Eclipse blades review

Hi everyone!
I'm a faithful reader and I'd like to thank you all for the things I learnt about our sport on this forum. I really need your help.
I'll go straight to the point by asking if someone could tell me something about the eclipse blades.
The thing is, I fell in love with these blades, I don't know why. I'm currently on Edea Charme blades which I don't particularly like. Plus a coach suggested me to buy new and possibly better blades. I'm interested in purchasing the Astra or the Cosmos blades which are suitable for my skill level. But there is a problem. No one at my rink has them, except from a high level skater who I met once and who wore Eclipse Pinnacle blades. He just told me he was more than satisfied of those blades and that they were the best option for me.
I'd really like to have more information about these blades before buying them.
Any positive or negative feedback would be great.
Thanks

thesoundofice said:

Hi everyone!
I'm a faithful reader and I'd like to thank you all for the things I learnt about our sport on this forum. I really need your help.
I'll go straight to the point by asking if someone could tell me something about the eclipse blades.
The thing is, I fell in love with these blades, I don't know why. I'm currently on Edea Charme blades which I don't particularly like. Plus a coach suggested me to buy new and possibly better blades. I'm interested in purchasing the Astra or the Cosmos blades which are suitable for my skill level. But there is a problem. No one at my rink has them, except from a high level skater who I met once and who wore Eclipse Pinnacle blades. He just told me he was more than satisfied of those blades and that they were the best option for me.
I'd really like to have more information about these blades before buying them.
Any positive or negative feedback would be great.
Thanks

Click to expand...

What would you like to know? I could help.

Well, I'd like to know more about their durability(frequency of sharpening, rust resistance), manoeuvrability on ice. If possible a comparison between eclipse Aura & cosmos and other brands which are more familiar to me. Although my experience and knowledge has its limits. At my rink one mostly sees mk ( mk flight, mk 21, mk professional) Wilson (mainly coronation ace or pattern 99) ultima ( particularly mirage and matrix legacy). I bought the Edea blades because they were cheap and I thought they were more than enough since I don't compete and skating has become a leisure activity. I don't know how could I land an axel with these blades but I did it.
Anyway I'm not particularly interested in landing jumps. I enjoy footwork and spins. This is what led me to considerate the eclipse. Particularly the fact that both Aura and cosmos have a 7ft rocker and a cross cut pick(cosmos).

I can talk to you about Eclipse 7 and 8. I can also talk about any of the MK or John Wilson blades.

When it was time for my skater to move up in to intermediate blades from the stock Mirages on her Jackson Elle's I found an exceptional price on the Eclipse Mist (alleged clone of the Wilson Coronation Ace). I bought 3 pair in 3 sizes for about the same price for 1 pair of the Wilson's. We went through 2 of the three pairs. They are a reasonable quality blade, did have some rust issues even though we dried them and left them out of the bag. As far as sharpening they were decent, held the edge for about 30 hours. All in all they did the job we were looking for them to do. She got used to the intermediate profile, and it didn't cost an arm and a leg when she outgrew the boots and blades.

However, we have now moved on to authentic Wilson CA's on her most recent boots (I still have the 3rd size I bought unsharpened/unmounted in the closet) and they have been better in every way. They have had no rust issues, hold an edge for much longer and her spins, jumps and edges are much better. I can't explain why, the Eclipse blades were supposed to be the same pattern (according to the mfg.) and a good quality steel. She's now a Wilson girl for life and, unfortunately for my checkbook, the next blades are either Pattern 99 or Gold Seal.

The one thing about Eclipse blades is that you can try them for 60 days and return them no questions asked for a full refund. You can only do that once, so our fitter advised us to save that for the Pinnacle level blade, but as I said Wilson for life, so we have no need of that offer.

I realized I forgot to tell you that I'm an adult skater. So I don't need to replace the blades so often. I don't have a clue about how much they cost here in Italy. Wilson and Mk are the most expensive brand, but since Eclipse are imported I guess they wouldn't t be that cheap too. Talking about boots, Jackson skates cost an arm and a leg here if compared to Edea. I had Chorus but I'm currently in Concerto. They cost around 300 € and the "equivalent" Jackson model is much more expensive (at least 500€) .
Rust issues is something that I'd really like to avoid. So at this point I think I'd better choose the right blade set among other brands. I consider myself a skater in transion between basic and intermediate skills. Or at least this is what a coach told me. But he didn't mention any specific blade. I won't t be able to talk to him since my rink is currently closed.
Thanks for your help

I LOVE the Auroras. I switched to a JW CA.... and I mean they're definitely rounder than the Aurora ( they say they have identical profiles, but not exactly) The Aurora's spin point is even further back than the CA.

So the question of if you'll like Auroras I think depends on your spins and what you are coming from. If you're coming from a JW CA, I don't think you'd like them. If you're coming from flat beginner blades, you'll love them.

