Roller skate buying guide · trending with beginners
Impala Quad Skates: Are They Good for Beginners?
Be clear on one thing first: none of the skaters and coaches in our compilation recommends the Impala Quad Skate by name. It is on this site because beginners buy it in numbers. So instead of an endorsement, this page checks its published specs against what the coaches we compiled ask of a first quad skate. It meets the plate point and sits in between on wheels, but misses the boot, the wheel size one instructor advises for adults, and the adjustable toe stop.
Gear on this page: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. One product is named further down — Impala Quad Skate. It is optional, the page works without it, and the link to it is an Amazon affiliate link.
We do not print a price or Amazon’s ratings here: both change every day and with size and colour. Check them on the listing.
Why it is on this site: what “trending” means here
Impala Quad Skate listings sat high in Amazon.com’s own best-seller ranking for outdoor roller skates when we checked on 24 October 2026. That is a measure of what buyers choose, not of quality. It is why the page exists; it is not why you should buy it.
How we evaluated it
We have not skated the Impala Quad Skate ourselves, and nobody tested it for this page. We took the criteria that the coaches and skaters in our buying-guide compilation give for a first quad skate, each with its source and date, and checked the published specs against them, one by one. Where a spec could not be confirmed, we say so below.
What people who skated it report
These are the reports we could find and read from people who say they actually skated it, with their limits. We did not use Amazon customer reviews, which Amazon does not allow sites to reproduce.
- Lucy Ann Brown, YouTube video of 18 Jun 2021, made after 80 days of skating them every day as a complete beginner; bought them herself; the description carries an Amazon affiliate link. Ran true to size (shoe size 6, skate size 6) and comfortable. The boot began to tear around the heel by day 80, and she reports that other owners saw tears within a month. Toe stops bulky but working; the small stock wheels made her feel every bump on trails. Her verdict: good for a beginner who will skate occasionally or for a few months before upgrading, not for skateparks. (source, read 24 Oct 2026)
- Larissa Cooper (Lissa Skates on Instagram and TikTok), an artistic roller skater, YouTube video of about 2025 comparing the Impala with the Moxi Panther; she says the video is not sponsored, and the description carries purchase links. Weighed both: the Impala was the lighter of the two (3.2 against 3.9 on her scale). She found its boot stiffer, with less ankle flex but more support. The toe stop is not adjustable and cannot take a jam plug, though it will never work loose. Her verdict: either is a good beginner skate for the first year or two. (source, read 24 Oct 2026)
- A blog post on schimiggy.com signed Alex Tran, undated; the page also offers the author’s own pair of Impalas for sale, which it does not flag as a conflict of interest. Bought and skated the Impala and a Moxi side by side. Impala ran true to size (street size 7, skate size 7); the sole felt stiff and less comfortable than the Moxi; the heel is very high; the wheels handled smooth asphalt and rougher concrete. The author kept the Moxi. (source, read 24 Oct 2026)
The specs against what coaches ask for
| What coaches ask of a first quad skate | Who says it | Impala Quad Skate |
|---|---|---|
| A firm, padded boot, ideally leather or suede | Lisa J (Boardwalk Skater, 2023); Dunbeezy, whose first check for a cheap skate is a leather boot (Dunbeezytv, 12 Aug 2024) | Misses it. PVC upper, heel and sole (Amazon listing): not leather or suede |
| A metal plate (aluminium or magnesium), never plastic | Lisa J; Dunbeezy, second check | Meets it. Aluminium alloy baseplate and trucks |
| Soft wheels outdoors, harder wheels indoors | Lisa J; Dirty Deborah Harry (Dirty School of Skate, 21 Jun 2022); Caro Hernandez, a Moxi rider, in a video published by Moxi (7 Oct 2020) | Middle ground. 58 mm, 82A: harder than a typical outdoor wheel, softer than a rink wheel |
| 62-65 mm wheels for an adult beginner | Kelly, instructor at Skate Base London (9 Sep 2024) | Misses it. 58 mm, under Kelly’s 62-65 mm |
| A height-adjustable toe stop rather than a fixed one | Dirty Deborah Harry; Dunbeezy, third check | Misses it. Fixed toe stop on Impala’s own page when we read it (6 Oct 2026); the Amazon listing calls it a “PU brake stopper” |
Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere
It suits a beginner who wants a light, colourful first quad for occasional skating and does not plan to push it hard.
Look elsewhere if you plan to skate often or progress quickly: the PVC boot and fixed toe stop are what Dunbeezy and Dirty Deborah Harry treat as signs of an entry-level skate. If you have not chosen between quad and inline yet, start with quad vs inline: which to buy first.
Sizing
Impala’s own advice, when we read it on 6 October 2026, was true to size, with men told to go up two sizes from their men’s shoe size because the sizing is women’s. On Zappos, owners’ reviews disagree on whether it runs small or narrow (read 24 Oct 2026). See should you size up.
What we could not check
- Impala’s own product page did not load when we tried on 24 October 2026; the specs come from the Amazon listing and from our earlier read of Impala’s site (6 Oct 2026).
- Two owners on Zappos report the boot separating from the base after weeks or months; two reports are not a measured failure rate.
Where to see it
Nothing on this page needs a purchase. Pick your size and colour on Amazon.
Impala Quad Skate
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Questions
Are Impala skates good for beginners?
They meet one point the quad coaches in our compilation give, an aluminium plate (Lisa J, Dunbeezy), and miss three: a PVC rather than leather boot (Dunbeezy), a fixed rather than adjustable toe stop (Dirty Deborah Harry, Dunbeezy) and 58 mm wheels where Kelly at Skate Base London advises 62-65 mm. No pro skater we compiled recommends them by name.
Are Impala wheels good for outdoors?
They are 58 mm and 82A: harder than the soft wheels Lisa J and Dirty Deborah Harry advise for outdoors, softer than rink wheels.
Do Impala skates run small?
Impala told buyers to go true to size, with men going up two sizes, when we read its site on 6 October 2026. Owners on Zappos disagree on whether they run small or narrow.