Let’s get this out of the way – if you want the ability to upgrade your boot by buying bigger wheels, or you want to do tricks, then this isn’t the skate for you. But if you simply want to skate recreationally, for a bit of fitness, and you’re willing to pay a bit more, this is a super comfortable option in a soft boot.
However… soft boot skates are not widely recommended for people who will skate very often (tip: they don’t give quite as much support, or power transfer, as hard boots. Full-time skaters don’t use soft boots). See the “However” section below for more on this.
The soft boot recreational skate, optimised for pure comfort, that I give a good recommendation to is the K2 VO2 Pro (there are several versions, men’s, and women’s). If you want to guarantee you have a very comfortable soft boot recreational skate, get this one. It’s brilliantly comfortable, and it allows you to get up to speed fairly well. It will make skating feel like you are floating above the ground.
Why I Chose The K2 VO2 Pro 90
Aside: There is totally an argument to avoid soft boot recreational skates as a category if you think you’re going to be doing other types of skating – so check out the section below “what the K” VO2 Pro is not best at” if you’re coming into skating and aren’t sure that a recreational skate is the right one. If that type of skate is right however, then you can’t go wrong with this one.
So why do I recommend this one? They’re a great skate across many features.
You cannot buy these skates and not think they’re amazing, and that’s the key. It’s an insurance against spending a bunch of money and not being happy. The soft boot hugs your feet just like a really comfortable pair of sneakers, and the wheels are large (but not too large), the bearings are great, so you can get up to speed on them. Because they feel so comfortable, you’re going to be happy skating on them.
This combination of features makes them a pleasure to skate on, and the way the boot is constructed means unless you have a crazy-shaped foot (which you probably don’t), it’s going to fit you well.
You can get the men’s from K2 via Amazon here, and the women’s here.
It’s a good idea to actually go into a shop and try them on first, so if you have a skate shop near you I recommend you do that, otherwise these are actually a really good pair for lots of different shapes of feet, and they should fit in the same size as your shoes in most cases (go up half a size if you’re on the big size or unsure). The fact they permit this across a range of feet shapes is one of the reasons I’m giving them such a high recommendation.
However, that said, I totally admit that these are on the high-end of price, and there are a couple of more affordable options out there which could also work really well if you’re a complete beginner which are below.
It’s Exceptionally Comfortable… Size and Fitting
If you’re planning on being strictly a recreational skater, quite a lot of how much enjoyment you’re going to get (aside from speed) is how comfortable the boot is – does it feel like you’re gliding in comfortable shoes, or is the boot encroaching on your foot or hurting your ankle? With the K2 VO2 they’ve managed to make a rollerblade as comfortable as a pair of sneakers.
This comes from the design of the soft boot, and the well-designed integrated plastic ankle support. Because this is a soft-boot, it does mean that it’s not going to be good for things like slalom skating, or other freestyle tricks because it doesn’t strap you in so tight that you have as much control as on freestyle skates. And it’s not going to reach the top-end speeds of speed skates which have bigger wheels. But as I mentioned, this skate isn’t going to be the one you want for that stuff.
If you’re cruising around your local area, or you’ve got a huge park near you like to skate through, it’s going to be fantastic for that purpose. It lets you put the power down while being a beautifully comfortable boot to have your foot in, and you do get good stability from the cuff. The frame as a whole is long and stiff enough to give you control at higher speeds, and it has a “Flex Notch” system, whatever the hell that is, which is supposed to keep the skate moving with minimal distortion. And it does seem to work well at a variety of speeds.
What about size? These skates should fit true to size. Skate shop staff with years of experience typically recommend this with these skates. Maybe if you’re on the upper end of a size, or say if you can comfortably fit into 10.5 shoes but also size 11 shoes, then you should go for the half-size up, 11. But you shouldn’t typically need to go up a size.
