Which Brand Are Hire Skates

[skatergee01]

At my rink they're navy blue, and hard plastic. They're a figure skate too, lace up.
I just wondered which brand they are because they're really robust and I'd like some skates which will last me years and years =] (in years to come,that is)

[Sessy]

Probably Risport plastic rentals, but they're not that good a skates actually, no skates with a plastic boot are.

If you are a purely recreational skater, going skating once in a blue moon, you should consider something like Davos, Glacier, ProStar, Libra, etc. My ProStar's lasted me 10 years of going skating like once-twice a year and we sold them at almost new price because they had only one scratch and the fake leather was still quite stiff. I learned my first waltz jump, hydroblade and 3-turns in them.

If you're planning on skating once a week and taking lessons, you could start out with something like Jackson Classique or Risport Etoile/RF4 or something like that! I've seen a pair of the same Risport RF4's (well, they used to be called Laser) at our rink which haven't been used to jump much in (sold and re-sold second hand to lower group skaters) and they're over 10 years old and still in pretty good shape, they'll probably go for another 5 or 10 years at this rate.

If you're planning on learning to jump you will have to buy different skates after a while anyway, because skates which are too hard you will not be able to skate well in (bend your knees, etc) and skates which are softer will break down once you start jumping.

But plastic is not the way to go, believe me.

And I know figure skating is a very expensive hobby. But, you can often get VERY good deals on used figure skates. You should however go to a shop and try on a few different brands to see which fits your foot best (unless you want to risk injury and bone growths) and then try to find the same skate used on something like ebay, and make sure the boot you're getting is not completely broken down (most obvious by a large crease at the ankle) and the blade is in good condition (no rust, all toepicks in place, still enough sharpenings left in the blade).

[techskater]

You really don't want a pair that's going to last "years and years" because it will limit your progress because they will be too stiff for what you are working on. (note, too stiff a skate can also lead to injury).

[Isk8NYC]

Don't plan on having a long-term relationship with your skates.

Those blue plastic skates are designed for abuse, not use.
The blades are too flat and the picks are too small for anything above the basic skating levels. (Although, I have a student that can do beautiful edges and turns on those blue plastic skates. Once she gets "real" figure skates, she'll be incredible!)


Since you're very young (12, right?) you will outgrow the skates before you break them down.
I CANNOT USE HIRE SKATES. So why would you ask what brand they are?
Anyway, I thought you said you'd already picked out your next pair of skates?

[skatergee01]

Don't plan on having a long-term relationship with your skates.

Those blue plastic skates are designed for abuse, not use.
The blades are too flat and the picks are too small for anything above the basic skating levels. (Although, I have a student that can do beautiful edges and turns on those blue plastic skates. Once she gets "real" figure skates, she'll be incredible!)


Since you're very young (12, right?) you will outgrow the skates before you break them down.
So why would you ask what brand they are?
Anyway, I thought you said you'd already picked out your next pair of skates?

Yeah, but I'm still not sure yet. :)

[Clarice]

I started skating as an adult. When I bought my first pair of "real" figure skates, I thought I'd have them for years, since my feet stopped growing long ago. Wrong! The boots break down with use, and need to be replaced regularly so that you have enough support. I replace my boots about every two years, but that varies depending on the kind and amount of skating you do. When my daughter was competing, her boots had to be replaced at least annually, more often if she had a growth spurt. The blades wear out eventually, too, due to repeated sharpenings. Usually they last a lot longer than the boots though, and can just be remounted on the new pair (one reason why it's better to buy boots and blades that come separately). If the new boots are bigger, though, the old blade might be too small and you need to buy a new pair of blades anyway even if the old ones are still good. The flip side of that is, sometimes you can buy pretty decent blades at a lower cost because somebody is reselling them.

Bottom line, there's no point in trying to buy boots to "last". It's a safety thing. Just as boots that don't have enough support can lead to injury, so can boots that are too stiff for what you're doing. Buying bigger boots to allow for "grow room" is also problematic. Boots and blades are expensive, no doubt about it, but if you buy well-fitting, appropriate equipment you'll save yourself a lot of trouble.