Can I fit Jackson size 5 with 9.25 blades?

[skaterviolet]

I have the Jackson Premiere 2800 in size 5W, and used to have 9 inch mk professionals, however due to a sharpening accident I have to get new blades. I have a pair of 9.25 (mk professional) blades from my old boots, wondering if I can use them.

Thanks in advance!

 

[tstop4me]

I have the Jackson Premiere 2800 in size 5W, and used to have 9 inch mk professionals, however due to a sharpening accident I have to get new blades. I have a pair of 9.25 (mk professional) blades from my old boots, wondering if I can use them.

Thanks in advance!

If you have the new Jackson Premiere boots in hand, measure the distance along the central longitudinal axis of the outsole/heel from the front tip of the sole to the rear tip of the heel; check each boot separately. If the distance falls within 9.25 to 9.50 (9-1/4 to 9-1/2) inches, you're OK. [ETA: Corrected previous numbers.]

 

[Diana Delafield]

I have the Jackson Premiere 2800 in size 5W, and used to have 9 inch mk professionals, however due to a sharpening accident I have to get new blades. I have a pair of 9.25 (mk professional) blades from my old boots, wondering if I can use them.

Thanks in advance!

If you follow @tstop4me 's advice, you can use them, but not for as long as a blade would normally last.

When I lived for a few years in a Montreal suburb, I skated in an old barn of a place so cold ice formed on the inside of the walls in midwinter. I had to wear thick cable-knit sweater tights under the Jacksons I used at that time. I also had MK Pro blades, don't remember what size.

Then we moved back to the Vancouver area. Milder climate, heated rink, thinner skating tights. I celebrated by buying new Jackson boots a half-size smaller, and had my almost-new blades attached to them. The tip of the front plate stuck out a tiny bit beyond the toe of the boot. Didn't affect my skating, but in spite of meticulous drying after each session, I still managed to get rust creeping from the plate tip in under the toe of the boots and the skate tech said that plate was going to loosen and could be a danger. So as soon as I could afford to, I bought new blades the next size shorter. The longer ones worked fine, but their lifespan was shorter.

 

[tstop4me]

I celebrated by buying new Jackson boots a half-size smaller, and had my almost-new blades attached to them. The tip of the front plate stuck out a tiny bit beyond the toe of the boot. Didn't affect my skating, but in spite of meticulous drying after each session, I still managed to get rust creeping from the plate tip in under the toe of the boots and the skate tech said that plate was going to loosen and could be a danger. So as soon as I could afford to, I bought new blades the next size shorter. The longer ones worked fine, but their lifespan was shorter.

My guess (strictly a guess based on the info I have) is that the issue with rust that you experienced would be a lot less likely today. The Jackson boots that you wore probably had leather soles: water seeping under the sole plate of the blade would likely permeate the leather some and linger (even if some wax were applied to the leather). The soles on the OP's boots, however, are fabricated from waterproof synthetic material. The items most susceptible to rust are the crappy mounting screws supplied by many blade manufacturers or techs. Often when I demount blades for friends, the exposed screw heads are OK since they are wiped and allowed to dry, but the buried screw bodies are heavily rusted (sometimes the screws are so far deteriorated that they snap when I try to unscrew them). The easy solution is to use stainless-steel screws that won't rust under normal skating environments (I'm excluding instances of aberrant skaters who expose their skates to salt water or salt-laden air).

 

[Diana Delafield]

If you follow @tstop4me 's advice, you can use them, but not for as long as a blade would normally last.

When I lived for a few years in a Montreal suburb, I skated in an old barn of a place so cold ice formed on the inside of the walls in midwinter. I had to wear thick cable-knit sweater tights under the Jacksons I used at that time. I also had MK Pro blades, don't remember what size.

Then we moved back to the Vancouver area. Milder climate, heated rink, thinner skating tights. I celebrated by buying new Jackson boots a half-size smaller, and had my almost-new blades attached to them. The tip of the front plate stuck out a tiny bit beyond the toe of the boot. Didn't affect my skating, but in spite of meticulous drying after each session, I still managed to get rust creeping from the plate tip in under the toe of the boots and the skate tech said that plate was going to loosen and could be a danger. So as soon as I could afford to, I bought new blades the next size shorter. The longer ones worked fine, but their lifespan was shorter.

My guess (strictly a guess based on the info I have) is that the issue with rust that you experienced would be a lot less likely today. The Jackson boots that you wore probably had leather soles: water seeping under the sole plate of the blade would likely permeate the leather some and linger (even if some wax were applied to the leather). The soles on the OP's boots, however, are fabricated from waterproof synthetic material. The items most susceptible to rust are the crappy mounting screws supplied by many blade manufacturers or techs. Often when I demount blades for friends, the exposed screw heads are OK since they are wiped and allowed to dry, but the buried screw bodies are heavily rusted (sometimes the screws are so far deteriorated that they snap when I try to unscrew them). The easy solution is to use stainless-steel screws that won't rust under normal skating environments (I'm excluding instances of aberrant skaters who expose their skates to salt water or salt-laden air).

