Roller skates, roller skates, skates and inline skates are different products, but the names are often confused.
Roller skates have been around since the 18th century and have undergone major developments over time. The use of bearings at the end of the 19th century and the use of plastic wheels in the 20th century made a big difference.
The roller skates still exist in a simple form where you can make them to size and tie them under your shoe. A big advantage here is that the roller skate lasts for a longer period of time as children grow and you can of course put on your own favorite shoe.
The roller skates came from America a little later and were equipped with a rubber cap at the front to be able to push off and brake. The shoes of the roller skates are higher and these roller skates are very manoeuvrable.
Skates and inline skates are actually the same thing. The Skeeler is a brand name of Zandstra, but is popularly used as the name for skates with a long frame, with 4 or 5 wheels. The skates are more comparable to ice hockey skates and have a shorter frame with greater maneuverability. The skates with 5 wheels are being made less and less because the skates with 4 wheels appear to be faster in practice than the variant with 5 wheels.
There are also skate variants with 3 or 2 wheels, which are increasingly larger in diameter. The standard is now 100 or 110mm. Larger wheels also mean a higher center of gravity and less stability. The variants of skates with 2 wheels also exist in off-road skate models with pneumatic tires or in the form of stunt skates with hard small wheels.
The stunt skates are also called aggressive skates. These are skates with a strong plastic frame and hard boots for doing tricks in the skate park.
The number of disciplines that exist within the skating world is increasing, with Red Bull downhill speed skating showing that boundaries are being pushed again and again.
