Aluminium Plate vs Nylon Plate: Is a Powerdyne Reactor Worth It?
Six of the seven voices in our compilation who talk about plate material back aluminium: four ride a Powerdyne Reactor (Bonnie Thunders, Suzy Hotrod, Caro Hernandez, Kid Ace) and coach Lisa J tells beginners metal, never plastic. The one voice for nylon, Shove, rides reinforced nylon every day at over 350 lb but keeps metal for the park. None of them says a beginner needs a Reactor, and it was not buyable on Amazon.com when we checked.
Gear on this page: seven items — the Powerdyne Reactor Pro plate (unavailable), and six complete skates with their plate material: Impala, Riedell Orbit, Riedell R3, Sure-Grip Rock GT50, Moxi Lolly, Bont Quadstar Carbon. They are optional, the page works without them, and the links to them are Amazon affiliate links.
Amazon prices were read on the listing on 7 October 2026, for the size and colour Amazon shows by default; other sizes and colours can cost more or less. Price and availability are set by Amazon and can change.
Aluminium and nylon side by side
| Aluminium plate (Powerdyne Reactor as reference) | Nylon plate (as fitted to many stock skates) | |
|---|---|---|
| Material, from listings | Reactor Pro: aluminium (Amazon listing) | Riedell R3 and Moxi Lolly: nylon Powerdyne Thrust with metal trucks; Sure-Grip Rock GT50: nylon with aluminium trucks (Amazon listings) |
| What skaters report | Kid Ace: her Reactor Pro has never broken despite hard use; Caro runs hers with medium cushions | Shove rides a reinforced nylon plate daily at over 350 lb without breaking it, but keeps metal for the park |
| Use in our sources | Derby (Thunders, Hotrod), bowl and park (Caro, Kid Ace) | Everyday, non-aggressive skating (Shove) |
| Who rides it | Bonnie Thunders, Suzy Hotrod, Caro Hernandez, Kid Ace (Reactor); other aluminium plates: Scald Eagle, Swede Hurt, Snot Rocket Science, Juniper Simonis, Satan’s Little Helper | Shove |
| Sponsor link | Caro and Kid Ace ride Powerdyne gear in Moxi setups; Thunders and Hotrod state no plate sponsor | Shove’s video is on Moxi’s channel |
| Amazon, 7 Oct 2026 | Reactor Pro: “Currently unavailable”, no price | Sold fitted to complete skates (table below) |
What each skater says
For aluminium, and the Reactor in particular
- Bonnie Thunders (often called the greatest player of modern derby; 8 WFTDA titles; RollerBones signature wheel) rode Powerdyne Reactor plates on Riedell 595 boots (WFTDA gear list, Aug 2010).
- Suzy Hotrod (Gotham jammer since 2004, WFTDA champion 2008, Team USA; no sponsor stated) rode a Reactor too, and says the same gear will not make you her level, practice will (WFTDA gear list, Nov 2011).
- Caro Hernandez (Colombian bowl skater; Moxi, Powerdyne, RollerBones, S1) rides a Reactor Pro with medium cushions and narrow trucks at the park (S1 blog, 6 Dec 2021). On the street she rides a stock Moxi Panther with softer cushions (Moxi, 7 Oct 2020).
- Kid Ace (Moxi team rider: vert, gaps, stairs) rides a Reactor Pro with stock trucks that has never broken despite hard use, and felt more stable and faster after moving to a longer plate: choose plate length with care (Moxi, 25 Sep 2020).
- Lisa J (Lisa Jaspers, creator and coach, 35 years of skating by her own account; her site likely carries affiliate links) tells beginners: a metal plate, aluminium or magnesium, never plastic (Boardwalk Skater, 25 Apr 2023, updated 26 Sep 2023).
- Other derby players in our lists also ride aluminium competition plates, not the Reactor: Scald Eagle (Infinity), Swede Hurt and Snot Rocket Science (Roll-Line Killer), Juniper Simonis (Crazy Venus), Satan’s Little Helper (Boss) (WFTDA gear lists, 2015-2016).
For nylon, with conditions
- Shove (quad skater on street and ramps, ex-derby, former Moxi team, over 350 lb by her own account) disputes the idea that nylon must break under a heavy skater: in her experience, how hard you skate (jumps, aggressive) matters more than weight — “it’s not about how much weight the plate can hold”. She still keeps metal for the park and says to check the maker’s weight limit, as some stop at 250 lb (Moxi, 5 Mar 2021).
