I was born with clubfoot and so I have a three difference size between my feet. I reached out to Impala and they gave me a mismatched pair of skates that were in their donation stock. I know people talk bad about Impala but the fact that they sent me free skates to accommodate my disability is HUGE for me. Most shoe companies won’t even sell mismatched pairs or give a discount for buying two pairs.

She said take yo tax money and buy some good skates!!! 😂😂 My first pair was $99. They were heavy! I returned them and did further research. Talked to the gals at the skate shop and got a pair of Moxie suede skates…I am In love with my skates. I spent almost $200 and that was on sale. Worth every penny! My next pair will be Reidell and I will be spending big money on those!

I splurged on my very first skates ever. Got Moxis a few years ago. I still use them!

Enjoyed seeing this side-by-side comparison. My first skates were the holographic Impalas that I bought for about $50 when they were on sale 👀. They did what they needed to do... got me hooked on skating before I upgraded a few months later 😊 For those of you who already own skates with bolt-on toe stops, Sure Grip sells bolt-on compatible mini-toe stops and jam plugs. Just make sure to buy the correct size! It won't be as customizable as an adjustable toe stop but it does give you some options.

Always be hunting eBay for good deals on nicer skates! I got new SureGrip Boardwalks for $70!

Thanks for this video. I’m just now at 45 getting back into skating. I’ve skated as a child, teenager and young adult. Use to go to the rink on the weekends and my second job was a car hop at Sonic. I bought a very cheap pair of skates with light up wheels just to see if I could even skate or enjoy it. I took my skates to the park and it was a no go. I’ve been looking at Moxi skates and I’m thinking of making the purchase after watching this video. I’m loving skating again ❤

I really value your skating wisdom and online lessons. You're swell Debbie. Would love to get training with you. Do you offer travel classes for the over 50 skaters in other states...😉 I'm a new older skater. Would you do a wheel anatomy video including spacers?

White with pink wheels. We all know those are the Chicagos!! 😬😭 Those scare me 😂

Thanks, Dirty!! I almost bought some skates at Academy but I think I’ve decided to hold out and add to my budget. I’ll keep using rentals....for now😉

Gosh I needed a sign to buy new skates 😄 It feels like I've been stuck with my progress for the past couple of months, but now I am just convinced that I've "overgrown" my Impalas. Thank you for this super informative video ❤

I bought Riedell Crews as my first pair of skates, and they're still fabulous now. I've upgraded the wheels and cushions as I've progressed, but I've never felt the need to upgrade the skate overall. I can highly recommend them as a skate for someone who's a beginner but plans on sticking with it and progressing.

My boyfriend told me to try Riedell and so far they're definitely worth the money. ❤

My first pair were those exact impalas, mainly to see if I could do it and if I’d enjoy it and I loved them after a couple of months of daily practice I decided to be more serious and upgraded to a pair of moxies that I use to this day. I keep my impalas in my trunk if I ever randomly decide to skate

My first skates were VNLA Parfaits! I loved them immediately and then for indoors I later got some VNLA Blue Moon “A La Mode” skates!

I love all these videos. Everything from the tutorials to things like this

omg totally agree. I have those exact Imaplas gifted to me by a neighbour (these were her choice for first pair) I went with the glitz retro anad the difference is amazing. The impalas feel cheap and they hurt my ankles a lot. I have a few pairs of good ones now and have found the chayas to be my favourite for comfort plus. This sport is an additcion!

I went with what was available to me and it was Impala's or Moxi's, and DAMN, I make reasonable Adult money but I ain't dropping $550.00 on a pair of Moxi's at first go. The Impala's will suffice until I am ready to drop hot cash on a pair of candy apple green Moxi's And so far, other than the terribly small toe box, they were simple to adjust and I can skate the walkway around the skate park, so it's a bit of a win

i spent around half a year on my impalas, and tbh they got the job done. I learned a lot on them, but my GOD when i graduated to my suede VNLA à la modes?? The feeling of breaking into the skates and them molding to my feet (which never happened for the six months i had my impalas) was so amazing!!

“The tongue isn’t ready to party. Not happy” 😂😂😂

I spent about $450 on riedell figure skates and wish I had bought some cheaper skates to scratch up as a beginner 😂 still love my skates though, but man did I really skip like 10 rungs on the ladder

Toni is amazing! She has been vital in our Xanadu cast getting the right wheels!

This was very fun to watch. The impala's were my first skate and they served me well. Would love to see the skates you would recommend as an upgrade/splurge!

I have the Jackson Vista ..love them 😊

Thanks, Dirty! I truly value your opinion! Thank you for all you do for us!! Hugs!❤

Hey Deborah, I'm so guilty of buying cheap skates, I changed the wheels and skated on them for awhile. I will do an upgrade on good skates very soon .

