When to update blades | Golden Skate

When to update blades

Joined
Jul 3, 2018
Hi all! Just wondering when is a good time to upgrade my blades and maybe boots? A little about me, I’m an average height woman in my 20s and on the low end of my BMI scale, so I don’t weigh very much. I currently have the Edea Overture boots with the rotation blade that came with it. I’ve been considering switching the blade for a John Wilson Coronation Ace blade for a while. I had originally intended to get it fitted when buying the boots but the skate tech talked me out of it, suggesting it wouldn’t make a difference because they are the same blade profile. I believed him and turns our they are not. The profile on the blade I currently have is very flat and I’m struggling to stay where I need to be on my blade when spinning for more than 4-5 revolution which is a little disappointing. I’m also wondering if I should just upgrade my boot to the chorus when I upgrade the blade or just transfer the blade to the chorus once I have all my single jumps? I’m currently skating about 8 hours a week. I’ve only been skating for about 6 months due to having to take some time off and I’ve already broken down the boots quite a bit. I had a fitting for an insole to fix my foot alignment and had the skates baked because they were crushing my tendon (thanks to the original skate tech not fitting the boot to the width of my foot) and my new skate tech noticed they had broken down quite a lot in the short time I’ve had them. Probably due to the pronation before getting the insoles fitted. I’m just not too sure where to go from here because a lot of the advice out there is for fitting skates for kids and then you have the other end of the spectrum with adult skaters in Ice Flies and Pianos with Gold Seal blades only landing single jumps. I’m honestly just wanting to know if I’m over blading or over booting unnecessarily or if the change of blade will in fact benefit my skating.
 

Elija

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Uhh Edea boots shouldn’t be baked, so that may have contributed to them breaking down. They should just be spot moulded. Sounds like you need to find a new skate tech, especially saying what they did about the blades. I’ve never had rotation blades, but don’t imagine they’re the same as JW. I have skated on Coronation Ace though and they are very curvy (I actually find them too curvy in the spin rocker, but most people seem to be happy with them. Turns are very easy on them). You would be fine with those blades.

You would also be fine with chorus as an adult skater if you’re still learning single jumps. I also found they break down fast on adult skaters who are skating a lot or are on the heavier side (which is why a lot of adults go for ice fly and piano). Definitely not saying you should be getting ice flys though, chorus would be fine at your level. They’re not as stiff as other brands with the same stiffness rating. Overture may also still be fine if you’re only just starting to learn jumps (definitely a difference between people who are just learning to do a tiny salchow and barely leaving the ice and someone who is learning a lutz and has really big jumps). Suggest finding a new skate tech if you can and going to try them on and get fitted properly :) they may also have other brands you can try.
 

Sibelius

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Well, this is from a perspective of fitting a young skater, but it might help you decide.

My skater is 11. I can't remember when, but say 18 months ago or so, she got her first intermediate blade, an Eclipse Mist. It was supposed to have "the same profile" as the Wilson Coronation Ace. On that blade (coming from the very flat Ultima Mirage) her edges, spins and jumps improved significantly. When she was next fitted for a boot without a blade I got her the genuine Coronation Ace (even though I had another Mist in the size required). Again, her spins improved dramatically over the "copy". At the time she was working on singles and Axel. Definitely not overbladed (which isn't really as much a thing as overbooting). You may not get as much out of an intermediate blade as a more advanced skater will, but they won't hinder you as much as too much boot will. Well, unless you go for something like a P99, or a Phantom with HUGE picks that will plant you on your knees real fast.

So, it's your money get what you want. The way I look at it, you're an adult and that blade (CoraAce, or MK Pro) will last you a long time, you may never really need a Gold Seal so you're set! If you get the lesser blade, and you continue to skate, you'll eventually get to the stage where you'll want to step up. And just for completion sake, my skater once again improved dramatically moving from Coronation Ace to Gold Seal, especially spins, speed and footwork.

