I’ve skated Riedells my entire life and decided to try Bont. It’s a solid skate for the price! These are absolutely beautiful, the suede and manufacturing is top quality. Not a single thing wrong with these. Unfortunately they just don’t fit the shape of my foot. My feet are standard medium width and the Bont boot is very wide and blunt toed. It’s almost like a flat duck foot. It’s hard to explain. Think Birkenstocks with a blunt rubber cap over the toes. The rubber toe cap is also a little unusual and detracts from the look of the boot, but it’s incredibly functional so I get it. It’s still a sharp looking skate.The ankle support is a bit lacking, in fact there’s no real ankle padding at all. If you’re used to not having padding around your ankles in a low cut skate, then you won’t miss it. I found my ankles to feel a bit wobbly and out there, I had to flex them a lot to move around. I worked at the local rink as a skate guard, taught skating and worked in the skate shop/skate repair area. I was in skates 4-6 hours a day. I really couldn’t imagine being able to be in these more than an hour or two. They feel very flat underfoot. Almost like you’re stomping to skate while your toes hit the toecap. This would actually be a plus if you have more squared off toes versus a defined taper.I didn’t love the light up wheels, but I can’t take points away for that, they’re cutesy, just not my speed. I’d strip them off and put wider harder wheels on them. If lights aren’t your thing, the light up feature is easily fixed by removing the flat metal spacer. The wheels can easily be changed or upgraded as well. If you’re skating indoors you’ll probably want harder wheels.I say go for it if you have a wider foot and you’ve found Riedell and a few other brands to crowd your toes too much for your liking. If you don’t mind sparkly wheels (or doing some upgrades), it’s easy enough to try them to see if they’ll work for you. Again these skates are absolutely beautiful in person and very well made. Bont is a solid performer, but ONLY if it fits you!

I got these as my first pair of roller skates and I couldn’t be more satisfied. They’re comfortable, durable, and very well made. The wheels and bearings are smooth and fast. I also received my shipment a day early!Do know that if you’ve never skated before or are a beginner that learned on heeled skates, finding your balance on these will take a little time… being that these have practically no heal. Great pair of skates nonetheless, just wanted to add that disclaimer.

Put these on and they’re heaven straight out of the box, ZERO break in time. Be sure to follow the Bont sizing chart… measure and re-measure your feet! Use the sizing calculator on their website. Truly, taking the time to find the right size is key with these as they fit like a second skin.I am an 8.5 womens US (254 Mondo) and I’m a 6 in Bonts.The Bont Glow wheels will rock outside (they’re very gummy for an 83a! They’re an outdoor wheel, 100%), so they’re now on my other skates.Swapped them with Atom Poison wheels for roller derby and this setup is comfortable, fast, and killer!!!! Fantastic price point for a suede skate, as well.Also, be forewarned there are no tools with these skates (I have them already, so it’s fine)… buy your basic skate tools and a 4 mm hex for the toe stop and you’re good to go

My daughter's feet are impossible to please.When we bought her artistic skates, we had to order multiple pairs and try them on. She has places on her foot that tend to rub in shoes, and I joke with her that when it comes to shoes (especially skates) she's like the princess and the pea -- any little element that is slightly off, and it's a HUGE deal for her. Her other (beloved) pair of skates are Moxi Lollys. When she decided she wanted to sign up for roller derby, I was both thrilled for her and a little intimidated by the daunting task of finding her some good speed/derby skates that don't hurt her feet. She first tried her sister's Riedell R3s, and everything about them was wrong. Her heel slipped out, the sides of her feet ached, the tongue was jabbing into her and hurting. About 20 minutes was all she could bear before declaring them a fail. My other daughter (whose foot is technically the same size) loves her R3s and has been skating in them for a year.So we decided to try these Bonts. I fully expected to be returning them the next day, to spend weeks trying and returning skates.First there is the matter of sizing. I was dubious, because once we measured and calculated, it sounds SO far off, but I, can say with total confidence, you MUST follow the website;s instructions and take measurements. My daughter wears a women's 8.5, Euro 39-40 and Bont has her in a 5.5 / Euro 37.5. I makes no sense -- and yet! --- Yes, they fit perfectly.Then there is a weird warning on the top if the box about replacing the toe stops, and how if you do it wrong you'll void the warranty. (???) I've had to write Bont about that because it just doesn't make any sense to me. The R3s are straightforward to replace toe stops on.Then, I was a little miffed when the indoor wheels she really likes from her Lollys literally won't fit on these Bonts -- too small, because the threads on the Bont stems are too short/stingy and only accommodate a really thick wheel. Why would they make the threads so short? It had been our hope to try these skates with some loved and trusted wheels, and not mess up the wheels that came with them, but that was not to be.All these things suggested we might have chosen wrong. Then my daughter wore them to skate on the rug for an hour, and... had no complaints! No heel slip, no pinch spots, no unpleasant rubbing. She's actually said she likes then as well as her Moxi Lollys. Also, it's really cool that the tongue is made to stay in place on the Bonts -- it's our one big complaint about the Moxis -- the tongue always falls to the side.So we went to the park and she skated for a couple of hours, no sore feet, no break-in time. She seems really happy with them, even with the wheels that were included. They are really slick looking skates. They feel quality. I like the suede, that they are as thick and bulky as a lot of skates in this price range, the replaceable rubber toe guards, just the snug glove-like fit in general seems like an upgrade over the sloppier R3 fit (even if my older daughter doesn't mind the sloppy fit). The light up wheels are fun, though they do have to be making really good contact to light up. They are perfect indoor/outdoor wheels, so thankfully we won't need an upgrade right away.So we've only had them a day and I will update if anything changes, but so far I'm very pleasantly surprised, and I'd highly recommend trying them for someone who isn't content with the fit of the more common entry-level derby offerings.

I wish they had a 7 wide in this skate. The Bont sizing chart said I'm 7 wide, but these skates said they run wider than normal. These skates fit like a glove. Maybe a tad too tight, but I will need more time to see if they make my feet sore.One of the wheels does not light up properly, but I did not buy these for the wheels. Still I was disappointed with that because it feels off when all the wheels light up except one.EDIT:I managed to get the wheel to light up by taking it apart and putting it together again.Two of the bearings were stuck on the axel. Both were inner bearings and required plyers and force to take it off. I replaced with rollerbones bearings which are not getting stuck.After using for a couple of days, I can say that these are my favorite roller skates. The quality of the boot seems very good and the fit is perfect. I'm a 10 - 10.5 US mens and I ordered the Bont size 7. I like that the velcro strap for the laces is replaceable for when the velcro wears out. Now I just need to find out how to buy the velcro straps.I didn't think I really cared about the light-up wheels, but they are really nice in the evening. It definitely draws attention and makes it easy for cars to see me.