Impala and Moxi skates both fall under the category: quad roller skates, and are used in roller skating – the act of moving or travelling on hard surfaces on roller skates. Quad skates are four-wheeled roller skates that have two wheels in the front side and another two wheels in the rear side of each skate.
Moxi skates were created in 2008, in Long Beach, California by Michelle Steilen (also known as Estro Jen). To date, Moxi skates are designed and produced in the United States at the Riedell Skates factory in Red Wing, Minnesota.
Impala Roller Skates was formed in 2017, in Melbourne Australia, by Globe International. It is steered by a team of girls who are enthusiastic about skates and skating.
Things to Consider When Buying Roller Skates
Before you enter a store to acquire your new pair of skate, or before you place an order online, you need to select skates that won’t disappoint you carefully. Buying unsatisfactory skates means you won’t enjoy the activity that is intended to be fun, and you risk losing interest in skating completely. The factors that you need to consider include comfort, durability, cost, skill level, and skating type.
Comfort
Comfort is an essential element to look out for in skates. You do not want to go out skating in skates that ruin the pleasure you ought to derive from skating. The level of comfort that comes with your skate is dependent on the skate’s boot and the additional touches applied on the boot such as padding.
Durability
The durability of your skate simply represents value for your money. You do not want a skate that will spoil in a few months, but one that will keep going for several years. If you are buying a pair of skates for your kid, you will want skates that your kid will not outgrow in a short period.
You may not be in a position to determine the durability of skates by merely taking a glance at them; thus, you will be required to take a look at the materials used in making your skate’s components.
Cost
If you want to get a top-quality pair of skates, then you will need to spend more. However, not always does a higher skate’s price correspond to high quality. You can get a pair of skates that costs less but is more rewarding than the expensive ones. Everyone desires to spend less while getting more.
To be able to make an upright decision on which skates to purchase, you can take a look at the customer reviews online; while comparing the skate’s price to the customers’ approval.
Skill Level
If you are just getting into skating, or if you are a seasoned skater, there are a variety of skate designs that are made to suit everyone. Beginners will need skates with basic design since all they do is fundamental moves while advanced skaters will require sophisticated skates owing to the intensity of their skating activity that involves jumps, spins, turns etc.
Skating Type
There are different types of skating, and the type that you are interested in affects the skates that you will need. The different skating types involves distinctive activities that demand varying levels of flexibility and maneuverability. Whether you are planning to skate indoors or outdoors determines the type of skates that will suit your skating preference.
All the above factors can be pegged on the skate’s designs and the materials that make up the skate’s components; boots, wheels, bearings, toe stops, and plates.
Impala Versus Moxi Guide
This article dives into the details pertaining to the components that make up the Impala and Moxi skates; giving you the insights that will be of help as you decide on the skates to buy.
Wheels
Selecting the correct wheels is dependent on the skating type that you are interested in, as well as the skill level. Wheels are either hard or soft, narrow or wide. For outdoor skating, softer wheels are suitable; they have better grip and shock absorption; hence they permit skating in uneven surfaces. They are, however, slow and less durable. For indoor skating, harder wheels are recommended.
Hard or Soft Wheels?
The softness or hardness of a wheel is determined by a durometer scale that runs from 0 to 100A. The closer you are to 0A, your wheels will be softer, and the closer you are to 100A, your wheels are hard.
The Moxi Beach bunny, Moxi Ivy, and Moxi Lolly wheels have a hardness of 78A, while the Moxi Jack wheels have a hardness of 97A. On the other side, all the Impala quad skates’ wheels have a hardness of 82A.
Narrow or Wide Wheels?
Narrow wheels make it simpler to maneuver, hence they work better with beginners and skaters who like to make fancy turns. Wider wheels, on the other hand, are slightly difficult to control, but provide stability when making high speed turns, owing to their bigger surface area.
Generally, most Moxi models have wider wheels than the Impala models. This is the reason most beginners often go for Impala skates because of their narrow wheels.
Worth mentioning though, you can adjust how hard or soft, narrow or wide your wheels are, by merely removing your wheels and replacing them with wheels that meet your durometer or size requirements.
Bearings
Bearings are complicated small elements placed inside the wheels to enable skates to roll. In general, higher-rated bearings are better than lower-rated bearings. When purchasing roller skates, it is not too essential to keep an eye on bearings because you will rarely get to speeds high enough to affect the ABEC rating for your bearings. ABEC stands for Annular Bearing Engineers’ Committee, the institution that supervises bearing ratings. The ABEC rating system consists of grades 1,3,5,7 and 9, and the number determines how much roll the bearings have.
The time that your wheel will take to stop spinning after you stop pushing is directly proportional to the grade number. More costly bearings are more durable, absorb more pressure, and offer a proper-balanced feel on your skates. Treat your bearings well if you want high-performing skates – avoid dirt, water, sand, and moist as much as you can.
The bearings on Moxi Lolly, Moxi Beach Bunny, and Moxi Jack skates have an ABEC rating 5, while Moxi Ivy skates have bearings with a rating ABEC 3.
