Hello! I'm a 5'3, 125 lb, 18-year-old who has passed Juvenile MitF (Bronze ig, still feels weird to call it that), and I am working on my axel, double loop, and double sal. I have been skating in my Jackson Premieres for around 10 months, and they're already dead. (For context, my last skates, Jackson Debuts, lasted for around 14 months.) The sides have almost no support (they're super thin and came like that) and have begun bending on the outer side a considerable amount. Additionally, the tongue isn't as supportive anymore. A problem I have had with the Debuts and Premieres is that the laces tend to slip down a lot and not stay tied at the top, creating a crease in the tongue lower than I would like.
Does anyone have any recommendations for boots to look at? The fitter in my area sometimes gives questionable advice, so I would like additional input. I would like to stay in Jacksons, as they are all I have ever worn, and they fit my feet well. I feel like the Debuts may have lasted longer due to the thicker material making up the sides of the skates where the laces hook, so I would like to avoid a boot with the thin siding. My coach has also recommended I go up in stiffness but doesn't know enough about Jacksons to recommend a model (my rink is a very Edea heavy place).
Thanks so much!
* Since no one else has responded, I'll give you some background info, and bump it.
* First, please confirm whether you a a male or female skater. Jackson has different options for men's vs women's boots. Besides the usual difference in color, they also have different levels of stiffness. There are also more options for women than men.
* Above the Premiere, you have a choice between the Synergy series and the Supreme series. A major difference is that the Synergy series is fabricated from all synthetic materials; whereas, the Supreme series is fabricated with traditional leather for the outer layer of the uppers. The Supreme series has a thermoplastic interface layer for heat molding, memory foam padding, and microfiber lining. I'm a male skater who has the Supreme 5362; I have no experience with the Synergy series. I grew up with leather boots, so I'm biased towards leather. Since you've been skating with recent Debut and Premiere (fabricated from synthetics, but different from the Synergy synthetic), you probably don't have that bias. The Synergy series is a lighter weight series than the Supreme series, but I don't know what the weight difference is.
* You mentioned that you've had problems with the tongue and with laces slipping down. The good news is that both the Synergy series and the Supreme series have the 6K tongue, which is unlike any of the other Jackson tongues. It is fabricated from compressed felt; no sponge foam lining. The outer surface of the tongue (against which the laces are positioned) is configured with a series of ridges along the length of the tongue, following the eyelets and hooks. The laces seat themselves in the valleys between the ridges and don't slip. Works fairly well, as long as you're careful to make sure the laces are seated in the valleys and not across the ridges (just use your fingertip to nudge the laces into position as you lace up) .
The tongue is durable. Caveat: It is hard to break-in. I hated it at first, but have come to really like it. I have a previous post on how to deal with the 6K tongue (extended break-in, different laces, and different lacing pattern).
* Another major difference between the Synergy series and the Supreme series
used to be the outsole. The Synergy series has the PBX outsole, fabricated from some type of plastic (Jackson doesn't specify). The Supreme series originally had the LCF (leather carbon fiber composite) outsole. I have it on my pair; great material to work with (I mount my own blades, so you might not care.). But sometime last year (I think), Jackson switched the Supreme line over to the PBX outsole as well. I don't have any experience with the PBX outsole. You should ask your tech and other skaters whether there have been any issues with the PBX outsole. If you go with the Supremes, you could also have your tech check with Jackson whether a LCF outsole option is still available.
* For better guidance on which model to go with, I'll bump this over to
@Ic3Rabbit.
