Buying New Blades Experience What to Buy!!

[rf3ray]

Hi, I'm deciding to buy new blades, they will either be, the John Wilson - Gold Seal K-Picks, or the Gold Seal - Parabolics, I am wondering if any skaters on here could tell me their feedback *EXPERIENCE* on skating on these blades?

[MusicSkateFan]

Well I am not a Gold Seal skater...I am now on pattern 99's . My fitter,howerver, did not have much good to say for the K pics....if you are at the level to warrant Gold Seal's go ahead....most don't go with the K pics from what I ahve heard.

[vesperholly]

I thought parabolic blades required special parabolic boots, too, since with parabolic skates, there is no curve to the sole of the boot and thus no curve to the blade.

I wouldn't bother with the K-Pick. I think it's generally agreed upon that it's not necessary for the large majority of skaters. Correct picking technique will help you much more.

[stardust skies]

Alright, this is what I am talking about. WAY too much blade, I mean I don't care if you have money to burn, you do not need Gold Seals. Senior level skaters doing triples need Gold Seals. If I recall from your posts, you are working on backspins and single jumps. You shouldn't buy anything above a Pattern 99, which IMO is STILL too much blade. People learning singles will get great use out of either the MK Professionals or the John Wilson Coronation Aces. Getting too much blade is not only a complete waste of money, it can hinder your progress. If you MUST get a blade way above your ability level, get Pattern 99's. Gold Seals are such a waste of money at this level, I cannot even begin to tell you. When you get SOLID doubles and start working on double/double combos and a double axel, then think about Gold Seals. You do not need them before that.

As far as the k-pick, it was invented by a coach as a response to his student's toepick slipping on triple toe loops. Again, someone doing single and even double jumps will not benefit from a k-pick, and even people doing triples wouldn't, so long as they have correct technique, since it was built to correct bad technique. If you have bad technique, don't get a gimmick blade- fix the jump instead.

Parabolics are nice from what I hear. You don't need a different boot *at all*, and it has nothing to do with a curve to the blade or no curve. ALL a parabolic blade is, is that instead of being even throughout the blade, a parabolic blade tapers in the center, thus, supposedly giving the skater quicker turns for footwork and more centered spins. Whether this is true or not...your guess is as good as mine. Most people who have them can't tell the difference, and they are a pain in the butt to sharpen properly and have a much better chance of getting ruined by a bad sharpening than regular blades.

Bottom line...get something for your level, like the MK pros. or the John Wilson Coronation Aces, and use the money you save (all 400 bucks of it...) to pay for extra lessons which will bring you closer to the level you want to be at to get good use out of those super fancy blades.

[Cactus Bill]

If you have bad technique, don't get a gimmick blade- fix the jump instead.

Truer words were never spoken.

Although bad technique can take a talented skater far, as in Tara Lipinski's triple-triple toe loop, it can have worse ramifications that you can imagine. In Tara's case it resulted in her having BOTH hips replaced by the time she was 18. FIX bad technique.

Bottom line...get something for your level, like the MK pros. or the John Wilson Coronation Aces, and use the money you save (all 400 bucks of it...) to pay for extra lessons which will bring you closer to the level you want to be at to get good use out of those super fancy blades.

Also note that if you decide you want Parabolic blades that both of the above blades are also available in Parabolic versions. I've got the Coronation Aces and I love them.

[rf3ray]

Oh Yeah I forgot to tell ya I have Coronation Aces for My Blades Currently now

[dooobedooo]

It may be that bad sharpening has ruined the rocker on your blades. It happened to me. If you get new Coronation Aces, you will most likely find they skate a lot better than your current pair.

[flo]

Hi,
I'd have to agree that it's probably not the best blade for your current uses. You may wish to go to the Wilson site. Here are the level guidelines for the goldseal:
http://www.johnwilsonskates.com/blades/popups/gold-seal-kpick.html
You may wish to look at the comets. I loved them and they took me quite well through all my singles, great edges and starting pairs.

[rf3ray]

What do you mean, my rocker is still there :D

[dbny]

I thought parabolic blades required special parabolic boots, too, since with parabolic skates, there is no curve to the sole of the boot and thus no curve to the blade.

I believe those are coplanar blades you are thinking of. They never really took off, but there are still some who use them. You can tell by the connection from the tail of the blade back to the stanchion which forms a triangle, and is purely for recognition purposes.

[dbny]

What do you mean, my rocker is still there :D

Yes, there is still a rocker there, but not with the profile of the original rocker. A bad sharpening can ruin the rocker forever. Also, with long use and many sharpenings, the rocker is gradually flattened.

