Chicago Skates Premium

I'm giving these a 5 star rating based solely on the value. These are $70 skates, so I am not comparing them to a $200+ skate.For starters, I am 46 years old and weigh 270 pounds. I have not skated since I was in high school and my kids wanted to learn to skate and I didn't want to have to rent skates from the local roller rink so I bought my own. I also like the basic look of the skates. Sure, light up wheels are fun, but I'm not in it for the bling and I actually like the solid blue wheels.My skating requirements are at a level where I just need to make it around the rink with my two children without killing myself. I will not be doing any stunts, tricks, or advanced maneuvers. I suspect that anyone who is at a higher skill level should really consider higher quality skates.I normally wear a 10 - 10.5 wide athletic shoe, but found that the size 11 skates fit perfect. The skates are pretty heavy, so you definitely feel the weight on your feet when wearing them, although you do get used to it after a while.The long laces allow for enough tightness that my ankles are well supported. I have used these skates about 5 times now and I've been able to keep them on for at least 90 minutes and they do not hurt my feet. I found them to be quite comfortable when laced up. I appreciate that the top half of the skate have those U-shaped loops that don't require you to thread the laces through tiny holes. This makes getting the skates on and off much easier. Reading some other reviews for these skates, some have commented that the laces broke on them. I haven't had that problem, but they do feel on the lower quality end of laces. If I was a regular skater, I'd probably replace them, but so far I've had no problems.While skating the skates performed well the first 2-3 times I used them. I appreciated that in the box were two wheel wrenches and one for the toe stop. This was a nice plus for a cheap skate. When the skates were brand new, the wheels were extremely tight, so I had to back off the lock nut an eighth turn to loosen them up.Unfortunately, by the 3rd or so time I wore the skates, I noticed the wheels started to get wobbly. At first, I thought the lock nut had backed off, but that wasn't it. The bearings were already starting to fail and there was some play in them. Thinking that perhaps this is just how cheap bearings are, I wore the skates one more time, but by the end of my 4th skating session, the wheels were so wobbly, they felt like they were falling off.I read several Amazon reviews of these skates and noticed that the bearings were a point of contention for many people as well, so I ordered some replacement ones. I ordered a set of 16 Bones Reds skate bearings which cost $35. If you've never done bearings on roller skates before, there are two bearings for each wheel, so in order to do all 4 wheels on both skates, you need all 16 bearings. The kit I ordered came with both spacers and washers. I did not need the spacers, but I did use the washers.Replacing the bearings does not require any special tools. I watched a couple of Youtube videos and they show how you take off the wheel, and then put it back on the axle just a tiny bit, and then twist and pry the bearing out by pulling down on the wheel at about a 45 degree angle. If this doesn't make sense, just watch the video. There's tons of them on Youtube.It took me a good half hour to do all 16 bearings and I used the washers from the bearing kit, but the original lock nut from the skate. Once I had the new bearings on, the wheels were very solid with no play and rolled extremely smoothly. From my understanding, these bearings are good enough for far more advanced skaters than me, so for the 3-4 times a year I go to the roller rink, these should last me a very long time.In total, I paid $70 plus $35 for bearings, for a total of $105 for a pair of inexpensive skates with good bearings. Could I have just found a pair of skates for $100 that had better bearings? Maybe, but there's no telling how long those would last too.In the end, I am happy with my purchase and would not hesitate to recommend these skates to people in my specific situation. If however, you are an enthusiastic skaters and have a skill level beyond that of a 46 year old dad wanting to make special memories with his children without suffering major injuries a couple times a year, then you really should invest in higher end skates.

First and foremost, make sure to oil/lubricate your wheels. For me they arrived kind of stiff. Nevertheless, they are quite durable and swift when dialed in. I would recommend these for people getting into/back into skating.

Lasted awhile doesn't wear the greatest but value for the money

Great condition my teen loves his skates. Great wheels for beginners

The great nephew (age 10) was in AWE when he opened his gift Christmas day. Spotted the quality right away! Was really looking forward to showing them off at the rink. He said they performed better than in-line. (I had pair when I was younger too!) Can't go wrong with Chicago wheels!!

On my third day, approximately 1 to 2hrs use each day, the wheel bearings on the right foot front right wheel failed and dislodged. Sent me crashing to the floor and causing a pileup of skaters. Bodily injury to me and other skaters from both impact with floor and each other. Close examination of the axle and wheel indicates catastrophic failure of the wheel bearings. The left foot front left wheel bearings also failed, exhibiting the same defect and 1/8" of wobble, and posed an imminent risk of dislodging (had the other not failed first). The other 6 wheels also show signs of material failure and exhibit 1/8" of wobble after a few hours of normal use by a normal sized man. Yes I am big, but still less than the recommended weight for my size...that's why I ordered size 11. The manufacturer should anticipate user weight to increase with foot size. Read other reviews. I am not the first. Manufacturers should design products for a factor of safety of 2 to 5; considering that all eight wheels/bearing sets are showing damage and or failure after a few hours of normal use I would say this is not a coincidence. These skates are ideal for beginner to advanced skaters looking to get injured or simply want to pretend to skate but never try. All others should consider buying something else. See my photos. P.S. I am a structural engineer, often hired to do failure analysis reports... this product can not possibly be designed properly for its intended user. Amazon delivered promptly and the package was not damaged. Amazon accepted my return including free shipping. As of time of posting review - no compensation for bodily injury from Amazon or manufacture. I emailed the manufacturer, NSG, but received no reply, as of the time of posting this review. But, hey... I am just one customer. You should read reviews. My post is based only on my experience. Others may have different experiences; 2.2 Million people enjoyed their Ford Pinto and only 27 to 180 deaths as a result of the manufacturer's defect. Choose wisely. Good luck. Also note I had to rate it one star in order to get this review posted for your benefit. I actually would not give it a star at all