Children's Roller Skates Comparison: Choosing Between RidingRush's Four Plush Blade Soakers

If you have a young skater at home, you already know the ritual: skates off, blades wiped, and — if you forgot to buy soakers — that sickening metal-on-metal clack as the skates get tossed into the bag. Bare blades rust from leftover meltwater and dull against everything they touch. A pair of plush soakers costs less than a single sharpening and solves both problems at once.

The catch is that RidingRush, a brand better known for cycling accessories like bike bells, waterproof saddle bags and foldable baskets, also makes a small family of skate accessories — and its Children's Roller Skates category lists four blade soaker options that look almost identical in thumbnail photos. Two are labeled "Ice Skate Soakers," two are labeled "Figure Skating Blade Guards," and their real differences hide in the padding, the lining, and the colorway. This children's roller skates comparison walks through all four using only the published product data, so by the end you'll know exactly which pair belongs in your skater's bag — and which one to skip.

The Problem

Four products, one job, three different prices. Here's the lineup as it actually appears in the store:

1. RidingRush Ice Skate Soakers, Pink Purple/Teal — plush blade covers for figure and hockey skates with a soft absorbent lining, fitting blades up to 12 inches, youth and adult sizes (ASIN B0G6ZCQ9XV, AUD 25.99).
2. RidingRush Figure Skating Blade Guards, Green Tea — soft plush fur with snowflake sequins, stretchable design, bamboo fiber lining, fits most skate sizes (ASIN B0G5Y6ZY16, AUD 25.99).
3. RidingRush Figure Skating Blade Guards, Pink-Purple — the value option, with an elastic universal fit up to 12 inches and a bamboo-terry interior (ASIN B0FWQT5KM6, AUD 22.99).
4. Riding Rush Ice Skate Soakers, Dreamy Rainbow — pastel rainbow faux fur, lightly thickened with 10g of padding, elastic fit up to 12 inches (ASIN B0GXP1SH6G, AUD 35.99).

Every one of them is a 1-pair set that covers both skates. Every one of them is built to absorb moisture and protect blade edges. According to the product listings, every spec quoted in this article comes straight from the manufacturer's own published data. So the shopping dilemma is genuine: when the pictures all show fluffy, sparkly blade covers, how do you justify paying AUD 35.99 instead of AUD 22.99 — or figure out whether the two AUD 25.99 options differ at all beyond color?

The short answer is that the differences are small but real, and they map cleanly onto how your skater actually uses their bag.

Why It Matters

Rust is a clock, not an event

After a practice session, ice melting off the blades leaves a film of water on the steel. Left alone — especially inside a zipped bag — that moisture works on the edges until the next sharpening removes more metal than it should. All four RidingRush pairs attack this the same way: an absorbent lining pressed against the blade. Three models use bamboo fiber lining; the Pink-Purple guards use a soft bamboo-terry interior that the listing specifically describes as absorbing meltwater to help reduce rust after practice. Functionally, you are choosing between two fabrics doing the same job.

Dull edges cost more than soakers

Walking on unprotected blades, even across a rink lobby, grinds the hollow and edges. Then there's the quieter damage: bare skates rattling around a bag nick their own edges and whatever sits next to them. The Pink-Purple guards call this out directly — their long-pile plush is described as cushioning blade edges and preventing scratches inside your skate bag. The Dreamy Rainbow soakers take a different route to the same goal, adding 10g of padding for a slightly thicker, more cushioned feel while staying lightweight.

The 12-inch ceiling applies to all four

If your skater is a youth on small figure or hockey skates, fit is a non-issue: every option stretches over blades up to 12 inches. The Pink Purple/Teal soakers and both sequined guard styles are additionally listed as fitting most skate sizes up to 32 cm. The ceiling matters mainly for adult skaters with longer blades — measure before ordering, because "fits most" ends at that 12-inch line on all four products.

What to Look For

1. Price and what it buys

• Product · Price · ASIN · Standout spec
• Blade Guards, Pink-Purple · AUD 22.99 · B0FWQT5KM6 · Bamboo-terry lining; long-pile plush cushions edges in the bag
• Ice Skate Soakers, Pink Purple/Teal · AUD 25.99 · B0G6ZCQ9XV · Snowflake sequins; bamboo fiber lining; fits up to 32 cm
• Blade Guards, Green Tea · AUD 25.99 · B0G5Y6ZY16 · Snowflake sequins; stretchable design; bamboo fiber lining
• Dreamy Rainbow Soakers · AUD 35.99 · B0GXP1SH6G · 10g added padding; pastel rainbow faux fur

The AUD 22.99 pair is the straightforward buy: same 1-pair coverage, same absorbent lining concept, and the only listing that foregrounds scratch protection as its own feature. The two AUD 25.99 options are effectively the same product in different colors — Green Tea for a softer, muted look, Pink Purple/Teal for a bolder two-tone. The AUD 35.99 Dreamy Rainbow pair is the only one with a construction upgrade: that 10g of added padding, plus the most distinctive look of the four.

