Blade Recommendations

Blades

This summer I purchased new skates, Jackson Competitors, that came with a set of blades, the Ultima Aspire XP. They aren’t bad for strides and simply half revolution waltz jumps or footwork turns. However, I have realized that they are heavy suckers and it’s very hard for me to get spins out or certain turns like I did with my Riedell Emeralds, which has a stainless-steel Luna blades. I believe it’s because the Luna Blades have a 7’ rocker, while the Aspire XP Blades have an 8’ rocker, though if I am wrong please correct me.

So, I was thinking about getting new blades for the Competitors because the Luna blades are about .50 too big for them and the Aspire XP blades just do not feel right, which this after about 30-odd hours on them and they feel extremely comfortable to maneuver in stiffness-wise. I do feel extremely nervous on them when I try to do small things to a simply waltz jumps, which makes me worry for when I can afford to get a coach and learn higher level jumps or ask a girl from my local rink to teach me a simple single revolution jump. Therefore, I was wondering if it would be more beneficial for me to get new blades, and if so what are some good recommendations, or if I should try to stick it out with the Aspire XP? My local rink friend recommends switching out for a new pair because my movements have been more "choppy-mechanically" in her opinion. However, the pair she suggested don't have the type of toepick I would prefer for my blades, which are the cross-cut; she suggested John Wilson Four Aces, which as a straight cut toepick and I feel that they are high grade blades that I am not ready for quite yet.

If it is recommended to get new blades I have been looking at the John Wilson Coronation Ace and the John Wilson Coronation Ace revolution. I don’t know if there is a big difference between the regular blades vs. revolution blades; I will admit I do like the look of the revolution blades, but it they are not recommended for me due to skill set then I will avoid them.

sidenote: If you're going to say something negative, please don't. I'm not looking to be harangued and told off, just looking for other opinions and explanations for things

I have discovered that for me, 8 foot rocker blades are a nightmare. I just switched back to 7 foot rockers, having gotten Eclipse Aurora blades. I believe that people with high arches (who put more pressure further up on the ball of the foot and toes), probably do better with the more curved blades, because the toe picks are higher off the ground than toe picks on the flatter 8 ft rocker blades.

Other 7 foot rocker blades at that level (single jumps and lower doubles), are Wilson Coronation Ace, MK Professional, and MK Pro Revolution (lighter version). The reasons I ended up getting the Eclipse Aurora over the C. Ace and MK Pro (have had both and liked both), were that 1. the Eclipse Aurora blades are made of 440c stainless steel, which means less sharpening (which means blades last longer, time and money saved to get sharpening, less chance for a bad sharpening to ruin the blades); and 2. Eclipse blades are more economically priced and I had spent all my money on full custom boots.

I started from the outset in Coronation Aces and never had any issues. The toe pick does take some getting used to.

However I would add that the problems with your turns and spins are more likely to do with technique, due to your lack of a coach, than they are to your blades, which are suitable for your level.

The coronation ace is a good blade choice that should last for a while, and it does have a 7 foot rocker. The problem might also be that the boots are way stiffer also, that's affecting your ankle bend - that is more likely what's making your skating choppy, not the blades. The good thing is that problem will go away with time as you break the boots in. It shouldn't matter at your level if the toe picks are cross cut or straight cut, or if you get revolution or regular. I would probably go with regular just for the lower price.

ALSO I agree nobody wants to be attacked - but some people say 'negative' things, with the intention of giving you a realistic and not sugar coated answer to your questions.

Coronation Ace or MK pro are both good blades and would last you a long time. As for the revolution- if you really want to try them I say go ahead. They are the same level as the standard blades, just lighter.

Again, I don't think people are trying to be deliberately negative. There have just been a lot of people in the last year who come here asking if they can start at 16+ and make it to the Olympics (which I know is not the case with you). Realistic isn't mean, it's just reality. That said, good luck!