Should I get the Jackson Mystique or Artiste

[illogicalskittle]

Hey guys! New to the forum here!

I'm having a bit of trouble deciding between the Mystiques or the Artistes. I'm 19 years old, 1.6m (5 "3) and 57kg (125 lbs). I've been skating since Nov 2017 on HEAD recreational skates since.

A bit of background:
As far as skill level goes, I don't have a coach and I don't plan on getting one until I'm a full working adult (which is probably in a year or two). So I've just been learning from my figure skating friends and I'm working on edges and just started on 3-turns now. My current skates have broken down and don't have enough support for my ankle (I sprained one of my ankles in rugby so I've been a lot more careful with it since) and it's been hindering my progress for turns since the blade has a practically non-existent rocker and my edge work has taken it's toll as well.

I skate once a week and I have no intention of going pro or learning anything more than a waltz jump (old lady knees and ankles).

I know a lot of people online say that it's best to go to a proshop but that's pretty impossible where I live. The closest I have to a proshop doesn't even allow people to try on the skates so that kinda sucks really badly. Most if not all the skaters I've talked to (even the hockey ones) either ordered them online or travelled to another country to buy them and the latter really isn't an option for me. D:

So after constant measuring and remeasuring, I've gotten a good idea of my sizing to get my skates online. The price difference between the Mystiques and the Artistes is around 50 dollars and to my reasearch, they both have the same Mark IV blades as well.

I was originally intending to get the Mystiques since I thought it was more suited towards my level of skating but the Artistes' higher stiffness rating means that my skates will take longer to break down, considering I won't do anything more than footwork for now and I do tend to be a bit heavy with my movements. I don't mind having to pay a little extra now than to get new skates within 6 months.

Skating is pretty expensive and I have to finance this new hobby of mine on my own. So any advice would be helpful!

 

[Mussique]

Hi!
Out of the two of them grab the Mystiques. But with your age and characteristics I'd probably try to grab a better boot, maybe the Elle (?) or even more stiff (I don't follow Jackson that much).
First of all, both Mystiques and Artistes will break down eventually even if you're doing only waltz jumps, so in the end it's going to be more expensive. A slightly stiffer boot will still break down, but much much later. They will also have more support.
Second of all I find myself in your position. When I first set a foot in the ice (less than a year ago) I loved it, and bought my own recreational skates a few weeks later. I was like "there's no way I'm ever trying to jump past a waltz jump", and "my goal is to have fun, do some spirals and hops and maybe a two foot spin and that's it".
But then I signed up for some group classes and BUM my "final goals" out of skating were set in a week. Of course it wasn't the prettiest waltz jump ever but 1) seems like it didn't hurt my ankles/knees as much as I feared (not more than jumping a half rotation off ice, which is nothing, and my ankle is actually better protected in the skates) 2) I really wanted new goals...
Maybe you won't sign up for regular classes in a while, (I didn't either, this was a special summer adult Learn-to-skate course) but if I were you I'd still prefer to make a good investment now.
I'm not saying "get a boot for triples", but Mystique and Artiste are usually "girl beginners" boots, so even if you're not pushing towards jumps maybe you should look into other options. After all, even if a slower pace, you also break down boots with steps and spins. Having better boots will end up being cheaper if you keep up with your hobby.
Good luck!

 

[illogicalskittle]