However, you can go up a size in a couple of scenarios: if you plan to replace the factory foot-bed with a thicker one, or plan to use an orthotic insole, then you can go up a size. If you have an extremely wide foot you could consider it as well. but saying that, I have a fairly wide foot, I am a size 10.5 or 11 (I have worn both in the past), and I fit perfectly fine into size 11s of this skate. But, I suppose that technically means I’m going up rather than down, so do consider that if you get this skate.
The soft boot has a built in “Vortech” ventilation system whose purpose is to keep air circulating so your feet remain cool when skating. It’s not a completely full proof system that’s going to suck the air from your feet and stop you getting sweaty feet, but it does help a bit, and so this adds to the comfort too. Another factor helping with the comfort are the memory foam liners the skate comes with.
If you’ve got a skate shop near you that does them, go visit and try it on. Otherwise Amazon is always an option.
What About The Speed With K2 VO2s?
One of the main reasons I think this skate is great for recreational skaters is because it comes with decent wheels and bearings. What you can find with entry-level recreational skates is they just don’t let you go fast enough, the wheels and bearing set up is just not up to scratch and as you develop on your skates and go faster that can really hurt your enjoyment – it just makes it harder to flow.
Getting into a good flow skating is where you get your enjoyment from, drifting along on a smooth ride with relative ease, and that’s exactly what you get with these.
The V02 90s are called so, as many skates are, because their wheels are 90mm in size, and these have 83A hardness wheels, whose softness also adds to the comfort when skating.
They have ILQ 9 bearings, which in case you don’t know anything about bearings, they are great. It’s also a relatively light boot, and the power transfer is fairly good when you’re all strapped in well.
Aside: power transfer is often going to be better with high quality freestyle, speed and aggressive skates because of their harder boots.
You can’t swap out for a 100 or 110mm wheels, which is the major drawback of the skate and why if you wanted to do something like that you should go with a freestyle skate instead, but you can totally take the wheels out and swap them around for some the same size, clean the bearings, look after your skate properly, etc.
K2 VO2 Pro Vs. Boa
There are 2 types out there, Pro and Boa.
These are the same skates with a difference with the how they’re done up. The boa buckle works like the tightening mechanism from some ski boots, you just twist it and it tightens the entire boot laces without having to tie the laces yourself – it’s really cool.
If ends up feeling really snug either way whether it’s pro or Boa (I’m guessing Boa means boa constrictor… but I could be wrong). So either skate is basically as good as the other.
More Affordable Alternatives to the K2 VO2 Pro / Boa Skate
More affordable alternatives are here:
All good for similar reasons of comfort and speed, with almost the same amount of comfort but not quite the same amount of speed. So these could be good options for a recreational skate if you really don’t want to splash out on the more expensive VO2s.
The “However” Section
What the K2 Pro is Not Best At?
If you’re actually planning to really get into several styles of skating, and you’re not just taking a casual interest, then I’d say don’t buy these types of skates. It’s because once you get these skates you’re basically stuck with the wheel set up they came with, and you’re stuck doing recreational skating. A freestyle skate can be better for you because of the upgrade ability.
SOFT BOOT?! Maybe not such a great idea for those who want to get good
People who skate all the time would not buy a soft boot.
Generally speaking, they’re okay and it is extremely comfortable.
But it lacks on the performance.
It doesn’t give the same degree of tight control, and power transfer as a hard shell boot.
It doesn’t provide the same level of ankle support for maneuverability.
Another factor is how long the boot will last… soft boots don’t last as long as hard boots.
Also, though I haven’t owned a pair of these for ten years like I have some other skates, I don’t know how they would do over that time horizon. Though they’re good quality and should last you several years, if you’re skating on them constantly over years I’m not sure they’ll last as long as a hard shell boot because of the softness of the material. The Velcro strap is probably their Achilles heel and will wear out the quickest, easy to replace though.
Other reasons to get a different pair:
- If you want to go as fast as humanly possible (speed skates), you want to go on ramps (aggressive skates), you want to do slalom (freestyle skates)
