Convince me to buy rink-rat wheels.

[JSchultz 25]

I've been living under a rock as far as gear goes for quite some time. I've previously always used Labeda Gripper Millenium's, which are fine, but they keep on losing that good grip and start to fall apart on me after maybe 8-10 games.

My buddy swears by rink-rat and think's they're the best thing since sliced bread. He says that these things perform great, AND last long. Can anyone here REALLY attest to that? How long have your rink-rats lasted? I'm a pretty small guy ( 5'9" , 145 lbs) so I'm not sure what durometer wheel would work best for me in this brand. I see that the 78a's are pretty popular. Generally, how often are wheels supposed to last, and how long do the rink-rat's last?

Thanks!

[Sassmasta 0]

Coming from someone who swore by Milleniums (me) trust me...get the rink rats....the milleniums grip great for the first 2 weeks adn then BAM! the grip is all gone and it feels like your skating on rocks. I use the Hornets (78A) (5'10 185 lbs) and although I havent had them for long they seem to be doing the trick. MUCH more grip than even the brand new milleniums. I played in a tournament and played 5 games and they are just as good as they were when I just got them. I have seen alot of other guys do the switch and they love em. If I were you I would try em....they are a dollar more per wheel than milleniums...it just makes sense.

[stevoc 0]

Did you find that it took some time to get use to? I also have used labeda for the most part, and when I did get some rink rats, I found they took a little time to adjust to.

[JSchultz 25]

what do you mean 'getting use to'? As in grip or what? I'm kind of curious to feel what dual core feels like skating on as well.

I can't find any 2005 hornets right now in my wheel size, so I'm thinking of trying the 2006 Hot Shots. Are these good wheels as well? What are the main differences between these and the hornets?

[Hoffer 0]

I don’t think much of the hot shot's they aren’t a very durable wheel I dint have my pair for long started chunking.

[saba 0]

rr hornets 6 months 78A-

world cups-2 months on epuck blebs

get these wheels, imho they are the industry standard

[duckjob 1]

Rink rat hornets are an awesome weel. I am a big guy and am pretty tough on wheels. I will easily get 4-5 months playing twice a week on the hornets. They could probably even go longer, they just aren't quite as grippy, so I'll get a new sets. I was dissapointed with the Hot Shots though. I bought a set and after like 2 weeks the hubs had cracked and the wheels had chucked on like 4 wheels. Hockey monkey replaced those for me, but then the rest of the wheels i had and some of the new replacements had the same problem. I ended up going back to the hornets.

[iceburg19 1]

rink rat hornets, the best wheel ive used so far.i work at an inline rink for 9 years,i have tried them all.even when they crack alittle they still have grip ,and hold up just fine.

[stevoc 0]

what do you mean 'getting use to'? As in grip or what? I'm kind of curious to feel what dual core feels like skating on as well.

After using Labeda wheels forever, I found the feel of the rink rat wheel to be different. Just what do I mean? I don't know if I can explain it, but one thing I noticed right off is that the grip wasn't immediate. It took two or three skates to get them to the point to where the grip really started taking hold. (when they were brand new, sometimes my skates slipped out from under me when stopping) Also, the rebound of the wheel was different than what I was accustomed to with the millenium wheels. They didn't feel as though they had as much 'give' to them while stopping...so to narrow it down, most of the differences I noticed were in stopping and turning.

I've heard others at the rink say they also needed to get use to the feel, but swear by them now that they have been skating on them for a while.

Sorry this isn't very helpful. I'm not saying anything here is bad or better than the other, just stating my experience.

[RINK RAT 15 0]

Hey Guys,

Great conversation, I thought I would just jump in with a couple of responses,

Rink Rat wheels are the exact opposite of every other wheel on the market. We have a soft inner layer and a hard outer, Everyone else has a hard inner and soft outer. So it may take a game or 2 to get used to them. As far as the Hotshots having a few problems holding up, we had a small issue awhile back which has been corrected. I think if you get on them now you will be happy with their performance and their wear.

As far as the Hornets taking a few games to get the maximum grip I believe that some of your wheels may have excess mold release on them. Mold Release???Whats that! Mold release is a chemical that we spray in our molds to allow the wheel to come out of the mold, thus the name mold release. This is obviously a very slick material. Our wheels are washed and inspected before getting out to the market, but it appears that some may have needed a bit more wiping down. I'll make sure that problem is rectified.

If you have any questions or concerns don't hesittate to call guys!

Talk to you soon,

Michael Hunt

Rink Rat

[Justin 1933 134]

There is a reason we put these on our 2006 line....Great Wheels....

[Crazy legs 0]

Go with the RR's you won't be dissapointed! Went form Mill's to dynasty's, and now I'm on the hornets. The only thing I noticed as far as gettin used to them was just "quicker" things. Quicker starts and stops, tighter turns. 76a if you want my opinion.

Hope you like-em.

Hey Mike, I know you said you'd look in the mold release. I was just wondering when you said "wash" the wheels, what do you guys use? Straight water, dish soap, something we've got at home ;) Just in case any of us run into that in the near future.

Thanks

[stevoc 0]

The only thing I noticed as far as gettin used to them was just "quicker" things. Quicker starts and stops, tighter turns. 76a if you want my opinion.

My comment above does not rule out the possibility that the times my skates slipped out was entirely my fault. ;) I think Crazy put it better than I did with the stopping part...I believe I do come to a stop faster.

I'm use to a 74A wheel, the 76A RR's gave me similar issues I had with the 76A Labeda wheels and the grip they had when brand new.......but I think the RR's grip was better after a few uses.

I think labeda and rink rat make great wheels....just comes down to your preference.

[Stampede 0]

RR are the best wheelos available with out a question.

Try the 76A ones on your front and back and the 78A ones on the middle too. Give great speed and grip with the combo.

I have recently tried the new Labeda's and they are nothing compared to the Rats.

[Sghockey21 1]

I love the Hotshots that came with my PF6s. They rebound like springs and the wear is pretty good too considering I play on a tennis court like surface. Will get another set of Hotshots when I'm done with these.

[RINK RAT 15 0]

If you need to wash them you can do a couple of things, Hand wash with regular soap and water. Or just plain water and give them a good wipe down!

Hope that helps buddy,

Mike

[Crazy legs 0]

;)

[JSchultz 25]

Maybe I'll use some dish-soap and water tonight.

I remember a few years back some people spraying 409 on their wheels. I thought they were crazy, but they said it worked for them. Weird, eh?

[Stampede 0]

When I first started and all wheels were crap, we used to spray hair spray on them to add extra grip when we played on wood floors!!!! Ridiculous I know... but having inddor and outdoor wheels just wasn't heard of back then!

[stevoc 0]

Maybe I'll use some dish-soap and water tonight.

I remember a few years back some people spraying 409 on their wheels. I thought they were crazy, but they said it worked for them. Weird, eh?

I've heard of people using windex. I tried it once and it did help the grip for a game or two. I don't think I want to do it regularly though.