Looking for wheel advice?

[JL22]

Hello all, I’m new here and looking for some advice/thoughts. Recently getting back into skating after about 15 years. I’m looking to replace my wheels and indecisive on which set as to choose. My current wheels are Sure Grip Power Plus in red/95A. They’ve been a good wheel but I’ve always wanted just a little more grip. I’m looking the Anabolix Reign wheels in orange/93A or the Sure Grip Shaman in red/95A or green/93A.

At 40 years old, I’m not jumping and doing 540’s these days. I skate with a little go fast and mild dancing all on an indoor cement hockey floor. If it matters, I weigh 170 pounds. Skates are Riedell 395 boot with LaBeda Proline plate.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.

[Reserector]

First, welcome to the site!
Sounds like you have a good setup. But as you probably already know, wheels are very subjective. I love Cosmic Superflys, but you might hate them. I knew a lot of derby girls who loved Poisons for the grip, even though they tire you out. Some are swayed by color choices or name.

That said, the wheels you mentioned have all been touted as very good wheels by skaters that I've known and skated with, but I have not personally tried any of those.
Floor type , finish and cleanliness have allot to do with how well wheels perform at the rink, so there's that variable as well.

For your weight, (not that you're heavy at all) you will benefit from a firm hub, but alloy is by no means a must. Hub flex, durometer, urethane thickness, width and diameter all play a role in traction vs. roll.
In the end, there is nothing like skating on them to see what you think. But how do you do that without buying them all?
Here's one way:
If you are lucky, you will meet someone with a set of wheels you would like to try, who is willing to trade out for a dozen laps or so. When you're done, you trade back. I've done that many times. Good way to meet people. You'd be surprised how many of the seasoned skaters are willing to swap out just to try something different.

[JL22]

Thanks for the insight. Luckily, these days I can afford more than when I was young. I guess at this point I’ll just buy 2-3 different sets and try them. If I don’t like them perhaps someone else will..

[Reserector]

Hey, if your budget allows, that's what you do.
I've always seen skates and skate parts resell for good money on eBay, so there's always that. Sell the ones you hate and buy more. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a collection myself. Some I don't ever use, but they are nostalgic.