Hi!
Out of the two of them grab the Mystiques. But with your age and characteristics I'd probably try to grab a better boot, maybe the Elle (?) or even more stiff (I don't follow Jackson that much).
First of all, both Mystiques and Artistes will break down eventually even if you're doing only waltz jumps, so in the end it's going to be more expensive. A slightly stiffer boot will still break down, but much much later. They will also have more support.
Second of all I find myself in your position. When I first set a foot in the ice (less than a year ago) I loved it, and bought my own recreational skates a few weeks later. I was like "there's no way I'm ever trying to jump past a waltz jump", and "my goal is to have fun, do some spirals and hops and maybe a two foot spin and that's it".
But then I signed up for some group classes and BUM my "final goals" out of skating were set in a week. Of course it wasn't the prettiest waltz jump ever but 1) seems like it didn't hurt my ankles/knees as much as I feared (not more than jumping a half rotation off ice, which is nothing, and my ankle is actually better protected in the skates) 2) I really wanted new goals...
Maybe you won't sign up for regular classes in a while, (I didn't either, this was a special summer adult Learn-to-skate course) but if I were you I'd still prefer to make a good investment now.
I'm not saying "get a boot for triples", but Mystique and Artiste are usually "girl beginners" boots, so even if you're not pushing towards jumps maybe you should look into other options. After all, even if a slower pace, you also break down boots with steps and spins. Having better boots will end up being cheaper if you keep up with your hobby.
Good luck!

I was considering stiffer boots but given my financial situation right now, I can't really afford anything more than $200 which is why I've got my eye on the Jacksons or the Riedell Emerald.

Plus I learn things at a reallllyyyy slow pace since I do learn from the regular pro skaters so I don't think I'll be attempting any jumps or spins for quite a while or until I get into lessons since I really wanna focus on the basics and footwork and having a bit of fun (I honestly think footwork is the coolest thing in the sport and people overlook it for spins and jumps but have you seen amazing footwork?????).

Though, more often than not I just find myself going around the rink, looking out for my reckless friends and trying not to cringe at the kid who made a Salchow into a toe jump instead of an edge jump. Don't ask me how. It would be too presumptuous of me to say anything to him.

Really, anything better than my recreational skates at this point would be good and would probably last me a year given my current pace. Not to say I won't ever upgrade, though. I do hope my next upgrade after this would be to Edeas when I get some $$$$ and go overseas to actually fit them.

Thank you for your advice! Do you recommend other skates then? I'm all ears!

 

[Ange]

Hey guys! New to the forum here!

I'm having a bit of trouble deciding between the Mystiques or the Artistes. I'm 19 years old, 1.6m (5 "3) and 57kg (125 lbs). I've been skating since Nov 2017 on HEAD recreational skates since.

A bit of background:
As far as skill level goes, I don't have a coach and I don't plan on getting one until I'm a full working adult (which is probably in a year or two). So I've just been learning from my figure skating friends and I'm working on edges and just started on 3-turns now. My current skates have broken down and don't have enough support for my ankle (I sprained one of my ankles in rugby so I've been a lot more careful with it since) and it's been hindering my progress for turns since the blade has a practically non-existent rocker and my edge work has taken it's toll as well.

I skate once a week and I have no intention of going pro or learning anything more than a waltz jump (old lady knees and ankles).

I know a lot of people online say that it's best to go to a proshop but that's pretty impossible where I live. The closest I have to a proshop doesn't even allow people to try on the skates so that kinda sucks really badly. Most if not all the skaters I've talked to (even the hockey ones) either ordered them online or travelled to another country to buy them and the latter really isn't an option for me. D:

So after constant measuring and remeasuring, I've gotten a good idea of my sizing to get my skates online. The price difference between the Mystiques and the Artistes is around 50 dollars and to my reasearch, they both have the same Mark IV blades as well.

I was originally intending to get the Mystiques since I thought it was more suited towards my level of skating but the Artistes' higher stiffness rating means that my skates will take longer to break down, considering I won't do anything more than footwork for now and I do tend to be a bit heavy with my movements. I don't mind having to pay a little extra now than to get new skates within 6 months.

Skating is pretty expensive and I have to finance this new hobby of mine on my own. So any advice would be helpful!

