Boot advice?

[jf12]

I know someone who sells gently used blades and would probably let me borrow some to try. However the only thing stopping me would be having too many holes in my boots.

 

[tstop4me]

I know someone who sells gently used blades and would probably let me borrow some to try. However the only thing stopping me would be having too many holes in my boots.

I fill up holes permanently with wooden dowel rod and steel-filled epoxy. Works great on leather soles and heels. The patch is more robust than the original leather. You can fill and re-drill if needed over and over.

 

[vlaurend]

I'm trying to understand your experiences. Wilson and MK are the entrenched market stalwarts. In order to get their foot in the door, some more recent blade manufacturers have a money-back trial period: if you don't like the blades, you can return them within the trial period (fine print applies). But are you saying that if I can't decide between a Coronation Ace or a Coronation Comet or a Gold Seal or a Pattern 99, there are shops that will order them in my size, let me skate on them, and then let me pick the one I like best (or none of the above)? Or is this a privilege reserved for national and international champions whose endorsements are sought after?

I don't think this is something MK and Wilson allow you to do, only some of the newcomers. By newcomers, I mean companies like Ultima, Paramount, etc.

 

[concorde]

My daughter has an appointment to get some new boots and blades in a couple of weeks so I will ask the pro about it then. I know he is a big volume seller so I am interested in his response.

Her coach has specified certain blades so it will not affect us but I am still curious.

 

[icejo]

@ OP: I skated in RF4s + Coronation Aces as a teenager and then switched straight onto RF2 Supers + MK Phantoms (regular) in my early 20s, shortly after I got my Axel and started working on doubles, since I happened to be due for new skates at that time anyway. IMO it's worth investing in a better blade if you're aiming at Axel and above. The Aces were great for me, even just after I reached the Axel milestone, but they are a lot chunkier than the Phantoms and the toepicks aren't that big. I felt an instant improvement in my overall speed, spin speed, flow across the ice and jump height from the very first session that I was on the Phantoms. Looking back, I couldn't be more pleased with my decision to up-blade at that point in time. I also agree with the advice to invest in boots which are stiff enough for the moves you're planning to do...trust me, I learned this the hard way, spraining my ankle by stupidly working on double Sals in my RF4s which were already starting to break down!! :disagree:

 

[Shausi]

@ OP: I skated in RF4s + Coronation Aces as a teenager and then switched straight onto RF2 Supers + MK Phantoms (regular) in my early 20s, shortly after I got my Axel and started working on doubles, since I happened to be due for new skates at that time anyway. IMO it's worth investing in a better blade if you're aiming at Axel and above. The Aces were great for me, even just after I reached the Axel milestone, but they are a lot chunkier than the Phantoms and the toepicks aren't that big. I felt an instant improvement in my overall speed, spin speed, flow across the ice and jump height from the very first session that I was on the Phantoms. Looking back, I couldn't be more pleased with my decision to up-blade at that point in time. I also agree with the advice to invest in boots which are stiff enough for the moves you're planning to do...trust me, I learned this the hard way, spraining my ankle by stupidly working on double Sals in my RF4s which were already starting to break down!! :disagree:

Hey! Thanks for your reply, I'm actually considering a higher level blade, in the hopes that I will be able to use it for longer. I was a little worried that I would be overbooting with what I mentioned above bc I haven't actually done my doubles but yeah I definitely need to go with something stiffer now, especially as since my skating days I had a big growth spurt so I'm much taller and heavier than I was then