[JulieN]

I believe those are coplanar blades your are thinking of. They never really took off, but there are still some who use them. You can tell by the connection from the tail of the blade back to the stanchion which forms a triangle, and is purely for recognition purposes.

This is not true (at least not according to the inventer of the co-planar blades, Sid Broadbent). The triangle creates a slope to prevent accidentally stepping on the back of your blade (as can happen when doing closed mohawks). I know this because I heard it from Sid himself -- he's the one who mounted my Co-planar blades.

What is true is that my boots did have to be modified to accomodate the co-planar. You can either buy a boot specifically for co-planar (Klingbiel, SP-Teri and Harlick will make a boot for co-planar on request), or you can have the boot modified by adding a wedge to the heel of the boot.

Sorry for the interruption... please carry on with the blade conversation... :)

[JulieN]

Yes, there is still a rocker there, but not with the profile of the original rocker. A bad sharpening can ruin the rocker forever. Also, with long use and many sharpenings, the rocker is gradually flattened.

However, a good sharpener will not allow the rocker to gradually flatten. Sid Broadbent (as I mentioned before) sharpens my blades and he takes special care to check the rocker of my blades each time. When necessary, he will also shave off some of the toe pick to match the wearing on the blade.

[luna_skater]

Any pics of these coplanar skates? I've never heard of them!

[JulieN]

Hi Luna!! (I'm Double_J on synchroboards... :P)

I don't see a picture of the blade itself on Sid's website, but his co-planar logo should give you an idea of what the blade looks like.

Ice Skateology (http://www.iceskateology.com/)

[Casey]

Cactus Bill, I thought you were on Gold Seals, oops!

rf3ray's rocker is perfectly intact, and he's not looking to replace his blades because of problems with them, but rather because he feels he may learn/perform better in different blades.

I've been wondering a lot about this myself because I'm going to be stuck having to buy shorter blades for new skates sooner or later.

I remember everyone telling me, "don't buy gold stars, they're too much blade!! they'll hold you back!! you won't like them!! you'll hate the big toepick!!" On the contrary, I've made great progress on these blades and absolutely love them. I do know that it's very hindering to skate on Majestics (on my old skates) and whatever crap is on the Reidell rentals at my rink, in comparison.
Would I have been every bit as happy with Four Aces or Coronation Aces? Probably, but who knows.

What I was thinking when I bought my skates was that I wanted to buy something that would take me as far as I wanted to go without needing to be replaced until they wore out. Well, I got sold defective, misfitted boots, so now I have to replace everything anyways. Can't always plan for the future, and I'm certain I've never approached the potential that these blades could carry me to, so it was almost certainly a waste of money in that case. :/

Since I have to replace my skates, I've been wondering how I would fare on an 8' rocker - and as such I was recently considering Gold Seals or Pattern 99's myself.

I would be VERY interested in hearing from anybody who has skated on Gold Seals and didn't like them for more reason than just the 8' rocker. It appears to me that everyone will recommend whatever they're using, and will not hesitate to disrecommend something they've never actually tried.

skaternum - I know you recommend Pattern 99s, and based largely on that, they'll probably be the blades I end up with. But on what grounds do you disrecommend Gold Seals, which you haven't used? I'm not questioning your judgement, I'm just seeking to understand it. I know several skaters who started on Gold Seals and have never skated on anything but - have you observed people training in these conditions and seen any negative effect?

[NickiT]

As others have already said, there is absolutely no point in buying high level blades unless you are a high level skater. I've seen skaters do this so many times and have to resort back to more basic blades because they simply couldn't skate on them. I agree that MK Pros or JW Coronation Ace are more than adequate if you are working on your singles.

Nicki

[JulieN]

Any pics of these coplanar skates? I've never heard of them!

OK -- I did some searching and found pictures of the co-planar blades:

Roca & Sur (http://www.toeloopy.com/images/events2002-2003/SOI/rs02soi1036.jpg)

Dan Hollander (http://www.figureskatersonline.com/danhollander/amateur/9724823_1.jpg)

I have been skating on co-planars since 1998 and have both the Conchord dance and the Conquest Freestyle versions. While I'm happy with them, I've actually been considering switching to the Ultima synchro blade. I skate mostly synchro, but also compete in dance and freestyle (single jumps only). Plus the ultima synchro is so cheap.

