Skate Recommendations for an Adult Beginner

[heroth]

Hello everyone! as the Title says, I've just recently (re)Discovered my love for skating (I skated a tiny bit as a kid) and I want to start practicing during the week. I have group lessons with a Coach on Saturday and while I can practice somewhat afterward, the Rink I decided to go with is somewhat far. I have a closer rink that I'm happy to practice at during the week but one of the issues with it is the rentals aren't great, So I think my best option is to bite the bullet and buy a pair of skates so I can get more practice during the week and just in general be more comfortable.

So, For some info:
Gender: Male
Age: Late Thirties.
Location: Melbourne, Australia.
Foot type: The closest approximation would be Greek but the second toe is the same length as the big toe.
Arches: Normal
Height: 186cm / 6ft 1in
Weight: 180-182kg / 176-180lbs

As for Fitters/shops, I'm open for recommendations on them as well. I've spoken around at my Rink and had a place called 'Bladeworx' mentioned, which is also were my friend got hers but also read a bad review on here... So I'd love to hear of some alternatives or at the very least have some 'information' to arm myself with when going there. Also had 'skatersedge NZ' recommended but that would require a virtual fitting and shipping... which I'd prefer to avoid if possible, preferring to try them on 'in person' but if needs must and all that.

Also the three main Rinks around me have there own shops but seem to have limited range going by there websites and I'm not sure on there fitters and how qualified they might be.

Also just a question, to the whole 'men's skates' and 'woman's skates' is it just the colour difference? I'd personally prefer black, just for colour matching but if they only have white I'd be fine with it if they have no actual differences in fitting, Or does it differ per brand? or even between different styles in the same brand?

Thanks for any all help!

 

[tstop4me]

Also just a question, to the whole 'men's skates' and 'woman's skates' is it just the colour difference? I'd personally prefer black, just for colour matching but if they only have white I'd be fine with it if they have no actual differences in fitting, Or does it differ per brand? or even between different styles in the same brand?

If (TBD) Jackson is suitable for your feet, Jackson men's and women's skates differ in more than just color. The translation in size/length is straightforward: men's size X = women's size X + 1.5 (e.g., men's size 8 = women's size 9.5). But the range of stock widths is different between men's and women's. And for the same nominal model of boot, the men's has a higher stiffness rating than the women's. I don't know about other brands.

 

[Diana Delafield]

If (TBD) Jackson is suitable for your feet, Jackson men's and women's skates differ in more than just color. The translation in size/length is straightforward: men's size X = women's size X + 1.5 (e.g., men's size 8 = women's size 9.5). But the range of stock widths is different between men's and women's. And for the same nominal model of boot, the men's has a higher stiffness rating than the women's. I don't know about other brands.

There's also often a significant price difference between men's and women's boots of the same brand and style. Looking very quickly at my own skate shop's site, the men's version in some brands can be $200+ more than the same model in white. The difference in stiffness may play a part in the higher price for black boots, but in general it's because there are fewer men skating, so there is more demand for the white boots. Only the biggest skate shops will keep the black ones in stock; they usually have to be specially ordered. It would be less expensive to buy the white boots and then buy a pair of black boot covers to wear over them, if the uniform colour scheme is that important.

Edit, with apologies for the fast answer above: I hadn't read the original post first and didn't realize we have a male skater here. Sometimes it's the same question from a female skater who just wants the all-black look. So with your stats and the probable lack of a skate shop near you with a large stock, you're going to need the strength of the black boots, and they'll have to be ordered in anyway. Just be aware that if you're looking online for information before you get fitted, if you're looking at a listing for the women's version the price will probably be higher for black ones. Now I don't remember which model of Jacksons I looked at in my own shops' stock, but the men's version was $1,080 while the same model in white for women was $820. That's Canadian dollars, which are usually close to par with Australian dollars. Good luck!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hello everyone! as the Title says, I've just recently (re)Discovered my love for skating (I skated a tiny bit as a kid) and I want to start practicing during the week. I have group lessons with a Coach on Saturday and while I can practice somewhat afterward, the Rink I decided to go with is somewhat far. I have a closer rink that I'm happy to practice at during the week but one of the issues with it is the rentals aren't great, So I think my best option is to bite the bullet and buy a pair of skates so I can get more practice during the week and just in general be more comfortable.

So, For some info:
Gender: Male
Age: Late Thirties.
Location: Melbourne, Australia.
Foot type: The closest approximation would be Greek but the second toe is the same length as the big toe.
Arches: Normal
Height: 186cm / 6ft 1in
Weight: 180-182kg / 176-180lbs

As for Fitters/shops, I'm open for recommendations on them as well. I've spoken around at my Rink and had a place called 'Bladeworx' mentioned, which is also were my friend got hers but also read a bad review on here... So I'd love to hear of some alternatives or at the very least have some 'information' to arm myself with when going there. Also had 'skatersedge NZ' recommended but that would require a virtual fitting and shipping... which I'd prefer to avoid if possible, preferring to try them on 'in person' but if needs must and all that.

Also the three main Rinks around me have there own shops but seem to have limited range going by there websites and I'm not sure on there fitters and how qualified they might be.

