Here are our top recommendations for websites to buy your inline and quad skates, protection and any accessories and skate clothes!
At the top of our list, we have Loco skates. Loco Skates is a skate shop based in Eastbourne that has grown to become one of the largest UK skate retailers. Their clean and professionally made website provides dozens of options for both inline and quad skates as well as protective gear and a lot of different merchandise and accessories.
The thing I love most about them is that they make sure that you have the best idea of what you're buying by putting a sizing recommendation on each product indicating if you should buy the next size up or your regular size due to the way the manufacturers size their skates. you'll find every skate shop has its pros and cons, for example, this shop has fair prices but have been outpriced by some competitors and doesn't offer a student discount. They are easily the most reliable retailer on this list in regards to shipping and correct stock so it's rare you'll receive a cancellation because of stock.
Coming second on our list we have slick willies. Slick willies is another UK retailer operating mostly online that have great prices and a whole lot of range when it comes to skate accessories such as wheels and parts. When it comes to a wheel search I always go slick willies first. With prices similar or the same as Loco, I'd highly recommend them although their inline skates are limited to only a few brands at the time of this articles upload. nevertheless, the brands they sell are some of the best on the market such as rollerblade K2 and Seba.
The third shop on our list is Skate hut. Skate hut is a pretty amazing shop for us students because of their 10% student discount. They also offer a lot of variety in their skates and clothes and gear as well. However, the main problem with them is that they do not sell many pairs above or at size 11 and those that they do rarely have any stock above size 9. many of the skates they sell are aimed towards those with smaller feet. As well that they don't sell very many skates for those who love city skating and free skating. most of their options are based around style and aesthetics over performance and durability.
The fourth shop on our list is Skate Britain. Skate Britain is another great brand with amazing prices and variety. I think so far they have been the best retailer in terms of price. However, I and many others have experienced problems with them regarding stock discrepancies that have caused orders to be cancelled making them sometimes unreliable. despite this, I still always go back because of the amazing deals you can get from their sale section. For example a pair of Seba Igor skates that are regarded as some of the best skates on the market at highly reduced prices due to the limited sizes they have left.
The fifth and final shop on our list is Skate Pro. Skate pro is a big skate retailer. It is easily one of the best-known skate shops in Europe. Skate pro has a great variety of skates of all kind and even sells some sought after accessories hard to find elsewhere. I would probably have rated second on this list if not for their location. with prices comparable to Loco and Slick willies, they are a great source for your skates and equipment. However, their main shop is in Denmark. This creates a problem for those who like fast shipping as the location tends to make shipping for this company take roughly a week. Potential pricing problems also could come up regarding imports from the company due to international shipping and import fees which can differ for you depending on shipment weight. Apart from these problems, the shop is a great option for those of you who love speed skating and free skating due to the variety of great well-known brands they have for these styles. They also have a few great European skate products in their stocks such as premium bearing oil and bearing cleaning kits and Bonez products.
We hope this guide helps you all in buying your equipment make sure to check out our next article where we'll be talking about the different kinds of skating and skate equipment you'll need to explore them!