drewng98 0 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 I'm looking for new inline skates. Looking at the Alkali lineup, it only has the RPE and the RPD. What would be the performance differences of each of these skates? Does anyone have any insight to when Alkali are going to put out their next generation skates? Also, what would be the stiffest skate on the roller hockey market as of right now? Would they be the bauer 1x's? Cheers for your insight guys! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
althoma1 574 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 The performance of the RPE and RPD would be very similar - the RPD is built on a standard last and the RPE is built on a wider last. The key difference is the fit - if you have a narrow to average foot then RPD should be the better fit and if you have wider forefoot then you'd want to got RPE. The other difference is the chassis - the RPD Max+ has a magnesium chassis which will be a bit lighter than the Aluminum chassis on the RPE Zenith +. Alkali was purchased by Tron. Their next line will be out soon (mid-late December), but the top end skates of that line (Visium 2 I believe) will not use Purlyn in the quarter panels. They'll use Tech Mesh nylon quarter panels. They likely won't be as stiff as the Purlyn based models. They will have a magnesium chassis and good wheels and bearings, but for most people the move from Purlyn to Nylon quarters is a downgrade. The price reflects that though as they'll only be $299 US based on what I've read in the Alkali thread. The stiffest inline specific skates would probably be: Mission NLS:1 (built on a Supreme last) Bauer 1X Verbero Vortex and upcoming Cypress Pro and Pro+ Alkali RPD Max+ and RPE Zenith+ You could also buy an ice boot that fits you well and go the conversion route. That's generally more expensive, however; it allows you to choose your chassis, wheels, bearings ect. The key focus should be finding the boot that fits you best. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MD56 10 Report post Posted December 4, 2017 Yep, to me the only difference is fit. One line is a wider fit than the other. For ME personally Alkali skates are just too wide now. I was seriously considering an Alkali with my last skates but ended up going with Mission purely because of fit. I've said it before, but I think some of the Alkali offerings are the best bank for the buck out there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
