Best Roller Skates in the UK

Review & Comparison, Last Update September 22, 2024
The disco era might be over and gone but roller skates are getting a new life today. And why not? They were here long before it and will probably still be present centuries longer. A fun pastime like this is bound to come back. ...Read more ...Read less
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BEST 2024
PROS
CONS
OUR VERDICT
SIZE
WHEELS DIAMETER
WHEEL HARDNESS
BEARINGS
BOOT MATERIAL
FEATURES
 
PROS

The skates are made of high-quality damage-resistant vinyl and have a double closure (lace up + velcro) that helps tighten the boot just right.

CONS

The velcro tends to get weaker with time.

OUR VERDICT

These are nice quad skates for those who love the aggressive style. The boots are hi-top upper and hold your legs without hindering your movement. A special pad makes wearing them comfortable. Good for beginners.

detailed parameters
SIZE

UK 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11J, 12J, 13J

WHEELS DIAMETER

53 mm

WHEEL HARDNESS

82A

BEARINGS

Skate rated

BOOT MATERIAL

Semi-soft vinyl

FEATURES

High-top upper for ankle support, Printed wheels

PROS

The PU wheels prevent axles protruding thus saving your flooring if you or your kid skate indoors.

CONS

The boot might be somewhat short-ish to hold the ankle tightly.

OUR VERDICT

Soft stitched boot with velvet lining is comfortable to wear and therefore is good for long riding. The skates are bright and stylish yet traditional-looking, they will set you apart in a crowd and draw all eyes to you.

detailed parameters
SIZE

UK 1, 5, 9, 12J, 13J

WHEELS DIAMETER

60 mm

WHEEL HARDNESS

82A

BEARINGS

ABEC 7

BOOT MATERIAL

Semi-soft PVC 

FEATURES

Brushed velvet lining, Printed wheels, Embossed print on tongue, Vegan-friendly

PROS

The size of these skates is flexible, hence, your children will wear them for some time even as they grow up (and so do their feet).

CONS

The wheels are small.

OUR VERDICT

One of the best options for beginners, these classic rollers with adjustable straps are steady and safe since they grip the leg tightly. They are also bright, will make a great gift.

detailed parameters
SIZE

Flexible sizing
UK J10–J12, J13–3, 3–5

WHEELS DIAMETER

32 mm

WHEEL HARDNESS

N/A

BEARINGS

608Z

BOOT MATERIAL

Hard plastic

FEATURES

Padded Liner, Slide Adjustable Straps with Safe Lock Buckles

PROS

Large wheels offer good stability and steady speed with less effort. You'll be riding fast soon after the first time you wear these quad roller skates.

CONS

They make noise on the uneven road.

OUR VERDICT

The design here is quite laconic black-and-white but with brightly coloured wheels (there is a selection of colours). The back is fairly high, making them convenient for total beginners.

detailed parameters
SIZE

UK 1, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6.5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.5, 11

WHEELS DIAMETER

61.5 mm

WHEEL HARDNESS

83A

BEARINGS

ABEC 1

BOOT MATERIAL

Elastollan

FEATURES

Removable padded liner, Clear Tinted Wheels

PROS

The special design combined with high softness makes it almost impossible to get blisters.

CONS

Not very tight grip.

OUR VERDICT

Lightweight and bright, these skates with medium wheels are equally good for kids and adults. They are easy to put on and take off.

detailed parameters
SIZE

UK 1, 2, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 6.5, 7, 8, 9, 13J

WHEELS DIAMETER

58 mm

WHEEL HARDNESS

82A

BEARINGS

ABEC 1 Carbon Steel

BOOT MATERIAL

Nylon-mesh

FEATURES

Constructed Velvet and Cozy foam Lining 

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SFR RS239

Ride with Style

SFR is a company solely focused on skating, their product range consists of ice skates, quad rollers, inline skates, as well as protective equipment and accessories for these sports. The company has a good standing among their customers owing to the great quality and eye-catching looks of the items they sell.

The Vision II quad skates are made of semi-soft vinyl and are stitched for better durability and longer life. The high-top upper boots secure your ankle and hold it tightly making the use safer and more comfortable. The same goal (the enhanced safety and convenience of your ride) is achieved using a double closure: after lacing up the boot you also secure it with a velcro strap.

This model is equipped with 53 mm 82A wheels and skate-rated bearings, meaning the skates are mainly designed to be used outdoors; the 82A hardness is a generally used one in these types of wheels and it is a sign of fairly soft wheels that dampen the pebbles and little bumps so that you don't feel any discomfort as you go.

The last thing we'd like to point out is the selection of colours for this model. There are aggressive black and cute pink ones, aqua blue and white, purple. Everyone will find something to their taste.

Review of SFR RS239 Quad Roller Skates

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price £39.95
Stock In stock
ASIN B00UAJUQ9Q

 

Rio Roller RIO090

Roll with Rio

Rio Roller is a fairly famous company on the skating market and they are specifically focused on quad roller skates and accessories for them. They do make ice skates as well but the range is much narrower; there are no inline rollers, too.

Generally, Rio Roller skates are of a peculiar design and are instantly recognizable for being flashy and unusual. This Pure model, though, is specifically created for those users who would like a more traditional, "toned down" style to go with the famous company's quality and reliability; made in a single colour with velvet lining, they are pretty simple-looking, in a way that true style is simple. There are three colour variations available: blue with yellow lining, white with pink, and red with white.

