| Information | |
|---|---|
| Color | White, Red, Green |
| Hardness | 92a, 94a, 96a |
| Price | $90 |
| Size | 62mm |
| Width | 31mm |
I had been skating on the Roll-Line Formulas for a couple of years and was always impressed with responsiveness and their grip but I was never impressed with their price tag at $130. I took a chance on the Radar Diamonds hoping they would be a cheaper replacement.
Right out of the box I was very impressed with the roll on these wheels. I felt like I could coast for ever. Considering the Formulas are 88a and the Diamonds I was using are 94a I wasn’t completely surprised.
The next big test was grip so taking a couple hard laps at full speed I was stunned by how well they cornered. Not only did they grip like they are on rails but they had that same familiar ‘talk’ that the Formulas did. They would never slide out away from me just ‘talk’ a whole lot louder until they were literally screaming around corners.
Aluminum hubs can be a bit heavier but they should also have less flex then plastic hubs. The more a wheel flexes the squishier they feel. Having a squishy wheel is bad not only because it can take you longer to react to an oncoming hit but they can suck the energy from you and your wheels. The Diamonds should be a tad big heavier then the Formulas but I find the trade off much worth it. These are the most responsive wheels I’ve ever skated on.
The final thing I will point out with these wheels is their profile. Not only are they 31mm which makes them one of the narrowest wheels on the market but it’s the shape of their profile. A lot of wheels are beveled or rounded on the edges to keep them from tearing off big chucks under heavy load but what you end up with is a smaller footprint but a wider wheel. The Diamonds lack any sort of bevel and I have yet to have this be a problem but they do have the exact same footprint as a Heartless with no overhead.
Needless to reiterate but I think every advanced skater should give these wheels a try. They are too narrow for freshmeat but after a good season of skating these are the wheels to try.
I love the way these wheels “talk”, roll, and their wicked small footprint. I never have any trouble with my wheels locking up and clipping with anyone else now.
They’re quite a bit slippery on wood basketball court floors and have yet to try them on any other surface but I love their speed.
Starts take a bit more work but not enough to justify passing them up.
Biggest beefs:
It is a major pain in the a$$ to get your bearings out to clean them even if you have lubed them prior to insertion.
Since they aren’t beveled you’re more likely to come up onto the edges. It’s a weird feeling.
What are you using to get your bearings in and out of your wheels?
I don’t have a bearing press/puller yet so I gently push from the inside on the edge of the bearing with a small dowel. If there’s a bearing press/puller that will work with these please please tell me which one because I’d hate to wreck my Swiss bearings.
There is the Bearing Buddy you can use which is small and handy but with aluminum hubs that are on the Diamonds you might want to consider going with something like this sure grip bearing press here. I have that one and it works very well. It’s a bit bulky and heavy to carry with you to practice but works fantastic and is one of the cheapest ones I’ve found.
Just as a suggestion though perhaps not a feasible one: It should be important to include the type of surface each wheel is preferable for. I love the Diamonds and they have great response but on dirty wood floors I Tokyo Drift through the curves.
I lovelovelove these wheels. I’ve skated them on a maple rink floor and dirty sportcourt. They do slide a bit on the wood floor but I was expecting that. I was a bit nervous about them being narrow but I grew up skating on Fo-Mac Premiers and I find I’m more comfortable on skinny wheels like Heartless and the Diamonds. These are my all time favorite wheels. I’m skating the 94A wheels but I might pick up a set of the softer ones for wood floors.
Overall, these wheels are amazeballs. I love them even more than my Heartless wheels.
Ive had these wheels for over a year now and i love love love them. My only beef with them is getting the bearings out because i do not have a bearing puller or a bearing buddy and ive had 6 of the wheels where the polyurethane is seperating from the hub. I mostly ref but i do play on a mens team so i am moderately rough on them. I’m working with my Riedell rep now to see if there is anything they can do about the seperation….but other than that i love the narrowness which leads to less wheel clipping and more agility….
I adored these wheels before I even unwrapped them, but I wanted to wait until I had really given them some time before commenting. I bought a set of the 94A natural Diamonds at ECE ’10. I chose them because I was into skinny wheels, and wanted to try out an aluminum hub…but also because the advertisements were SO beautiful! I’m a sucker for a good ad.
They’ve been an absolute dream come true. My league practices on wood and sport court, and we bout on polished concrete…the Diamonds have been perfect for every surface I’ve skated on. The above comments about the “talk” and response are right on…I love chirping through a tight turn, knowing that my skates aren’t going to fly out from under me. Excellent grip. I’d previously been skating on an 88a/86a combo, and was nervous about switching to something harder, but these were a million times better! I convinced a few of my leaguemates to try them, and we all agree…these wheels make you feel like a superhero.
The best part: I just bought a replacement set at ECE ’11. Seriously, I had the same wheels on my skates for an entire year (practicing 3x/week, bouting ~twice/month,) and I probably could’ve gone longer. I was accustomed to replacing every 3-4 months. I’ve never had a set of wheels last so long, and still be so awesome! Best $90 I ever spent!
I do own a bearing press/puller (another great investment) which makes maintenance a breeze.
Enough gushing…but do yourself and your team a favor, and try out some Radar Diamonds!!!
I just switched to the recently released Diamond 90As a couple of weeks ago. I love them! They grip well on our slippery concrete floors and still give some kickin’ speed.