Riedell Skates - Dart Ombré - Quad Roller Speed Skate

I have a wide foot and surprisingly they fit me great right out of the box. I usually wear a size 13 in shoes but the 12 fit although very snug in the front toe area it fits fine. Havent skated In them yet so Ill update once i start skating in them.

Update: 1/18/23: Been using the skates regularly the past 4 months. I did not use them very much the first 8 months - I had to get hip surgery, which knocked me out for some time. After the surgery, my legs were too weak to do much, I basically had to start with baby steps until my leg strength built back up. The large/wide wheels made the skates stable for my initially weak condition. The shoes are comfortable to wear and I have minimal wear noticed on the boot. The bearings are starting to make noise, which probably means they need cleaning. Now that Im more maneuverable I plan on swapping the wheels and bearings for smaller/harder wheels and swiss bearings. BTW: Eastern Skating Supply has decent pricing on Yolo swiss bearings. Ive had to do minor adjustments to the wheel nut over time, but, thats due to normal usage. I have noticed that I dont even use the laces, the boot fits snug on my foot and I just tighten the velcro strap. I still dont like the toe stop (too long) and would rather have a jam plug thats made out of rubber instead of the hard plasticy material they all seem to be made from. Since I have not found a rubber jam plug, the toe stop is still being used. Overall, Im satisfied with the skate. It has served my situation (hip surgery then rebuilding strength) nicely. For someone who isnt in my situation, Id prefer the skate had better wheels and bearings, but, thats a modification most skaters do overtime with practically any skate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Initial review: This is just my initial impressions of the skate, I have done minimal rolling, but, several adjustments. The skates have great padding on sides and top. The bottom padding is severely subpar - you can feel the metal plate on the inside of the boot. My first recommendation is to remove the foot liner, add your own insole/foot pads, then put the Riedell foot liner back inside the boot (on top of your own liner). I may decide to change this arrangement if the liner slides around inside the boot. Because you are adding padding to the boot, you may want to consider upping your boot size to accommodate the extra padding you are adding. Im pretty sure the factory workers just slap things together and stuff the skates in a box to be shipped. This means that all primary adjustments will most likely NOT be optimal - the bearing nuts, toe stop, and trucks will all need to be adjusted. In my case, most bearing nuts needed to be loosened so the wheel could spin freely. I didnt like the toe stops (they sit too close to the ground for my comfort - even when fully inserted), so, I replaced them with jam stops. The trucks were overly stiff, they had to be loosened - some skaters may prefer stiffer trucks, I prefer the added maneuverability by having looser trucks. The skate looks great, feels comfortable and is very stable. I thought I was getting a more robust skate due to the aluminum plates, but, they are very heavy compared to nylon plates. If you are a recreational skater a nylon plate may be an acceptable option, and save on some weight. Overall, I like the feel of the skates and am looking forward to putting them on the ground and doing some real testing on their performance.

Great value!

Dislike is the Velcro strap came off after wearing a handful of times. Would love to know what the company can do for this.

Extremely comfortable!!! Amazed at the quality and comfort.

These are great and I’ve had fun using these to go skating with my daughter. A little to uncomfortable in the toes as they pinch in my toes but there was not a size 14 (I’m a size 13 in normal shoes) and it’s just a little uncomfortable for me. Overall love them.

They were very comfortable and she loved them.

These look and feel awesome.

These were a gift for my wife and she loved them. Good quality in both the book and the plaque. Good choice for fashion minded ladies!

I needed some new speed skates since my old ones dont fit very good anymore. I did much research on different skates and these skates and the R3 by Riedell are on several best skates lists that I found. I decided to go with these skates and I picked the pink and purple ones. They are exactly what they look like in the picture. On Riedells website these skates are described as heavily padded and that is true-the top ankle area and the tongue are padded and are comfortable. The sole is decently padded while the vinyl boot is soft and flexible enough but still supportive. The piece at the toes is hard to protect the toes and the toe area is more narrow and snug than the rest of the boot. I usually wear a ladies size 8 in tennis shoes because I have wide feet and 7 1/2 never fits. I ordered the mens size 7 and they seem to fit good so far. That being said, there is enough room to wiggle my toes a little but the toe area is snug. I got them to be used at an indoor rink and I will update after I have skated in them there for the first time. The one thing I do not like is the toe stop. It can be adjusted but it is way too small in my opinion and wont last that long. That is why I took off a star- Riedell seems to love these toe stops. I will be getting a bigger one to replace it. These skates may be a little too heavy for a beginner but other than that they should be good. I like that they have an aluminum plate. They were delivered three days earlier than originally estimated. Cant wait to skate in them! **Update** If you are used to big toe stops these toe stops are quite the change and not for the better. I recently ordered some Gumball toe stops and they are so much more than the tiny toe stops on these skates. Also, get ready or be prepared to be a little unsteady and not as sure of yourself while you break in the wheels on these skates. The boots are comfortable but it is going to take some time for me to get used to the wheels which is supposed to be normal with any new skate. I was surprised to feel every single little bump on the wood rink floor- much more than my old Pacer speed skates. It would be a good idea to go slower and not do anything but basic skating in these and no backward skating until you get used to them. I fell for the first time in a long time on these. Replace the tiny toe stops that come with them before you skate. I am going to give them a little while longer before I change the four star rating. **Update** After 3 sessions on these skates the boots are very comfortable. The wheels take a little while to warm up and then start to feel grippier on the coated wood rink floor which is not super slippery like a gym floor. I dont feel confident on these skates to skate the way I did on my old skates especially in going around corners and skating backward. The wheels are definitely harder and slicker than what I want/need. They may work better with heavier skaters that can get more grip from them. I have had to order some different wheels that are a softer hardness. So I had to replace the toe stop and the wheels but I love the boot itself and the colors. Bottom line-- For the look, plate, and boot comfort I give these skates 5 stars. For the ride, wheels, and toe stop I give them 1.5 stars. Overall- three stars.