Sorry I can't help with boots, my skater is in a custom Jackson now, and probably for life. My only advice is to find the best fitter you can who offers a wide range of boots for a wide range of feet and have them guide you. Just because you're in an Edea doesn't mean it's the right fit for you.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 3, 2018
Uhh Edea boots shouldn’t be baked, so that may have contributed to them breaking down. They should just be spot moulded. Sounds like you need to find a new skate tech, especially saying what they did about the blades. I’ve never had rotation blades, but don’t imagine they’re the same as JW. I have skated on Coronation Ace though and they are very curvy (I actually find them too curvy in the spin rocker, but most people seem to be happy with them. Turns are very easy on them). You would be fine with those blades.

You would also be fine with chorus as an adult skater if you’re still learning single jumps. I also found they break down fast on adult skaters who are skating a lot or are on the heavier side (which is why a lot of adults go for ice fly and piano). Definitely not saying you should be getting ice flys though, chorus would be fine at your level. They’re not as stiff as other brands with the same stiffness rating. Overture may also still be fine if you’re only just starting to learn jumps (definitely a difference between people who are just learning to do a tiny salchow and barely leaving the ice and someone who is learning a lutz and has really big jumps). Suggest finding a new skate tech if you can and going to try them on and get fitted properly :) they may also have other brands you can try.

Thank you for this that is super helpful! Two different skate techs by the way, the first one made the blade decision and didn’t fit to width. I drove 2 and a half hours to the other after realising the first one had caused some issues due to the foot pain. Second tech baked the skates and quickly informed me my tendon was being crushed and boots had already broken down a lot by this point. Is it not safe to put the Edeas in the heat modelling machines at all then even on low? :scratch2:
 
Joined
Jul 3, 2018
Well, this is from a perspective of fitting a young skater, but it might help you decide.

My skater is 11. I can't remember when, but say 18 months ago or so, she got her first intermediate blade, an Eclipse Mist. It was supposed to have "the same profile" as the Wilson Coronation Ace. On that blade (coming from the very flat Ultima Mirage) her edges, spins and jumps improved significantly. When she was next fitted for a boot without a blade I got her the genuine Coronation Ace (even though I had another Mist in the size required). Again, her spins improved dramatically over the "copy". At the time she was working on singles and Axel. Definitely not overbladed (which isn't really as much a thing as overbooting). You may not get as much out of an intermediate blade as more advanced skater will, but they won't hinder you as much as too much boot will. Well, unless you go for something like a P99, or a Phantom with HUGE picks that will plant you on your knees real fast.

So, it's your money get what you want. The way I look at it, you're an adult and that blade (CoraAce, or MK Pro) will last you a long time, you may never really need a Gold Seal so you're set! If you get the lesser blade, and you continue to skate, you'll eventually get to the stage where you'll want to step up. And just for completion sake, my skater once again improved dramatically moving from Coronation Ace to Gold Seal, especially spins, speed and footwork.

Sorry I can't help with boots, my skater is in a custom Jackson now, and probably for life. My only advice is to find the best fitter you can who offers a wide range of boots for a wide range of feet and have them guide you. Just because you're in an Edea doesn't mean it's the right fit for you.

Thank you this is super helpful! It makes me feel a little less crazy for thinking my blades might actually be hindering my progress. The second skate tech did suggest trying some Jackson’s and maybe Risports on next time but I do enjoy the low cut of the Edea. After the initial tendon crushing due to the width issue all seems to be quite painless now they have been baked. There has been a bit of heel slipping since I purchase them but I think I may just have narrow heels and a wide ball of my foot. Lucky me! :laugh:
 

Elija

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Thank you for this that is super helpful! Two different skate techs by the way, the first one made the blade decision and didn’t fit to width. I drove 2 and a half hours to the other after realising the first one had caused some issues due to the foot pain. Second tech baked the skates and quickly informed me my tendon was being crushed and boots had already broken down a lot by this point. Is it not safe to put the Edeas in the heat modelling machines at all then even on low? :scratch2:

No, they absolutely should not go in a boot oven at all. Here’s some info from Edea and Skate US about shaping them:

https://skatesus.com/product/custom-edea-skate-shaping-service/

https://ice.edeaskates.com/en/features/instant-custom-fit/
 
Joined
Jul 3, 2018
No, they absolutely should not go in a boot oven at all. Here’s some info from Edea and Skate US about shaping them:

https://skatesus.com/product/custom-edea-skate-shaping-service/

https://ice.edeaskates.com/en/features/instant-custom-fit/

That is quite concerning! Thank you for sharing! The shop is said to be one of the best in the country so I wonder why they baked them despite Edea’s guidance not to. I might have to have another search around for skate techs within the UK.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
Hi all! Just wondering when is a good time to upgrade my blades and maybe boots? A little about me, I’m an average height woman in my 20s and on the low end of my BMI scale, so I don’t weigh very much. I currently have the Edea Overture boots with the rotation blade that came with it. I’ve been considering switching the blade for a John Wilson Coronation Ace blade for a while. I had originally intended to get it fitted when buying the boots but the skate tech talked me out of it, suggesting it wouldn’t make a difference because they are the same blade profile. I believed him and turns our they are not. The profile on the blade I currently have is very flat and I’m struggling to stay where I need to be on my blade when spinning for more than 4-5 revolution which is a little disappointing. I’m also wondering if I should just upgrade my boot to the chorus when I upgrade the blade or just transfer the blade to the chorus once I have all my single jumps? I’m currently skating about 8 hours a week. I’ve only been skating for about 6 months due to having to take some time off and I’ve already broken down the boots quite a bit. I had a fitting for an insole to fix my foot alignment and had the skates baked because they were crushing my tendon (thanks to the original skate tech not fitting the boot to the width of my foot) and my new skate tech noticed they had broken down quite a lot in the short time I’ve had them. Probably due to the pronation before getting the insoles fitted. I’m just not too sure where to go from here because a lot of the advice out there is for fitting skates for kids and then you have the other end of the spectrum with adult skaters in Ice Flies and Pianos with Gold Seal blades only landing single jumps. I’m honestly just wanting to know if I’m over blading or over booting unnecessarily or if the change of blade will in fact benefit my skating.

First of all, you need a new fitter, one that knows what they are doing with a wide range of boot brands/styles and blades as well.
Secondly, why are you in an edea to begin with? Is that the boot brand that fit you best or did you not have a selection? Were you just shoved in whatever boot and blade combo the fitter wanted you in? (which the latter is what I feel like happened to you).
You need to have a proper fitting with a tech like I mentioned above: You may not even be an Edea skater.

If you are though, they should not be baked ever and you could move to a Chorus if it works for you and your foot. I feel like you may not end up being an edea skater because if your current boot was crushing your tendon then it wasn't wide and fit enough for you in the first place AKA your fitter messed up big time.

The CA blade will be fine for you, but be aware that your EDEA rotation blade (which is generally a crap stock blade) is an 8ft rocker radius as to where the CA is a 7ft rocker radius and has much curve to it, so you are going to have to adjust to it, but I feel like once you do you will settle in nicely and like them for spins.

If you move to something the level of the Chorus and the blade Coro Ace, you will be fine and in no way overbooting and the blade should benefit you greatly. Good luck.
 
Joined
Jul 3, 2018
First of all, you need a new fitter, one that knows what they are doing with a wide range of boot brands/styles and blades as well.
Secondly, why are you in an edea to begin with? Is that the boot brand that fit you best or did you not have a selection? Were you just shoved in whatever boot and blade combo the fitter wanted you in? (which the latter is what I feel like happened to you).
You need to have a proper fitting with a tech like I mentioned above: You may not even be an Edea skater.

If you are though, they should not be baked ever and you could move to a Chorus if it works for you and your foot. I feel like you may not end up being an edea skater because if your current boot was crushing your tendon then it wasn't wide and fit enough for you in the first place AKA your fitter messed up big time.

