K2 Skate Review

Soul 7 2005 model

Andreas Huizinga, April 2005

Looking at the skate the first thing you see is the sturdy frame, a freeskate frame without a doubt. The boot however is a different story, it has some protection on the sides but it is not a boot only made for freeskating. K2 promises us this skate will do just about anything... We'll see about that!

Frame:

The 247mm straight 4x80 frame is as strong as it looks and has no problems with any kind of crazy stuff. No jumping, stairriding or even falling during hockey and hitting the boarding (at an angle) frames first could bend or break the frame. There is a good contact with the bottom of the boot which is also very important for strenght and a good "feel" of the total skate.

Boot:

The boot is a 1 piece leather soft boot, so no liner like most other boots. The heel and ankle area has a hard shell, which also holds the buckle. The riveted parting of the shell allows for enough movement. The boot has 2 straps, 1 power strap to keep your foot in place and 1 just above the buckle. The top strap gives some extra stability when used together with the buckle. I never use the top strap. The buckle is only in full use when touring, for slalom the buckle is best used loose with the power strap tight. The inside of the boot is lined with Coolmax and has soft padding in the heel and ankle area, the tongue is reinforced and padded to spread the pressure of the buckle, the laces and the 2 straps. I like the looks of this boot, others might be more attracted to the white Soul Slide boot. The only difference I could find is the Soul strap, colour an price.

Wheels and bearings:

The standard greased ABEC 5 bearings will do the job for a while. Same for the 80mm 82A wheels, not much grip on them and the wear is not the best either, but will roll you to the skateshop to buy some better ones.  To be honest many skates come with wheels that aren't quite up to the standard of wheels such as the Hyper Pro 250 or Hyper + Grip wheels that many skaters prefer.

Comfort:

I like this skate for its comfort. That could be different if your feet are very wide or very narrow. Most people I know who tried it like the fit and comfort. I can not make a comparison to Salomon FSK skates since I have never tested these long enough to have a well based opinion. The only "uncomfortable" thing is the long time it takes to lace and lock the skate and than undo it again. The laces are of the easy sliding kind and on top of that 2 Velcro straps and a buckle just take time. Still I'd rather like to take my time putting my skates on than be uncomfortable on a "quick lacing and locking" skate. Shocks and vibrations are well absorbed by the insole and dampening in the heel area, but the "feel" of the road is still there. The ankles are well supported by the cuff.

Handling:

With the (worn down to round) quality 80mm 85A speed wheels I use you can do just about anything on this skate. It's speed is good enough considering the short frame. Stability is very good, very nice for slalom. For serious slaloming I have a rockered set of wheels (76-80-80-76). Jumping and sliding feels stable. I have some wear on the inside of the frame from power sliding with small worn down wheels, but I don't think this is a real problem.

Conclusion:

I like this skate for the all-rounder it is. It is not perfect, but has very good value for money. It's a skate that does just about anything and can by worn all day long in comfort.

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