Thoughts on Avanta Boot Lab?

[AlySkates]

Apologies if this is too niche of a question for this forum but I'm looking to get some opinions outside my inner circle of skating friends on the people at Avanta. I'm not even asking about the quality of the boots they make, but rather assessing whether to start getting my skates sharpened with them. That being said, if you do have Avanta boots and had a particularly good or bad experience with them then that is still useful info to me

They are by far the most convenient for me based on where I live, but I've heard rumors that they will intentionally damage your skates to get you to buy new ones from them. This is very secondhand info and I have no idea if it's true, but I've been so afraid of this happening that I've been having my local pro shop do my sharpening which I know is a big no-no and all of the other reputable skate techs around here are a little too far for me to easily get to.

So if anyone here is willing to share your experience with Avanta, whether you feel they are trustworthy, etc. that would greatly help me!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Apologies if this is too niche of a question for this forum but I'm looking to get some opinions outside my inner circle of skating friends on the people at Avanta. I'm not even asking about the quality of the boots they make, but rather assessing whether to start getting my skates sharpened with them. That being said, if you do have Avanta boots and had a particularly good or bad experience with them then that is still useful info to me

They are by far the most convenient for me based on where I live, but I've heard rumors that they will intentionally damage your skates to get you to buy new ones from them. This is very secondhand info and I have no idea if it's true, but I've been so afraid of this happening that I've been having my local pro shop do my sharpening which I know is a big no-no and all of the other reputable skate techs around here are a little too far for me to easily get to.

So if anyone here is willing to share your experience with Avanta, whether you feel they are trustworthy, etc. that would greatly help me!

Hi and welcome. Travel to your closest reputable skate tech, it's worth it. And a huge no to Avanta.

 

[pearly]

Gosh... there was a controversy with them a while ago, wasn't there? Something on Instagram?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Gosh... there was a controversy with them a while ago, wasn't there? Something on Instagram?

There's a thread, search the name Avanta.

 

[KrispIce]

I'm still early in my figure skating journey.. So take what I say with a grain of salt. I'm also semi-oblivious to the drama that happened several years back as I wasn't active in the community back then—maybe unbiased would be a better word for it.

I recently went to them in March to get my first pair of Edeas. I've honestly had a really positive experience with them. I'm coming from a Pro Shop experience where they made me stand on a stick, went 'Looks like a [this size], just order it online', and I've been skating with Jackson Artistes since January. Despite starting in January, I would say I'm advancing quickly as I'm working on single rotation jumps, one-foot spins, and advanced dance elements.

I did some research and contacted several specialty shops, but Avanta was one that had strong back-and-forth communication. The other shop that had good communication was Ice Oasis in San Mateo. Ice Oasis also had a limited inventory—they only sell Jacksons and I'm still trying to find my brand of skates. ProSwizzles is currently taking a break, but I heard he is a sharpening wizard and he only sells Edeas. We might be located in the same area as Avanta is still the closest to me. So you could theoretically get new skates from Avanta and then go to a different sharpener if you're worried about the sharpening services.

When I went to Avanta, they were able to pinpoint my struggles with the skills just by looking at my skates. I found this to be a huge plus. I found them to be extremely knowledgeable, kind, and I trust their expertise. They created a mold of my feet to then take Edea stock boots and baked them that way. They said they could take my mold for all future boots/brands as well. Two of my coaches go to Avanta and I went prior to knowing that. One coach has custom Avanta boots—she says she loves them. Another one gets Jacksons from them. So even if you're not interested in Avanta customs, they do have options.

 

[thesinglelutz]

Best sharpeners in the Bay Area are going to be Warren in Novato/Santa Rosa and Aaron and George at A and G Skate Shop in South SF. They are also at Dublin Ice a few days a week. Nick runs ProSwizzles and also does a good job in SJ. Hope this helps. Definitely ask your coach though.