Also just a question, to the whole 'men's skates' and 'woman's skates' is it just the colour difference? I'd personally prefer black, just for colour matching but if they only have white I'd be fine with it if they have no actual differences in fitting, Or does it differ per brand? or even between different styles in the same brand?

Thanks for any all help!

With your stats, you are going to need a stiffer boot than your level. Also, with the description of your foot, sounds more African type than Greek to me. I'd look at Jackson and Graf. For Jackson try a Premiere 2852. For Graf: Richmond Special.

You're going to need blades to go with them. For now, you should be ok with trying Ultima blades: Either Aspire XP or Mirage.

Since you asked: There is a difference in Mens and Female skates and it's more than colour, men usually have a bit stiffer boot in the same style as women.


Good luck!

 

[heroth]

With your stats, you are going to need a stiffer boot than your level. Also, with the description of your foot, sounds more African type than Greek to me. I'd look at Jackson and Graf. For Jackson try a Premiere 2852. For Graf: Richmond Special.

You're going to need blades to go with them. For now, you should be ok with trying Ultima blades: Either Aspire XP or Mirage.

Since you asked: There is a difference in Mens and Female skates and it's more than colour, men usually have a bit stiffer boot in the same style as women.


Good luck!

Thanks for the recommendations! As to the foot, yeah I was considering African type but my smaller toes are a fair bit shorter, similar to Greek type.

As for the skates Is there a difference between Premiere 2852 and 'Jackson premiere men's fusion' I ask because it looks like the fitter I mentioned stocks the men's fusion but I couldn't find mention of 2852 so was just wondering if it's just a model number, an updated redesign or an entirely different boot.

Edit: *just* after I posted I managed to find that they are different versions, matching the pictures, it looks like the fitter stocks the 2802's...

Thanks again for the help.

 

[tstop4me]

Thanks for the recommendations! As to the foot, yeah I was considering African type but my smaller toes are a fair bit shorter, similar to Greek type.

As for the skates Is there a difference between Premiere 2852 and 'Jackson premiere men's fusion' I ask because it looks like the fitter I mentioned stocks the men's fusion but I couldn't find mention of 2852 so was just wondering if it's just a model number, an updated redesign or an entirely different boot.

Edit: *just* after I posted I managed to find that they are different versions, matching the pictures, it looks like the fitter stocks the 2802's...

Thanks again for the help.

The 2802 and 2852 Premiere both have Fusion soles. The 2802 is the recently discontinued previous model, and the 2852 is the current new model. The new women's model 2850 was released about a year ago, but the new men's model 2852 was released only about 3 months ago. Jackson has a confusing history of first launching a new women's model, then waiting 6 months+ before launching the corresponding new men's model.

The 2802 should cost substantially less than the 2852 both because its initial price was less and because it's being sold off at clearance prices. That said, there are good reasons to opt for the 2852. The uppers of the old 2802 were fabricated from synthetic microfiber. This material turned out to be not all that abrasion resistant, so Jackson then clad the front portion of the boot with Dura Guard, a clear plastic wrap (analogous to putting vinyl slipcovers over upholstered furniture). The uppers of the new 2852 are now fabricated once again from leather (no Dura Guard needed).

The Premiere also had a long history of using a bizarre 5-row hook system arranged in a zig-zag pattern. This never made any sense to me, because both lower models (such as the Debut) and higher models (such as the Supreme) used a 4-row hook system arranged in a straight-line pattern. With the 2852, Jackson has finally ditched the 5-row zig-zag hook pattern on the Premiere and reverted to the 4-row straight-line hook pattern used in the rest of their lineup.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thanks for the recommendations! As to the foot, yeah I was considering African type but my smaller toes are a fair bit shorter, similar to Greek type.

As for the skates Is there a difference between Premiere 2852 and 'Jackson premiere men's fusion' I ask because it looks like the fitter I mentioned stocks the men's fusion but I couldn't find mention of 2852 so was just wondering if it's just a model number, an updated redesign or an entirely different boot.

Edit: *just* after I posted I managed to find that they are different versions, matching the pictures, it looks like the fitter stocks the 2802's...

Thanks again for the help.

You can try the 2802's, they're just an older version of the boot. If there are any boots you are looking for you need to call ahead and see if they would order them in for you to try.

Good luck!

 

[heroth]

I went in and he happened to have some of the 2852's, which he suggested I try on.

I promptly fell in love with them and now own...

So thank you for your suggestions! They seem to be a perfect fit and I can't wait to try them tomorrow!

(Pic won't post for whatever reason, sorry!)

 

[NanaPat]

(Pic won't post for whatever reason, sorry!)

You probably need a certain number of posts or other status before you can post pictures. You can upload a picture to imgur (no sign up required) and then post a link.

 

[tstop4me]

I went in and he happened to have some of the 2852's, which he suggested I try on.

I promptly fell in love with them and now own...

So thank you for your suggestions! They seem to be a perfect fit and I can't wait to try them tomorrow!

(Pic won't post for whatever reason, sorry!)

Congratulations! Hope they work out for you. I'm surprised your shop had them in stock. I'm a male skater in the US. The shops I've gone to stock only low-end skates for men. My boots always have to be special ordered.