Freestyle vs. Dance Blades

Dance blades are usually shorter blades; they don't come out as far at the heel / back of the blade. If you are strictly doing freestyle I would stick with a freestyle blade.

Since you say you are unsure of what type of blade you're looking at, isn't there anyone that can assist you with this at your rink? Your coach?
If your rink has a shop start there. Most rinks have basic, starter skates. Sometimes coaches know of someone selling a set of skates and you can get a good deal buying used.

Other then that you'd need to go online. And from the uncertainly of your questions I don't think I'd recommend this route. Let's see what others have to say!

Do you have a coach? There are skates that come with freestyle blades for lower level skaters and there are skates that you buy boots and blades separately. Boots fit differently and have different stiffness so you need to consult someone who knows this in person, usually starting with a coach. If you are totally doing this on your own, look at the different manufacturers online, they usually have guides. If you are an adult though, they might not be a perfect match - most adults seem to like stiffer boots because they weigh more than the typical competitive skater.

When choosing blades, beginners who move from the skates that include blades to buying them individually, tend to get lower level blades from Jackson, Riedell, Wilson, etc. They are about 200ish dollars. I would not get dance blades if skating freeskate. Freeskate tend to have larger toe picks for toe jumps. Are you sure you think dance blades are cheaper? The lowest price for those is about 280 up to over $500. Do you mean synchro blades? Ultima synchro blades are on sale for $50 right now from about 120.

I agree with loopy. Something is amiss. Dance blades are specialized blades, and the entry price point is higher than the entry price point for freestyle blades. It would help a lot if you would give us an idea of what your total budget (boot+blade) is. Low-end pre-packaged outfits (boots sold with blades pre-mounted) generally are outfitted with a general-purpose "recreational" blade or a low-end freestyle blade. I've never come across a pre-packaged outfit specifically outfitted with a dance blade. If you're specialized in dance, you would buy separate dance boots and dance blades.

ElseSmithe said:

...appear to be dance blades (I'm not positive; it's unspecified)....

Click to expand...

I agree with the others, you're probably looking at either the Ultima Finesse (dance/synchro) or the Vision Synchro (also marketed for entry level dance). Both are shorter blades, and the Vision Synchro is at a very interesting price point. Sounds like you are a beginner? If so, I would avoid these. The reduced length affects your stability while skating backwards and on jump landings. As for the Vision Synchro I actually have these blades; they have a reduced drag pick that is supposed to help synchro and dance skaters have cleaner foot work. I can tell you that reduced drag pick also affects jump take-offs and landings; you need to have good technique already in place to successfully use these blades. I do think it's better to learn on a standard like the MK Professional/Wilson CorAce or one of the equivalents from Ultima, Eclipse etc.....

The Wilson Excel and the Ultima Mark IV (which seem to come in premounted boot/blade sets) are also fine blades for entry level skating. Have you looked at Kinzies Closet? They're an online store based in GA somewhere, and have great resources about the different boots and blades that are currently on the market. You can also get a feel for how much things cost. You really should be doing this in consultation with your coach and a local skate tech though.

Good luck!