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Post by John (bostonsk8er) on Oct 10, 2012 1:08:12 GMT -5
Figured I'd start this, as it seems... Overdue already. Lol. Given my experience trying damn near everything, I'll start with my most recent purchase, SSM Montre Encores I picked up from RW. This is my second pair of Nimh/SSM's. My first pair was the Shima V2 LE whites a few years back, and while I liked those, in an 8-9, they were enormous on me. You live, you learn. I'm normally a size 8.5 in shoes, and 8 in skates. With these I picked up a pair of 6-7 shells with size 7 liners. First, I'll start with the liners. Not bad. Nothing to write home about. The fuzzy furry stuff feels nice on the ankles, the footbed is practically nonexistent, and it has JUST ENOUGH padding, but they don't hold up very well. Which for me was fine, as I have other , far better aftermarket liners, but that's a whole other thread. Lol. The buckles on these are ok, functional, albeit rather annoying when the skin gets in the way. No biggie though, just takes some getting used to. The skin on these is well stitched, and very durable. High quality marks for these, they did an awesome job. They tend to bunch near the toe of the skate though. Damned if I know why... The actual boot of these is basically a toe cut Razors Cult shell. They're solid, strong, durable, and functional. Sometimes, tried and true IS the right way to go. The cuff is a great example of what differentiates these from cults... The cuffs are shorter, flexier, and all around superior to the cult cuffs in every way. IMO the cuff is what makes these work for me. Just awesome. The Souls... One piece. Durable. Fast sliding. Great grooves. These are what Cults need... And are easy to put on cults, by the way, in case you're so inclined. All in all, a good skate. Well built, sturdy, feels solid, rolls quiet. On the flipside, the tech is old, the liners suck, and the hardware could stand to be better. Not a bad skate for any level of skater.
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Post by John (bostonsk8er) on Oct 13, 2012 10:36:03 GMT -5
Alright. Since nobody seems to wanna jump in.... My second review will be of Valo TV3's. I got the whites personally, but no matter what color you get, they are the same boot. This includes the Broskow VX.1. They are all the same. The Valo lights... Another time. I haven't ridden them enough to review, so I won't try yet. Alright, first impressions... The liners, while more padded than previous TV models, SUCKED. They protect your foot in none of the right places, have way too much padding in the wrong ones, and the footbed may as well be a slip of paper. Shock absorption? Better have good knees, and be prepared for bruised heels on big gaps. Lol. The actual shell itself is one of my favorites in blading, the old Roces M12 shell. The plastic is a perfect compound, flexible, yet strong and supportive. My only gripe here is the high heel. Just means big shock absorbers are out of the question, so you should take that into consideration if you drop the big gaps and drops. The cuff, while not replaceable, does hold up well. Its cut a bit low to offer more flex through the ankle, but not too much. It does function perfectly, but only if you buckle it tight. The skin on these isn't the best... But it serves it's purpose, which is to look good. Unless you toe cut your Valo's, the skin is only for looks. Thankfully, as ripping and tearing happen rather quickly. The souls are reasonably quick sliding and have rather large positive and negative spaces. The backslides are placed well, and good size for locking on rails. They hold up well overall, but I just don't don't like them as much as the old 3 piece souls. Can't really say why, but they feel different. Not in a good way obviously. The buckles are awesome. Every company should take note, as the memory buckle is pure genius. Set it... And forget it, just like the counter rotisserie! Best feature. The frames are good and solid, slide well, but are a bit heavy. On their own, a good buy if you're hard up for cash. The wheels... Awful, fast wearing, easy chunking, super soft GARBAGE. Nuff said. All in all these are good boots, but not for a beginner. Someone who has a little time behind them should consider these as your trick vocabulary is bound to improve on them. As a complete skate... Not really a great buy. I paid 220, but boot only at 189, would've been better. Thirty bucks may not be enough for frames AND wheels, but i could've at least got decent wheels for that, no not 8 of em, but junk is junk. I'd rather have four good wheels than 8 garbage ones any day. Well, that's my review, feel free to ask questions, or add your own reviews or opinions. Share your knowledge!
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Post by M on Oct 23, 2012 2:41:23 GMT -5
The Razors Genesys 7.4 boots are nice! They come with the newer Genesys liners, which are a lot more comfortable and supportive than the ones on the Genesys 6's, my prior blades. The stock color scheme consisting of charcoal soul plates, white backslide plate, white and black laces, and charcoal cuffs suited the black shell okay, but I preferred something with a bit more flare! Instead, I went with black soul plates, red backslide plates, red and black laces and red cuffs for my setup. The cuffs are nice, although I sometimes have a bit of a problem getting them just right. It may just be me though, I can be rather picky. When buckled right, they feel very secure and supportive. After lacing them up, I noticed they felt they had a lot more of snug fit. The heel stays still very will, too. The soul plates seem a bit thicker then the ones on the Genesys 6's. I also noticed the negative side seems a bit wider also. Soul grinds are pretty friggin smooth and the plates seem to last longer than the old ones. In the end, I think this skate is beneficial to both experienced and new riders. The customization options are numerous, making it easy for riders to pimp out there ride in a variety of color combos! Something for those of us who love to ride in style. ;] The skate also comes with a Ground Gontrol Featherlite 2 frames, anti-rockers and 56mm 59a Razors wheels. The price, however, is currently $199 USD for a pair at Rollerwarehouse and they now offer them in more colors, including a red set up, like mine except the soul plates might still be charcoal, and a venom green set up. The only "downside", which doesn't really bug meat all, is that the boots aren't the lightest, they're not the heaviest either. The Cult Streets are lighter but don't let that fool you, these skates aren't really heavier than most models and are built very well. The only reason I mention that is because of the frames I use with it, Kizer Arrow Powerblade Frames, there is some weight added. Nothing that a little getting used to won't fix. They're definitely lighter than my first skates, Salomon Aaron Feinberg Pro Model 2001 skates. I highly recommend these to anyone looking to pick up a pair of great, durable, highly customizable, comfortable skates.
