Yo so I finally got on the train that is Skate Blood Orange Drifts and it has left the station! That being said my 78a 70mm drifts are broken in and sliding wonderfully.
but what does wonderfully mean?
Well, these things slide ALOT. First thing I noticed is that they kick out with almost no resistance and have barely any purchase or push back, they hydroplane/ float across the pavement and are definitly on top of the pave. The slide feels a bit scratchy but floaty, they have a bit mor3 push back when they get completely sideways and your weight is bearing down through the ground on them.
That being said; they are similar slideness to snakes (they feel somewhere in between the 75a duro and 82a duro snake but with very little traction and edge grip). So, why skate drifts? Well if you like the feeling of floating from a carve into a slide with almost no barrier between the two these do that great. They definitly do "drift" and I feel like there's something to that, it could be fun to learn how to make all the slides drift out instead of kick out by changing the style of skating we do, or try narrower hangers.
Seriously fun times though, a little scary, keen on trying em inset because I've seen the LBDR homies ripping em that way so there might be something to that (these wheels are almost completely sideset). Share your thoughts of how they compare to other wheels you've skated and where they are better (or maybe worse) than those wheels.
Building community, one skid at a time.
You compared them to snakes, snakes cost less.. why would you go for these over snakes?
@Jenny Talia what is there other than snakes? 🤥 jk. I tried em simply because I wanted to skate then and see how they felt.
Drifts are nice but wildly overpriced. I also dont like how sharp the outer lip gets with wear. For a slightly thaney step up in grip from powells, i think that peels are a much better buy (2mm bigger, better shape, $50 instead of $75).
That said, blem box drifts are a good deal.
@Gabriel Fockler good intel! Still haven't touched peels.
@Jenny Talia and Blank wheels cost less than snakes, why would you go for snakes?
I have red drifts & you definitely don't have to kick them out too much. They were one of my first few wheels I was really focused on sliding. Compared to square lips like green krimes, (or really worn red snakes) you definitely can't ride the edge of grip as much, as you don't get as much feedback before they just go. However, I feel like they're a bit more grippy in the slide than my red snakes.
@Josh Gaudon rip snakes being the budget cheat wheel
@Josh Gaudon I could take down a set of blank wheels in a day. Snakes last much longer than any other freeride wheel from another brand. It's the price divided by durability that you need to consider.
I tried riding drifts flipped and they felt real nice, pretty hard to not slide out of cornering or turning a big slide into a 180 accidentally tho. Would recommend for a slide jam.
Just curious, anyone know how the Remember Optimos compare? They're the only wheel you can get off the Remember site right now, and if I'm getting into freeride I'm prolly getting those. There aren't much reviews I could find online, but I know people who seem to like it and for it's price point
