need some advice for buying skates

[releap 0]

i plan to buy new skates around 250~300$.

could you recommend skate?

my postion is center-forward.

[Gefiltefish 9]

i plan to buy new skates around 250~300$.

could you recommend skate?

my postion is center-forward.

First off, it is usually best to find an older skate on close-out. There are a lot of top-level skates that sold for $400+ originally marked down all the way to the lower $200-range right now.

I recently just bought some Tour Cobalt Q's for about $200.00 from IW. You can see a link and video review here: http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Tour_Cobalt_Q_Roller_Hockey_Skates_Sr_/descpage-99BL.html . If you become an IW member (by buying an IW-branded shirt/hat for $10) you get 15% off your order. Normally you get 10% off, but they have a speial through Monday giving members 15% off... That skate originally sold for $420.00 I think, so it is a great deal! I think it would come to about $204.00 shipped with free 2-day shipping.

If the Tour boot/frame is not for you then there are some good deals on 2010 Mission Skates right now. Several sites have the Mission Commander SE on sale for as little as $300.00. That is A LOT of skate for the money.

The last "style" of skate is from the RBK/CCM line and I think the RBK 8K is one of the best bargains out there. You get a lot for $280.00 but they were so popular that most places don't have any left in common sizes...

If you don't want to go with a 2009 or 2010 skate model then you are going to get a lot less skate for your dollar... For 2011 skates in the $250-$300 price range I would suggest the Tour Thor GX7 or the Mission Axiom T7. Overall you get a lot less features than the Cobalt Q and Commander SE, but you should be able to find your size on each readily available.

[releap 0]

First off, it is usually best to find an older skate on close-out. There are a lot of top-level skates that sold for $400+ originally marked down all the way to the lower $200-range right now.

I recently just bought some Tour Cobalt Q's for about $200.00 from IW. You can see a link and video review here: http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Tour_Cobalt_Q_Roller_Hockey_Skates_Sr_/descpage-99BL.html . If you become an IW member (by buying an IW-branded shirt/hat for $10) you get 15% off your order. Normally you get 10% off, but they have a speial through Monday giving members 15% off... That skate originally sold for $420.00 I think, so it is a great deal! I think it would come to about $204.00 shipped with free 2-day shipping.

If the Tour boot/frame is not for you then there are some good deals on 2010 Mission Skates right now. Several sites have the Mission Commander SE on sale for as little as $300.00. That is A LOT of skate for the money.

The last "style" of skate is from the RBK/CCM line and I think the RBK 8K is one of the best bargains out there. You get a lot for $280.00 but they were so popular that most places don't have any left in common sizes...

If you don't want to go with a 2009 or 2010 skate model then you are going to get a lot less skate for your dollar... For 2011 skates in the $250-$300 price range I would suggest the Tour Thor GX7 or the Mission Axiom T7. Overall you get a lot less features than the Cobalt Q and Commander SE, but you should be able to find your size on each readily available.

Thans for your advice.

I will go CobaltQ or Tabu.

[sharks25 9]

Just wanted to mention the Bauer rx25s or the ccm line. I try to stay away from reebok because on the last pair that I had the pump failed. Just wanted to throw that out there in case the Tours dont fit your foot right.

[pby 0]

How long have you had the pumps? They should and do last a long time if you keep them maintained like deflating them after use.

[sharks25 9]

How long have you had the pumps? They should and do last a long time if you keep them maintained like deflating them after use.

I had them for just under a year. I deflated them pretty much every time I was done playing, but the skates were a bit too big for me so I would pump them up a lot. I ended up getting rx25s after my reeboks died and have loved them.

[Gefiltefish 9]

Thans for your advice.

I will go CobaltQ or Tabu.

I owned both and have found the Q's as a better overall skate. I replaced my Tabu's with Q's. Other than the Tabu's having better wheels and a better outsole, the Q's are just as good. I like the boot on the Q's much more than the Tabu.

[releap 0]

I owned both and have found the Q's as a better overall skate. I replaced my Tabu's with Q's. Other than the Tabu's having better wheels and a better outsole, the Q's are just as good. I like the boot on the Q's much more than the Tabu.

Ooops,,,, You mean that Q is better than Tabu.

Do you like boots of Q more better than Tabu?

Please expain more detail.

[Gefiltefish 9]

I like the boot of my Cobalt Q better than my Tabu. I think the Q has a lot more upper-ankle stiffness to it. May be mental, but overall the boot feels stiffer than the Tabu... The Q also seems to have a slightly better liner. I believe that IS mental right now as my Q's are only a month and a half old and my Tabu's were 7-8 months old when I replaced them.

The Tabu did have a better outsole though. This is very important in roller hockey, and especially for me since I am a big guy.

The Tabu also had some bigger side scuff guards and of course has Addiction wheels.

The frames, bearings, etc are all the same.

[releap 0]

I like the boot of my Cobalt Q better than my Tabu. I think the Q has a lot more upper-ankle stiffness to it. May be mental, but overall the boot feels stiffer than the Tabu... The Q also seems to have a slightly better liner. I believe that IS mental right now as my Q's are only a month and a half old and my Tabu's were 7-8 months old when I replaced them.

The Tabu did have a better outsole though. This is very important in roller hockey, and especially for me since I am a big guy.

The Tabu also had some bigger side scuff guards and of course has Addiction wheels.

The frames, bearings, etc are all the same.

Thank you very much.

Your advice is very helpful for me.

[tour17 0]

The Cobalt Q and Tabu are very similar in fit. The Cobalt Q is more durable, and $200 it's a great buy for this level of skate. Wheel performance has more to do with skating surface and skating style. All Tour high end skates feature Labeda wheels.