The CA blade will be fine for you, but be aware that your EDEA rotation blade (which is generally a crap stock blade) is an 8ft rocker radius as to where the CA is a 7ft rocker radius and has much curve to it, so you are going to have to adjust to it, but I feel like once you do you will settle in nicely and like them for spins.

If you move to something the level of the Chorus and the blade Coro Ace, you will be fine and in no way overbooting and the blade should benefit you greatly. Good luck.

Thank you so much for replying and reassuring me I won’t be over blading or over booting (should I end up fitting in the chorus). I do think after reading some of these replies I need to find a good reputable fitter in the UK. To be honest when I went for my first pair of skates I mentioned I had read good reviews about Edea and Risport skates and the guy asked me my shoe size and popped me in a skate. Made me sit in the shop for half an hour, I complained my foot felt like it was being crushed and he said that’s quite normal because I’m over booting and he wanted to put me in a Motivo. I knew enough to refuse that idea but sadly not enough to know my feet were too wide for the skates. :(
 

Elija

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Thank you so much for replying and reassuring me I won’t be over blading or over booting (should I end up fitting in the chorus). I do think after reading some of these replies I need to find a good reputable fitter in the UK. To be honest when I went for my first pair of skates I mentioned I had read good reviews about Edea and Risport skates and the guy asked me my shoe size and popped me in a skate. Made me sit in the shop for half an hour, I complained my foot felt like it was being crushed and he said that’s quite normal because I’m over booting and he wanted to put me in a Motivo. I knew enough to refuse that idea but sadly not enough to know my feet were too wide for the skates. :(

Oh my god, that fitter sounds terrible. I was also put in the wrong width skates a couple of years ago (in my case too wide). It’s frustrating when you don’t have many options for fitters and you go to them expecting them to know what they’re talking about. Especially for new skaters who don’t know better, this is very unfortunate. Definitely do your own research as well! It helps a lot if you know what you’re talking about when you go, and can query the fitter if they say something that doesn’t sound right.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
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Thank you so much for replying and reassuring me I won’t be over blading or over booting (should I end up fitting in the chorus). I do think after reading some of these replies I need to find a good reputable fitter in the UK. To be honest when I went for my first pair of skates I mentioned I had read good reviews about Edea and Risport skates and the guy asked me my shoe size and popped me in a skate. Made me sit in the shop for half an hour, I complained my foot felt like it was being crushed and he said that’s quite normal because I’m over booting and he wanted to put me in a Motivo. I knew enough to refuse that idea but sadly not enough to know my feet were too wide for the skates. :(

Run far away from that man! He could have injured you by forcing you in skates that were in no way right for you and figuratively and literally crushing your foot.

It doesn't go by shoe size. You need to have a fitter that will measure and take tracings of your foot for fitting. I have been doing this for a very long time and should you need any further help, my inbox is always there.

Good luck! :cool:
 
Joined
Jul 3, 2018
Run far away from that man! He could have injured you by forcing you in skates that were in no way right for you and figuratively and literally crushing your foot.

It doesn't go by shoe size. You need to have a fitter than will measure and take tracings of your foot for fitting. I have been doing this for a very long time and should you need any further help, my inbox is always there.

Good luck! :cool:

Thank you so much, that is really kind of you! :)
 

Sibelius

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
I think I may just have narrow heels and a wide ball of my foot. Lucky me! :laugh:

That's the fit of a Jackson, narrow heel wider ball. The stock Jackson boots come in a split width (not as much as they used to), but since my skater is an A heel and a C ball we have her in a "rapid custom" Jackson Premiere which cost a whopping additional $50 and a 4 week wait. It fits perfectly. And Jackson's are made to be baked for a better fit. FYI, some of their boots are offered with a low cut option.
 
Joined
Jul 3, 2018
That's the fit of a Jackson, narrow heel wider ball. The stock Jackson boots come in a split width (not as much as they used to), but since my skater is an A heel and a C ball we have her in a "rapid custom" Jackson Premiere which cost a whopping additional $50 and a 4 week wait. It fits perfectly. And Jackson's are made to be baked for a better fit. FYI, some of their boots are offered with a low cut option.

