Update: after breaking in these skates and changing out the stock bearings, I’m giving them 5 stars. They are comfortable, responsive and stylish. I’ve been skating on them for about a month (every other day for an hour or more) and love them. Who cares about a nylon plate? If I want to do park skating, I’ll worry about that then.Initial impressions- I grew up skating for hours on toy quality skates on our sidewalk and occasionally some rentals at the rink, so I am nowhere near a skate snob. When my kids asked to get into skating, I originally decided to go with Impalas for the $100 price point. While my foot technically fit, I knew immediately that they wouldn’t work. The pressure from that boot was painful to the point that I couldn’t wear them for more than ten minutes before I was packing them up and asking for a refund.These were my second choice. A higher price, for sure, but the quality seemed better and sizing was more straightforward. (I typically wear a women’s 9.5 and ordered an 8.) Right out of the box there was a significant difference between these and the Impalas. There was some stiffness in the boot but nothing overly pinched or felt painful. A few adjustments to the wheels and trucks and I was happily rolling away with my daughter. It will require a break-in period to get rid of that initial stiffness but they are comfortable and responsive to movement.One star off because I would have liked a metal plate for the price point. But given that I have no intention of hitting the skate park anytime soon, these are going to be more than enough to get me out at the local rink and hike/bike trail.If quality becomes a concern, I will update over time.