Labeda Addiction wheels

[Gefiltefish 9]

Labeda Addiction wheels

Durometer: Orange (~78A)

Size: 80mm on Tour skates, so all four positions.

About me: 260lbs, defenseman and intermediate skater.

League/surfaces: Second-tier league league on Sport Court (my first season on Sport Court since 1999!).

Usage: Once-a-week use from April ’10 through June ’10. Also loaned 4 wheels to a friend for tournament play at StateWars and the Tour Beach tournament in Chicago, so about 20 games.

Grip: I did not find these wheels all that grippy. They offer a lot of grip for their wear characteristics, but overall I think I need a softer wheel in at least the front two positions. For my last game on SportCourt I used some nearly-worn Labeda Milleniums (74A) and found it to be much better in terms of grip. 6/10

Speed: This wheel is super-fast! They are rather hard and I noticed right away when going to the softer Millenium wheel that the Addictions were much quicker. 10/10

Durability: After 13 uses personally done by myself the wheels had virtually no wear. There were a couple of small minor cracks starting to form on my back two wheels, but there was no edge wear at all. I loaned the four worst wheels I had to a friend to use on the back positions of his Mission skates. After playing about 8 tournament games, one wheel came back with fairly severe cracks - so bad that I won’t use it again. Another wheel had less cracks that I may keep as a back-up. The other two wheels only had more cracks then when I gave it to him but are still useable. Considering that he is a more aggressive skater, I am going to base my rating off of my findings after 13 games of use and give them a 9/10

Looks: Orange wheel with minor graphics. Fairly simple. Looks good. 10/10

Value: Thankfully I got these wheels for “free” when I purchased my Tour Code Tabu skates. The skates coming with Labeda Addictions was a determining factor in my decision to make that skate purchase. For $13/wheel, I would expect this wheel to do some dirty things to me that are illegal in all 50 states and some foreign countries! In other words, it better do it all for costing over $100/set. The wear is superior as is the speed, but the grip was not all there for me. Perhaps the softer version would be better, but then I would give up speed and durability. For $100/set I expect all three!!! 6/10

Overall Rating: This is a great wheel that is pushing technology to the next step. Several companies seem to be countering Labeda so I am thankful for that. I do think the wheel has been given a lot more hype that it actually deserves and the price tag is likely $2-$3/wheel too high. It is still a fast wheel that wears well and gives enough grip to get by. 8/10

[Kyle Friedman 9]

Labeda Addiction wheels
Durometer: (White) XXX grip (mini bearings)
Size: 80 mm
About me: 5'8 140lbs, Forward, intermediate/advanced skater

League: Varstity

Surface: Indoor Sport court tiles

Usage: 4-5 times/week

Grip: These wheels boast as being the grippiest wheels on the market. I just dont feel it. I feel as if i get more grip from rink rats, it could be because of how the addictions are made, and because im a lighter player. (7/10)

Speed: These wheels are great in terms of speed. I wouldnt say they are all that much better than the rink rats iv used before but compared to the millenniums, these are great! (9/10)

Durability: Along with grip this is where the Addictions turn me away. They say that they have the best wear on the market but Iv had them for a month and a half, skating 4-5 nights a week and I have serveral wheels with cracks and chunks out of them. I am currently contanting lebeda to see if they can be replaced, maybe i got a bad set? (5/10)

Looks: I personally love the way my white addictions look, and i like the look of the holes in the plastic hub of the wheel too. (10/10)

Value: These wheels came with my Tour Ex1 skates so thankfully i didnt have to shell out over a 100$ for the set. So far i dont think they are worth the price per wheel, Ill be trying out the rink rat hornet splits next as I have seen more good reviews on them Latly. (5/10)

Overall: This is a great idea for the design of a wheel by lebeda and i know many people who love this wheel but its just not for me. Personally I like the performance out of rink rats better, ill be sticking with them in the future. (6.5-7/10).

Edit: After using regular 608 bearing addictions for 6 months I have to change my review. The experience I had with the micro bearing addictions was completly different from the performance of the 608 bearing wheels.

The 608 bearing addictions are hands down the best performing wheel I have ever used and durability is much better than that of the micro bearing wheels. Overall I cannot see there being a better wheel on the market and I have tried revisions, rink rat splits, and others.

NEW Overall: Micro bearing addictions 6.5-7/10

608 bearing Addictions: 9.5-10/10.

Edited December 31, 2012 by Kyle Friedman

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

Hello all!

Durometer: XXX grip with Bevo Swiss Elite Micro bearings (668)

Size: 80mm

Body Specs: 5'11" 215lbs...play both forward and defenseman...intermediate skater

League: Adult (intermediate)

Surface: SportCourt

Used with: Tour Thor EX1...1-2x/week

Duration: 4 months

Grip: I do feel that these wheels live up to their self-proclamation as being ultimate grippers. Given my weight and being an ice hockey player/official (the difference is apparent immediately) playing inline on the side, grip is of the utmost importance. I'm a heavier guy so my weight helps to optimize the wheels' grip. 9/10

Speed: These wheels haven't given me any drag when moving around the rink. Even with the accumulation of dust, there isn't any evident resistance. When I want to move, I move. Can't complain about that. 9/10

Durability: This is my biggest beef with these wheels. They seem to wear quickly and I'm not on the rink nearly enough for this to occur. My inside edges are already apparent on the wheels and while I don't mind it while I skate, it does make for harder turns. This aspect may be the biggest reason why I would consider another brand of wheel. 6/10

Looks (aka 'Dress Game'): I'm big on the white/clear wheels with the gold and black font. They complement EX1 boots well. 9/10

Value: This would be the other reason why I would consider another brand of wheel. When you add the cost of the 688 bearings, one could probably find cheaper bearings/wheels using 608s for their setup. Since these wheels came with the EX1's, it was a chance for a trial run. 7/10

Conclusion: I like how the wheels have performed for me. If one has more weight to carry around, I would suggest checking these wheels out. You will have to fork up extra cabbage for a product that may not last as long, but it will live up to the Labeda name.

Final score: 40/50 = 8/10