From Risport RF2 to RF3 Pro, Royal Pro or RF1 Elite? Or maybe RF1 Exclusive or Royal Elite/Exclusive?

[WednesdayMarch]

If it helps any, I'm a heavy adult and have always been incredibly tough on boots. I didn't find the Royal Pros too soft at all. Lovely boots.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thanks for the link. Interesting that there is still a discount platform. Yet, the prices are double what they are here in Europe. Plus import fees in case of re-importing to Europe. Interestingly enough they list the RF2 boot as 55 and 85 while all European dealers list the RF2 with 65 (at least those who still have a few remaining sizes in stock). Are there different ratings depending on the country?? Am very confused I checked also other Risport models on the DiscountSkateware page which tend to all differ from the data on European dealer's pages. As my dealer has direct contact to the Risport production site I actually trust his data more. Anyways, I guess I have to just approach via trial & error. Thanks for your input anyways!

Are you saying you don't trust me and the data I have or the boot providers in the US? Because if it's me then you have greatly underestimated what experience and connections I have regarding these things and how much I've busted my rear getting to that point on as well as off ice training and making those connections.

 

[gnom]

Are you saying you don't trust me and the data I have or the boot providers in the US? Because if it's me then you have greatly underestimated what experience and connections I have regarding these things and how much I've busted my rear getting to that point on as well as off ice training and making those connections.

Sorry, Ic3Rabbit, if that sounded rude or disrespectful. I don't have any doubts in your experience, just the contrary I appreciate your supportive posts very much. It's was more the dealer's data that that I was questioning. PS: I wrote another post yesterday as the question re. stiffness ratings kept bothering me. To whatever reasons the post did not go through. All the same, I tried to find old data and found a Risport catalogue from 2015/2016 Risport Collection 2015/2016 and have found an answer to the differing stiffness ratings. The boot you were referring to is - according to the Risport Catalogue - the RF2 Super model, rated 85. The regular RF2 model is rated 65. This is the boot that I am still skating on. The boot listed at discountskatewear is the RF2 Super model. Now the higher price makes sense as well.

Anyways, meanwhile I tend to go with the current RF3 Pro boot hoping that I won't wear them down to quickly.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Sorry, Ic3Rabbit, if that sounded rude or disrespectful. I don't have any doubts in your experience, just the contrary I appreciate your supportive posts very much. It's was more the dealer's data that that I was questioning. PS: I wrote another post yesterday as the question re. stiffness ratings kept bothering me. To whatever reasons the post did not go through. All the same, I tried to find old data and found a Risport catalogue from 2015/2016 Risport Collection 2015/2016 and have found an answer to the differing stiffness ratings. The boot you were referring to is - according to the Risport Catalogue - the RF2 Super model, rated 85. The regular RF2 model is rated 65. This is the boot that I am still skating on. The boot listed at discountskatewear is the RF2 Super model. Now the higher price makes sense as well.

Anyways, meanwhile I tend to go with the current RF3 Pro boot hoping that I won't wear them down to quickly.

You'd be better off going with Royal Pro since it's rated 65 like your old boots. Just a thought.

 

[gnom]

You'd be better off going with Royal Pro since it's rated 65 like your old boots. Just a thought.

Thought about the Royal Pro, too, though I don't like to "banana" shape that much. Tried them on inlines and my ankles felt not that wrapped & covered.

 

[NeverTooOldToSk8te]

Hi NeverTooOldToSk8te,
I happened to stumble over your post and am curious what boot you finally end up with. Did you get the Royal Pro and if so how do you like them?
I am facing the same situation and need to opt for another Risport model due to discontinuation of the RF2. My local dealer managed to find me remaining RF2's twice but now all remaining stocks are gone. Whilst skating for 21yrs now on the same blade (Phantom, best sharpener ever who managed to just take away teeny weeny bits from the material, so the blade is still lasting) I am on my umpteenth pair of RF2's. Now I am wondering if I should downgrade to RF3 Pro (stiffness wise) or upgrade to RF1 Elite or go with the Royal line, i.e. Royal Pro.

As for background: I am an adult skater in my mid 50s, skated on elite level back in the day, still landing doubles, competing on Adult Masters level. Am 1,60m/54kg. Breaking in the RF2's took me just a few hours of skating and needed to replace them every 2yrs, sometimes extending a pair to 3yrs. I consider the RF2's to be quite comfy, had WIFA's as a kid which I recollect to be much stiffer. I am a bit lost now as I never had to think about the next pair of boots but simply ordered the same boots again and again. I'd like a boot that is still comfy but gives enough support for jumps. My concern is that the RF3 Pro is too soft and the RF1 is too stiff. As for the Royal Pro: I have a pair of pre-used Royal Pro's for inline artistic skating that I use as a second pair in order not to change wheels when switching from the indoor roller rink to outdoor concrete. To me the Royal Pro seems very soft, especially the padded tongue. Don't know if that is due to the boot being pre-used or due to the different construction of the Royal Pro.

Any thoughts or experiences?

Hi @gnom, first of all, apologies for the very late response. I just now found out about your response/question. I see that you have found out what the difference is between (the old) RF2 and RF2 Super and I assume that you have also bought new boots by now. If it helps: I first tried the Royal Pro, but I didn't like them at all. I just couldn't manage to tighten enough the Royal Pros above my ankles. After a month of tinkering and many annoyances, I purchased the RF3 Pro and, as I was expecting from RFs, they immediately fit like a glove! Didn't need any break-in time either. An adult male clubmate who is able to jump all doubles also had the Royal Pros and experienced no problems at all with the model. Why the Royal Pro didn't fit me well is still a question for me, but I suspect because I have a small shoe size (225, so children’s size) and that in combination with an adult build (stronger calves, but not exaggerated). Because the Royal Pro boots are a bit shorter in length and "wrap" that’s why I think that it did not fit me well. That's about the only logical explanation I can come up with. I was afraid that the RF3 Pro would be worn out quickly, but the opposite is true. I still skate on it. With the old RF2 I probably should have replaced them by now. Possibly that Risport's material has improved with the newer models? Which boots did you ended up with and what are your experiences with the boots?