What to consider when buying quad skates: A buying guide

So, you're considering buying Quad skates? 

Let's take a look into Quad skates and their parts so you know what things will affect the skates and your performance.

Boot:

Like with inline skates, quads have either a soft or hard boot. Soft boot skates can be better for you when just starting to learn as they allow your ankle some more movement and can be much more comfortable, Hard boots on the other hand are much more common in artistic style boots as they give the ankle more support and come with the advantage of being able to replace the liner (the inside of the boot). 

There are 5 main styles of boot: Artistic, jam, derby, rhythm and speed

Artistic and Rythm skates are high topped skates good for dancing with lots of ankle support. Both are great for dancing with the main difference being that rhythm skates use jam plugs instead of toe stops.

Derby skates are strong, durable and fast with low topped soft boots to allow quicker turning and crossovers

jam skates are mid to low top boots with lighter plates to allow them to stay lightweight and fast whilst also being able to move around and dance easily. they utilise a jam plug rather than a toe stop to simply plug the toe stop hole as they usually don't need toe stops. 

speed skates, as the name suggests, are made for speed! they have super low tops almost like shoes and are built to be lightweight and go fast. They're quite like jam skates but with a toe stop instead of a jam plug.
 

Plates:

when checking out a boot you want to be sure of what material the plates are made from. Metal plates are heavier and more expensive but make turning more sensitive and make it easier to glide to the side. Plastic plates on the other hand are way cheaper and lighter however have super low sensitivity to your turns making them harder to turn on. On top of this, overstressing plastic plates can cause them to bend and break as they are much weaker than metal plates.

Toe stops/ jam plugs:

toe stops and jam plugs are normally sold with the skates and are used for stopping going backwards and or spinning more easily. the material of your toe stops can really matter as some make braking slower or faster and some materials make the stops wear off faster or make them more durable.  the shape of the toe stop is important too as a more curved toe stop will be better for turning and spinning but will brake slower whereas a flat-shaped stop with be better for sharp fast stops and will slow you down more quickly.

wheels: 

In the same way as inline skates, quad skates wheels greatly affect their performance. A softer wheel will be slower but will also be better for streets as it grips the surfaces better and absorbs more shock and vibrations. Harder wheels will last longer, wear slower and go faster but are easier to slip on in damp to wet conditions. this is due to them having less grip on the path. the size of the wheel will also affect the speed of the wearer as well as the manoeuvrability. larger wheels will move faster but will spin and turn slower than small wheels. 

Bearings:

The final part of your skates are your bearings. bearings are small circular parts that go in your wheels to make them spin around the axles. bearings have to be cleaned and oiled at least every 2 weeks and are vital to keeping your skates rolling. bearings are sold at varying prices depending on brand and ABEC rating (or equivalent). ABEC rating runs from 1 to 9 and means how accurately the part was machined. ABEC 9 rated bearings are the best types of steel bearings you can find. However, good ABEC 5 bearings and above will work fine when you're on a budget. we would recommend the 'Enuff skateboard bearings ABEC 7' on skate hut. don't worry about them labelling them as 'skateboard bearings' this makes no difference to their size or performance

If you have any questions or don't understand any of these parts or sections feel free to message or email us via the email provided on the society website.

For now good luck on your hunt for skates 

now get your wheels, get your friends and get rolling.