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2007 Holiday Buyer's Guide

Saturday November 17th, 2007Written by Jeff

This holiday's skate selection doesn't feature anything too ground breaking, but there are a lot of skates out now or coming out soon for you all to put on your wishlists. Don't forget to put an iPod Touch or iPhone on that list too. Seriously though, there's a ton of great rolling products out for the holidays.

I have a feeling you're expecting me to mention the Nimh first, so here's the low down on the most anticipated skate of 2007. The Nimh Shima V1 is coming out this month so you can rush out and buy your very own pair before Christmas. You'll be an early adopter of this new brand, but you shouldn't feel like too much of a guinea pig since everything we know about the Nimh tells us they'll be very similar to a modified Razor skate. If you like Razors and want to support Shima and Elliott's project, check them out. The most notable differences are the cut off plastic for the toe area and that the Nimh's are wrapped with a skin like the recent Rollerblade and Valo skates. They Nimh's also come with a unique Vicious liner that should be more comfortable than most stock skate liners. I should also say that the Nimh's are a truly completely skater owned project which is an accomplishment in it's own right. For a boot only estimated retail price of around $195, it's a pretty good value too.

Of course, if you hate skates wrapped up to look like a shoe, Razors has a new skate too. The Razors ICONS skate is signed by the Razors pro team, features the new Formula 1 from Ground Control and the new JUG neoprene liner. Unlike the Nimh, the Razors Icons skate comes with a good pre-groove that's all ready to go. The complete skate is currently retailing for about $270, but you may be able to find a boot only versions at some retailers for a little more than the Nimh's boot only price.

One of the skates I'm most interested in just won't be here until after the holidays. The Rollerblade Point 8 won't be released until late January. So, since the Rollerblade Point 8 won't be out till January we won't get you all excited about putting 72mm wheels into your skates. If you really want these skates, you'll have to ask for a gift card and resist the urge to buy one of these other skates. Estimated at $229, Rollerblade usually has affordable products and this shouldn't be any different.

Rollerblade does have the Downtown 4 skate out now. The complete skate (boot, frame, wheels and bearings) retails for the ridiculous price of less than $150! It makes a great skate for a new skater or an advanced skater on a budget. If you already have frames, wheels and bearings, you can grab the boot only for $125. However, it's worth mentioning that even for "team" skates getting the frames, wheels and bearing for just $25 more is a great deal and while they may not be top of the line, they'll be worth every penny.

Valo and AggressiveMall.com have teamed up to release one of the most stylish looking skates, the Valo DGTL 002 complete skate. However, you could buy 2 pairs of the Rollerblade for the price of this skate. At $299, it's not the most expensive skate, but it is a little high. I just wish they would have put in abec 5 bearings instead of just abec3. To add to the higher priced and stylish skates, Valo also has the Erik Bailey Pro complete skate at about $315.

The Jon Julio Velcro Pro Boot in black is available for about $255 and is coming out this November. Velcro? Yep, that's right. If you haven't heard already, Valo wants you to have more skating and less time trying to figure out clunky lacing systems. Jon and the Valo team have worked hard to put together a skate line up that is fashionable and unique. The roots of the skates are still in the Roces m12, but the Valos have really made their own mark on the industry and they're worth taking a look at when you pick out your next pair of skates.

Remz have been some of my favorite skates since I reviewed the 06one's on Havenskate.com. A lot has stayed the same since then, but there have been some arguably minor changes. Regardless, I'd highly recommend checking out the Remz 08one or even considering saving mom and dad a little cash by telling them they can get you the older model. The full Remz skate sells for $299. Remz and Chris Haffey have been on fire in competitions recently. You may want to add a Chicago Bulls number 23 Jordan Jersey in your wish list so you can try to be the next Haffey on the block. It might not be too far off before we see a new Haffey skate too, but there's no word on that.

Don't overlook Deshi or USD this holiday season either. While Deshi hasn't been talked about much lately, they constantly provide a great quality boot and a great soul plate. The Deshi CH1 has a re-worked boot construction and is stronger than previous deshi boots. With Vinny Minton added to the team, it should tell you something about the quality of these skates. Full skate should come in right around $259.

On the USD side, the Rachard Johnson Classic Throne should land right in time for the holidays. If you want red skates, there's nothing redder than these babies. The boot is the original Throne we all loved with the V cut cuff. These are the first skates to come stock with the new Fifty50 Balance Core Frames. They're a bit pricey though, at $329 they're the most expensive skates on our list.

There's so many skates out there it's tough to touch on all of them, but these are some of the skates we think you should be checking out. Don't forget to check your favorite retailers for more intormation and more skates. There's also some great frames, wheels, bearings and lots of accessories available now. Go put together your wishlist for the holidays now!

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