It’s been an exciting time for new skate companies coming on the scene and bringing fresh ideas to market. One of the newest brands to emerge is a UK-based manufacturer called Echo Skates and their first model the Verve. We’ve been curious about the skate since first seeing it at Winterclash 2023, and recently our bud Dave Tran picked up a pair so we thought it was a great time to have him meet up with photographer Steve Steinmetz to help put together a full review. So read on to learn more about the Verve, details that stood out, and how it compares to the fit of other popular skate models.

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Hardboot skates haven’t changed much in the last 30 years. They are usually some iteration of a well-established formula: boot, liner, one-piece soul plate, frames, and wheels. The silhouette is undeniably familiar, whether it’s the Roces M12, the Razors Cult, the USD Sway, the Mesmer, or more modern iterations like the Standard Omni and Them 909. It makes more sense to review the Verve in comparison to other, well-established hard boot skates for this reason. The difference between each of these options are going to be the fit, finish, and subtle design decisions that make each skate unique. The Echo Verve is the newest entry into the segment of the aggressive market directed at entry level skaters.

Echo Verve


Appearance: First impressions are hard to shake. The decidedly funky pea-green and lavender colorway reminds me of the Bauer Humility, a Ninja Turtle, or the Hulk complete with tiny purple shorts. It’s on trend for the 90s revival trifecta of inline skates, baggy pants, and anti-rocker wheels. I chose green for nostalgia’s sake; I have enough black and white skates. I was surprised to see many others choose this limited colorway as well. From the company’s YouTube channel, the cream (white) and graphite (grey) colorways will be a mainstay with plans for limited color releases in the future. I’ve learned to appreciate how unique these skates actually look on my feet.

Fit: Echo was wise to include size measurements in their size chart as a reference point. The size 8.5-9 US comes in at 282mm. The shell is designed with a wider fit in mind, both for people with wide feet and for those looking to downsize.

The toebox shape is similar to the Roces Fifth Element and perfect for wide, thick feet. For size comparison, I wear a size 8-9 Roces M12, which fits narrow but long, and size 7 Roces Fifth Element, which fits wide and short with a roomier toebox. For people looking to downsize, the next shellbreak is significant. At 266mm, I was worried they were going to be too small for my 260-265mm feet, but I’ve seen others in this size range fit these with Intuition liners. The result is a comfortable, but slightly bulky skate that fits true to size.

The laces appear to be inspired by the urban skate market and I find most people swapping these out for hockey laces for an easy upgrade.

BS Full Torque

Liner: These are easily some of the best stock liners on the market, especially at this price point. The liners are marketed as being true to size and in my testing, the sizing was correct. The velcro heel pads were a nice addition, but too soft to cushion any real impact or add significant heel lift. Despite the comfortable fit, they have the same issue that all neoprene liners have: slippage. The thin plastic sheet that sits underneath the liner, while protective of the bolts, did not help with adding any grip within the smooth shell.

I have duck feet. Wide at the forefoot, skinny at the heel, with skinny ankles and lots of pressure points throughout. While the skate fits well front to back and side to side, there’s volume to fill underneath that results in heel slippage. The customizable velcro patches were helpful in adjusting the fit, filling in the shell in dead zones and bony prominences that have hurt with downsizing other skates in the past. For downsizing, you can find a few extra millimeters at the heel by removing the foam achilles patch on the back, but I chose to leave them on. This is the perfect skate for people with thicker feet, but if you have a low volume foot, consider skating these with a thicker liner or a full length, shock-absorbing insole.

Hardware: The hardware is solid. In my teardown of this skate, most of the bolts were overtightened from the factory with thread sealer applied. I did not strip any of the hardware. I haven’t had any bolts loosen up while skating, nor have I randomly lost or snapped any hardware.

I am OCD about hardware. I usually take apart new skates, loosen and retighten bolts, apply a thin coat of lubricant or wax on squeaky plastic, then apply loctite where needed. There wasn’t any extra work on my end with these skates and that’s the way it should be.

The three-level adjustable cuff is implemented well and easy to adjust. The cuff bolt receivers snap into three well defined slots that are riveted into the shell. The skate comes stock in the lowest setting (less forward flex, less lateral support) for grinding, but can be adjusted to higher settings that might be ideal for big wheel blading (more forward flex, more lateral support).

The specialized soul mounting brackets, which are now common (Adapt, Them 909, Standard) makes for excellent power transfer and less fussy installation. There was a clear decision to use 4mm hardware, which means less hunting around for the right size wrench or having opportunities to lose tiny soul plate bolts during a swap. Most of the hardware has custom Echo branding, which is a nice touch that shows attention to detail. It’s these finishing touches that make this skate a great value.

Sweatstance

Soul Plates: The wide soul plate was on par with my Fifth Elements. The soul plates were rumored to be modeled after the USD Carbon soul, except these are more squared off at the toe and the heel. It’s an excellent, forgiving shape that will be good for beginner skaters. They passed my frontside torque test, which means they’re wide, forgiving, and slide fast. I couldn’t tell you the last time I tried to front torque my practice rail on a 58mm flat setup. Coming from the M12, I didn’t have to work hard to get my boot down, and I’ve been enjoying leaning into these backslide grooves.

Frames: I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the frames. The groove is wide and deep with thick sidewalls. I found them fine for skating flat in the 56-58mm range without much wheelbite. The frame wall design carries a familiar trope that has been popular since the introduction of the Ground Control Featherlite, with a hollowed out side wall that is thicker along the axles. A lot of comparisons have been made to Create Originals groove and as others have noted, the Echo frames feel familiar. Something to note is that the wheelbase is slightly longer than a size small Create Originals at a standard 250mm, with a support between the wheels that makes the frame stiff and responsive. Again, the hardware was perfectly fine. These frames are a happy medium; not bad for a stock frame, but especially good at this price.

Liu Kang Air

Wheels and Bearings: The stock bearings are sealed Abec-7s branded by Echo. Perfect for beginners and fast enough for advanced skaters, but only time will tell how quickly they dry out. They aren’t serviceable. The wheels and anti-rockers were on the softer side. I’m not sure why they decided on a bullet profile 60mm wheel instead of a flatter, rounder shape. It would’ve been nice to see a flat skating option with this profile, maybe in a future release. The stock wheels are soft and did not fare well on crusty street spots. Most skaters will replace them.

Kudos to Echo for using an actual anti-rocker wheel with bearings where most manufacturers would’ve used molded nylon wheels. The anti-rockers are tapered which has been the gold standard since the introduction of the Mindgame Higgs Boson in the early 2000s. The decision to put bearings in them was another nice touch; this will keep transition skaters from wiping out on bumps and you’ll have a matching set of bearings if you decide to skate flat. The design was tempting enough for me to go back to stock after my initial tests.

Good rolling

Summary: The Echo Verve performs well out of the box and I plan to continue skating these mostly stock for the near future. Overall, they feel like an amalgam of different influences with a funky twist, interesting colorway, and great hardware at a low price point. It’s a comfortable skate for people with wider or thicker feet. Skaters with skinny feet may want to think twice or consider swapping to a higher volume liner. The liners and frames make this a great value for new skaters. Advanced skaters will likely make the expected fit adjustments, upgrade the laces, wheels, and use their existing liners. — Dave Tran

Note: I purchased these skates with my own funds; they were reviewed without input from the manufacturer.

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