These were my first aggressive skates, I loved them for the first 3 months, until I outgrew them and then tried on a pair of Salomons. Many people still love Razor, its a great durable skate and pretty comfortable. Razor will get better over the years with experience, they're awesome for a brand that has only been around a few years!
The frame, soul frame, and h-block are all made out of the same teflon, It seems a little soft and sticky, but it slides like a waxed pvc pipe!
The H-block is very very deep but theres not a whole lot of lockin room, so they had to make the block softer so that it grips the rail or ledge, limiting durability as well. You can of course change your frames and not have to worry about this though.
I love the idea of making the symmertrical Ground Control frame and its pretty durable, it also prevents a lot of wheel bite on ledges because the wheels are so far up in them. They could slide better i think.
The bearings and mindgame wheels are OKAY, they are in no way comparison to the speed of gel lubricated bearings with senate wheels though. The mindgames are durable as a mofo, they just lack the speed and slide out from under you more than senates when skating hard.
The buckle system blows, at first it was good, then it got worn in and it the part you release the belt with releases on its own at times, it doesnt grip well. i like the design on the actual buckle part though because it LATCHES instead of just snapping back. Unfortunately they made it out of cheap plastic that seems to expand easily in heat. It feels like rubber now..
The liner is durable, i must say this before i trash it. It also is comfortable after you break them in for quite a while, but the broken in feeling wears out fast and they just feel worn out. When you first buy them they're too stiff. When you've been skating them for 4 months, they're too worn down.
The Heel Pad Shock Absorbers that come with them help a little, I wouldn't advise jumping gaps without them if you've looked underneath the liner. All there is under the liner is the optional heel pad, a small piece of cardboard so the metal doesnt rip the liner, and the plastic and metal underneath. Do not buy these skates if you are looking for a lot of shock absorbtion.
The Razorskate.com customer service is very nice. I had problems taking bolts out ofmy skates and they sent me some new bolts and allenhead wrenches. They even fixed them for free and gave me a free t-shirt.
Overall, good skate, but has a lot of room for improvement. If you're looking for a high cuff, this is definitely your skate.
