Bauer Vapor XR: Dart Inline Skates, Senior

Got them on clearance brand new half off, have been great so far. Would buy them again.

Husband loved them, they work well, feel like a hockey skate boot, they also measure like a hockey skate boot so do not buy any in your shoe size.

What can I say, I’ve been skating for 10 years, and while I usually wound the in a predicament to buy a new pair, I needed a pair fast, and because of the pandemic, a roller skate shortage has ensued, and this was the only skate option I was left with. Being a big fan of Bauer products, I had hope for these, and while I have enjoyed these skates, it is hard for me to recommenced these. I will start with the boot. Like most skates under 200, the boot is not made with the strongest of materials. The boot has a significant amount of flex, and is hard for the boot to hold my weight without it flexing. This ultimately leads to a the worst thing you can have as a skater, which is bad ankle and heel support. My feet are constantly shifting while I skate because of this, and cannot fully lock my heel. I can compensate this by over tightening the skates, but as many skaters know this is also bad, and I get mad “lace bite” and sore feet because of this overcompensation. This could be easily addressed by offering the skates in “half sizes” and “width sizes”, as well as having a bakeable boot, however Bauer opts to leave these for their higher end inline hockey skates. Next about the wheels. The Hi-Lo wheels that come on the dart are known for being notoriously bad, especially on hard pavement, the compound is too rubbery for hard asphalt (even though they are rated at 82A), so I went out and replaces them with Lebeta 85A’s and I have much better surface contact on pavement. The Hi-lo wheels that come equipped are better suited for arena’s and smooth surfaces, even though they are advertised as asphalt. Next, the bearings that come equipped are rated at APEC 3 ( the lowest rated bearing on the market, I was hoping at $180 for at least APEC 5’s). These bearing are so garbage, that 2 of them failed after my first skate. That’s what you get for cheap bearings I guess. I ended up purchasing some Bones Swiss 6 bearings, and along with the wheels I have much better surface contact, however buying these individually came up to almost the cost of the skate itself, and even then, it doesn’t save the boot. Playing inline hockey with these skates is a pain, literally. I have seen a couple people here say these are great for a beginners, and while it’s hard to find good skates that offer great boot material (the #1 most important thing), as well as good bearings and wheels for under $200, I could not recommend these a t a beginners level. While I have toned my muscles enough to deal with some slippage in the boot, for a beginner, bad boot material = bad ankle and heel support which = a major injury waiting to happen or muscle damage like tendonitis. My advice is to go to a proper skate shop, where you can get proper sized skates where they offer half sizes and width sizes, and where the boot can be thrown into the oven and moulded to your feet, just like ice skates. If you really want Bauer’s, spend the extra money and get a vapour 2.9 or XR Pro, which will have these, or go with another brand that offers more value for your buck rather than name (Like Akali in-line skates). While I love Bauer, and is my go-to hockey brand, please do not give these skates to any skater at the beginner level. Spend the extra money, and save you or your kids feet.

Really good rollerblades for your beginners or people who want to use it for recreational use like myself on paved trails. I switched out the laces to wax laces (same ones I use for ice hockey skates) and I find they keep the rollerblade nice and tight and doesn't come loose at all. If you need more ankle support or stiffness like myself, I bought extra long laces so I can wrap around the excess laces around my ankles to tighten up the support.

I’ve had these skates for 2 years, have tried to use them a few times but the ankle pain they cause makes them unappealing. They aren’t moldable and don’t come in half sizes either. I’d sooner spend an extra hundred and get a better model.