My issue is always choosing the right wheels for indoor and outdoor

I'm so ready for new skates. I bought the below hundred dollars skates in 2007. I finally started getting serious. I put outdoor wheels on, so they're good for quiet neighborhood roads, the beach, and flat surfaces. However, I'm scared of even the small hills. They'll do it for now, but I'll wait until I get better skates to for hills and busy roads.

The first thing I found out in my search for beginner roller skates was 1. avoid impalas and 2. No non-adjustable toe stops” those tips didn’t fail me 😂

Any recommendations for kids ages 6-9 with growing feet?

I’ve heard really good things about the Candi grl skates also for beginners.

Been skating on/off for many years now and owned a few pair of skates. The worst thing for me is how the toe box almost always is so narrow. I need some space for these lil' piggies! Love my Chaya Sapphire even though they're not that high end performance. I had a pair of -expensive- Riedell leather boots with an extremely expensive plate and the setup cost three times my current setup, but it hurt me so bad :'D

I like Jackson / Atom skates and own 3 different models because they fit. Are they for park skating? Not really. But pretty good rec and beginning rhythm skating. EVO is on sale now for $99.95 directly through Atom’s website. Boots only also available. Agree with Dirty, my Jackson/Atom Vitas show signs of wear around ankle 6 months of light, weekly, indoor 2-hour sessions. I don’t do tricks. I don’t wrap laces around the ankles. That’s just how they’re built I guess. Adults skaters need better ankle support should look into investing more money getting stiffer boots down the road. Regarding bolt on toe stops, I‘be seen jam plugs for bolt-on. SureGrip makes a “shorter” donut shape toe stops,so you still have some options.

My 1st skates I bought last year were Sure Grip Fame skates. They lasted 4 months of weekly indoor rink skating then the boot separated from the heel. Out of warranty and out of luck...Sure Grip didn't want to work with me, ghosted.

I couldn't upgrade my skates much. I have Chicago's and all I could do was change the wheels and it helped. I have fun, but I can't improve my skating really. If you're able to buy better quality, do it.

I have the Jackson evo...i have a moxi but in used to the evo now

Dirty! Where did you get THAT t-shirt?! omg I LOVED Skateway!!! It's where I met my husband. Great video about skate buying - thanks!

Impala's were my first skate, I bought them in 2021. I skated frequently on them for a couple months and the boot ripped up from the heel on both. Also the sizing is all over the place.. They are SO narrow! I have narrow feet and mine fit into a size 38 Impala. I wear a 36! But if I went for my size, there's no way my feet would fit in the toe box. I also noticed the quality control was non existent. The trucks on my Impala's were very crooked, and I only noticed when I got my second pair Suregrip fames. And for the price, Suregrip fames are faaaaar better than Impala, considering both are around the same price. The trucks on my Impala's are made from a low quality Aluminium and were super heavy. I truely believe Impala's hinder peoples skating performance. Seriously. I got 10 times better just with decent skates!

I purchased a set of BTFL Artistic skates for my first pair and I LOVE THEM! $200 well spent. My wheels are 80a so I’m looking to purchase another set of wheels that are a little harder.

Just found this video and have already bought those exact holographic impalas 🤦🏻‍♀️😩

I would love to see a video of what would be better for the next level! Like, what should we get after we have been skating for a while with an entry-level skate. I've been skating for a year with the riedell crew, sadly, as my first pair of skates, I got a size too big for me and even with soles and insoles I always felt clumsy and got cramps after 20 min skating... I ended up buying Jackson vistas in 2 sizes down my previous skate (wow) and I really like how they feel!

Thank you for your videos, I have been learning a lot :) I started on a pair of impalas but I'm upgrading to a pair of sure grip boardwalk plus's. Waiting patiently for them in the mail! And I did use my tax money! 😜

I'm a wide, flat foot and found Jackson's to be comfortable.

This video came at the perfect time, i made the mistake of buying a cheap ass pair of crappy skates from Amazon and need to get a better pair that wont break the bank. Thank you!

this has given me the final push to spend some proper money on some better skates-- I have the moxi rainbow riders which are a great beginner skate, except for the fact that they are NOT built for my wide feet. I had to get two sizes up in length to even slightly accommodate my width, and even then they are still not wide enough. Plus my balance is way off because I can't get the balls of my feet over the front trucks! I'm looking at the Bont parkstars right now as I have heard that they are wide foot friendly. (To anyone who's reading this-- please let me know if you have tried them out and what your experience was with them!!)

My first pair was SureGrip Boardwalks, then I upgraded to Mota for low top skates…Now I have 3 more pairs of Motas. Idc about the drama, the skates were/are excellent.

