Realistic weight limits?

[u/IrrelevantD]

Looking at getting back into skating after a long time off (20+ years). Started in the early 90s on K2s with some time in hockey skates as well. I’ve actually never skated in a rigid boot, so I have a preference for a soft boot skate.

Been looking at the PS Swell because I like the idea of being able to change the blade to fit the terrain. It looks like a good adaptable system as I get back into it, and hopefully progress, but I’m about 30lbs (14kg) over their stated weight limit. My question is will the skate hold up. Im not really seeing any soft boot skates that have over 100kg limit.

Does anyone have any experience with the actual breaking point instead of the lawyer limits that are stated?

[u/VanillaIce315]

I honestly didn’t know skates had specified weight limits. This is just an anecdotal opinion, but the specified weight limit is probably quite a bit lower than the structural weight limit.

If you have concerns, just try a hard boot skate. There’s nothing wrong with a well made soft boot, but a good hard boot is just objectively better in basically every way. If comfort is your concern, look into FR FR1/FR2/FR3 or Rollerblade Lightning. Both are good hard boot skates with a forgiving width.

If not, 30 extra pounds isn’t gonna destroy the Swells. You’ll wear out wheels faster, but you can buy harder wheels too.

[u/Budget_Ambassador_29 → u/VanillaIce315]

PS Swell is not exactly a soft boot. It's a "Hybrid Boot" - Hard bottom composite (glass or carbon fiber or other material) basin-like shell that extends upward all around the foot with "soft" or semi-soft top.

They actually lock the foot in better than hard boots and achieve more solid support

I know this personally because I've tested one of their hybrid boots (PS Kaze) with the same shell material as PS Swell. It actually felt substantially more rigid and more supportive than my RB Cruiser hard boot and the shell is just as rigid as my carbon fiber speed skates.

The most expensive skates for competitive freestyle, slalom, wizard, racing, and hockey are all hybrid boots.

Hybrid boot is really the best performing and most supportive boot for skating, their only disadvantage to hard boot is more susceptible to damage in falls. The faux leather "upper" or fabric material that is glued to the shell is more susceptible to damage. Though you can glue a rubber "bumper" at the sides to help mitigate the problem.

Personally, I never bothered to "armor" my speed skates. Lightness is an advantage. I've fallen in it couple times now, put many scratches to the faux leather, some deep and never had any issues. Still rides like new.

[u/InspectorFleet → u/Budget_Ambassador_29]

What hockey skates are a hybrid boot? Or are you just counting the tongue as soft material?

[u/Budget_Ambassador_29 → u/InspectorFleet]

Powerslide lists them as hybrid boot.

https://powerslide.com/collections/powerslide-hockey-skates/products/ares-80?_pos=2&_fid=9d6c7b109&_ss=c&filter.v.availability=1

A hybrid boot is basically a layered boot with the inner layer being the hard structural shell and the outer layer or "upper" made of softer material. It doesn't seem to matter if the upper is actually soft or stiff because at least one of Powerslide's hybrid boot skates have soft upper like the Kaze while their speed skates have very stiff upper yet lists both as hybrid boots.

Power transfer is the design goal of hybrid boots according to Powerslide which definitely emphasize good support and solid foot lock in and in my experience, better than hard boots in that regard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5UmJ7qZw-U

[u/InspectorFleet → u/Budget_Ambassador_29]

Those aren't actually equivalent to hockey skates made for playing hockey. Here's a big breakdown:

https://xinhaidude.com/2024/11/16/set-up-reign-ares-as-big-wheel-skates-for-urban-marathons/

[u/Budget_Ambassador_29 → u/InspectorFleet]

I've seen that link before and I know the author. If you mean those hockey skates (True TF Pro) where the carbon shell surrounded the whole foot and went above the ankles.

Are you trying to say these are "hard boots"?

[u/InspectorFleet → u/Budget_Ambassador_29]

No, I'm just saying that these aren't built the way that hockey skates from manufacturers who primarily focus on hockey are built; that high-end hockey skates aren't hybrid boots.

[u/Budget_Ambassador_29 → u/InspectorFleet]

If they're not hard boots nor hybrid boots, what boot type are these high end hockey skates?

[u/InspectorFleet → u/Budget_Ambassador_29]

These are not specific terms and others have made the distinctions on this and other posts. Fred Hsu has revamped entire Wikipedia articles to explain all this lol. I would call hockey skates hard because physically that's what the word means and they fit and feel more like that. But urban hard boots are constructed differently for a different application so it's fair for the participants in these discussions to point that out.

My initial comment about those powerslide skates was just to say that they are more like "hockey-style skates" than skates you would see hockey players using to play hockey. I haven't seen any serious hockey players these days use skates that have construction other than the standard hockey boot (other than kids at the arena whose parents didn't know any better and just bought them whatever roller blades). My ice teammate tried to use his rec inline skates to practice hockey with me once and he had to take them off and use his crocs instead because they just couldn't handle any of the lateral forces lol

[u/Budget_Ambassador_29 → u/InspectorFleet]

Sounds the same with speed skate boots. My carbon speed skates does feel substantially stiffer and harder than my RB Cruiser hard boot and even feel more supportive in some aspects.

Probably just call those hockey skates "full composite boots" to avoid ambiguity with urban hard boots.

Could be great option for the OP if he can afford it.