Good to know, considering how fussy I was taught to be about drying skates after every use. Although I think he said it was the screws and/or the plate itself that were in danger of snapping off with hidden rust, as you say. So I guess the OP wouldn't have shorter blade lifespan to worry about, then.

 

[skaterviolet]

If you have the new Jackson Premiere boots in hand, measure the distance along the central longitudinal axis of the outsole/heel from the front tip of the sole to the rear tip of the heel; check each boot separately. If the distance falls within 9.25 to 9.50 (9-1/4 to 9-1/2) inches, you're OK. [ETA: Corrected previous numbers.]

Thanks, they are just about it 9.25 long, so fingers crossed that they’d fit!

Looking at the 9 inch mk pros now, it doesn’t look like there is much space on the heel

 

[tstop4me]

Thanks, they are just about it 9.25 long, so fingers crossed that they’d fit!

Looking at the 9 inch mk pros now, it doesn’t look like there is much space on the heel

If the 9.25 Pros are still in good shape, it's worth a shot, given how expensive blades have become. Just make sure to tell the tech you want an initial temp mount (2 screws in the elongated slots in the sole plate and 2 screws in the elongated slots in the heel plate) to try out.

If they are slightly too long, it would be better to have the sole plate of the blade jut out a bit past the front tip of the outsole of the boot, rather than have the heel plate of the blade jut out a bit past the rear tip of the heel of the boot (less likely to snag an edge of a plate in the ice during a fall).

The advantage of a shorter blade is that you have greater margin in moving the blade around to adjust the position of the sweet spot and to compensate for pronation/supination. But since you already know how your previous shorter blades felt and handled, you should be able to quickly determine whether the longer blades will work for you. Good Luck!

 

[tstop4me]

I have the Jackson Premiere 2800 in size 5W, and used to have 9 inch mk professionals, however due to a sharpening accident I have to get new blades.

Just curious. If the sharpener screwed up the blades, did they offer some compensation?

 

[Query]

What type of "sharpening accident"? In many cases, a good skate tech (and you might ask around to see if good skaters prefer a different skate tech) can reshape a blade whose profile has changed only a little. Of course some "accidents" aren't fixable.

BTW, if your blades are offset to one side (to help you balance and/or compensate for pronation or supination) it might get more complicated, if the mounting plate no longer fits on the skate while offset. You might have to move it back to the center, where it is longest. Perhaps you can instead compensate for balance and pronation or supination by altering the insole shape.

It is conceivable you won't like the feel of the altered blade length. But you may have to try it to find out.

 

[tstop4me]

BTW, if your blades are offset to one side (to help you balance and/or compensate for pronation or supination) it might get more complicated, if the mounting plate no longer fits on the skate while offset. You might have to move it back to the center, where it is longest.

In this regard, Jackson boots with rounded toeboxes have an advantage over boots with pointed toeboxes. If you need to offset the blade, less of the front tip region of the sole plate of the blade will jut past the front tip region of the outsole of the boot.

 

[skaterviolet]

What type of "sharpening accident"? In many cases, a good skate tech (and you might ask around to see if good skaters prefer a different skate tech) can reshape a blade whose profile has changed only a little. Of course some "accidents" aren't fixable.

BTW, if your blades are offset to one side (to help you balance and/or compensate for pronation or supination) it might get more complicated, if the mounting plate no longer fits on the skate while offset. You might have to move it back to the center, where it is longest. Perhaps you can instead compensate for balance and pronation or supination by altering the insole shape.

It is conceivable you won't like the feel of the altered blade length. But you may have to try it to find out.

My blade profile is less of a problem, but they basically took the drag pick off one of the blades.

This is a sharpener I’ve used since I started skating, I’ve never had any issues with them, and they have good reviews from most people. Both me and my coach were surprised that they destroyed my blades.

They offered a voucher that would…buy me one blade lol…

 

[Query]

>They offered a voucher that would…buy me one blade lol…

AFAIK, there is no way to buy one new figure skating blade.
I hope they offered you a voucher to buy you one blade pair.

In which case he is doing the "right thing" by you. It costs a lot to buy you new blades. If I were you, I would take advantage of the offer. In the mean time, using the prior blades sounds reasonable. In addition to tstop4me's suggestion that stainless steel screws be used (which is a good idea for skates, that some of us use anyway), you could seal the area around the mounting plate with something like silicone gasket sealer, or even silicone caulk. I think that is a good idea anyway, so the sole doesn't rot. Perhaps tstop4me has better suggestions for sealants that would help.

Did you watch the skate tech sharpen? Sometimes techs train new people who work in their shop, and the new techs make mistakes. One of the reasons it is worthwhile to watch them sharpen. Of course some shops won't let you do that, for a number of reasons.

