Roller skate buying guide
Your First Quad Skates for the Skatepark
The 3 park and bowl skaters in our compilation who describe their setup (Estro Jen, Carolina “Caro” Hernandez and Kid Ace) all ride hard wheels, an aluminium plate and a supportive boot, and Estro Jen tells a beginner to go to the park with wheels of 92A or harder, in 62 mm rather than 57 mm. Add full pads in her order of importance — helmet, wrist guards, knee pads, elbow pads — and you have the first park setup; slide blocks and a small toe stop come next. All three ride for the same brand (Moxi), which we flag on every point below. Three more voices (Tia Pitman, Slam, Dirty Deborah Harry) add boot, pad and wheel-swap advice, for six in all.
Gear on this page: ten products are named further down — Impala Quad Skate, Moxi Beach Bunny Roller Skates for Women, Moxi Panther Roller Skates, a set of 58 x 39 mm 95A quad wheels, Art Elite 103A wheels, S1 Lifer Helmet, Triple Eight Certified Sweatsaver Helmet, Triple Eight Wristsaver, Triple Eight KP 22 knee pads, Triple Eight Saver Series Pad Set. 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.
What top skaters recommend
Features first, brands only where a skater recommends a brand for a specific feature. Where a skater works for or owns the brand they talk about, we say so.
Wheels: hard from the first session, 62 mm to start
- Estro Jen (Michelle Steilen, founder of Moxi Skates and a leading figure of quad park skating; her signature wheel is the RollerBones Bowl Bomber) tells beginners to ride hard wheels at the skatepark from the start, for feel on changing curves, and not to bring soft “gummy” outdoor wheels: 92A or harder (Estro Jen, 9 Jan 2021).
- Diameter. For a beginner she would pick 62 mm over 57 mm: more speed for less effort while you cannot pump well yet. 57 mm gives more feel for tricks, once you pump. She rides mixed herself, 57 at the back and 62 at the front (Moxi, 31 Jan 2021; her own wheel, in both sizes).
- What the pros actually ride. Kid Ace, Moxi team rider who skates vert, gaps and stairs, rides 101A for speed (Moxi, 25 Sep 2020). Caro Hernandez, Colombian bowl skater from the Concrete Is Beautiful generation and Moxi rider, rides narrow 103A wheels so they do not bite when she slides, and would like a slightly smaller diameter (Moxi, 7 Oct 2020).
- Disagreement on diameter. 62 mm for a beginner and for speed (Estro Jen; Kid Ace on speed) against 57 mm or smaller for feel (Estro Jen for skaters who already pump; Caro wants smaller). Both camps agree on hard.
- Wheels are the swappable part. Dirty Deborah Harry, coach behind Dirty School of Skate (about 299,000 subscribers), says any pair of skates will do at first and you change wheels for the place: hard indoors, soft outdoors, hard at the skatepark (Dirty School of Skate, 21 Jun 2022).
Boot: stiff, with a heel
- Caro, a former derby player, cannot ride a soft boot on ramps: she uses a stiff boot with a heel, which spreads her weight and helps her climb transitions faster (Moxi, 7 Oct 2020).
- Kid Ace rides a stiffer version of a Moxi boot; for her a supportive boot is essential to jump and land hard (Moxi, 25 Sep 2020).
- Tia Pitman (“Steeez T”, winner of Concrete Waves, Australia’s first invitational quad contest, 2023; pro for Chuffed Skates, which sells her signature boot) rides a firmer boot for ankle support (Chuffed, product page, undated; S1, 3 Nov 2023).
- Side by side, not a contradiction: Dirty Deborah Harry prefers a boot with no heel or a minimal heel for derby, where you skate low; Caro wants a heel for ramps. Different disciplines.
Plate: aluminium, and mind its length
- Caro and Kid Ace both ride an aluminium competition plate with narrow trucks; Kid Ace says hers has never broken despite hard use. Caro runs medium-hardness cushions at the park and softer ones on the street; she notes other skaters prefer soft in the bowl (only one detailed opinion on cushions).
