By DW Staff | March 2020
DW staff dug deep into their skate bags and singled out a few of the best derby wheels available for the 2020 season. We combined on-track testing and customer feedback to pick a few consistently awesome wheels that are sure to please any skater!
Radar unleashed Halo Wheels on the world five short years ago and they delivered a world-class wheel that enhances edge work without sacrificing grip. Halos are extremely responsive and inspire confidence with how easily they navigate the sweet spot between slide and grip where a skater has total control. They are lightweight, competitively priced, and available in a range of hardnesses from 84A to 103A, which means that there is a Halo perfectly suited for of all the most common skating surfaces.
That is Lana Luvhurts of This Rad demonstrating Halos in all of their glorious awesomeness. We pulled a snippet from her full review (found in the video description) that we think perfectly sums up how Halos feel:
"Edging is so precise I had to adjust for it. The responsiveness is amazing. Maybe I hit that power stop too hot, too late, and it’s all going to end in fire, but no, these wheels can bite down hard, fast, and save me from myself. Probably. No wheel is magic. These are very good at doing what they’re told."
The Zombie outbreak started in 2014, a time long ago when a full set of alloy wheels cost more than most people's first pair of skates. And so Sure-Grip released Zombies upon the world, a wheel with a one-piece aluminum hub, and did so at a pricepoint that competed with plastic-hubbed wheels! First impressions always marvel at how well these wheels roll and how strong they feel, followed by suprise at how well they grip. The thick tire surrounding the alloy core bites extremely well into skating surfaces and there is a range of hardnesses from 89A to 98A to go along with three different size profiles.
Here is what a few skaters had to say about Zombies:
"Love Zombie wheels. These are my second pair. Last long and are durable. I’m a heavier girl and like aluminum hubs and need a harder wheel."
"These wheels are fantastic, when paired with a good set of bearings it's like gliding across the roller rink."
"Great wheels! Made me a better skater. At this price you'll be hard pressed fo find a better wheel with this many options to choose from."
Savants have an oversized hub and a thin urethane tire, similar to Halos, and so it should come as no surprise that they skate very similarly. Savant Wheels promote precise edge work and give the skater maximum control over how their wheels respond. One advantage that the Savant line has over Halos is the Poison Savant, a very affordable wheel that suits most beginners and budget shoppers extremely well.
In terms of pure performance and feel, many reviewers feel that RollerBones are the best aluminum hub on the market. While Turbos and Nitros are undoubtedly a BLAST to skate on, their high pricepoint and scarcity makes them very hard to obtain for many skaters, especially in certain hardnesses. Zombies are much more accessible and that boosts their value in our eyes. Availability is the best ability, after all!