Test: Razors Horn 2011

TEST: RAZORS HORN

test…

Testbed

There is nothing new in the design of the Horn. As usual, the brand Razors keeps the same shell, but changes the colors. The shell is creamy and the spoiler is black with a gold viking helmet painted on the back. Super sexy when the skates are still new, but with wear, the cream may turn to another color… There are some touches of gold in the screws and grommets, the combination is nice with black soulplates. A good color combination, then, but a bit basic for a pro rider such as Stephan Horn.

Tightening / suport

The tightening of the shoe is very good. There is a scratch, a little high but it keeps the strap right. On the other hand, the lacing is not necessarily useful. Nevertheless, it allows your foot to be well maintained to the bottom of the shoe. The Razors buckle is more efficient, it blocks the ankle. However, we would have liked a little more support of the heel. Even if the laces are tight, the foot is not 100% maintained. The heel moves a little in the shell. Tightening is fast and efficient.

Comfort

The Razors liner is rather soft and comfortable. I still had a good burning at the foot during the first session (because I had removed a plate?). The sole adds more comfort to the foot but it raises the foot a bit much in the shoe, causing it to touch the shell andthen create a little unnecessary pain.
I Never skated with Razors SL before. I found the shoe very comfortable, despite the liner above of the soulplate!
I have had no problems with the shell (too narrow or otherwise). If your foot is a bit large, the shell may seem narrow. But the lined enlarges when skating and the pain fades away. I often skates with soft and comfortable skates, the Razors skates seems stiff to me at first… but Razors Horn proved to be a very good compromise between flexibility and stiffness, while offering a good comfort.

Glide

For me, the glide is the black spot of this test. New skates with a mediocre glide… for both the soulplate and the frame. It is a strange grip feeling on walls and bars. Like any skates, an adjustment period is necessary. But when you buy a new skate, you expect to slide really fast and not to block! Unfortunately, this is not the case.
However, the groove of the soulplate is very nice to skate. From the earliest tricks, no surprises in a hazardous stall! You find the groove quickly and you do not move while sliding. No complaints about the size of the soulplate. It is a bit short for negative tricks but its size is still correct.
Finally, the flexibility of the Horn reminded us of the joy of being low in the slides. You can easily stall in the top tricks without being afraid for your ankles.

The frame

The Razors Horn are equipped with Featherlite XS frames. Ground control proposes here a new frame which had to be solid and light at the same time. Not really a success! Once mounted on your skates, the frame twists and it becomes impossible to mount the wheels (so they should be mounted on the frame before attaching the it to the boot). The Hblock remains large and has good structure to slide… but the glide is slower than the Featherlight because the frame has a much more wider surface.
Even if you can change the H-block, the frame concept does not seem to be optimized. However, some of you will appreciate that the frame is stronger.

Wheels and bearings

The wheels are Razors 56 mm/90A equipped with ABEC 7 bearings. This is the new standard for street skating. One found more and more ABEC 7 bearings on the market. You can take more speed in no time. The bearings do not break after 2 sessions and it is always nice. The wheels are strong too, regarding the hardness, it seems logical!
A good combination wheels/bearing… even if largeer wheels would have improved the skate.

Solidity

The boot is definitely solid. While being lightweight and easy to handle, we feel that it will not break (trademark of Razors in!). The absence of seams and other frills guarantee a certain lifetime to skate. Even if the shell is flexible, it resists to multiple twisting and slides.
However, the laces are not protected, as the buckle that remains the weak point of Razors. After five sessions, there is still no need to tighten any screws, a very good surprise.

Conclusion

We were a bit worried before starting the test but the Horn has given us a great surprise. A good compromise between flexibility and rigidity and rather light. The strong point of this skate for me is its handling: it gives us a very playful and precise skate at a time. While we expected a much more fluid glide, the adaptation time past, we really liked the shoe for its notches and flexibility…

Good points and points to improve

Pluses

+ Comfort
+ Flexibility
+ Notches

Minuses

– Glide
– Support of the liner in the boot
– Frame

Technical sheet

Brand : Razors
Promodel : horn
Boot : plastique
Cuff : platique
Tightening : Boucles et lacets
Frames : ground control XS
Wheels : Razors horn, 56mm 90A
Bearings : ABEC 7
Sizes : 38 au 47 EU
Shock absorber : Razors
Price : 299 Euros

Photos

Links

The Razors SL Horn on the Web site of Hawaii Surf
Web site of Razors

Text and photos by
Guillaume Chanaud and Thomas Bordier (Bobor)
Translated by Alexandre chartier (Alfathor)
Thanks to Hawaii Surf