Blade Size Change

Hello All,

My little skater's new Jackson Debuts are in at the fitter. We're going down today to actually try them on. Fitter says they'll accommodate either an 8 1/2 or 8 3/4. She's currently on the same blade (Eclipse Mist, CA/MK Pro almost clones) in an 8 1/4. Any opinion on which of those sizes to use? I'll ask the fitter when we get up there, but wanted to ask for experiences with blade size changes. Any advantage to the bigger size over the smaller one, or is it better to go in a smaller increment when changing sizes.

How old is your skater?

I'd say take the 8 3/4, because if she is still growing, then the 8 3/4 blades can be used for these skates and probably the next pair after that.

While it will be an adjustment now, if she can use those blades for longer, it will save money on equipment and make for an easier adjustment later.

Hey there,

She's 9. I already have both sizes, I bought them for cheap and was assuming we'd just cycle through the 8 1/2, then the 8 3/4, but her boots went from a 2 to a 3 1/2. More a matter of whether there's any advantage to the bigger one now. I may end up with one blade we can't use (though the next boot up the line is the Elite which may still take the 8 3/4 for the next size, if she's still in Jacksons, and if she doesn't grow too fast). No big deal, they were well worth the $89 I paid to get her transitioned to an intermediate blade for not so much $$$. For what it's worth, Jackson recommends the 8 3/4, but the math barely works leaving not much gap.

Assuming the only difference between the two blades is the size and both lengths fit the skate, go with the bigger blades and move on.

I would recommend that the skate fitter tell you if the larger size will fit on the boot or not.
The heal plate should be fully on the heal when mounted (ie. it is not hanging 'off' the heal).
If both fit the boots, go with the larger size -that being said, keep in mind on what she is working on as a smaller blade might work better. And talk to the coach as well.

My skater went down 1/4 size due to how the heel was trimmed but we had been thinking about it and it ended up being a better option as they can get to the pick sooner.

Fitter says both will fit. We'll see when we get there what the mounting will look like. I think it's a good time for more drastic changes than not. She's just started working on her Axel, and she's taking her Preliminary MITF test on Wed. (in her old skates). So maybe a good transition to what she'll be in longer term. Still waiting on those coaches...

Go with the best fit, if you go big, they won't fit the next size skate - the only kids who can use the same blades on the next pair are kids who are done growing or skaters who break down a pair of boots in 6-8 months.

We chose the 8 1/2's. The 8 3/4's would have been end to end, not ideal. The Debut boots are nice. Had them heat molded tonight and she'll get to try them on the ice tomorrow with the pre-mount. She says they are very light and feel about right. A punch here or there should do the trick.

Just wanted to round this topic out for anyone interested.

My 9 year old just moved from the Jackson Elle to the brand new Jackson Debut Fusion Standard.

For skater context, she takes an edges class, an Axel class, a stroking class and a power class, along with a freestyle 5/6 class, and three private lessons a week. She also practices about 6 hours a week.

The boots were ordered and arrived in about a week and a half to the fitter. We went on Friday for the initial fitting and heat molding. She said they feel much more padded than her previous Elle's. After the initial fitting the blades (Eclipse Mist, an MK Pro and CA near clone) were temp. mounted and she got on the ice in them after her Saturday group classes. Initial on ice adjustments were made to the blade by the fitter and she took off. We went to a rare for her Sunday freestyle session where she tied and untied and retied to figure out what worked. There was no pain or discomfort, so far she says no punching or additional adjustments are needed.

She had her first lesson with her moves coach in them today and went through her Preliminary MITF elements and her coach said she did really well in them, well enough to give the thumbs up to wearing them on Wednesday for her test. She has her first lesson with her jumping coach tomorrow. All her jumps and spins were done as well (or ill) as they were in her Elle's. I guess it comes down to Jackson's fit her feet just about perfectly. This is her fourth pair (Glacier-Artiste-Elle-Debut) and she's had almost no adjustment or break in issues in any of them.

As far as the boots themselves, they are noticeably stiffer than her Elle's and have much more padding, especially in the tongue. The sole is a nylon material that in the stock gray is actually better looking than in the photos. They also can be made with black or brown Fusion soles, or Jackson's LCL and LCF soles for an additional $85 and a 6-8 week wait. She wanted the black or LCF, but curled toes couldn't wait. The upper is a microfiber material that is supposed to resist cuts. They do feel lighter than her Elle's, but not much. The crystals are a nice little bit of bling, not over the top, just a little dazzle. There is another model, the Debut Fusion Firm which increases the stiffness from 40 to 50. The Debut Fusion also comes in a low cut model (we considered these, but I didn't want to risk too drastic a change).

We expect these to get her through her Axel and maybe first doubles. Her fitter and coaches do not believe in the standard X stiffness for Y skills, but take weight and size into consideration, so far they haven't been wrong with my teeny skater. All in all I think this was a great choice for her, and is a fabulous looking boot. Anyone looking for a boot only option should take a look, if Jackson's fit you that is. It was nice to be able to move her to an intermediate blade on her Elle's and then right into the same blade on a boot only skate, I think it was helpful to not have to adjust to both a new boot and blade at the same time.

Update to the update:

She had her first lesson in them with her jump/spin coach. All went well, like she never switched. Not even any futzing with the laces today. All in all a pretty smooth transition that will hopefully last her awhile. I guess we'll be part of the "Jackson Family" for awhile.

was nice to be able to move her to an intermediate blade on her Elle's and then right into the same blade on a boot only skate, I think it was helpful to not have to adjust to both a new boot and blade at the same time.

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I agree 100%. My new blades were put on my old boots during the time my new boots were being re-made, so I got a bit used to them before they went on new boots. Half the job of getting used to a new pair of skates is already done. It is good that your daughter was able to do it in spite of growing feet.