What's a good skate for a Derby beginner?

[J.C. GREASY VII]

I purchased the Riedell RW Outlaw Flat-Outs. They were about $150 shipped to my door. Thoughts? Trying them out tommorow. Wish me luck. Any thoughts on these skates?

[GrandPoobah]

One problem I've got with the R3 package is that the Cayman wheels are basically useless. One derby shop gives them away for shipping charges. The bearings aren't very good as well.

By the time you've spent $60 on a set of Fugitives to get those R3s basically functional, you've spent a little more on them as you would have on a Rebel/Probe package. Cheap boots, but leather ones at least.

I'm upgrading my too-small Rebel/Probes/Fugitve package to the new Rebel/DA45 Invader/Qube Juice/Fugitive package. All that for $200, hard to beat. If the boots get beat, I could buy another set of Rebel boots in color for around $60 or so and mount the Rebels in exactly the same spots. No-brainer.

[Cpl Punisher]

I say if your gonna go cheap on the skates then upgrade the Wheels and toe stop immediately, but be prepared to buy another pair of skates in the next year or so. i rolled on the R3's for about 2 years with upgraded wheels and about 4 months ago the nylon plate just sheared off the boot almost breaking my ankle.....since i have bought the 965 boot with aluminum plate and same wheels i previously had and love them....i got a good deal from Howcool.com there is wickedskatewear.com, sincityskate.com. i try to get most of my stuff from Skater owned businesses....

CP

[Velawesome]

I got the Rebel package when I first started (about two years back). I tried upgrading to the Wicked package for a few months over the winter and ended up switching back because the Rebels were so much more comfortable to skate in. I think they're pretty much perfect for a beginner - they're reasonably priced, they're fantastically comfortable, and they're durable enough to easily last a year or two of heavy use. Later on if you decide you need expensive shit you can use them as outdoor skates.