Obviously all the really good quality inline hockey skates are going to work for beginners. But they can cost you almost $1000. Do you really want to shell out that much when you’re a beginner? Especially when you haven’t got your skating style down, you don’t know what type of wheel set up you need, et cetera. I would suggest jumping in with a slightly cheaper but still good quality pair.
What’s the best inline hockey skates for beginners? Well, honestly there’s a few different pairs you can buy such as the Tour Code 9 (really cheap for kids), the CCM Tacks 9040 and the Tempish Triton DSX’s, but the ones I recommend are the Bauer RX’s. They’re well-made offering a comfortable fit for the skater who isn’t going to be using them every single day. They also offer great performance for the price.
To be clear, this skate is best for the beginner or casual skater. Pro’s want to look elsewhere, but pro’s will have more money to spend and know exactly what type of boot works best for them from their years of experience.
You can get a pair of Bauer’s from a few places:
From Ice Warehouse
Get the Junior ones from PureHockey.com
If you’re in the UK, you can get them from Decathalon
Senior RSX From Amazon (UK)
Why Bauer?
Bauer have been providing skating equipment for over 80 years. It’s hard to have a better pedigree in this area. Basically it means that they’ve had their best minds improving the design, materials, and functionality of the boots and equipment over that time.
The other brands are going to struggle to match that right off the bat. They specialise in ice hockey as do most of these brands, and the technology they’ve developed over the years that they put into the ice skates goes right into the roller hockey boots.
Who Is This Skate NOT For?
To be fair, this isn’t for the more advanced player or someone who plays several times a week. There’s the chance that if you give this skate too much of a kicking it’s going to wear down, though don’t expect this to happen overnight.
For someone who’s just getting into roller hockey this is going to be a great option. So, the casual player basically… If you’ve got a child and they’re thinking of getting into roller hockey, this is the skate you should buy them (making sure to double check the size chart below).
Why Is The Bauer RSX The Best Inline Hockey Skate For Beginners?
It’s probably one of the best among with a couple of others to be perfectly fair… (and spoiler alert: the answer is you get a good quality skate for cheap).
The main reason this is (one of the) best skates for beginners is what it gives you at the price point. When you’re looking into roller hockey skates you care about a few things:
- Chassis
- Wheels
- Bearing
- Fit
- Liner
And so what do you get with the Bauer RSX?
The boot and liner:
One of the biggest reasons to buy is the technology going into the boot itself – injected composite weave that offers a decent amount of stiffness (which is what the pro’s go for in order to get more control over their boot), while also providing a decent amount of flexibility that allows you to work on your stride. Something that’s very important for beginners to do comfortably, and this skate allows that.
Comfort?
But what about comfort then? Well you get a molded comfort EVA footbed and a microfiber liner which combine for pretty decent comfort. You also get anaform padding to help protect your ankles and this works well alongside the liner. It’s also just the shape of the boot that’s benefiting from Bauer’s experience in creating ice hockey boots that fit feet well and allow good power transfer to the wheels.
Critically, you’re avoiding blisters by getting a boot with good quality liner and a good fit.
It has a nice 30 ounce black velvet tongue, which doesn’t hurt the comfort.
Foot shape?
This is a medium volume skate which should be okay for most people. This basically means your foot width ratio is between 2.5 – 3.0, and you work this out by dividing the length of your foot by the width.
This indicates how wide your foot is in comparison to how long. So, if my foot was 30cm long (I would have very big feet!), and it was 10cm wide, then I would be on the upper end of this scale. The smaller the ratio the wider your foot basically. If my foot was 15cm wide I’d have a ratio of 2 (smaller ratio but wider foot) and would need a “high volume skate”.
Measure your feet by putting it on a piece of paper and carefully going round the outside with a pen or pencil, ensuring not to draw ‘under’ the foot so you get an accurate measurement. The width bit you measure is where it’s widest, and similarly, the length part you measure is where it’s longest.
Chassis, wheels and bearings:
The HI-LO Ventilator aluminium chassis sits at the bottom of the skate boot with the hi-lo court wheels in it. The word that stands out there is aluminium (not plastic!) and also “hi-lo” because as a lot of hockey skates these are set up with two smaller wheels at the front, this gives a more aggressive skating angle and if you haven’t skated on these types before takes a tiny bit of getting used to but is done to help you get a bit more acceleration as well as a good high speed with the wheels.
HI-LO Court wheels are decent as well, providing a solid balance of speed and control. The bearings are good Abec 5 bearings (don’t get caught up on the Abec rating – it doesn’t matter that much), and this set up will give you decent agility as well. Ultimately, you get great agility without sacrificing power, and these skates are going to be a pleasure to skate, which is what counts.
How long will the skates last?
If you’re using it every single day, they’re going to wear down quicker but it’s still probably going to last at least a year or so with the most intense use. The wheels are going to be the first thing to go but you can just buy new ones. But Bauer skates are good quality and if you’re not using it very often, like once a month, or less, then these skates could realistically last you your entire life. Of course if you get into roller hockey more you’re probably going to want to upgrade your skates anyway as it becomes a more important part of your life.
How Much Do They Cost?
So, one of the big features on what makes a good beginner skate – is essentially price. Typically because you don’t want to spend a lot of money when you don’t know how long you’re going to be doing something. And also you don’t want to spend a lot of money when you don’t know what specific skate features you’re after. So the Bauer RSX scores well on this, although it’s not like buying a yo-yo (remember those?).
The price of these skates, like any skates, varies depending on what size you buy and where you get them from.
I sometimes recommend going to a skate shop and paying extra just to support your local community (!).
They cost from between $170 – $200.
You can get a pair of Bauer’s from a few places:
From Ice Warehouse
Get the Junior ones from PureHockey.com
If you’re in the UK, you can get them from Decathalon
Senior RSX From Amazon (UK)
What Size Should I Get?
If you’re getting senior sizes which are size 6 and above, then generally they’ll fit 1.5 sizes down from your regular shoes. So if you fit US size 9, you could get size 7.5 in Bauer RSX. As you can see in this chart:
Junior on the other hand, sizes of between 1.0 – 5.5, will generally fit 1 size down from your regular shoe size.
I would give another chart, but I think you can work it out from the above (hopefully).
What Wheel Size Do They Come With?
Here’s an indication of the wheel sizes you can expect.
Youth Sizes (10-13)
3 Wheel Hi-Lo Chasis – 68MM Back, 59MM Front
Junior Sizes (1-2)
4 Wheel Hi-Lo Chasis – 68MM Back, 59MM Front
Junior Sizes (3-5)
4 Wheel Hi-Lo Chasis – 72MM Back, 68MM Front
Senior Sizes (6-12)
4 Wheel Hi-Lo Chasis – 80MM Back, 76MM Front
What Alternatives Are There?
In terms of a quick run down of some alternatives, here are the other’s mentioned at the start of the recommendation:
Tour 9 – between $75 – $110
If you’re really pinching the pennies, and you’re looking to get something for your kid, these could work just fine. Amazon, here.
CCM Tacks
These are also a good option. Skatepro in the UK available here.
Tempish Triton DSX Roller Hockey Skates
Another good beginner option.