Would love your opinions on this: I'm an adult skater, working on single rotation jumps (have loop and flip pretty much down); medium height and slim build. Have had Riedell Motions for the last 2.5 years but the blades are toast. Our skating director is recommending Edeas (Overture) and my fitter thinks Harlicks would be the way to go, but I am concerned about heaviness and break-in time. Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Obviously I will try both during my appointment, but in the meantime, have at it!
Need new skates and blades--Edea or Harlick
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If your fitter is saying Harlicks I'd go with those. I would go with the opinion of an experienced fitter any day over that of a skating director.
The harlicks shouldn't be any heavier than your riedells.
Good luck with whatever you choose!
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With my coach, he doesn't recommend any particular boot brand, as long as it fits your foot properly. But he has very specific blades he prefers his students to use, depending on their skating level. The reason is that certain rocker radius and profile make it easier for learning clean turns, and others make it more stable for double/triple jumps. I suggest you consult your coach as to his/her blade recommendations.
(Just curious, why is the skating director, of all people, involved in your boot purchase decision?)
(Just curious, why is the skating director, of all people, involved in your boot purchase decision?)
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I've been wearing Harlicks for 20+ years. Got a new custom pair last year. I can tell you that the new boots are much lighter then the Harlicks of yore. Most of the coaches at my rink wear Harlicks or SPTeri.
One switched to Edeas but said she wouldn't buy them again.
You're going to have to try on examples of both brands and decide what you like. Edeas are pretty but I'll stick with Harlick - and my skate technician is not a fan of Edeas either.
For the comments about "why is a skating director involved": our skating director is a former competitive skater so I don't think it's fair to discount their opinion or input.
One switched to Edeas but said she wouldn't buy them again.
You're going to have to try on examples of both brands and decide what you like. Edeas are pretty but I'll stick with Harlick - and my skate technician is not a fan of Edeas either.
For the comments about "why is a skating director involved": our skating director is a former competitive skater so I don't think it's fair to discount their opinion or input.
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I agree with everything you said there, except for discounting the skating director, my reasoning for saying that I would "trust my skate fitter/pro over the skating director" is simply because the skate fitter knows your personal foot shape and needs over the skate director. Most skate directors are former competitive figure skaters I mean, one of the current rinks I am out of has a skate director that was a multiple national champion. It wasn't discounting the skate director whatsoever.
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Absolutely Ic3Rabbit!
And I didn't mean to imply that you or any other commenter was discounting the skating director.
Ultimately, the original poster is going to have to make and live with their decision, a pricey one either way.
Yes, sorry, I don't mean to minimize the knowledge of a skating director. It's perfectly OK to get someone's opinion on something he/she may have expert knowledge on, be it that they are a skating director or a regular coach or parent or anyone else. All I'm saying is, the professional role of a skating director may be many things, but not including being involved in boot decisions. Rather, such involvement is the role of the fitter and the skater's coach.
ETA: My impression from the OP's post is that the skating director is having an outsized influence on the decision process, without explanation what else other than his/her position as skating director qualifies to give boot advice. But I could be reading too much into it and may have misunderstood the OP's meaning, so my apologies if I did.
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Curious why your skate tech doesn't like Edeas.... is it because they break down faster?
Most coaches, as sandraskates says, are in Harlicks because you can customize them to be ultra comfortable for standing for long hours on the ice, with a perfect fit, and they last a long time and are made with great materials. If you go for all these customizations, though, they can be expensive compared to other boots for your level. You can also order them now with lightweight materials.
Personally I skate in Edeas despite their drawbacks - which are: you cannot customize them at all besides a small amount from heat molding, so you have to get lucky if your feet fit them. The sole of the boot, being relatively thin and stiff with the carbon sole, can be very uncomfortable for your feet, but I think the thinness gives me a really direct 'feel' for the blade, and I think my connection to the ice is improved. I really like how much room I have in the ankle to bend. They also do not last a long time.
You will have to decide based on fit, and also based on what characteristics you value in a boot.
Personally I skate in Edeas despite their drawbacks - which are: you cannot customize them at all besides a small amount from heat molding, so you have to get lucky if your feet fit them. The sole of the boot, being relatively thin and stiff with the carbon sole, can be very uncomfortable for your feet, but I think the thinness gives me a really direct 'feel' for the blade, and I think my connection to the ice is improved. I really like how much room I have in the ankle to bend. They also do not last a long time.
You will have to decide based on fit, and also based on what characteristics you value in a boot.
I ended up going with the Edea Overtures since they felt great (especially the ankle bend) and chose the MK Professional blades. The fitter was really helpful and I look forward to getting on the ice with the new skates. Thanks for the advice everyone--it was super helpful.