- Kid Ace felt more stable and faster after moving to a longer plate, and says to choose plate length with care. No one in our compilation gives a beginner a length in numbers: that is a gap.
Toe stop and slide blocks
- Caro, used to big derby stops, mounts a small, short-stem toe stop close to the plate so it does not catch on the ramp; Kid Ace caps the size of her stops and wears them out fast.
- Both ride slide blocks (grind blocks) under the plate; Caro likes a rounded shape that centres the weight, in a material that slides without wax, and adds grind trucks for coping.
- Estro Jen tells beginners to master the toe stops: run on them, then fall back onto the knee pads (Estro Jen, 9 Jan 2021).
Protective gear: helmet, wrists, knees, elbows
- Estro Jen ranks them: helmet (the most important), wrist guards (the most common skating injury), knee pads, elbow pads; and learn to fall (Estro Jen, 9 Jan 2021).
- Slam, founder of Chuffed Skates (brand voice, no verified competition record; recommends S1 and RollerFit), wants a certified hard-shell helmet, basic pads to start and high-end pads for heavy park use, and pads neither too tight nor slipping (Chuffed, 18 Aug 2022).
- Caro wears a hard-shell helmet and pro knee pads; Tia Pitman the same make (both featured on the helmet brand’s own blog: S1, 6 Dec 2021).
What we could not find
- No titled park skater outside Moxi gives first-skate advice in our compilation; Tia Pitman’s plate and wheels are unknown. No one names a complete beginner park skate model.
From the skater behind this site
- Size: follow the brand’s own chart and advice, including “go up a size” when the brand says so. Measure in millimetres, standing, at the end of the day.
- Tight means the fastenings, not the size: laces, straps and buckle done up firmly — it matters more when you land.
- Hardness and surface: 78A-85A outside, 95A and up on a smooth floor; a smooth surface lets a hard wheel roll fast, a grainy one sends every bump into your feet. Skatepark concrete is the smooth case.
- Quad caveat: he skated inline and only learned on quads, so take his quad points with care; the park advice above is the park skaters’.
The comparison
The table now has a boot a park skater rides (Moxi Panther, Caro’s), park wheels (Art Elite 103A; Estro Jen’s own Bowl Bombers had no offer on Amazon.com on 7 October 2026) and the S1 Lifer helmet. What follows is the route the skaters describe: a quad with an aluminium plate, hard wheels swapped on, and pads.
| Model | Price seen (date, where) | Who it is for | Recommended features it meets | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impala Quad Skate | Amazon.com $91.36 (B07N7PZ84S, "only 1 left"), read 2026-10-07 | Tight budget, park and street beginner who will swap wheels | Aluminium plate (Caro, Kid Ace) | 82A stock wheels, under Estro Jen’s 92A for the park; 58 mm; low-top boot, not the stiff park boot Caro and Kid Ace ride; fixed toe stop |
| Moxi Beach Bunny | Amazon.com $119.20 (B0781889KN), read 2026-10-07 | Beginner who will skate outside and at the park on two wheel sets | Aluminium plate; adjustable toe stop | 78A outdoor wheels: Estro Jen says not these at the park; low-top boot; same brand as the three park voices |
| 58 x 39 mm 95A quad wheels, 8 pack | Amazon.com $18.16 (B08HMZNVQL), read 2026-10-07 | Swapping outdoor wheels for park wheels | Above Estro Jen’s 92A floor | 58 mm, not the 62 mm she suggests; unbranded; well under the 101-103A the pros ride |
| Triple Eight Certified Sweatsaver Helmet | Amazon.com $54.99 (B077VYDVDY), read 2026-10-07 | Everyone, first purchase | Certified hard-shell helmet (Estro Jen’s first item, Slam) | Size by head circumference, check the chart |
| Triple Eight Wristsaver | Amazon.com $26.00 (B0000DZIJ6), read 2026-10-07 | Everyone | Wrist guards, Estro Jen’s second item | Wrist only |
