Orbitwheel Skates

I bought this for my 11 year old son who simply was... disappointed. However, I took it on myself to show him that this would be a lot of fun. After three hours of attempts over 3 days I was convinced that the product was a hoax and in fact impossible to use... but I didn't give up. I went to a mildly sloped sidewalk and pushed off and maintained a few meters of "sidewalk surfing" to my own surprise! I've now been practicing an hour a day for the last week and can sustain up to 100 meters of "sidewalk surfing" or "orbiting", as I call it, after which I need to walk for a while to loosen up my legs which get quite tense from this activity. Riding these draws a lot of attention and everybody is amazed at this new sport! I'm sure many of the people who asked me about these will be coming to Amazon to purchase them.The Orbit Wheels are sturdy and well built. They are quite scuffed up now but still look good overall. I applied some oil to the inside of the wheel which has helped them glide better as they were binding against the roller bearings. The bearings themselves are sturdy and well sealed and should resist entry of dust. I would advise against going in sand, dirt, or water however.The included instructional video is helpful but vague and doesn't explain what to do with the connecting rod that is included.My final advice is to buy them if you are determined and fit. Allow several hours of practice over a week to get the feel and build up strength and co-ordination... They're awesome!

Very difficult to use.

My son got these for his birthday. Does not use them much because he cannot get the hang of them. Large learning curve and difficulty to use if not holding on.

My grandson loves them! They take some practice but look up the videos and things get much easier to follow. Definitely start with a helmet protection gear. Cool new way to get the kids outside and away from technology!

We bought this for our very athletic teenage sons, who are experts on the Ripstick. This is way too hard to learn. People commented that they spent hours and hours over days and weeks before they mastered it. That doesn't sound like a product designed for age 8+.I decided to return it but there would be a return shipping fee, a 15% restocking fee, and if it was unpacked and used at all, there would be no refund. This reminded me why I don't buy from third-party Amazon sellers. What a disappointment.

There is a learning curve to these, but if you can hover bord with some practice not to bad.

Worst possible gift to buy if you want your grandchildren hurt

I got this for Christmas last year and I think they are great! I'm thirteen years old and thought this would be a fun thing to learn. The first week was pretty tough but I kept trying and I eventually got it. It took me another few weeks to really get it down. Overall it took me six weeks. You need to have time and patience to learn to use these. It is similar to a Rip stick but a little bit harder because you need to be constantly careful not to do the splits! =) When you are first learning it helps to hang on to the furniture. If you are discouraged at first keep trying! I really have fun with these and I hope you do too!