better to go with Tour, CCM, or Rbk and if you have a narrower foot you’ll want to go with Mission or Bauer.