Amazing review. We need another one for even better skates

I’ve been on stiff candigirls for the past three years 😭😭 i didn’t know any better until i started buying new wheels and toe stops the past few months… i will graduate, i promise

Not my skates being in the video 🥲🤣🤣🤣 I was told Impala was trash but I already had them in my possession. I purchased a pair of Moonlight skates and fell within the first two minutes due to a faulty stopper that fell out and clipped me. I think they sold imperfect skates but I purchased them off of someone online so I’m not sure if they were technically from the imperfect batch.

I started with Suregrip Rebel (because it's the only skate I could find in my size) and then upgraded to the Crazy DBX5 (because it's the only skate I could find in my size) and now I'm waiting waiting waiting for some special order Edea Classica (because it's the only dance skate in my size) 🤣🤣😆😆🤣🤣

I got a a pair of those Jackson's im selling on Mercari. Size 8. Loved them but they are best for wide feet.

Do you have a video on the Candi girl carlins? I have them now and I like the suede and stiffness but I’d love to upgrade but not sure would be similar without having to buy a bunch

I have a bunion on my right foot. What would be a good entry level skate that would fit well and not be bad for that crazy bunion!

I have the impalas and I HATE the tongue and the laces

Hi Dirty! I’m a newbie skater and i’ve been LOVING your videos 😍 I’m thinking about investing in some Chaya Melrose Elites and was wondering if you have an opinion on them? Good? Bad? Thank you for all your informative videos!!! 🥰

I have Impalas (not holographic) and I like them. I am just learning so They work for me. If I ever become the master skater then I’ll change. I feel like you did not do the tongue justice leaving it open like that hahaha.

New skates aww, ouch, Heeeeelp! Is breaking skates in supposed to hurt?

❤❤❤

what's the difference between sure grip fame and broadway? looking for a first pair of skates. last pair worn was over 20 years ago lol would like an indoor/outdoor skate

I grew up on Chicago skates not sure of the true my but they were top I still have them. What about Foxy skates

Hey 😊 I'm looking to upgrade my skates ( I've got rookie 78s). I've seen moxi lolly skates, I've seen chaya skates (I do like the look of them) and ridell also good looking ones. Can someone please help me choose. I've been reading reviews watching videos etc. Help 😅😅 p.s I live in the UK so size guides and everything else would help 😊

How do you know when you've outgrown your skates? I've thought about upgrading to Moxi's at some point but I don't want to blame my skates if the issue is me😅

For beginner indoor skaters with wide feet would Jackson be okay or what beginner skates fit wide feet?

riedell juice are nice

Not here to skate shame, just here to edu-skate!

Jackson evo vipers here I come 🤣

Why were the Jackson Evos ever priced at $229? And now down to $99?

I feel bad, but I bought a total cheap pair off Amazon. I had little expectations i would take to it. And I'm thinking they are still ok until I get better.

Help, I need help deciding on what brand skate please? I’m a newbie and k ow nothing about skates.. impala or riedell angels? I’m still in the learning process of skating and my feet are wide

Help, I need help deciding on what brand skate please? I’m a newbie/beginner and I know nothing about skates.. impala or riedell angels? I still in the process of learning to skate also and I have wide feet

Which is a better skate for beginners, Moxi or Sure Grip?

Girrrl now U got me looking at these Jackson Evo roller skates. I have as my starter skates these Impala Harmony ones which are used but really look nused. I will give them a shot nonetheless. So now as second pair I gotta look at either the Moxie Rainbow and now Jackson Evo.

What do you recommend for a comfortable leather boot skate? I don’t need anything other than skating rink use but I would prefer a leather boot. I’m not necessarily concerned about cost.

Stay away from Chicago brand skates sold at sporting goods stores.

How are boardwalks? I got some off Amazon to start learning with, around 120

Yeah hi, I have that exact pair of Impalas. Just tap the plate with a screwdriver working end and you will hear it's metal. You can just like any other skate take every bit apart and you can replace the cushions, trucks, ball bearings, wheels and stopper. The tongue was waggling around because both skates were not laced to the same point. These skates do have flaws but none of them are actually talked about here. This just sounded like Deb has a vendetta. I for one would like a more practical review next time, not a nit picking. Hell, do both a check the boxes pros and cons review and an intimate and personal rant so people can have a good idea what they might be buying and hear one of their favorite KZfaqrs feelings on the item.

Hey @Dirty do the trucks tightness or looseness affect your ability to do crossovers etc, ?

Even on a good day, my toes shouldn't be seen in public. Black toenails / missing nails are just kicking me when I'm down

Why do they all have heels? I'm not good on heels, let alone with wheels

Definitely bought less than $100 skates😅

I can neither understand nor approve of the constant "criticism" and degradation of Impala... actually it's getting annoying... I know so many people who have had very good experiences with Impala and that the shoes are in no way inferior to the others

Awesome!! You are always so encouraging. Real Talk!