I’ve been a fan of Dog Whisper and Cesar Millan for years. I credit him for my having a fairly obedient German Shepherd. Realizing that I may not have an hour a day to walk him, after reading Cesar’s new book which tells me I better walk my dog twice a day for a half hour, it made sense to speed up my dog’s level of exercise. How? By getting those cool roller blades, called LandRollers, that Cesar Millan uses on the show.
So I started with a search and found the official makers of the LandRollers. My expectation was that I’d find a retail store nearby and get my hands on a pair. The problem is there are only five retail stores in the country and none withing 500 miles from my house. The next option is to buy them online. That’s fairly simple, until you realize that not all shoes or skates or whatever fit the same or have the same size. My Adidas are sized 9 and my Nikes are 9.5. My Cole Haan shoes are 9. While my skis are size 10. Different manufacturing companies produce different sized shoes.
So what size do I pick?
This leaves a lost opportunity for LandRoller. If it were me I’d tell the user if you wear a size 9.5 Nike sneaker you’d wear a sized X LandRoller. Or Adidas, etc. This doesn’t just go for Land Blades, but all shoes. I remember going to the mall to try on a pair of Adidas which were on sale online. The problem is that I had to go to the mall then home to buy them online to save $20. By the time I drove to the mall and wasted all that time it probably cost me more than $20. But I had to figure out what size to wear. Adidas could have told me on their web site that if I wore a sized 9.5 Nike than I’d wear a 9 Adidas.
Long story short, I won’t be buying LandRollers. Bummer for me, joy for my wife.
The other issue is that LandRoller isn’t capitalizing enough on the publicity Cesar Millan brings them. You couldn’t get better product placement–because Millan isn’t forcing the product into the show. He genuinely loves LandRollers and uses them as part of his training. LandRoller should have put together a deal with Dicks, REI or some retail stores to get Land Rollers out nationally. Then get the retailer to help pay Millan to promote their product. LandRollers could/should be on the feet of a million Americans. LandRollers missed the boat because if I could have gone to REI or Sears and tried these on and rolled around the store than I would have dropped $200 today. Not to mention the extra cash I’d have to spend on a helmet and elbow pads.
Moral of the story, I should been skating around the neighborhood on my shiny new LandRollers right now rather than complaining about them.
They used to be available at Sharper Image. I think you have made great points, but if you really want a pair, order 2 and return the pair that doesn’t fit. It’s worth it 🙂
Oh, and get ready to be a rock star because everyone will state and ask questions.
I had no idea they were at the Sharper Image. Drats. I missed my opportunity to buy them close by. But even then, Sharper Image doesn’t seem like the obvious partnership. REI and Dicks seems to be the no-brainer.
Rock star? Convince my wife of that. 🙂
I’d say save your money. For $250 you can absolutely get better quality blades elsewhere. They are heavy and cumbersome. I bought a pair last year and after only a few (ie less than 8) uses, the clasps and velcro started falling apart. Calling customer service on this (since I was well within the warranty period) earned me a sales pitch to buy additional parts. If you’re buying these for attention, then go ahead. They will draw that. But if you’re buying these because you want a good pair of skates, don’t waste your money on LandRollers.
By the way, for the attention-seekers, would you like to buy my pair?
AJ,
Thanks for the info. Hopefully your advice will help others. It’d be interesting to get other reviews since that is something that is certainly lacking out there.
I am a non skater. Last year when I saw CM on his Landrollers I was really taken with the idea for more speed with my dogs but there is no way I could run them on our roads in the UK.
Since December 2009 I started a dog walking company and walk several packs of dogs a day. As summer is here in th UK and Landroller now brought out a new version (called Mojo) I thought I’d give them a go.
My second pack of dogs is made up of high energy dogs consisting of a Rottweiler, Cane Corso, Northern Inuit and Alsatian, our daily walk is along a 6 mile gravel track which would be no good for inline skates.
I am a size 8.5 foot but ordered a size 9 from http://www.tastyadventures.co.uk
I know there may be better inline skates for the money but they would be no good off road and no good for a skate beginner.
I’ll send you some feedback once i’ve tried them out (without the dogs) lol.
Daryl
Definitely let us know!!
Daryl,
Did you get your LandRollers? How did you get on with them?
I am looking at doing the whole Dog Whisperer thing and zooming off with 2 Labs. Should I be saving my money and stick with the walking boots?
Hi all,
Any news on if these Landrollers are any good yet?
I got 2 Rotties I blade with, on a pair of borrowed USD’s,
Bit of a pain as I’m an 8 shoe 9 trainer and these are size 12!!