The bearings on Impala skates have a rating ABEC 7.
Boots
Roller skate boots are made of PVC, carbon fiber, polymer and composite plastic, leather, and/or fiberglass. Boots can be high or low, hard or soft. Higher boots provide more ankle support as compared to low-cut boots.
High or Low Boots?
Skill levels and the type of skating determine the most suitable boot height. High-cut boots are perfect for beginners. Some advanced skaters prefer low-cut boots because they permit more flexibility and movement during ankle rotations. For indoor skating, high-cut boots are strongly recommended, while for outdoor skating, mid-cut boots are ideal; because they are designed to offer the extra edge needed to increase skating speed while ensuring support and comfort.
Most Moxi skate boots have higher-cut boots. Most Impala skates also come with high-cut boots.
Hard-boot Versus Soft-boot
Hard boots are more suitable for fitness use and longer rides since they offer ideal stability and support. They are designed for taking on concrete, ramps, and rough terrains.
You can choose soft boots if you are looking for more maneuverability as required in dancing or disco.
Moxi skates come with sturdy boots that feature drum-dyed vinyl for sterling colour saturation and an ancillary ankle padding to provide comfort and security during skating.
Impala skates come with PVC Upper, heel and sole boots that feature metal speed lace eyelets.
Trucks and Plates
Roller skates come with a truck and a plate at the bottom. There are two categories of skating plates; 10-degree and 45-degree plates. The plate number is derived based on the angle that the kingpin is drilled on.
A 10-degree plate, a free-skating plate, is designed to place the player above the kingpin and cushions, creating a more stable skating feel. The truck design on this plate assumes a more vertical, less aggressive setup, which serves well in keeping a skater in a more upright position.
The 45-degree plate, the figure plate, is designed to place the player above the pivot pin, creating a more aggressive stance and feel. The truck design on this plate is developed with a horizontal setup in relation to the skating floor and is more sensitive to the skater’s movement, therefore, permitting faster changes in direction and better control. Most plates are made using nylon and fiberglass, and the trucks are made using aluminium to make them stronger.
The kind of plates that a skater will require depends on the skating activity to be undertaken. Indoor skaters will need plates with zero torque; thus, do not twist. This is because indoor skating does not entail walking or gliding a lot. Outdoor skating demands sturdy aluminium plates that will absorb the curbs and the scrapping that come with outdoor skating.
Jam skaters work well with lightweight plates. Artistic skaters need 10-degree plates made of nylon and fiberglass to make them robust and lightweight. Skaters who take part in rhythm and dance require lightweight plates with split cushion that provide high performance and superb maneuverability, thus, perfect for tight turns and fancy foot works.
As for roller derby skaters who work on numerous skills, a sturdy aluminium plate that provides stability and, maneuverability is essential. Speed skating demands lightweight and strong plates with no flex.
The plates on Moxi skates are made of Powerdyne Thrust Nylon plate that can be upgraded to any of the Reactor family of plates. On the other side, Impala skates come with Aluminium alloy trucks and baseplate.
Toe Stops
Alongside having four wheels in pairs, the toe stop is another unique feature that characterizes roller skates. Toe stops come in handy when taking off and when stopping. The different skating types have varying toe stop requirements. Rhythm and dance skating do not demand a lot from the toe stop. The artistic skates would be most excellent if they came with an adjustable Allen toe stop screw which would make installation of toe stops simple. Speed skaters demand a lot from toe stops, hence they are very specific when it comes to toe stops.
Adjustable Versus Non-adjustable Toe Stops
Adjustable toe stops are just that, they adjust, while non-adjustable toe stops do not. Skates with adjustable toe stops are mostly preferred by skilled skaters who take part in complicated intensive skating activities including complex turns, high jumps and other demanding skills. Beginners would be fine with non-adjustable toe stops; they do not need them anyway, as they only undertake basic skating.
Moxi skates come with adjustable toe stops; Powerdyne Adjustable toe stop.
Most Impala skates do not have adjustable toe stops, but instead, they come with PU brake stoppers.
Sizing
The most important thing is that the skates need to have a firm fit on your feet; not too loose or too tight. You should check out for the sizing charts on the skate makers’ website before you settle on your pair of the skate.
Impala roller skates are only available in full sizes; if you are a half size, then you will have to buy the next size up. As for Moxi, skates are available in all sizes.
The Final Verdict
There are several different reasons why you may want to ride on quad roller skates. If you are a seasoned skater, then probably your experience forms the basis. If you are new to skating, then perhaps you are asking yourself many unanswered questions. Regardless of whether you are a beginner or an advanced skater, you need to decide on which pair of skates to purchase; Impala or Moxi.
Both skates have their pros and cons. This guide has already answered most of your questions by furnishing you with the insights you require to choose between Impala and Moxi skates. Read through this article carefully, select the skates that you think suits your requirement, get yourself a pair, and enjoy skating; it is meant to be fun.