I started skating in December, so I don’t consider myself to be highly knowledgeable in any sense, but I thought I’d share my experience because it could be helpful. From my experience, stiffer is better. Especially if you have an injury and need the support. My Mystiques only lasted me about 2 months, then it was time to upgrade. The support in them hasn’t actually broken down in that time, it’s just the fact that I need more support. Now that I’ve progressed even further, my ankles wobble too much when I’m doing bunny hops or waltz jumps in the Mystiques. So for an adult, the Mystiques would most likely be fine up until bunny hops if that’s all your budget allows, but given your injury you may be more comfortable in a stiffer boot. I hope this helps

 

[Girlbird]

Plus I learn things at a reallllyyyy slow pace since I do learn from the regular pro skaters so I don't think I'll be attempting any jumps or spins for quite a while or until I get into lessons since I really wanna focus on the basics and footwork and having a bit of fun (I honestly think footwork is the coolest thing in the sport and people overlook it for spins and jumps but have you seen amazing footwork?????).

*pssst* you might really like learning ice dance, check it out if you can. It's all footwork. One of my group lesson coaches is a pro ice dancer and I *swoon* when I watch him do something as simple as lovely forward stroking or forward inside edges or a simple three turn */psst*

 

[illogicalskittle]

*pssst* you might really like learning ice dance, check it out if you can. It's all footwork. One of my group lesson coaches is a pro ice dancer and I *swoon* when I watch him do something as simple as lovely forward stroking or forward inside edges or a simple three turn */psst*

I knowwwww man I love ice dancing too!! Sad part is that most of the coaches in my country are singles coaches with questionable credentials and teaching methods (the pro skaters words not mine) and there's maybe one or two ice dance coaches and they're retired if I'm not wrong :')

I do swoon at one of the coaches who has amazing speed and he just /zooms/ across the rink weaving in and out of people during public sessions doing steps along the way. And he looks so damn graceful I just die a bit inside. He went to the smaller rink I frequent last week and everyone in the public session literally stopped and stared for 5 seconds it was hilarious [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[khi]

*pssst* you might really like learning ice dance, check it out if you can. It's all footwork. One of my group lesson coaches is a pro ice dancer and I *swoon* when I watch him do something as simple as lovely forward stroking or forward inside edges or a simple three turn */psst*

Oh man yes I absolutely adore watching excellent footwork and edgework! I kind of want to have amazing dance-esque edges but also learn to jump and spin well... maybe with enough time I can do it all??

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Oh man yes I absolutely adore watching excellent footwork and edgework! I kind of want to have amazing dance-esque edges but also learn to jump and spin well... maybe with enough time I can do it all??

It is possible but it takes alot of work and many hours on the ice concentrating on specifics. I wish you much luck!

 

[Ducky]

Oh man yes I absolutely adore watching excellent footwork and edgework! I kind of want to have amazing dance-esque edges but also learn to jump and spin well... maybe with enough time I can do it all??

My coach had just sent out an email (which I'm excerpting without permission because I'm naughty) discussing why it would be good to have some basics in both disciplines:"There are many reasons and benefits to learning in both dance and freestyle disciplines. The precision of edges and control brought by ice dance will help with control/understanding in jumps and spins and overall choreography, and daring to hurl yourself into the air or spin until you don't get dizzy anymore will help with confidence, energy, and expression required for ice dance."

 

[tstop4me]

Hey guys! New to the forum here!
I'm having a bit of trouble deciding between the Mystiques or the Artistes. I'm 19 years old, 1.6m (5 "3) and 57kg (125 lbs).

If you go with Jacksons, you should save up for at least the Elle, or preferably the Freestyle. My skate tech is competent, and prefers the Jackson line of boots. For adults who are starting figure skating, he automatically recommends the Freestyle. People have not found them too stiff. The only adults he sells lower models to are generally those who just skate occasionally round and round the rink, don't intend on doing anything more advanced, but want their own skates instead of rentals.

There are major advantages of Elle and Freestyle over lower models such as Mystique and Artiste: (1) They are heat moldable, and (2) The latest versions are built on the Elite last (meaning that stock boots automatically come in split width, with the heel one width narrower than the toe; for most people, this allows a snug heel (essential for skating) without toe cramping ... if you're unusual with a narrow toe and wide heel, then this is not the right last for you, however).