Nevertheless, they are a great boot, and tighten up enough that I can use them.
My problem’s the bearings, and wheels, and the bloody british paths and roads!!
Looking to spoil myself, and the girls, for xmas with new boots or wheels and bearings lol same sort of money!!!
Still no one has offered up a review. It’s amazing how much of a missed opportunity this is for the Land Rollers company.
Hey guys! Not being a rollerblader and being way [WAY] over the age of 21 I thought I’d buy myself a pair of those rollerblades Cesar wears – I find this site and now my bubble has been burst … sob! If people in the States are having trouble getting these skates, what hope do I stand in little ol’ Perth, Western Australia? And what has happened to Daryl in the UK? Could he be out there somewhere on his rollerblades never to be seen or heard from again?
I was about to purchase a pair of these also, but didn’t know I couldn’t drive to the nearest sporting goods store to try out a good fit. Now I know. It would be good if the mainstream public could easily try on and purchase a pair of these at places like Dick’s and REI. I also understand that Cesar doesn’t want to make his show an advertisement of rollerblades either. I can see him making that 5-minute sales pitch in every show show in order to get a profit from it. Yuck. The manufacturer simply needs to establish that partnership themselves separate from Cesar. For now, we may have to take Lillian’s advice above until something gets worked out.
http://www.landroller.com/PDFS/LR_Sizing%20Chart_v2.pdf
Print this off to help you determine the right size for your foot. I haven’t tried this personally yet, the $200 price tag is a little steep for me – but it looks like the measurements are specific to the LandRoller shoes. Hope that helps.
There are many video reviews on youtube for landrollers. Based on what I saw I’m gonna save up for a pair! Super excited!
Yes I was looking for a good low impact exercise due to my spine condition but was disappointed to see on the land roller web page that the weight is limited to a maximum of 220lbs. Does anyone know if the regular land skates allow more weight? I currently weigh 270 lbs…….Its always a bummer to hear about companies like Land Roller mismanage their business online or otherwise……Always have and request customer feedback and certainly have a source for that like a (contact) tab or e-mail? Advertise..Advertise…Advertise…Advertise….Advertise….Advertise…Advertise….!
Great post! I wanted to get a pair myself ever since I saw Cesar Millan wear them on his show. But of course, I live faaaar away from the USA so bummer.
How about getting brackets, a metal rod for axels, and search for the right type of tire, and make ur own! I’v seriously thought about doing that. Would be a lot cheaper, and u could make it as strong as ya want. Just Dont forget the brake!
I have had trouble with landroller skates due to what I believe is a design flaw. Both times I have had a bolt that secures the boot of the skate to the chassis break off. Also the velcro straps as well as the boot seem to wear out very quickly and the integrity of the skate deteriorates over time causing strain on your ankles. I am on my second pair right now and am still waiting on Landroller to replace them. I have sent e-mails and have not received a response. Customer service had asked me for some information and some pictures of the problem and still have yet to receive a response. This has the potential to be a very good product but the customer service is not very good. The skate itself provides a very smooth ride and it is easier to maintain balance. I live in Texas and I have to order the skates and wheels etc directly through their website. I think their skates would sell like hotcakes if they had a store nearby that had them. But for the time being they need to look at their product and figure out some of the issues with the skate and improve their customer service because it is very disorganized in my opinion.
I couldn’t agree more with these posts. You don’t know what size for sure to use, there’s no where to try them out in Utah, and thus you don’t know about the quality of the skates until you order them.
I bought a pair online and they fit very well. They are very smooth and work well on rough surfaces (I live in L.A., and the roads/sidewalks are bumpy). They are fine going in a straight line, but hard to turn in unless you are very experienced at blading. They are nowhere as easy to redirect as standard rollerblades, so be careful if you build up speed and need to turn sharply. Since you can’t turn to stop quickly – as I can on rollerblades – it is far too risky to have dogs pull you. I had a doberman needing a lot of exercise and thought these would be ideal. It’s way, way too risky at speed given the lack of breaking options… unless you are in a park or on a sidewalk that goes straight for a very long distance, with no one in your path. I ended up buying a rod which attached to my bicycle with a leash on the end of it: my dobbie now pulls me on my bike around town for miles!
Well I have had a pair of inlines that I bought new wheels and bearings for but figured land rollers with wheels four times the size of my inlines had to be far smoother and faster. Well I did order a pair used twice and hoping they break in and get more comfortable. They are ok for keeping up with the dogs but wish I had put the same amount of money into very nice new inlines! Given it time and will update my findings! They are nice and think it is just a matter of getting use to a different wheel set up!
