The Powerslide Next are definitely one of the best freeskating hardboot designs in the history of the sport. The conjunction of smart, yet elegant ideas and Trinity mounting has resulted in a skate which won fans all over the world. They have received more editions than hugely popular FR line of skates, even though the latter have 10 years more of history.
Even though Next are definitely a modern boot, they share a lot with old-school skates. In contrary to many other skates on the market, Next come with lacing system which resembles hockey boots, just like in case of models popular back in the 90’s – you get six lace holes pairs, which go above the ankle. Thanks to them, it is easy to lace the shell tight enough for 45 degree buckle being mostly as a cosmetic addition.
Such design is still prevalent among aggressive skating boots, but freeskating equivalents have moved away from it for the most part, relying on buckles for a proper heel lock way more. Next are one of the rare exceptions.
The second thing are the aesthetics. There’s a “heel fin” looking familiar to ones found in Rollerblade TRS and the toe area is glossy, while rest of the boot is given mat finish, once again just like the in grandpa of all inline skates. As a result, Next are the most “retro” looking new generation hardboots out of all models available on the market.
There’s no surprise, then, that Powerslide has decided to finally capitalize on this fact. Meet Next SL, an attempt to answer a question – how Next would look like if they would came out 30 years earlier?
Maybe close to what we have here. The 45 degree buckle is gone, seeing that boot can work well enough without it. This alone makes for a huge difference in looks – skates feel like they came from the 90’s, being more streamlined and slimmer. The holes for buckle mounting are still there, just covered by small PS logo pins, so you can still add a buckle (please don’t) or velcro (maybe?) and ruin the looks if you like to.
A second difference is the liner. The MyFit Recall known from Black Core versions is gone and has been replaced by a more basic model, designed around different principles. It is not as thick, leaving more room inside the skate, making it more suitable for people with wider feet, improving comfort. As it is relatively soft, it “gives in” pretty well, allowing for easier and more efficient lacing of the shell. The classic, long tongue starting right after toe area makes skates easier to put on. The focus is clearly on comfort rather than performance, but hey – if you are after the second, there are other Next models out there for you.
Bubblegum and coffe
The SL models come in two varieties (as of now). The first one, without a shadow of doubt more eye-catching, is Next SL 80, using beautiful, gray shell contrasting with bubblegum pink of liner and wheels. White frame and smaller parts complete the distinctive aesthetics. Welcome to the 90’s in all of their glory. Just put on headphones, treat your ears with some retrowave music and off you go.
Apart from 90’s looks, the skate comes with classic wheel setup. Four 80 mm wheels are a good fit for both demanding urban ride and slow cruising on park lanes. You are getting Powerslide Spinners as stock option here, the kings of mid-tier wheels for freeskating, so it is a fair deal.
Warning: this model of Next comes only in sizes up to EU42-43. Do we have to say that it is targeted mostly towards women? A bit of a shame, real men are not afraid of pink, after all.
The second variant, Next SL 110, uses more muted colour palette and comes with a modern, triskating setup. On paper, it is nothing special – a black boot and black frame. However, thanks to addition of white eyelets, cuff screws and top buckle, as well as dark brown “Powerslide” branding on the side and logo on the back of the cuff, they look really pleasing to the eye.
In fact, these wouldn’t be out of place in an office of some high street upper branch manager in late 80’s. I like to imagine that the guy would commute on them to work and everyone in the building would consider him a weirdo (especially given that he probably lives in suburbia, 20 km from the office), but no one dares to say this to his face because of his position. Maybe a young gun hoping for a promotion tries to chat a little bit about skating with him, when they meet in office’s kitchen, but manager thinks “Forget it, John, you haven’t meet the goals for the last quarter” while sipping on coffe as black as his soul and as strong as his will to bring value to shareholders.
Tastes vary, but for person writing these words, these are literally the best looking black Next boots to date. I mean this wholeheartedly; I am prepared to die on this hill. Metaphorically speaking, of course.
The skate is faster and better suited for commuting thanks to 243 mm (or 270 mm in EU44-45 and EU46-47 sizes) frames coming with 110 mm Spinner wheels. They are not only fast, but also very agile, feel right at home in urban environment, but won’t let you down when skating long distances either. Anyone who tasted how it feels like to ride on 3x110 mm setup, even if it was just one time, knows that it is the most versatile choice out of all 3 wheels options.
Different, not worse
How to judge the Next SL? Clearly not as a replacement for regular Next. If you are one of die-hard freeskating fans, move on, there’s nothing to see here, get Black Core or one of other high end versions instead. But, if you are more comfort-focused and/or have friends who want to pick up a pair of solid skates AND have easy fitting, good looking boot, these are worth of recommendation.
Because in the end, even with alterations made to the design, these are still excellent freeskates! These are Next, after all.