That sounds perfect! I think I’m going to need to have a look at Jacksons. I had always overlooked them because they go so high up, but if I can find a lower cut boot I may have found a good match. I need to get myself a good skate fitter first, but that sounds hopeful. Thank you! :)
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
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Country
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Yes, definitely look into a Jackson, it's one of the first brands I will suggest to someone that says they have a split width foot with toebox being wider.
 

treblemakerem

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
That sounds perfect! I think I’m going to need to have a look at Jacksons. I had always overlooked them because they go so high up, but if I can find a lower cut boot I may have found a good match. I need to get myself a good skate fitter first, but that sounds hopeful. Thank you! :)

I believe Jackson has a low cut version of the debut. You could look into it. I don’t know too much about it but I’m in the premiere and I love them. I have really narrow heels and wider balls of the foot. I did have to get the ankles punched out a ton. I guess I have giant ankle bones. My theory is they’re permanently swollen from spraining them so many times (from dance not skating)
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
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Country
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I believe Jackson has a low cut version of the debut. You could look into it. I don’t know too much about it but I’m in the premiere and I love them. I have really narrow heels and wider balls of the foot. I did have to get the ankles punched out a ton. I guess I have giant ankle bones. My theory is they’re permanently swollen from spraining them so many times (from dance not skating)

In a stock Jackson, she would need a Premier Fusion 2800 at the lowest and an Elite at the most.
 

kolyadafan2002

Fan of Kolyada
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
In a stock Jackson, she would need a Premier Fusion 2800 at the lowest and an Elite at the most.

Agreed, Debut wouldn't be the best long term solution.

Advice for OP:
The other stock Jackson boot's have low cut models if they suit you, though they are slightly weaker (only very slightly) and are mainly designed for ice dance.

If you end up going for Jackson Elites, make sure they are nothing more or less than the perfect size for you. If you don't get exactly the right size for your foot shape, expect lots of blistering. Expect Blistering anyways, as in my experience they are much harder to break in than Edeas (which are relatively weak in my opinion).


Some adults genuinely require ice flies / piano's , and if you buy expensive boots it'd be a waste to buy cheaper blades for them (the blades will be worse than the boot - not that any adult doing single jumps needs anything more than Coronation Ace).
I have seen adults who overboot because the Ice Fly / Piano looks good, and they think it will make them good. Same with the adults who have revolution blades. You won't be able to tell if they actually need it, as everybody has separate personal requirements.

Bear in mind with gold seal you will need to adjust all your spins, but it will be natural after a short period of time (1week - 1month depending on the person). If, like you originally suggested want to go for Coronation Ace I say go for it. I don't personally think Coronation Ace would be a bad move for anybody on a blade below it, as the move to it will make spins easier to center. Gold seal spinning is even nicer, but Coronation Ace -> Gold seal only really impacts if you are already doing good spins in Coronation Ace.

When changing the blade you will always struggle to adjust originally, but long term worth it.
Which city is the fitter in?
Having trained in the UK I experienced fitters who gave a variety of boots to children, but generally speaking only fitted everybody higher in Edea's. If you'd go on any British ice rink you'd think everybody was sponsored by Edea. Most fitters / coaches use the backwards "1 size fits all" approach, par a few good ones.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
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Just going to drop this in here. Jackson's fit guide by weight and skill. Debut is very stiff, Premiere is a "stiffer Debut", Elite is a ROCK, and my skater's next boot. All relatively close in price considering how long they'd last you.

Find the boot fitter first though.

https://jacksonultima.com/pages/jackson-fit-guide

I suggested Elite at most because there is nothing else between Premier Fusion and it. Also, this person is an adult and would be wearing it longer than your child wears hers, so they will get more out of a stiffer boot. Also, "Elite is a ROCK" is relative. To everyone it would not be, everyone's different.
 
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