I just bought a pair that I ordered online. I wear an 8 – 8 1/2 sneaker, I ordered a 9 directly from the website. They fit great. Mind you I’m 58 and just under 200 pounds, but I got them to exercise and I am going to have to work up to going off a smooth surface. They give you quite a workout. The shipping weight on mine was 12 pounds, but it’s not something you can’t get used to. I also have 5 dogs, but it’s going to be awhile before I feel comfortable going out on the street holding onto a dog! LOL As far as customer service, I ordered them on a Sunday and they came the following Saturday. They were shipped regular FedEx and I live in Texas.
CD
I bought them on line– size 8 women’s. (I am female.) They are hard to get on and off but they are very cool.
I live in australia and ordered mine online from the u.s. I was using them to exercise my friends dog by pulling me up and down the street. I was so excited to try them out that I didn’t figure out how to use the breaks before going up a hill. I was very lucky that I was not hurt coming down as I was going pretty fast and overtook the dog.
The point made about “If I am X in a Nike sneaker, I am X in a landroller.” Is not realistic. Various Nike models run varying degrees of small, some a half size, some as much as a whole size small. Also, they have varying degrees of width that are not consistant. Most of the blog seems to be an opinion based on no/scant experience, skating, business, or otherwise.
These comments have cracked me up. Just saying. But I wonder what would be a good pair of skates to skate with a dog if we can’t get the land rollers. Any suggestions?
I agree. I’ve wanted LandRollers before I ever saw a pair of LandRollers. I used to rollerblade as a teenager and always felt my wheels were too small and too hard. I hated the vibrations that the asphalt or concrete would put through the skates and eventually only started blading when I could get to the skating ring and then eventually stopped skating all together.
I wanted to start skating again and did some research for big wheeled skates, but when I did I couldn’t find anything. I couldn’t at the time believe no one had created big wheeled skates for the general public. (I’ve seen clowns on tall skates and such, but anyway.)
Years after looking for bigger wheeled skates, and when I wasn’t even looking for them, I saw the skates of my dreams on The Dog Whisperer.
So, now I’m doing research and I agree with the original poster/blogger.
I would gladly pay to try these skates but I can’t find them in stock on any website, anywhere! Please if you know where I can order some please let me know.
I wanted to distribute LandRollers in Czech Republic, but noone is responding from LandRollers.com…. it seems like they shutted down their business or something, because I don’t understand, why they would reply to future business oportunity.
Why can’t they be ordered anywhere? I need roller blades to run my dogs. I wanted these but now I feel confused. I need an all terrain blade (there I alot of stones where I live) and if you ever got one stuck in your wheels…it sucks. People that actually have these…do you like them? What model do you have? Wear tear? What do you use them for and how often are they actually being used? Tia!
To the people saying to just buy good inlines… You obviously have no clue why you are on this site. I have $500 hockey skates. I’m not here looking for skates. I’m here looking for skates that can handle the crappy roads around my house. My hockey skates literally vibrate my feet so bad they are numb by the time I get back. Not to mention my top speed is maybe half that as compared to smooth paths. If you just bought these skates as your first pair, no wonder they are falling apart. Blaming the manufacturer for your inability to remain standing is just silly.
Might as well update this thread, since I just ran across it while researching Landroller skates. The company appears to be officially defunct and no longer manufacturing the skates (too bad, and Cesar Milan STILL has a shot of him riding them on the show opening!) … yet I’m intrigued enough to even consider buying a gently used pair. Skates and parts are still found on ebay and elsewhere, but not in huge numbers and not cheap. Almost nothing on Amazon, including no user reviews which I often rely on for purchasing just about anything! Any further comments from anyone who has owned these would be much appreciated.
Have them, like them, but in all honesty – I have nothing to say in their favor. Boot is too high and not very comfortable, wheels/bearings are slow (slooow), no off-road advantage for the big wheels (as there are just two wheels on each side). But the impact, the attention… For those few times in the year (Halloween?) that I seek attention….
The wheel setup is so “out of line”, it is almost hilarious.
I was thinking about a pair and came here while researching. Bummer that the company seems to stop working on them. And well said post, they should have partnered with better stores to get exposure.
I have 2 brand new in the box pairs for $140 a pair plus shipping or free pickup in S FL. Sz 13 but I heard they run big? The newer MOJO model that was a redesign after they had some issues with the Terra 9. (made stronger from what I can tell) Here in FL it is flat and smooth roads so some of the issues mentioned with hills arent an issue here