Also Eclipse has a 60 day money back guarantee, so try them! If you hate them, send them back.

thesoundofice said:

I realized I forgot to tell you that I'm an adult skater. So I don't need to replace the blades so often. I don't have a clue about how much they cost here in Italy. Wilson and Mk are the most expensive brand, but since Eclipse are imported I guess they wouldn't t be that cheap too. Talking about boots, Jackson skates cost an arm and a leg here if compared to Edea. I had Chorus but I'm currently in Concerto. They cost around 300 € and the "equivalent" Jackson model is much more expensive (at least 500€) .
Rust issues is something that I'd really like to avoid. So at this point I think I'd better choose the right blade set among other brands. I consider myself a skater in transion between basic and intermediate skills. Or at least this is what a coach told me. But he didn't mention any specific blade. I won't t be able to talk to him since my rink is currently closed.
Thanks for your help

Click to expand...

If you've landed an Axel you're more than ready for an intermediate blade. My skater went from a beginning blade to the Eclipse intermediate blade and everything was better immediately, spins, jumps and edges. Then again better still on moving to the Wilson blade. If you're in Europe, chances are you are going to pay a good amount for that imported Eclipse Cosmos blade (if you can find one) than you would for the Wilson or MK at a good local shop who will mount and sharpen it for you. There's nothing at all wrong with the Eclipse, or the Jackson Ultima blades, in fact one of our fitters prefers them for their consistency in manufacturing, but she still mounts more Wilson and MK's, and that's here in the U.S. where the others are easy to come by.

To OP:

I don’t have direct experience with either the Astra or the Cosmos, only with the Aurora [Your Post #1 mentioned Astra; but your Post #3 mentioned Aura. I assume Aura is a typo, and you meant Astra, not Aurora (there is no Eclipse Aura blade).] But here are some general comments that I hope are helpful.


(1) If you have any specific questions on Eclipse blades, email their customer service. I’ve contacted several blade companies for information, and I’ve found Eclipse to be the most responsive.

(2) The Astra is no longer listed on the Riedell North America website (https://ice.riedellskates.com/products/blades); but it is still listed on the Riedell Europe website (https://www.ice.riedellskates.eu/c/blades). According to the European website, the Astra is made from 1060 carbon steel, whereas the Cosmos is made from 1075 carbon steel. In principle, 1075 can be hardened more than 1060 and give you longer edge life. Note that the higher end Eclipse blades that are made from carbon steel (non stainless) also use 1075. Given a choice between Astra and Cosmos, I would go with Cosmos.


(3) If you specifically want an entry level blade with a 7 ft radius main rocker, Eclipse is your only option among the current major blade makers. John Wilson no longer offers entry level blades; MK and Ultima currently offer entry level blades only with 8 ft radius main rockers. Another option for you to consider are discontinued entry level blades with a 7 ft radius main rocker, such as the John Wilson Majestic or the MK Double Star. These are still available from online sellers [some have clearance prices, some have original or even marked-up prices, so be careful], and your local shop may have some old inventory (they were once popular blades). For an entry level blade, I would say choose between the Cosmos, Majestic, and Double Star based on the best price. I have direct experience with the Majestic and the previous MK Single Star (predecessor to the Double Star) and have seen the Cosmos (a friend has it). I don’t think there’s any strongly distinguishing features at this level, so go by the best price that you can get.


(4) There is no correlation between propensity for rust and quality of steel. Ease of rust depends on the specific alloy. I have expensive machine tools made from hardened high-carbon steel; I need to keep them oiled all the time, otherwise they rust easily. On the flip side, some carbon steels that are more rust resistant are relatively soft.


(5) Under your circumstances, though, you really should reconsider whether you want to buy an entry level blade or upgrade to an intermediate blade. There is no downside to an intermediate blade (no risk of overblading), other than price. However, you will likely find (not guaranteed) that an intermediate blade will have a longer lasting edge, saving you sharpening costs and giving you a longer service life before you need a replacement [besides grade of steel, edge life depends on specific mechanical and thermal processing of the steel]. There is a wide selection of intermediate blades with a 7 ft radius main rocker; e.g., Wilson Coronation Ace, MK Professional, Ultima Legacy 7, and Eclipse Aurora. I have previously posted a review of the Aurora here (https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?56506&p=1232699#post1232699) Post #4. It’s a well-made blade, fabricated from 440C stainless steel. In my opinion, superior in most respects to the Coronation Ace, except that it has a flatter spin rocker [as previously noted by Nimyue in Post #7 of this current thread]. If you need a more pronounced spin rocker (smaller radius/higher heel lift), go with the Wilson or the MK [Ultima blades also tend to have flatter spin rockers].

Your explanation couldn't have been more accurate and complete. Thanks..
I think I'll buy a good intermediate blade. I've just met the coach I mentioned in my post and asked for more specific information.He suggested mk professional. So I guess I don't t need an entry level blade.