2. Padding: 10g or none

Only the Dreamy Rainbow listing quantifies padding. If the soakers will live in a packed bag with other gear, that extra thickness is the feature most worth paying for. If they'll go straight onto the skates and back onto a shelf, save the AUD 13.00.

3. Lining fabric

Bamboo fiber (three models) versus bamboo-terry (Pink-Purple guards). Both are positioned as gentle, absorbent, and moisture-wicking for the blade. There's no published data suggesting one outperforms the other; treat this as a tie and decide on price and color instead.

4. Style — because your skater decides

Snowflake sequins appear on three of the four (Pink Purple/Teal, Green Tea, and are part of the sequined guard family's signature look). The Dreamy Rainbow goes the other direction with soft pastel rainbow faux fur aimed squarely at kids who want their gear to feel fun. A accessory your child is excited to wear is one that actually gets used after every session — which is the whole point.

5. Verify before you buy

Whatever you choose, confirm the ASIN on the product page matches the pair you researched, and check the blade length against the 12-inch / 32 cm fit range. For the full lineup including cycling and camera accessories from the same brand, browse the RidingRush product catalog to see everything in one place.

What Others Say

We don't have verified star ratings or review counts for these four listings, and we're not going to invent them. Fabricated social proof helps nobody. What we can give you is a checklist for reading the reviews yourself on each product page:

• Search reviews for your skate type. A reviewer who names "youth figure skates, 9-inch blade" gives you fit information; a generic "fits great" gives you almost nothing.
• Weigh photo reviews higher. Sequin density, rainbow pastels, and the true plush length photograph differently under rink lighting than in studio shots.
• Look for durability comments past the one-month mark. The stretchable cuff is the component that wears; reviews written after a full season tell you whether the elastic holds.
• Watch how the seller handles sizing questions. For an accessory in the AUD 23–36 range, responsive answers about blade fit are a better trust signal than any average score.

The verifiable facts remain the ones in the product data: bamboo-based absorbent linings, a 12-inch elastic fit, 1-pair sets, and 10g of padding unique to the Dreamy Rainbow model.

Where to Buy

All four pairs are sold through the RidingRush store under the Children's Roller Skates category:

• Figure Skating Blade Guards, Pink-Purple — AUD 22.99, ASIN B0FWQT5KM6 — the value pick with scratch-cushioning long-pile plush
• Ice Skate Soakers, Pink Purple/Teal — AUD 25.99, ASIN B0G6ZCQ9XV — sequins plus a bold two-tone colorway
• Figure Skating Blade Guards, Green Tea — AUD 25.99, ASIN B0G5Y6ZY16 — the same sequined formula in a softer color
• Dreamy Rainbow Ice Skate Soakers — AUD 35.99, ASIN B0GXP1SH6G — 10g padding and the most playful look

Decided? Shop now — one order covers both skates. Still weighing colors or padding? See all options across the catalog first. And if you have a question about fit on a specific blade, the team responds through the contact page. If you're also kitting out a young rider, the cycling accessories range from the same brand covers bells, saddle bags and more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these fit children's skates and adult skates?

Yes. All four pairs use elastic, stretchable designs rated for figure and hockey skate blades up to 12 inches (about 32 cm), suitable for youth and adult skaters. For adult blades near or above that length, measure before ordering.

What's the actual difference between the "Soakers" and the "Blade Guards" here?

In this RidingRush line, the practical difference is styling and padding, not function. All four are plush, absorbent, pull-on blade covers. The Dreamy Rainbow soakers add 10g of padding; the Pink-Purple guards emphasize long-pile plush for cushioning blade edges in a bag; the other two are the sequined colorway options.

Which pair should I buy for a child who stuffs everything in one bag?

Either the Pink-Purple guards (AUD 22.99, cushioning-focused plush) or the Dreamy Rainbow soakers (AUD 35.99, 10g padding) — both are built around protecting blades from bag damage, and your budget picks the winner.

Do the linings really stop rust?

They help, they don't perform magic. The bamboo fiber and bamboo-terry linings absorb meltwater after skating, which reduces the moisture sitting on the steel. Wiping blades before putting soakers on makes any soaker work better.

Are they sold as singles or pairs?

Every option is a 1-pair set — two soakers, covering a complete pair of skates for practice and competitions.