Do the heels of Risport and Jackson boots really differ this much in height?
And is this true for old and new Jackson models alike, or did they change the heel height when they revamped their product line? And where do Edeas fit in there?
(I'm asking because I'm looking for a new pair of boots and thinking of sticking with Jacksons for several reasons, but a lower heel sounds really appealing too... *sigh)
I'm astonished this would have such an effect, how much of a difference is there, I would guess no more than 1 cm?
Then again, I once tried orthopedic insoles (moulded on my skating boots) and I didn't like skating in them at all, because I didn't feel 'as connected' to the blades. They were approx. 0.5 cm thicker in the heel area than the original insoles. Tried them twice, ditched them each time after a few minutes. Although I wouldn't say that I was skating more on my toe-picks, I just felt less in control of my blades.
Incidentally, I also skated a few times without any insoles at all (first time was totally unintentional, because for some reason I forgot to put them back in after having taken them out for drying and I legit did not figure out why everything felt so different, until I took my boots off after 1.5 hours ). And I have to say, I've never felt this much 'over my blades' and in the right spot as I did on those occasions. Which is insane, because the original Jackson insoles aren't exactly that thick. Utimately I couldn't continue doing that because the lack of an insole resulted in too loose fitting boots and my feet would start hurting from the lack of any arch support at all and the hard inside base of the boots, but it sure was an interesting experiment.
Anyways, back to the topic and to the OP: different boots and blades might help, but until you can get your hands on them, maybe try experimenting a bit with your insoles too? Won't be a longterm solution, but it might be interesting or give you some new insights.
A small height difference in the heel makes a huge difference in how they feel. Because I'm a nerd for this stuff, plus I've tried a lot of skates, I was able to compare a Jackson, Edea, and Risport of the same size. The Jackson heel was BY FAR the highest, it is higher than Edea. The Risport was the lowest of the three. However, it should be noted, that the Edea and Risport have a shorter sole length for the same size, so the pitch is more forward. So the Edea might feel very much like the Jackson even though the heel is actually lower. My daughter wears Riedell, and the heel height is about the same as the Risport, without the forward pitch.