Boot + Blade combos: They Matter!

[theadultskater]

Background:
I am an adult skater that recently switched from EDEA Waves (terrible) to the Jackson Debut Fusion boot. I am currently doing single jumps (starting lutz soon) and I am using the Sterling blade (which were perfect for me in every way!). When I switched boots, I purchased the same blade but 1/4 longer because the Jackson boot sole length was longer. The blade was placed to the very front of the boot with the heel 1/4 from the back, and the alignment perfectly matches my old set. The adjustment time was little to none for my overall skating and jumps, and my backward skating has improved drastically. The boots were comfortable and provided the support I needed with the flex I wanted.

Problem I am Facing:
The issue I am having is that that the spin rocker is further back on the blade and I am struggling to get my upright spins (particularly the backspins) without having to shift my weight so far back to force my foot to hit the sweet spot. The sweet spot is not behind the pics, in fact, it is when the pics don't make contact with the ice. It's very difficult to get it consistent. Sometimes I'll hit it and then the back of the blade will hit the ice which was not an issue I had with my previous combo. The issue with the back of the blade hitting the back of the ice started the first day I wore them. I have been practicing my spins for a solid two months, multiple times a week for hours at a time, just focusing on these spins. It's just not working.

What I learned:
I have done countless hours of research on blade profiles to find out if I should upgrade my blade and what was going on: spin rocker placement, heel stanchion heights, rocker radius, blade length, etc. And I've come to the conclusion that the boot profile in relation to the blade profile matters.

Each boot has a profile on its own, and has an angle at which the blade will sit in relation to the blade. My EDEA Waves were very high at the heel, The Jackson Debut Fusion are not as high, which explains the longer sole length. My weight is pitched further back which is probably why the back of the blade is hitting the ice. My blade is longer which pulls the sweet spot further back on my foot.

My question to the community is, what blade and boot combo did not work for you and which ones worked. I'd love to collect this data and share it with everyone!

Has anyone had success with Jackson Debut Fusion and another boot combo? I am currently looking at the MK Pros because the heel height is higher than the CA, and the spin rocker is further forward.

 

[tstop4me]

You can have your tech try two things. The first is to artificially increase the height of your heel. You can insert spacers (such as washers over the screw bodies) in between the heel mounting plate of the blade and the heel of the boot. If you do this, make sure all four heel screws are installed. You can stack washers to vary the total height (you may also need longer screws in some instances). I did this for an ice dancer: I varied the heights rinkside, and she tried them out right away until we found the Goldilocks value (this spacer is too low, this spacer is too high, this spacer is just right).

The second is to remount the blade a bit more forward. I would try the first method first because it's relatively easy to do. The second method requires plugging old holes and drilling new holes.

 

[Flying Feijoa]

Has anyone had success with Jackson Debut Fusion and another boot combo? I am currently looking at the MK Pros because the heel height is higher than the CA, and the spin rocker is further forward.

I have a Fusion series Jackson with MK Pro, it works fine for me. I've had the same pair of blades through Risport and Edea too (it happens that the Edea was fitted too large, so when I switched to my correct size in other boot brands there was no need to size up in blade length). After each boot change it took a week or so for my spins (and edge jumps, turns) to feel normal.

The only other blade I ever had was Jackson Mirage when I was still learning to skate, they were awful

 

[theadultskater]

You can have your tech try two things. The first is to artificially increase the height of your heel. You can insert spacers (such as washers over the screw bodies) in between the heel mounting plate of the blade and the heel of the boot. If you do this, make sure all four heel screws are installed. You can stack washers to vary the total height (you may also need longer screws in some instances). I did this for an ice dancer: I varied the heights rinkside, and she tried them out right away until we found the Goldilocks value (this spacer is too low, this spacer is too high, this spacer is just right).

The second is to remount the blade a bit more forward. I would try the first method first because it's relatively easy to do. The second method requires plugging old holes and drilling new holes.

