Rink Rat Hornet Splits

[gokdog 11]

After not being able to find anything local or in his size in the normal outdoor skates and with so many good deals on older skates wound up getting my son a pair of Mission Axiom T9s, to use as his outdoor skates and of course swapped out the wheels for some World Cup 84 outdoor wheels, but we are left with the Rink Rat Hornet Splits and was wondering how these compared to the current Identity splits and how people here liked them?

My son is currently using Labeda Millenium Grippers right now and weights about 90 lbs, how would the splits compare?

Cheers,

Dave

[FactionSports 10]

Hi Dave,

The Hornet Splits from the T.9 (2010) and the Identity Split (2014) have the same specs and characteristics. We've made minor tweaks to the urethane to get better bonding and performance, but the only major changes between the two are the color ways. It is worth noting that wheels can and sometimes do "age". Over time and depending how the wheel is stored, the urethane will increase in hardness by a couple points. So in this case, it is possible your 76a Hornet Split from 2010 by now can be up towards a 78-79a in durometer. Whereas, the Identity Splits are brand new and more accurate to the stated durometer.

The World Cup 84a wheel was an older model (pre 2009) that can be used outdoor. We just brought back the World Cup this year but in an 82a hardness. The new one isn't designed for asphalt or abrasive surfaces; its a high end wheel geared towards multiple indoor surfaces (wood, roll-on, smooth concrete, etc) and heavier/hard skating players for sport court and other tiled surfaces. Make sure the WC's your son is using are the older 84a wheels.

There are significant differences between the Milleniums and Splits. The Millenium is a great wheel at its price point, but it doesn't have an internal component like the Splits. Of course, Labeda and Rink Rat use entirely different urethane compounds which means the wheels from each brand will feel different. If you want to know more about the exact differences, there are specs and videos on our website highlighting what makes our wheels different from the other brands. I'm sure Labeda has a spec list as well for their models.

As a general rule of thumb regarding wheels, you really do get what you pay for. All three major wheel companies pour their wheels in the USA so quality standards are very high. The pricier the wheel, the better performance you're going to get (usually). :)

Hope that helps answer your questions!

Nick

Rink Rat

[gokdog 11]

Nick,

Thank you very much for the very thorough response.

Looks like our wheels are still in very good shape and we are going to try them out this weekend!

[gokdog 11]

We tried out our older but new Rink Rat wheels this weekend and have a few questions, if anyone has time.

My son is about 85lbs and has been using 74A x-soft wheels, Labeda Milleniums and his new Skates came with some of the Rink Rat Hornet Splits. To my touch, the appear slightly harder than the 74A we have now, even quite possibly a little harder than the original 76A rating, but most of all, the feel slick in comparison.

My son had great speed with them today, but felt that his stops were significantly worse and felt a tad slippery in turns. Is there anything we can do to "rough" them up a bit to get rid of the slippery or for his weight are these probably not ideal, and we should look to sell.

Cheers,

Dave

[FactionSports 10]

Hi Dave - yes the Splits are harder than the 74a Milleniums as they were poured at 76a. As I mentioned prior, given the amount of time that has passed since these particular wheels were poured, they have probably gotten a couple points harder. So if these '10 Splits are actually 77a-78a durometer, they are definitely too hard for your 85 lbs son. It sounds like he liked the feel of them, they were just a little too hard.....so I'm sure he will love the current model Splits that were poured just within the past few months.

There isn't anything that can physically be done to the wheels that would change the characteristics of how the urethane is now.

Thanks

Nick

[SlaterC42 51]

I bought a set of splits for my Missions and definitely felt less grip coming from a set of Rink Rat Hot Shots. It took 3-4 games before they got "roughed up" enough where I felt comfortable stopping at high speeds on them. Happy with them now, but definitely had a break in period.

[MikeWhy 39]

I feel this too which is actually weird, there is definitely a break in period with RR's splits and hotshots

[FactionSports 10]

Sometimes brand new wheels will feel a little slick at first. This is called "mold release" and is a solution used to pop the wheel out of the mold easily. The wheels get washed afterward but some get cleaned better than others....so if your new wheels feel a little slippery just wash them under warm soapy water for a couple minutes (please remember to take the wheel off the skate and the bearings OUT before you do this!). This will get any remaining release off the wheels and you'll be good to go.

[MikeWhy 39]

Sometimes brand new wheels will feel a little slick at first. This is called "mold release" and is a solution used to pop the wheel out of the mold easily. The wheels get washed afterward but some get cleaned better than others....so if your new wheels feel a little slippery just wash them under warm soapy water for a couple minutes (please remember to take the wheel off the skate and the bearings OUT before you do this!). This will get any remaining release off the wheels and you'll be good to go.

Definitely remembering this.