The Fusion X5 is a retro style urban skate with modern technology. Rugged and comfortable - a great value for this versatile model.
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
I bought these skates last April so, I've been using them for about 5 months for fitness skating. They are just the right mix of manuverability and stability for paths or parking lots. I like the hard boot design better than the soft boots I have had before. I do like these skates but, there are two things that will make me recommend either the Roller blade X5 or X7 skate instead of these.
First the strap that goes over the top of your foot is just a goofy design. The attachment rivet is offset from the center of the strap loop. So when you try to cinch it tight it pulls that strap to the side of the loop. It would take three paragraphs to explain this clearly but, frankly it's just a dumb design in my opinion. You cannot tighten the strap effectively the way it is made. This may not bother everyone but it did me. I ended up buying aftermarket buckle straps and putting them on (like the X5's have).
I had a more serious problem just occur. The axles have a square shoulder on one side that goes into a square hole in the frames so it doesn't turn when you tighten or loosen the screws when rotating your wheels. I went to remove the axle and the shoulder side spun rounding out the hole. Now I can't get the wheel off to rotate them. Essentially the frame is ruined.
I hope you're still reading this because this is the important part. I contacted Rollerblade by email too find out if this was covered under warranty, how to get the skates fixed etc. Got an email back from a guy named Will Meyer apologizing for the problem and that he was sending me replacement parts. I got the replacement parts in a few days and am back skating.
In my opinion this is outstanding customer service. I didn't have to jump through any hoops, return the skates through some retailer that I didn't buy them from and wait to find out if they were going to be fixed. Rollerblade's representatve Will just made things right immediately!
I am almost 50. I have had good customer sevice and I've had (more often) bad or mediocre customer service. You can't get better service that this. Thanks Will!
Both the problems I had would not exist on the X5 skates (has buckles and aluminum frames) so I would spend the extra bucks and get them. But, if you're buying these skates for a teenager that is going to outgrow them in 6 months or a year you may not see the problem I had with the frame.
John
