Most popular boots/blades | Page 4 | Golden Skate

Most popular boots/blades

Query

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 28, 2015
I think it mostly depends on what your pro shop chooses to carry. One skate tech, who is very good at his job, told me he likes Jackson boots and (Jackson Ultima) blades partly because they give him a better profit margin. :)

What the famous people use is not a very good guideline to athletic gear - they often get them free or discounted if they think to ask (so do some influential coaches), or may even be paid to wear what they wear. MK/Wilson are particularly well known for giving away blades to extremely good skaters.

On boots, I would personally look for nice snug overall fit, to YOUR feet, and the stiffness you think you need, not what works for someone else. Likewise, blades that work well for someone else, with their particular degree of flexibility and other anatomical variables, might not work for you.

Consult with your coach, or a really good fitter, if you have one. If not, you may want to stay fairly close to your current blades, unless you feel that you want it to be easier or harder to reach your toe pick, or to have the "sweet spot" where "rocker" (long-wise curvature) changes to be further or less far forwards - I like my sweet spot two or three mm or so ahead of the ball of my feet.

If you are a beginner, you almost certainly won't do well in the same boots and blades the experts use. They would be too stiff, and you would keep tripping over your toe picks.
 

Babbette1

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 25, 2014
Thank you vlaurend! That's what I was thinking. I've heard that some skaters (high-end) only get their blades sharpened twice per year. I think I heard that Mishin prefers this with his skates so they don't look for excuses. Tries to get them to learn to skate on anything. I wonder how much of this "holds an edge longer" is a simple marketing ploy--your claims to scientific proof countering the stainless steel claim are more than relevant! So much of skating is "in [our] head."

Here's a story from my skate tech about sharpening: http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2012/07/sharpening-blades.html
 

alexeifan

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 5, 2010
Would there be a big difference between phanthoms to gold stars or gold seals? I have some issues with hitting the toe pick all the time on power pulls etc. w/ the phanthoms, so was wondering if switching to a smaller toe pick would help. However, I don't want it to affect my jumps or spins.
 

CdnSk8Fan

Rinkside
Joined
May 21, 2018
gold stars have 7' rocker
gold seals have 8' rocker

so if you don't want spins affected, stick with the same rocker as what you are using already.

And on the front of stainless steel runners.. they do last a lot longer between sharpenings than carbon steel.
With my skater we can go 50 to 60+ hrs (5 - 6 weeks at approx 18 hrs/week on ice) with stainless steel runners whereas years ago we were running every 3 - 4 weeks after 20 hrs (if that) for a sharpening with carbon steel blades.
 

CdnSk8Fan

Rinkside
Joined
May 21, 2018
One skate tech, who is very good at his job, told me he likes Jackson boots and (Jackson Ultima) blades partly because they give him a better profit margin. :)

YUP.. agreed, some will sell based on profit margin and sell old models as well vs current models
 

Query

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 28, 2015
YUP.. agreed, some will sell based on profit margin and sell old models as well vs current models

Just to be clear - that doesn't always mean they are selling poor skates and blades.

For example, despite the higher profit margins, Jackson Ultima blades are often said to be more consistent in shape than MK and Wilson blades, and have fewer defects (like warps) sufficient to justify returning the blades, which are also good reasons for a skate tech to like them. Profit margin doesn't determine quality, or appropriateness to your feet and body, in either direction.

Blades have evolved very slowly, and it isn't clear to everyone that the newer ones are better.

Boots have evolved a little more quickly, but there are still plenty of people happy with the older models. And, despite the higher profit margins, competitive level Jackson boots have wonderfully plush interior padding, and tend to work well for people with somewhat wider toes than heels. Different brands of boot work well with different foot shapes, to a large extent. The unfortunate fact of life is that it is very hard to tell whether a boot can be made to fit you snugly all over until you try it on - a major problem if they don't have your size in stock. Even with custom boots, some brands work better with some foot shapes than others.

You should care a lot more about whether a particular pair of boots fit your feet well than whether it is this year's model, or whether it is a particular brand.

For some types of clothing, fashion rules change quickly (though some of us don't care), and last year's models may not be acceptable to some, but I really don't think that's true of boots and blades. Is it true for skating dresses and other incidental clothing? I have no idea.
 
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tstop4me

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 2, 2015
Country
United-States
gold stars have 7' rocker
gold seals have 8' rocker

so if you don't want spins affected, stick with the same rocker as what you are using already.

It's not that straightforward. Spinning is substantially more affected by the drag pick and the spin rocker (behind the drag pick and in front of the main rocker) than by the main rocker itself.
 

vlaurend

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
I was told at the Edea booth during Nationals that Max Aaron is on a 3 year old skate and Gracie Gold a 2 year skate.

If that's true, then those were probably boots they had sitting around for the past few years,then started using more recently. I have personally heard Gracie telling another skater that she goes through 4 pairs of boots per year. That is pretty normal for a skater who skates as much as she does and does as many triples as she does.
 
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vlaurend

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Would there be a big difference between phanthoms to gold stars or gold seals? I have some issues with hitting the toe pick all the time on power pulls etc. w/ the phanthoms, so was wondering if switching to a smaller toe pick would help. However, I don't want it to affect my jumps or spins.

A little late chiming in on this, but the rocker profiles of the Gold Star (7' radius) and Gold Seal (8' radius) are the same, so your jumps and spins would feel the same on either of those. With either of those blades, you may need to spin a little farther forward on the blade and point your toes a little more on jump takeoffs and landings than you do on the Phantoms, since they are both a little rounder behind the toepick than the Phantoms. The only difference between the Gold Star and Gold Seal is that the Gold Seal is flatter from the middle of the blade to the back of the blade (that's where you feel that flatter 8' radius). When I went from Gold Star to Gold Seal, the only thing that felt different was skating backward. On back crossovers, I had to train myself to let my weight go farther back on the blade.
 
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Joined
Oct 1, 2016
It all comes down to what level you are right now. Popular blades at my rink are definitely Coronation Ace and MK professional blades. Many skaters at my rink are booted in EDEA , SP Teri and Jackson. John Wilson and MK pro are roughly the same price and it depends on the style of blade ( ice dance , freestyle ) . I didn't even know harlick skates until a few months ago......popular blades are Pattern 99 and the revolution version , Jackson Ultima Matrix , Coronation Ace and MK double stars.
 

bookworm94

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
This is an interesting thread. Since no skater has the same anatomy, jumping technique and personal preference, it's obvious that different brands and models are favoured by each of them. Personally, I skated in Risport for as long as I can remember. I jumped triples in the Risport RF3 and people who know this would freak out, because it is a rather soft boot. As for blades I used Pattern 99 and I have always been content with this combination :)
 
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