Sorry for yet another interruption... :P

[skaternum]

skaternum - I know you recommend Pattern 99s, and based largely on that, they'll probably be the blades I end up with. But on what grounds do you disrecommend Gold Seals, which you haven't used? I'm not questioning your judgement, I'm just seeking to understand it. I know several skaters who started on Gold Seals and have never skated on anything but - have you observed people training in these conditions and seen any negative effect?I don't recall saying that I recommend Pattern 99s specifically. When did I say that?

I do, as a general rule, recommend against buying a more advanced blade than you really need. I have seen people struggling to learn turns and edge jumps in advanced blades, because of the toe pick and rocker.

[Casey]

I don't recall saying that I recommend Pattern 99s specifically. When did I say that?
Oh poop. I typed the wrong username. I meant stardust!! Meh! Oh well, the detail I was looking for is already provided in the other thread asking about pattern 99s for FS3. I feel like such an idiot now :P :giveup:

[crayonskater]

I'd talk to your coach, ray, if you trust him/her to make a recommendation, because he/she will have a good sense of where you are in your skating, how quickly you're likely to progress, and so forth -- and that should determine your blades purchase.

If you get too much blade, not only will you potentially have problems adjusting, but by the time you get good enough on those blades to justify their purchase, chances are they'll be worn out and you'll need a new set anyway.

For me, I figure that as I'm still learning how to do a basic scratch spin, it doesn't make a lot of sense to invest in a blade that has special features that are only important to high-level skaters. I won't notice it yet. For me, upgrading from a basic recreational blade (which I had goofed around on for a year and a half before starting lessons) to My First Real Figure Skating Blade® was an amazing enough transition -- I had edge security and My First Real Rocker® for the first time.

I guess for me it's like going to a fine restaurant with a rich wine list, knowing nothing about wine, but buying the most expensive bottle on the menu. Sure, it may taste good, but if your had waited until you had educated your palate on less pricey bottles, you would have savored it more.

[*IceDancer1419*]

OK -- I did some searching and found pictures of the co-planar blades:

Roca & Sur (http://www.toeloopy.com/images/events2002-2003/SOI/rs02soi1036.jpg)

Dan Hollander (http://www.figureskatersonline.com/danhollander/amateur/9724823_1.jpg)

I have been skating on co-planars since 1998 and have both the Conchord dance and the Conquest Freestyle versions. While I'm happy with them, I've actually been considering switching to the Ultima synchro blade. I skate mostly synchro, but also compete in dance and freestyle (single jumps only). Plus the ultima synchro is so cheap.

Sorry for yet another interruption... :P

Well I'm here to CONTINUE the interruption! :P I'm afraid I don't totally understand what the coplanars do... as in, what is "better" about them?

And I LOOOOVE my ultima synchros. They're wonderful wonderful wonderful. Can totally handle single jumps (supposedly can do doubles... not like I'd know :roll: ;) ), good for dance/synchro becaues of the shortened blade, less clicking with partner or synchro buddy. :) Ok. Return to your regularly scheduled programming. Just a little note. Because they're wonderful. ;)

[dbny]

This is not true (at least not according to the inventer of the co-planar blades, Sid Broadbent). The triangle creates a slope to prevent accidentally stepping on the back of your blade (as can happen when doing closed mohawks). I know this because I heard it from Sid himself -- he's the one who mounted my Co-planar blades.

Well, you obviously have that on a higher authority than the one from which I got my info, but I did see it in print somewhere in a story about coplanars. I didn't pull it out of thin air.

[rf3ray]

UPDATE ON BLADES Anyways I got my Gold Seal Parabolics, what can I say these things rock. My spins are faster, Edges are so easier on these things doing, brackets and so forth are easier. When I tried it it for the 1st hour at the session. I was getting used to the blade, after the 1st hour I was doing backspins and front spins, and some footwork and some jumps. For me personally, there wasnt that big much of a transition except for that 1st hour getting used to it, after that, it pretty much felt right at home, btw doing edges on these things are so secure :-) :D :D

[doubletoe]

On the bright side, since you got the top-of-the-line blades, you won't be tempted to spend money upgrading your blades in the next few years! ;)

[rf3ray]

yeah, unless i sharpen them too much :-), btw these blades are so fast for spinning it so much fun!

[doubletoe]

yeah, unless i sharpen them too much :-), btw these blades are so fast for spinning it so much fun!

Hopefully, you have a good blade sharpener who won't take off too much with each sharpening and won't flatten out your rocker over time. If the Gold Seals are easy for you to spin on even though they have an 8' rocker instead of the 7' rocker you're used to, it's probably because the rocker on your old blades had gotten flattened out a little over time so it was behaving like an 8' or 8-1/2' rocker by the time you switched blades. Anyway, have fun and enjoy your new blades! :D