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Post by John (bostonsk8er) on Jan 31, 2013 0:19:04 GMT -5
Next up on my review list... Remz team models, non OS. Pre true balance. Havent tried the new ones, heard good things though. Anyway, Remz are a bit hefty, not that you'll notice when you skate them. Very, very comfortable to skate... shock absorption for gaps with stock absorbers and liners is good. No complaints there. Only issue is with the non true balance Remz, the landings can destroy your ankles due to severe pronation... also, the souls tend to catch on landings due to the same problem. Takes some getting used to is all. Souls are huge and slide well. Backslides seem small, but they work just fine. You may find if you're a beginner that these don't support your ankles and allow your skating to get sloppy... not the best beginner skates. Overall, very good though.
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Post by John (bostonsk8er) on Jan 31, 2013 0:26:37 GMT -5
Ok, now another one, this one for first gen Xsjados. A great deal could be said about these skates looks... most wouldn't be very pleasant. Ugly they may be, but they can be adjusted to fit like no other non carbon skate. Weird shaped feet? No problem. These work with shoes (footwraps), rather than liners, and the plates are wide, and straps can be adjusted to your specific comfort. Flex in these is phenomenal despite the lack of a hinged cuff. The padding is great... the souls, although a bit slow sliding, are aircraft carrier wide. The backslide grooves are a bit deep, but if you bend your knees properly on tricks, that shouldn't be an issue. Overall great skates, a lot of fun. Not for everyone, but will fit ANYONE.
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Post by John (bostonsk8er) on Jan 31, 2013 1:07:37 GMT -5
Last one for the night... USD Carbon IV's... I had Carbon 1's not long after their release and wad displeased by some of the changes USD made from the Deshi template. They added a taller, stiffer cuff, lost the metal buckles, and somehow overstiffened them in general. That said, they were still unbelievably light, very comfortable, and the souls were great. Backslides were perfectly positioned, and not overly deep. Only issues were the stiffness and lack of flex due to not having a seperate cuff, or flex zones , and the lack of a removable liner. The Carbon 2 was a move in the right direction. USD lowered the internal carbon fiber cuff, and added a replaceable plastic cuff. Good move, except for the fact the cuff was a bit TOO low in my honest opinion, real ankle breaker territory, making them a skate for only the most experienced skater. Also, theu stuck with the easily torn, non removable liner. Yes, it provides a certain feel, but when it breaks down, your 3-400 dollar skates are JUNK. Carbon 3... brought back the replaceable cuff, and lowered internal carbon, but raised the liner a bit highet on the leg for support. Still non removable, but a significannt improvement in the quality of materials used have these lasting much longer than the first two USD carbon skates... and with proper support. Excellent feel to these, souls still haven't changed, but if it ain't broke... Carbon IV's. Significant break from the 1, 2, and 3 in some ways, while keeping most of what makes them great. Still extremely light, very responsive, with the great support and incredible flex of the Carbon 3, and a new two way cuff, as well ad a REPLACEABLE heat mouldable liner! First, the cuff... This is a first of its kind two style cuff. With the removal or addition of a few screws, you can use this cuff as either a regular OR v-cut style cuff. Nice to have the option of a full cuff... way to go USD! V cut isnt for everybody, especially not first time bladers, and the 2 and 3 carbons gave you no option. Now Carbons are accessible to beginners. Not that I recommend investing this much, unless you really plan on sticking with blading for a while. The souls haven't changed, but they can also use the wider, deeper grooved VII souls as well as the original carbon souls. The lacing on these is similar to the old Salomon speed lacing, which I always thought was better than lace holes that allow laces to dig into the top of my feet... big ups again to USD. The ankle strap still serves its purpose to lock in the heel of the skater, and like the pro model carbon 3's has replaceable hardware. This boot also has some rather ugly little rubber pads on the sides, and an extra layer of material on the toe. Ugly, yes. Nice to have some protection for the skin on these as the skin on any of the carbons is, unfortunately, not replaceable. The liners... very nice effort on the part of USD here. Simple one piece design very similar to the liners they used in the USD Legacies, for those that remember. Heat moulding is effective. And they fit like a glove. Padded just well enough to keep the same feel as the Carbon 2's, 3's nonremovable liner. Good effort, although too narrow for my feet, even with heat moulding. A neoprene toe would easily fix this, however. I myself use the Trust Spec Ops in these, and if same sized, they fit and feel excellent with these skates. When heat molded and tied tight, nothing can beat thesr blades for fit or comfort. The lightness is something that requires some adjustment... Overall possibly the single most technologically advanced, most comfortable, blade available. And the feel of tricks in these is just AMAZING. Its almost like your feet are on the ledge or rail. Incredible. And USD offers a five year guarantee against shell breakage. Very worthwhile investment for those with the resources to get them.
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