5th Element ST-80 Urban Inline Skates, Black and White

I recently was looking to get back into inline skating and stumbled upon this pair of skates. First off, the company is great and clearly has a customer service reputation that they are trying to protect- something you do not see with some business. They are extremely willing to ensure that their product is perfect for you. Now onto the skates, they are amazing. As the product description says, they are configured into a full rockered setup. Meaning, that the front and last wheels are built higher up than the middle two, even though all of the wheels are 80mm. This gives the skater much more maneuverability. Now they are not that much higher up about 4mm. However, when I skate on them I sometimes forget that I am only one 2 of the wheels at once- there's no other way to describe it. If you are an individual that wants to learn how to skate these may not be the best for you but do not let that be the deciding factor. The idea is that you are learning, so you'll develop balance faster with these, and the high cuff will help keep your ankle straight up and down. Fit to size and will squeeze your foot to ensure maneuverability. Since they are urban skates, they are built like a tank and could take a beating- so if you fall it will not break/damage the skates. Overall, they are amazing skates for their price. I could not find a pair on the market with the same specs. (bearings, frame material, wheels, etc.) Do not let the rockered set up hinder you if you like the skates, even if it is a problem you could buy small wheels for the center to balance the setup. You would need to measure the difference between the wheels to ensure you buy the right wheels. One will excel in them if they have great balance or will develop a sense of balance.

Bought these skates as backups/travel skates to complement my Seba FR2's. It's not in the product description, but the frames of these skates are rockered front and rear. That's awesome for maneuverability for tricks or lots of turning, but not great for longer-distance commuting or city skating, which is what I needed them for.For the brief time I wore these before returning, they felt solid and were very light. You won't find this kind of build quality generally for skates in this price range.

I am an experienced in-line skater. Haven't been on skates for a few years. Wanted to get back into it.I wear a size 9.5 sneaker and ordered these in a size 10. They fit well, wouldn't have wanted to go any smaller.This is my impression after my first few rides: the rockering was strange at first but makes for a maneuverable skate. It took me a bit to get used to but isn't bad all in all. A little unstable (slight wobbles) at high speeds, something I haven't experienced on in-line skates before, but am familiar with on longboards.Good smooth feeling cruzing skates. Fast enough with adequate wheels and bearings.Sadly the liners are totally inadequate and make for an uncomfortable ride. Developed large blisters after a moderate couple hours of riding and could not continue. I will be trying to add my own padding, which is annoying. Aside from that, pretty good skates. Glad I didn't spend more on them.Update: Couldn't rig up workable padding, will be returning.

After having used these for a while, and having also gotten a pair of aggressive inline skates for variety to which I inadvertently compare these, I can't say I'd recommend them. Even with a good fit, and no matter how tight I try to lace/bind them, they never feel like adequate support. I don't know if it's the material in the liner or the boot, the orientation of the fastenings, or what, but they don't provide nearly the support that my Rollerblade NJ Pros do, or my older K2s, which have held up after years of use. I wanted these as potential commuter skates, and after multiple trial runs, I don't have the confidence that I could roll the couple miles to work comfortably. Good beginner skates, perhaps, but I would look elsewhere if you wanted something to get you from point A to B reliably and securely.

90s throwback. GF wanted to go roller skating. I said, "What the hell, why not?" I hadn't done it in ages. Quickly remembered why I liked roller blading better as a kid. Bought these with 2 day shipping, and took them the next time. Massive improvement.Rockered design doesn't bother me at all, but technically you're only ever on 2 wheels. Might be disconcerting to some.A little tight on the ankle. I took a chance a half size bigger than my shoe size (9.5) since they only had full sizes. Seems to fit pretty well!

These inline skates are excellent! The quality is top notch all around and they ride very smooth. I don't think you could find a nicer pair for the money. Even skates twice this price are not normally as nice as these. The Abec 7 bearings are very smooth and the staggered wheel set up is perfect for skating on streets and other surfaces that have bumps and uneven areas to go over.

Second pair that I've bought and have had a blast on these things. I normally stick to a certain tennis court in my local park and these things will do incredible foot work with the rockered frame. You just can't find a better deal than these skates if you're looking for a hard boot urban slalom type skate. I've already worn out the wheels, currently waiting for the replacements. The bearings are smooth as well, it's almost like gliding on ice on a really smooth surface like my tennis court. Choose your normal shoe size if possible or round down if you're an in between size, that's what I'd recommend.