Which blade would be right for me?

[tinna]

First, I am sorry if these questions come up a lot, but there are a lot of very very knowledgeable people on this forum. And I would like your opinion on my next set of blades.
I am an adult skater with an axel and working on doubles. My coach thinks I can get all the doubles up to a double flip eventually. I am not very good at centering spins but am getting there and starting to do combination spins. I am not good at footwork at all.
I am at the moment on Coronation Ace Lite and these blades have now been ruined by a bad sharpening. I have previously tried Gold Seal because I got a second hand deal of a near new pair, but it wasn't for me. My difficulties in spin entry were a lot worse. But my edges and footwork was better. So I went back to Coronation Ace.
I am thinking I might go with Phantom - mostly because I read that the spin rocker is sort of like that of the CA, but with a bigger toe pick. I would ideally like something to help me get more height and grip. But I am also considering MK Professional as it is supposed to help with spins, and the MK Gold Star. I think I should stay on the 7' rocker for easier centering of spins.
What do you guys think? And yes I have found a new skate tech who is trying to salvage my CAs that were sharpened like they were hockey skates with rounded tails now...

Edit: I am in Edea Chorus boots which work very well for me as a small and lightweight adult.

 

[tstop4me]

I am at the moment on Coronation Ace Lite and these blades have now been ruined by a bad sharpening. I have previously tried Gold Seal because I got a second hand deal of a near new pair, but it wasn't for me. My difficulties in spin entry were a lot worse. But my edges and footwork was better. So I went back to Coronation Ace.

Before you totally write off the Gold Seal ... It takes only one bad sharpening to totally mess up a blade. Since you bought the blades used, they could have been messed up, even though they were "near new".

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Gold Star, though I agree you should try a brand new pair of Gold Seals before you write them off.

 

[tinna]

@Ic3Rabbit @tstop4me Thank you so much for your input. I was hoping one of you would answer! I am thinking the Gold Seals were maybe too advanced for me at that time... maybe that is why it did't work. Would Gold Star be essentially the same with the 7 ft rocket for easier centering of spins? Sorry if I am not getting this right.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

@Ic3Rabbit @tstop4me Thank you so much for your input. I was hoping one of you would answer! I am thinking the Gold Seals were maybe too advanced for me at that time... maybe that is why it did't work. Would Gold Star be essentially the same with the 7 ft rocket for easier centering of spins? Sorry if I am not getting this right.

Kind of. Gold Seal is special in it's own right because it has a higher heel stanchion than the other blades, which may have also been something that caused you an issue back when you weren't advanced enough for the blade. The other difference would be that Gold Star has 7ft rocker, Gold Seal has 8ft. Just don't go with Phantom or Pattern 99 that's the big thing, you will not like the toepicks.

 

[tinna]

Kind of. Gold Seal is special in it's own right because it has a higher heel stanchion than the other blades, which may have also been something that caused you an issue back when you weren't advanced enough for the blade. The other difference would be that Gold Star has 7ft rocker, Gold Seal has 8ft. Just don't go with Phantom or Pattern 99 that's the big thing, you will not like the toepicks.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[WednesdayMarch]

If it's any help, I've had both Phantom (loved 'em) and Gold Star and for you I'd recommend the Gold Star. Whilst I agree that you shouldn't really write off Gold Seal if you haven't tried a brand new pair (there may have been issues with the second-hand blades), I would also argue that there's probably no point in shelling out all that cash for something your brain is already wary about when Gold Star are actually probably going to suit you better as you're quite happy on the 7ft rocker. I love mine.

 

[tinna]

I am re-reading the answers here and trying to decide. Would anybody have any input on if the MK Pro would be good for me? It is supposed to have a different spin rocker than the Coronation Ace. Would a switch between the two intermediate blades make sense?

 

[WednesdayMarch]

I am re-reading the answers here and trying to decide. Would anybody have any input on if the MK Pro would be good for me? It is supposed to have a different spin rocker than the Coronation Ace. Would a switch between the two intermediate blades make sense?

