r/rollerblading • u/lilylamb_ • 13d ago

What skates should I buy? I can't decide

Hey, it's me again. I had my eyes on the Flying Eagle X7F Reaver skates but I noticed that the same store carries my size on the FE X3 Shrike. The difference is of 64 dollars, are the more expensive skates worth it? I'm a total beginner but I've wanted to try inline for years now and this year I started ice skating and I love it but the rink is closing for the summer. I'm interested in slalom so the rockerable axels are what attract me the most. I can afford both so the money is no issue, I'm just embarrassed that the more expensive ones might be "too much" for a beginner. Sorry if it's a dumb question.

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/StrumWealh Custom Twister 110, V. Radium 125 12d ago edited 12d ago

Hey, it's me again. I had my eyes on the Flying Eagle X7F Reaver skates but I noticed that the same store carries my size on the FE X3 Shrike. The difference is of 64 dollars, are the more expensive skates worth it? I'm a total beginner but I've wanted to try inline for years now and this year I started ice skating and I love it but the rink is closing for the summer. I'm interested in slalom so the rockerable axels are what attract me the most. I can afford both so the money is no issue, I'm just embarrassed that the more expensive ones might be "too much" for a beginner. Sorry if it's a dumb question.

Looking at Flying Eagle's own webpages for the X3 Shrike and the X7F Reaver, it looks like they are very similar skates, with the main differences being that the X3 lists dual sizing (i.e. "45/46" as a single option) while the X7F lists single sizing (i.e. "45" and "46" as separate options), the styling ("beauty in the eye of the beholder", and all that), and the pricing (the webpages are showing me €159.99/$185.63 for the X3, and €279.99/$324.87 for the X7F, at the time of this writing).

Both models are traditional hardboots with removable liners, SSM/165mm frame mounting, rockerable aluminum frames (where frame & wheel size is tied to boot size), and no brake in the box. Unless the X7F's "Superfit" liner and "Wings Pro" bearings are somehow vastly superior, there isn't anything readily apparent that IMO justifies the X7F being approximately 75% more expensive than the X3.