The media could not be loaded. TL;DR Summary: Pros: - Removable (washable) liner. - Buckles are secure and easy to adjust. - Grows with your child. - Comes complete and ready to use. - Removable/replaceable toe stop. - Wheel hardness adequate for both indoor/outdoor skating. Cons: - Quality control is lacking. - Once your child learns the basics, the cheap bearings could hold them back. - Wheels will never excel over a dedicated indoor/outdoor wheel. I initially purchased these for my daughter, as she wanted to learn how to skate, and after over a year of owning them, she still loves to use the skates on a daily basis but has outgrown one feature, of which this review will focus: the bearings. While I don't expect a ~$40 pair of children's skates to come with high-end ABEC-rated bearings, I really would have hoped they would have included at least bearings that would roll on their own for longer than a few seconds. Don't get me wrong: I understand that these are beginner skates, and as such, you really don't want your child to be slipping and sliding on their first pair of skates, as control and balance is key to learning everything that comes afterwards, but they could have at least included a nicer pair of quality ABEC 3 bearings, and let the buyer make adjustments to the tightness (and mobility), as the child's confidence and skill grew. That aside, the reason I subtracted star wasn't because of the quality of the original bearings, but rather, what happened when I tried to replace the default bearings. I had noticed other reviewers replaced the default option in favor of higher quality bearings, so I purchased a pair of Bont ABEC-5 bearings, thinking that I couldn't go wrong with bearings from a quality skate manufacturer, in order to upgrade and extend the skate's usability. Imagine then, my frustration when I went to fit the Bont 608Z bearings, identical to the size of the default bearings, only to find out that they wouldn't slide into the axel! At first, I didn't know what to make of it. Was it the bearings, or could be the skate? I then decided to test the fit using my own Atom Bionic ABEC 7 bearings, and experienced the same problem. After careful inspection, I realized that some of the axels, below the threading, were not machined flush with the threading and instead jutted out just enough to prevent the installation of custom bearings, which by the way, all met the standard 8mm size requirement on any other skate. Given we had already owned the pair of skates for over a year, there was no way I could return them, or even request a replacement under warranty. It was then that I decided to try and mill down the axles using sandpaper. I had previously grinded burrs using 120-grit sand paper, so I taped up the threads, in order to minimize potential damage and was able to successfully sand down enough material to allow for a proper fit. Due to a lack of quality control, something that could have taken me maybe 30 minutes, ended up costing me well over an hour. Again, I don't suspect that many folks reading this will care about the ability to replace the default bearings, but if your child should get to a point where they are comfortable skating and you notice it requires a great deal of effort to move or maneuver, chances are very good it's the bearings, as the boot, the liner and even the truck with it's limited flexibility are all pretty good, for the price. The moment I switched the bearings, my daughter's skating drastically improved. She was able to turn and maneuver without the usual help of a wall or obvious struggle that had previously been exhibiting. She's even started working on skating backwards, something she could never do with the default bearings. So again: the actual skate itself, for the price, is decent, especially for a starter skate, but if you are ever in a situation where you feel you will be upgrading the wheels or the bearings, buyer beware of potential quality control issues.
