The Best Inline Fitness & Recreational Skates 2022
What we looked for:
The quality, fit and performance of inline fitness skates (also known as Rollerblades) has been good for over 20 years so no one is reinventing the wheel in this category of skate. All of the fitness skates that I have tested from all the big brands like Rollerblade, K2, Fila and Roces are very good. I would warn against unknown brands from eBay and Amazon. I have had some skates where the shell has cut into my feet and others where the air ventilation holes have not been cleaned properly causing blisters. Stick with famous brands. All of the top brands have good plates, reasonable bearings, and average wheels. If you want to upgrade any part of the skate, the wheels would be the main area. There are a lot of better wheels on the market than what come packaged with these skates but they are trying to sell the skates at a reasonable price point so you get average wheels. A lot of your preference for buying a pair of fitness inline skates will come down to which one is cheapest, on sale, being discounted or you just love the look of that skate.
Best Urban Skate
Rollerblade MAXXUM EDGE 125
The Rollerblade Maxxum Edge web site is full of complicated jargon such as ‘anti torsion box’, ‘superior anatomical fit’, and ‘enhanced wrapping shell’ which all make the inline skate sound very complicated. It isn’t. It’s a simple skate, that does everything right and gets the job done. You can skate for hours in it as it is very comfy indeed. The buckles are long-lasting, the frame is well constructed, wheels are decent and bearings spin well as they come loaded with Twincam bearings. The boot actually is not an anatomical fit as the web site states and this term is misused in the industry. That aside, you will love skating in the Rollerblade Maxxum Edge.
Best Kids Inline Skates
Roces ORLANDO 4
There are some pretty bad kids skates on the market. Some of the rubbish that you can buy at Walmart or on Amazon or eBay will hurt your kid’s feet and make them not want to ever skate again. Sure, you can buy $29 kids inline skates but do you really want to put your kid’s tootsies through that much torture? Of course, you don’t, so pay a little more and get some adjustable Orlando inline junior skates from Roces that your kids will love. They are super easy to adjust. The mechanism to make the skate longer is really easy to use and you will thank yourself later for paying the extra cash for a better kid’s skate.
Best Women's Inline Skate
K2 ALEXIS Pro
The K2 ALEXIS Pro is our #1 pick for women’s inline skate of the year 2022. It looks cool, is very comfortable and the Boa dial makes it really easy to tighten. I like that it has a genuine Boa dial on it rather than a Chinese knock off which often have problems. Boa dials are made in the USA and come with a lifetime warranty. The frame on this skate is not the best but it gets the job done as long as you don’t need to change wheels too often. The wheels are sufficient for this price point. You’re really paying for a good looking skate that you will just get months or years of enjoyment from.
Best Aggressive Inline Skate
Roces M12
The Roces M12 is another durable skate from the Roces company. Roces is a brand you can trust and they make quality skates. The liner is durable, I have skated in them for a year without any noticeable wear. Just make sure you dry them after skating as you should do with all skates. When jumping over objects, the landings are cushioned by the padding in the innersole. It’s a good mix of being able to feel the surface you are skating on and giving you impact cushioning.