| Triple Eight KP 22 knee pads | Amazon.com $49.99 (B0000ASZ8S, "only 8 left"), read 2026-10-07 | Falling onto your knees, as Estro Jen teaches | Hard-cap knee pads for park falls | Knees only |
| Triple Eight Saver Series Pad Set | Amazon.com $41.00 (B002WTT2J2), read 2026-10-07 | Basic pads to start (Slam) | Wrist, knee and elbow in one set | Slam suggests higher-end pads for heavy park use |
| Moxi Panther Roller Skates | Amazon.com $199.00 (B0853B4WTY), read 2026-10-07 | Beginner who wants the boot a park skater actually rides | Caro Hernandez’s boot (Moxi Panther, 2021); high-top suede boot | Soft boot: Caro rides it stock for street but wants a stiff heeled boot on ramps; plate and wheels not given on the listing |
| Art Elite 103A Competition Roller Skate Wheels (Set of 8) | Amazon.com $99.95 (B00LA01P94, 57 mm, “only 5 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Swapping to very hard wheels | 103A, in the 101-103A range the park pros ride | 57 mm, not the 62 mm Estro Jen suggests; sold as competition (rink) wheels |
| S1 Lifer Helmet | Amazon.com $89.99 (B00A8QZU1A, Large 22", “only 1 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Everyone, first purchase | The helmet in Caro’s and Slam’s setups | 7 sizes: check the chart; stock was very low in Large |
Our pick
Any quad with an aluminium plate, then hard wheels (92A or more, 62 mm if you can find them) before your first park session, and helmet, wrist guards, knee pads and elbow pads. The Impala is the cheapest route; the Beach Bunny lets you keep its soft wheels for the street. A stiffer boot, a small toe stop and slide blocks are the next upgrades the park skaters describe.
Beginner FAQ
Can I take my outdoor quad skates to the skatepark?
You can take the skate, but change the wheels. Estro Jen tells beginners not to bring soft, gummy outdoor wheels to the park and to use 92A or harder from the first session; Dirty Deborah Harry also says hard wheels at the skatepark and notes that wheels are the easy part to swap. See outdoor vs indoor wheels.
Should a beginner get 57 mm or 62 mm park wheels?
62 mm, according to Estro Jen: more speed for less effort while you cannot pump well yet. She keeps 57 mm for skaters who already pump and want more feel for tricks. Kid Ace also rides hard wheels for speed.
Do I need a stiff boot for the skatepark?
The park skaters we compiled all ride a supportive one. Caro Hernandez uses a stiff boot with a heel to climb transitions faster, Kid Ace needs a stiffer boot to land jumps, and Tia Pitman's signature boot is firmer for ankle support. Dirty Deborah Harry notes ankle support exists in entry-level skates too.
What protective gear do I need at the skatepark?
All of it, from the first session. Estro Jen ranks it helmet first, then wrist guards (the most common skating injury), knee pads and elbow pads, and tells beginners to learn to fall onto their knee pads. Slam of Chuffed Skates recommends a certified hard-shell helmet. See the protective gear checklist.
Do I need slide blocks and a small toe stop as a beginner?
Not on day one, but they are what park skaters add. Caro Hernandez and Kid Ace both ride slide blocks; Caro mounts a small, short-stem toe stop close to the plate so it does not catch on the ramp, and Kid Ace caps her toe-stop size for the same reason.
How this page was compiled: 6 skaters, coaches and brand founders who talk about park gear (Estro Jen, Caro Hernandez, Kid Ace, Tia Pitman, Slam, Dirty Deborah Harry), drawn from our skater compilation of 7 October 2026. Each claim links to its source. Full compilation and method: the skater gear compilation.
Read next: protective gear that actually fits · best roller skates for adult beginners · outdoor wheels: what to buy · wheel hardness tool · protective gear checklist · size calculator · how to fall safely · quad transitions: down, up, down · the toe stop is not a brake
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.