I would say that if you found that your edges and footwork were better with the Gold Seal, although you didn't like the spin entries, then there's probably little point in just swapping to MK Professional. Go with Gold Star, as there you get the taper/side honing that makes all the difference for edges and turns. I'd be reluctant to go back to a parallel blade now.

 

[bostonskaterguy86]

I would say that if you found that your edges and footwork were better with the Gold Seal, although you didn't like the spin entries, then there's probably little point in just swapping to MK Professional. Go with Gold Star, as there you get the taper/side honing that makes all the difference for edges and turns. I'd be reluctant to go back to a parallel blade now.

This is a great point! Plus, another thing to consider is that if you think you'd like to go to an advanced blade in the future, switching to another intermediate blade now would mean going through the process of adjusting to new blades twice.

 

[tinna]

Thank you all for your advise. All very valid points! I will make a decision soon and update the thread incase anybody else is looking for this kind of information. Thanks again.

 

[tinna]

Hi again, I am updating this thread in case anybody stumbles upon this question and wants to know how it turned out. (When I was googling new blades, I found personal experiences the most useful.)
So thanks to WednesdayMarch, Tstop4me and I3cRabbit I actually - against my own opinion - went for JW Gold Seal. Also, my coach recommended it, as everybody at the rink skates in John Wilson blades. I cannot thank you enough for the advise because OMG it is a wonderful blade.
There was no transition time, none, coming from CA. Spins immediately had more revolutions and felt faster. There was an "oomph" on edge jumps that I cannot really describe and footwork felt just really good.
I guess the first time I tried it, I wasn't ready for it, or it was because it was a used pair, but this time around I can really appreciate the deep edges and the lean I can get on it. I was so nervous that I would not be able to center my spins on the 8' rocker and found that it does not really make a difference for me. What does however is that I can hold the entry edge better and get on that spin rocker well.
So highly recommended for anybody googling new blades who is in my situation - adult, working on doubles and wanting something "more" than Coronation Ace.

 

[tstop4me]

Hi again, I am updating this thread in case anybody stumbles upon this question and wants to know how it turned out. (When I was googling new blades, I found personal experiences the most useful.)
So thanks to WednesdayMarch, Tstop4me and I3eRabbit I actually - against my own opinion - went for JW Gold Seal. Also, my coach recommended it, as everybody at the rink skates in John Wilson blades. I cannot thank you enough for the advise because OMG it is a wonderful blade.
There was no transition time, none, coming from CA. Spins immediately had more revolutions and felt faster. There was an "oomph" on edge jumps that I cannot really describe and footwork felt just really good.
I guess the first time I tried it, I wasn't ready for it, or it was because it was a used pair, but this time around I can really appreciate the deep edges and the lean I can get on it. I was so nervous that I would not be able to center my spins on the 8' rocker and found that it does not really make a difference for me. What does however is that I can hold the entry edge better and get on that spin rocker well.
So highly recommended for anybody googling new blades who is in my situation - adult, working on doubles and wanting something "more" than Coronation Ace.

Thanks for the update. What a great way for you to start the New Year!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi again, I am updating this thread in case anybody stumbles upon this question and wants to know how it turned out. (When I was googling new blades, I found personal experiences the most useful.)
So thanks to WednesdayMarch, Tstop4me and I3cRabbit I actually - against my own opinion - went for JW Gold Seal. Also, my coach recommended it, as everybody at the rink skates in John Wilson blades. I cannot thank you enough for the advise because OMG it is a wonderful blade.
There was no transition time, none, coming from CA. Spins immediately had more revolutions and felt faster. There was an "oomph" on edge jumps that I cannot really describe and footwork felt just really good.
I guess the first time I tried it, I wasn't ready for it, or it was because it was a used pair, but this time around I can really appreciate the deep edges and the lean I can get on it. I was so nervous that I would not be able to center my spins on the 8' rocker and found that it does not really make a difference for me. What does however is that I can hold the entry edge better and get on that spin rocker well.
So highly recommended for anybody googling new blades who is in my situation - adult, working on doubles and wanting something "more" than Coronation Ace.

Thanks for the update and I am glad you went with them and are beyond happy! That makes me happy!