- Joined
- Mar 1, 2014
I have Paramounts, and yes they are noisy. I believe this is due to them being the 440 stainless steel version. They also make a 420 stainless steel and carbon steel models though, and I would imagine that at least the latter should sound more like a traditional blade. I'm not completely sure though, because another fundamental difference between them and traditional blades is the aluminum body - steel will flex a bit and spring back to it's original position unless bent hard enough to warp, but aluminum is very rigid and will not bend unless it is in a permanent sort of way (you would not want that!). That subtle difference in flexibility might also be the cause of more noise on the Paramounts.
I got my Paramounts back when the company was new and nobody else had any yet. At that time they only had one profile and didn't advertise that it was a mimic of Pattern 99's. I got them because I got a great deal offer on them after my previous skates with Gold Seals were stolen. I wasn't interested in them, but the price was right and I decided to give them a fair shot since I had speculated that they would be awful. I don't think they're awful, but neither do I plan on sticking with them.
The stainless steel is nice in that it stays sharp FOREVER, and you don't have to worry about possibility of rust, but I didn't think that periodic sharpenings were ever a big deal. What's really strange is that, perhaps because of the material, or again perhaps because of the lack of flex, they feel way sharper than the same sharpening on traditional blades. I used to like 3/8" or 5/16" ROH sharpenings on my Gold Seals (and before that Gold Stars) to get plenty of bite, but on the Paramounts I have only a standard 7/16" and it still feels too sharp even though it has been years since my last sharpening! I cannot do one-foot stops anymore - not for lack of skill but because when I do the blade skips and jumps across the ice unpleasantly rather than allowing a smooth stop. I suspect the problem would go away if I reduced the ROH to 1/2" or bigger. I also find the appearance of them frankly ugly. Not as bad as Matrix blades or the new Revolution blades, but ugly nonetheless. I really prefer the appearance of traditional blades - chromed single-piece steel - but especially gold plated ones.:
If I had to get new Paramounts, I would try carbon steel versions with a Gold Seal profile to see what I thought. However at this point I'm eager to go back to Gold Seals - I know it's a blade that works wonderfully for me (I definitely liked moving to it from Gold Stars), I don't mind the extra weight (actually I think it's beneficial for strength development), and I prefer the appearance.
Paramount has this nice image comparing 3 common profiles (which they offer on their blades in any of the materials listed above):
http://paramountskates.com/Curves1.jpg
i think revolution blades are absolutely gorgeous, but you are entitled to your opinions.
the shape of the paramount (no idea which one- sorry) drives me insane- i despise it. also i don't even care where the sound comes from; i just know that it's there and that i never want to try them.
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