Is a Reactor worth it?
For a first pair, our sources do not say you need one. The four Reactor riders are elite derby players and sponsored park riders. What they share with the beginner advice is the material: aluminium. Lisa J is the only voice in our compilation who addresses beginners on plates, and she says metal. Shove is the only voice for nylon, for everyday skating, not for park. And the Reactor Pro could not be bought on Amazon.com when we checked.
Which one for a beginner
From the sources: a stock skate with an aluminium plate if you can (Lisa J), and an aluminium plate if you plan to jump or ride the park (Shove, Kid Ace). A nylon plate is fine for everyday rink or trail skating if you stay within its weight limit (Shove). An upgrade to a Reactor-class plate comes later, if at all. The skater behind this site skated inline and learned quads later, so on plates he defers to the quad skaters above.
The products we could check on Amazon
| Model | Price seen (date, where) | Plate | Who it is for | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerdyne Reactor Pro Series Plate | Amazon.com, no price, “Currently unavailable” (B0FVKVVDX3), read 2026-10-07 | Aluminium | Skaters upgrading a boot | Not buyable on Amazon when checked |
| Impala Quad Skate | Amazon.com $91.36 (B07N7PZ84S, “only 1 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Aluminium | Tight budget | Low-top boot; no skater in our compilation rides it |
| Riedell Orbit (women’s) | Amazon.com $129.00 (B08PW6S59F, size 6, “only 4 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Aluminium (Marvel) | Outdoor beginner | Vinyl boot; no skater names it |
| Riedell R3 | Amazon.com $199.00 (B003ZMGSOW), read 2026-10-07 | Nylon (Powerdyne Thrust) | Indoor beginner | Nylon: Lisa J says metal |
| Sure-Grip Rock GT50 | Amazon.com $199.99 (B00UTN2O7K, “only 10 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Nylon, aluminium trucks | Indoor beginner | Nylon: Lisa J says metal |
| Moxi Lolly | Amazon.com $329.00 (B07HHH14D2, size 8, “only 5 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Nylon (Powerdyne Thrust) | Beginner who wants a suede high-top (Lisa J recommends it) | Price; nylon plate for that price |
| Bont Quadstar Carbon | Amazon.com $438.99 (B07RWVM8F3, size 8/41, “only 4 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Aluminium 6061 (Tracer) | Derby, committed skaters | Price; no published weight limit |
Beginner FAQ
Is an aluminium plate better than nylon for a beginner?
Lisa J, the one voice in our compilation who speaks to beginners about plates, says metal, never plastic. Shove says reinforced nylon holds up for everyday skating, even at over 350 lb, but keeps metal for the park.
Is a Powerdyne Reactor worth it?
Four skaters in our sources ride one (Bonnie Thunders, Suzy Hotrod, Caro Hernandez, Kid Ace), all at elite or sponsored level; Kid Ace says hers has never broken. None says a beginner needs one, and it was unavailable on Amazon.com on 7 October 2026.
Will a nylon plate break?
Shove's experience is that how hard you skate matters more than your weight; jumps and aggressive skating are where she uses metal. Check the maker's weight limit: some stop at 250 lb.
Which skates have an aluminium plate?
Among the listings we checked: Impala, Riedell Orbit and Bont Quadstar. The Riedell R3, Sure-Grip Rock GT50 and Moxi Lolly have nylon plates.
Does plate length matter?
Kid Ace felt more stable and faster on a longer plate and says to choose length with care. No one in our compilation gives a beginner a length in numbers.
How this page was compiled: 7 skaters and coaches named and sourced on plate material (Bonnie Thunders, Suzy Hotrod, Caro Hernandez, Kid Ace, Lisa J for aluminium; Shove for nylon), plus five derby players on other aluminium plates, from our skater compilation of 7 October 2026. Each claim links to its dated source. Full compilation and method: the skater gear compilation.
Read next: skate plates and frames · skates for heavier skaters · outdoor quad skates · first roller derby skates · first quad skates for the skatepark · Radar vs RollerBones wheels
Keep going: this is one of the buying guides that sit next to the full Roller Skating for Beginners guide — sizing, gear, stopping, and where to skate, in one page. Free, no sign-up, nothing to buy.