Wheels clearance - what about aging?

[Rogurt 0]

Hi there

I am a newbie to inline hockey and I try to get the right wheel for me (165 lbs) to play on very slick sports court (linoleum - something like this http://img.archiexpo.com/pdf/repository_ae/11149/lumaflex-linosport-179013_1b.jpg).

I did find some good deals at hockey stores of the labeda gippers x-soft. But looking at the product pictures I ask myself if those are from an up to date batch (design on labeda website looks different).

Is it safe to buy from a 2 year old batch? And can one identify the age via the design?

Cheers,

Rogurt

[Invert 13]

The newest artwork on the Gripper is this (this is the soft version):

The website is currently being upgraded, and should go live around the time of NARCh finals. As far as wheels from a two year old batch, they would be fine, in that time period they may gain half a point of hardness, something that wouldn't be very noticeable. Also, the Gripper is a fantastic wheel for the money, they were actually the top wheel in our line at one point in time.

[Rogurt 0]

Thanks for the reply. Do you happen to know from what year this design is?

[Invert 13]

That was the design up until around early 2013. They are still be fine to skate on.

[Rogurt 0]

I see. So designs are usually kept for around 2 years?

Might be a good idea to gather the designs over the years from the major companys in a thread.