If it was the original guy who has given you good results in the past, let's hope he isn't losing his coordination as he ages.

Unfortunately, the high speed at which most powered sharpening machines function, makes it possible to make drastic mistakes. You need very good coordination to do a good consistent job on them.

Hand sharpening equipment works more slowly. But for the most part, it would be hard for a pro shop to make a profit at the speeds that hand sharpening equipment functions. Plus, the only good quality hand sharpening equipment I personally know of for figure skates (which I use on mine) is no longer being made.

 

[tstop4me]

In addition to tstop4me's suggestion that stainless steel screws be used (which is a good idea for skates, that some of us use anyway), you could seal the area around the mounting plate with something like silicone gasket sealer, or even silicone caulk. I think that is a good idea anyway, so the sole doesn't rot. Perhaps tstop4me has better suggestions for sealants that would help.

Such sealants have value for leather soles. But as I mentioned previously, the OP's boots have waterproof synthetic soles. If stainless-steel screws are installed and if the chrome plating of the blades is not defective, then such sealants would add little value.

 

[Query]

Synthetics can't rot too?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Synthetics can't rot too?

They can't biological rot. Hydrolysis or small bits over time can.

 

[tstop4me]

Synthetics can't rot too?

You could have also asked, "Stainless steel can't rot too?" [ETA: Also note that I didn't say merely "synthetic material", but "waterproof synthetic material".]

I'll rephrase the question. It's a question of the rate of degradation of a material under a given set of environmental conditions (operational and storage) and operational conditions. That is, whether or not the material will degrade sufficiently to substantially negatively impact the intended function (and, in some instances, appearance) of an object (of which the material is a component) over the target service life of the object.

 

[Query]

Plastic shower curtains can degrade through mold and mildew. So do plastic musical instrument pads (though most people prefer leather pads, which degrade that way too). I assumed synthetic boot soles can too. Also, I'm not sure how much structural strength is lost through mold and mildew - which is what matters. Though mold and mildew can create an odor, which might bother the o.p.

BTW, I had a minor flood destroyed 440C stainless steel skate blades, eating away parts of the edge away over the course of maybe half a day. But that's an extreme case - the water seeped in from outside, so it may have contained significant amounts of corrosive substances, like acids and/or electrolytes. One would hope indoor ice rinks use water without such issues. And even if they didn't, the edge and chrome relief zone might corrode faster than the mounting plate.

Anyway, this is drifting off-topic. It seems to me that the cost of trying the old blades on the o.p.'s current skates is pretty low. And if the skate tech is indeed willing to pay for new blades, the old blades wouldn't need to be used very long. Those are the major issues here. For all we know, the o.p. might discover slightly longer blades happen to work better for her. In her place, I would find the experiment interesting. I once tried blades that were 1/4" - 1/2" too short, that I could get for free. Didn't work out for me - the back corner of the blades dragged on the ice - but I learned that from the experiment.

 

[tstop4me]

Plastic shower curtains can degrade through mold and mildew. So do plastic musical instrument pads (though most people prefer leather pads, which degrade that way too). I assumed synthetic boot soles can too. Also, I'm not sure how much structural strength is lost through mold and mildew - which is what matters. Though mold and mildew can create an odor, which might bother the o.p.

BTW, I had a minor flood destroyed 440C stainless steel skate blades, eating away parts of the edge away over the course of maybe half a day. But that's an extreme case - the water seeped in from outside, so it may have contained significant amounts of corrosive substances, like acids and/or electrolytes. One would hope indoor ice rinks use water without such issues. And even if they didn't, the edge and chrome relief zone might corrode faster than the mounting plate.

Anyway, this is drifting off-topic. It seems to me that the cost of trying the old blades on the o.p.'s current skates is pretty low. And if the skate tech is indeed willing to pay for new blades, the old blades wouldn't need to be used very long. Those are the major issues here. For all we know, the o.p. might discover slightly longer blades happen to work better for her. In her place, I would find the experiment interesting. I once tried blades that were 1/4" - 1/2" too short, that I could get for free. Didn't work out for me - the back corner of the blades dragged on the ice - but I learned that from the experiment.

If you're asking whether micro-organisms can degrade synthetic plastics, the answer is yes. See, e.g., https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10386651/. And in case you're wondering whether micro-organisms can degrade stainless steel, the answer is yes. See, e.g., https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9597249/. But I don't believe discussions of the mechanisms of degradation serve much value here. As I pointed out above, the $60K question is how much degradation over a specified period of time.

So to recap issues pertinent to the OP: Would it be worthwhile to swap out the supplied el-cheapo screws and use stainless-steel screws? IMO, yes. Would it be worthwhile to apply silicone (or other) sealant between the mounting plates of her specific blades and the outsoles and the heels of her specific boots. IMO, no. As for her primary question concerning blade length, I've already advised her it's worthwhile to try, and to proceed with a temp mount.