Pures are semi-soft, made of PVC leather that is totally and completely vegan-friendly (in that no animal ever suffered for it to be produced); they are also stitched to be more durable. The PU wheels have no protruding axles, so even if you sometimes ride indoors, your floors are safe. The ABEC 7 bearings offer great efficiency.

All in all, the Pure Rio Roller skates are a great choice for beginners and occasional riders who go for a more conservative style instead of the ever-changing trends.

Review of Rio Roller RIO090 Quad Roller Skates

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B00NQXO4JG

 

Osprey TY4803

Best for Beginners

There are several things that set these Osprey roller skates somewhat apart from many other models. First of all, they have smaller wheels compared to many other popular models. How does it affect your ride? Smaller wheels are naturally lighter, so your legs will tire much less (did you know that the wheels weight is approximately a half of the whole roller weight?); they are also considered more stable, therefore, these rollers are a great option for total beginners to try and learn some roller skating. Smaller wheels also accelerate faster but have lower top speed than larger wheels so if your kid plans to race short distances with their peers they might have a little handicap there. Long distances, though, might be a bit tough.

Off to other features. This model is offered in flexible sizes. Mostly, it is made so that the roller skates serve your kids a bit longer since childhood and puberty are when we grow up faster than ever and buying new boots every few months is trouble enough, at least, the rollers will fit longer.

The adjustable slide straps with lock buckles allow tightening the boot just perfectly so that it holds the ankle securely but is not too tight to cut off the blood flow. For top comfort, there is a soft boot liner.

Review of Osprey TY4803 Adjustable Roller Skates

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price £24.99
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B003U2SUCA

 

Ventro Pro VT01

Cost-Efficient Solution

The boots of these black 4-wheel roller skates are made of Elastollan®, a type of thermoplastic polyurethane that boasts high wear resistance, durability, tensile strength, and great dampening characteristics. The boots offer nice tightening and ankle support while the padded inner liner makes them comfortable to wear for prolonged periods of time like commuting to school or work, for example, or playing with friends in a skate park.

The selection of colours is quite narrow here, though; or, more like non-existent, the only available boots colour is black with black-and-white padding. It might appear a drawback for some users, however, our opinion is that sleek black plastic looks quite stylish and neat; also, with an all-black boot the brightly coloured wheels stand out more, making you look unique. The wheels themselves are clear and tinted with a colour of your choosing.

Talking about wheels, they are quite big here. Bigger wheels make roller skates higher, which can be a bit daunting at first but as you get used to them you'll see that they are stable enough and offer good speed with little to no effort—you mostly apply power to accelerate and after that, it's just rolling. The 83A hardness is good for outdoors and indoors alike. The bearings are ABEC 1 quality ones.

Review of Ventro Pro VT01 Quad Roller Skates
Last updated price £119.95
Stock In stock
ASIN B00P4ADAV2

 

California Pro Storm

Good Unisex Rollers

This model of quad skates by California Pro is very lightweight thanks to the nylon mesh upper boot. Velvet foam lining adds to the comfort of wearing. The carbon steel ABEC 1 bearings are strong and hard, they are able to bear heavy loads better than many other materials, and with heavy-duty nylon chassis, it makes good adult roller skates. But what sets this model apart truly is that it features an EVA outsole.

The EVA, or Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, is a material loved by many joggers for its light weight and top-notch shock absorption characteristics. EVA is, in fact, the lightest outsoles material available on the market today. It is also water-resistant, non-toxic, non-polluting, and repels bacteria to a degree; it also performs great at lower temperatures, although this particular trait might be lost on the roller skates (unless you plan on rolling over ice, which we do not recommend, honestly).

The wheels on this model are of the usual 82A hardness, good for street and fairly comfortable on the flooring inside the house. The design deserves a mention for being quite neutral: the black-orange-grey boot with a touch of white at the sole and wheels looks cute but won't become a reason for bullying since it's unisex. California Pro make as good girls roller skates as it makes boys'.

Review of California Pro Storm Unisex Quad Roller Skates
Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B00GWQXGYS

 

What Are Roller Skates?

With all the hype around roller skates back in the 1970s, one would think they were invented at that time. Not true, though, the history of rollers dates quite further back, to the 1740s when the then-primitive version of today's inline rollers was used in a London theatre. But you're not here for a history lesson, however interesting it might be, are you?

Roller skates are, in a nutshell, boots that have four wheels either tied to them with straps or attached permanently (fun fact: they are categorized as land vehicles on Wikidepia). There are several types of rollers differing in the wheels placement, the most popular being inline skates where the wheels are placed in a line to appear similar to ice skates; another common type is what we usually call the roller skates or quad skates feature wheels arranged like those of a car, by pairs. Both have their pros and cons and, therefore, fans but all in all, they are a type of entertaining and sometimes extreme sports equipment and a means of transportation often found side-by-side with skateboards and bikes. With rollers, you move faster than you do on-foot and you can learn some tricks to impress your friends and win over your crush, for example. Dancing on rollers was a blast a couple decades ago and it is still believed to be a romantic and fun pastime.

Check out these five best roller skates with us.

Sources:

1. Roller skates, Wikipedia.

2. Sharifa Simon How to Change/swap the Wheels on Your Roller Skates, Snapguide.

3. How to Buy Roller Skate Wheels for Quad Skates, eBay. January 21, 2015.

4. Scott Amato How to Learn to Roller-Skate, LIVESTRONG.COM. September 11, 2017.

5. Carlesa Williams Is It Easier To Roller Skate or Inline Skate? ThoughtCo. April 21, 2017.

6. How Do Roller Skates Work? Wonderopolis

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Publish Date: 2018-02-16 14:15:16