The Story on SwitchIt's
Chang Eric(214)754-3562
Several weeks ago, I posted a request for information on SwitchIt in-line
skates. These are a brand of skates with a frame that can readily be
removed and replaced with an ice blade. Thus, they do double duty for
those who enjoy skating on both concrete and ice. Popular Mechanics, a
couple of years back, had an article reviewing several mid-line skates,
and the SwitchIt was one of them.
The request received but one follow-up, pointing out that Innovative
Sports Systems (ISS) had just changed management. The story was in the
current issue of Inline Magazine, but locating a copy was difficult due
to its relative obscurity. The best solution appeared to be to call ISS
directly and find out what the story really was.
The telephone number was readily obtained from the FAQ (612-941-1916).
The person who answered the phone was polite and informative. She
pointed out that, due to the change in management, the current line of
SwitchIt skates had been discontinued. A new line of skates (Kinetics)
was slated for introduction within the next 4 to 6 weeks. Indeed, most
of the stores which sold SwitchIt's had placed them on clearance and had
sold out of many of the popular sizes. In addition, she mentioned that
the SwitchIt ice blade was very hard to come by. The company which made
them had discontinued production, so they were getting tough to find. In
addition, there was a problem with the old blades: they tended to bend
and become unsatisfactory for ice skating. ISS would offer a new, more
rugged ice blade, but that blade would not be compatible with the old
SwitchIt mount. A retrofit kit, however, would be made available to
owners of the old SwithIt models, and it could be riveted on by one of
the many local shops offering this service. If one planned to buy a pair
of used skates, intending later to retrofit them with new mounts along
with a new ice blade, he must be aware of this in consideration of the
the selling price.
A recent telephone call (6/15/93) to ISS (they now have a toll-free
number, 1-800-321-7948) revealed that the new line, called Kinetic High
Energy Skates, is available. Unfortunately, they will not send brochures
to consumers (only retailers), and they would only allow a caller to
speak with customer service. Several messages were left before they
returned the call, but it was worth the wait. Craig Wanous of customer
service called back and was very helpful and knowledgeable in explaining
the new line.
First of all, at the moment, it consists of five models, from middle to
high end. A low end line may be introduced later. The current five
models have retail prices from $180 to $299. The line is divided into
three categories with the lower three models being recreational. The
lowest end model, the "Torque", has a two buckle boot with a switchable
blade. As mentioned previously, the ice blade is new, even being
manufactured by a different company. It is made out of Wilson Sheffield
stainless steel, considered to be one of the best materials for this
purpose. The ice blade will retail for $89.99, $6 above wholesale. The
frames are made of a new "cell-strand" fiber and look substantially
different from the old SwitchIt ones. In response to earlier complaints,
the design of the buckles was changed. They now have a "micro/macro"
adjustable feature which allows the user to finely adjust and fix a
preferred setting. All subsequent times, the adjustment is retained with
the operation of the macro closure.
It was also pointed out that a lighter weight high-grade poly shell will
be used for the boot. According to other sources, the old SwitchIt boot
was already considered to be one of the lighter ones in its class. All
models are heat-shapable and ventilated. The bearings are ABEC 1 to 3,
depending on the model, and some have aluminum bushings. All skates take
up to 80 mm wheels, and all come with Kryptonics wheels, except for the
lowest end model, which comes with Flexor Grizzly's.
The skates are outfitted with a high-tech foot bed. The lowest end is
supposed to be equivalent to the Rollerblade Macro Equipe. The line
starts out with a basic single density foam, progressing to a dual
density foot bed, then a single density one with support.
The top of the line skate is designed for racing. It is a 5 wheel skate
with an extruded aluminum frame with Mogema compatibility. It comes
equipped with 80 mm turbo-core wheels. Craig feels this is a very good
deal for this type of skate. He said that the owner of Skates on Haight
has tried this one out and likes it.
In conclusion, Craig mentioned that the skates (except for a few small
parts here and there) are made in the United States. Apparently, this is
lower in cost due to rising wages overseas as well as differences in
shipping costs. Obviously it will be a selling point for those following
the "Buy American" movement.
If this post sounds like an advertisement, that's the way it goes.
Nobody really had any choice in the matter, neither the author nor you,
the gentle readers. As alluded to above, no information was available in
printed form to end-users. In order to get to talk to customer service
even for a short time, it was necessary to pose as a reporter for the
"Internet News". The author has no stake in ISS, and did not receive any
form of compensation, except for the answers he needed himself and, of
course, the sense of patriotic duty to the scholarly pursuit and
dissemination of information. All that was available was this account,
obviously doctored up for marketing and advertising. Fortunately, due to
the power of the grass-roots media, information, although possibly biased,
can finally be had on the new line of ISS skates.
Phil Earnhardt
> The Story on SwitchIt Skates
>
>person who answered the phone was polite and informative. She pointed out
>that, due to the change in management, the current line of SwitchIt skates
>had been discontinued.
This statement conjured up some strange images. If I were on a new management
team that came into a company, I would not order a change in the line --
especially in the middle of the season -- unless there were some huge
quality/performance/safety/liability problems in the current line. It's just
way too disruptive to do something like this in the middle of the season
otherwise.
>Indeed, most of the stores which sold SwitchIt's had placed them on clearance
>and had sold out of many of the popular sizes.
Stores are not happy if they have to have clearances in the middle of the
season! I'd guess that this will be the last of SwitcHit/Kinetic for some of
those retailers.
>The top of the line skate is designed for racing. It is a 5 wheel skate with
>an extruded aluminum frame with Mogema compatibility. It comes equipped with
>80 mm turbo-core wheels. Craig feels this is a very good deal for this type
>of skate. He said that the owner of Skates on Haight has tried this one out
>and likes it.
Skates on Haight has demonstrated a strong anti-Rollerblade/pro-SwitcHit
posture for several years. Their assessment of any Rollerblade or SwitcHit
products may not be objective.
>Fortunately, due to the power of the grass-roots media, information, although
>possibly biased, can finally be had on the new line of ISS skates.
Unfortunately, for SwitcHit/Kinetic, the leaves will probably be falling from
the trees before reviews of this new line are available.
Thanks for the report.
--phil