I was actually wondering if I could shim and add a thicker wedge above the blade! I wasn’t sure if I should add it to the front or the back. I was worried that adding it to the back would push the back of my blade further down (adding to the ice scraping problem) but I’ll give it a try!

I also can’t put the blade more forward because they’re already at the edge and the toe picks are already feeling so far away.

 

[theadultskater]

I have a Fusion series Jackson with MK Pro, it works fine for me. I've had the same pair of blades through Risport and Edea too (it happens that the Edea was fitted too large, so when I switched to my correct size in other boot brands there was no need to size up in blade length). After each boot change it took a week or so for my spins (and edge jumps, turns) to feel normal.

The only other blade I ever had was Jackson Mirage when I was still learning to skate, they were awful

Thanks for the feedback! You got lucky with the blade size!

I'm too scared to try Jackson Ultima blades, I hear they’re soooo flat and I appreciate an aggressive rocker.

 

[cherryonice]

Background:
I am an adult skater that recently switched from EDEA Waves (terrible) to the Jackson Debut Fusion boot. I am currently doing single jumps (starting lutz soon) and I am using the Sterling blade (which were perfect for me in every way!). When I switched boots, I purchased the same blade but 1/4 longer because the Jackson boot sole length was longer. The blade was placed to the very front of the boot with the heel 1/4 from the back, and the alignment perfectly matches my old set. The adjustment time was little to none for my overall skating and jumps, and my backward skating has improved drastically. The boots were comfortable and provided the support I needed with the flex I wanted.

Problem I am Facing:
The issue I am having is that that the spin rocker is further back on the blade and I am struggling to get my upright spins (particularly the backspins) without having to shift my weight so far back to force my foot to hit the sweet spot. The sweet spot is not behind the pics, in fact, it is when the pics don't make contact with the ice. It's very difficult to get it consistent. Sometimes I'll hit it and then the back of the blade will hit the ice which was not an issue I had with my previous combo. The issue with the back of the blade hitting the back of the ice started the first day I wore them. I have been practicing my spins for a solid two months, multiple times a week for hours at a time, just focusing on these spins. It's just not working.

What I learned:
I have done countless hours of research on blade profiles to find out if I should upgrade my blade and what was going on: spin rocker placement, heel stanchion heights, rocker radius, blade length, etc. And I've come to the conclusion that the boot profile in relation to the blade profile matters.

Each boot has a profile on its own, and has an angle at which the blade will sit in relation to the blade. My EDEA Waves were very high at the heel, The Jackson Debut Fusion are not as high, which explains the longer sole length. My weight is pitched further back which is probably why the back of the blade is hitting the ice. My blade is longer which pulls the sweet spot further back on my foot.

My question to the community is, what blade and boot combo did not work for you and which ones worked. I'd love to collect this data and share it with everyone!

Has anyone had success with Jackson Debut Fusion and another boot combo? I am currently looking at the MK Pros because the heel height is higher than the CA, and the spin rocker is further forward.

Thank you for sharing .
I have Edea Chorus + CA blade . I am adult skater still trying to find that sweet spot on the spin as I tend to press forward and scratch with the toe pick
I don’t like the Edea Chorus as my heel is lifting inside and the front ring is putting pressure on my foot , sometimes I almost feel numb. ( yet it is my correct boot size) . So I have decided to change my boots for Jackson Entré but would like to keep my CA blades , because I want to see whether it is my boots or the blades or even my technique . So I want to try it out first . My concern is the heel on the Jackson Entré are higher so I don’t know if they will make a difference. The thing that I like is the heat molding . So I am happy that I was able to do that , that way I can’t complain about the pressure etc.
hopefully the combo will go well. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get the CA lite , but the blade are slithly thinner( but they are ligther which I like) So again it will affects on how I hold my edges etc… so one thing at the time . I will keep posted on this combo . I find it hard to find the right boots and blades as everyone is unique .