Excellent Heely Lot of fun!
With these being my third pair of Heelys I must say I certainly like these the best of any shoe I've ever worn. I think I'm a bit of an anomaly since I wear these in High School and am currently a senior but I thought that my favorite shoe deserved a proper review from someone who's actually used it.
The Heely Ninja is a bulky skateboard-type shoe with a thick tongue and loose laces. It sports the higher-end MEGA wheel in the sole (larger and more stable than the standard FATS wheel) making for a generally better skating experience. Cracks and bumps in the sidewalk matter less with this wheel and the larger center of gravity is a boon to anyone beginning to learn the ropes of Heelying.
In terms of handling the shoe can turn on a dime and do almost any move you feel brave enough to attempt (except grind along rails as it lacks integrated grind plates). It holds up well in most conditions--slips a little when wet and freezes up on carpet but these features are to be expected from any Heelys product.
Comfort-wise they're...ok. Not great. The shoes don't breathe hardly at all so your feet are likely to get very hot and sweaty after an hour or two of heavy use. Also the larger wheel size means more hard plastic bumping up against your heel every time you take a step so I wouldn't recommend using these for long extended periods of walking (unless the floors are just too perfect to resist). Although walking around normally with the wheels in feels a bit like walking on high-heels an added perk of wearing the wheels full-time is that it's almost guaranteed to make you 1-1.5 inches taller!
Overall these are a great shoe probably only succeeded in today's market by the Heelys Pro 9201 and 9202 (I'm getting that pair next so I don't know for certain). For anyone looking to buy these for their young kid there are of course safety factors to consider. Heelys are not for the faint of heart as they require a balance completely different from almost every other type of skating and kids shouldn't expect to master the technique in anything under two weeks (this is not to say that they won't get the hang of it after an hour or so...but true control is a bit slow to attain in these and any other Heelys shoe). In addition responsible use of the shoe requires a great deal of situational awareness and some fast reflexes especially in crowded areas. One final concern is legality: in the United States most malls stores supermarkets schools and even parks ban these shoes outright and confrontation with enraged security guards is not usually very pleasant. So to the prospective parent make sure you keep good tabs on your kid in stores if you want to avoid trouble...because let me tell you: those smooth linoleum floors in most supermarkets are nearly impossible to resist.
Executive summary:
Pros: Large wheel versatility increased stability and larger center of gravity. Just plain fun to wear and use everywhere every moment of every day! Can do tricks.
Cons: A bit bulky hot after use uncomfortable after extended periods of walking potentially steep learning curve banned in most public places.More detail ...
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