when should I upgrade to better blades?

[mikawendy]

Hi everyone--thanks for the technique tips on 3 turns and stroking--came in handy at yesterday's practice.

I was wondering when I should think about upgrading to better blades. I have Wilson Excels (on Riedell 275s) and I've been skating for about 9 months now. I don't feel any particular need for a change until I get new boots (and if I switch to SP-Teris to fit my triangular feet when my current boots break down, I'll probably need a slightly different size blade)....

...but someone I skate with grimaced when I told her what blades I have and said I should try Coronation Ace. It feels like my blades have nearly no rocker, but the Aces are a big step up, right? Should I be thinking about those blades when I'm in the higher USFSA freestyle levels? Right now I'm in USFSA Basic 5.

Thanks!!! :D
--mikawendy

[Elsy2]

I used a beginner blade for two years....but I wish I had upgraded sooner. The day I skated on my Coronation Aces, you couldn't wipe the smile off my face. My beginner blades had no rocker by that time, and changing to the Aces was a breeze. Turns became effortless...and I finally learned to spin on the Aces. Soooo...in retrospect, I should have upgraded when I started spinning and doing toe jumps. It would have made my skating less of a struggle. I wouldn't be too worried about upgrading to Aces. It's a fine Intermediate blade.

[Anita18]

I agree - once you're starting toe jumps and spins, it's time to upgrade. I too had Wilson Excels, and had the rocker sharpened down twice (I learned too late not to sharpen skates at the rink I skate at, LOL!). I only had them upgraded when I changed my boots, and the toepicks on the MK Professionals scared me the first time I saw them, LOL! On my first day in them, I felt like I was skating through sand, but after a couple of sessions, I felt like I could hold my edges forever! I couldn't hold a flat edge with the Excels, but I can do that really easily with the Professionals. Spins are also a lot more secure with them.

[nutty-ducky]

can someone please tell me what a Rocker is?
thanks :D

[blue111moon]

"Rocker" is the term used to describe the curve of the blade from toe to heel, like the curve on the bottom of a crocking chair. The greater the curve, the more rocker the blade has. It makes edges, curve, turns and spins easier than on on a flat blade.

[Anita18]

Yup, and if you look at blade specifications, the smaller the "radius," the more rocker it has. For blades, the radius refers to the circle the blade would make if its curvature was lengthened enough to trace a circle.

What's kinda funny about this is that I skate with an adult skater whose Wilson blades (I forgot which one) has an 8 ft radius and her coach tells her that it makes it harder to do turns and edges, but she some of the best turns, spins, and edges that I've ever seen, LOL! She doesn't think it's particularly hard either, LOL. She's just talented like that - and I still have trouble finding the sweet spot for spins and turns on my 7 ft blades! :P

[Yazmeen]

With my new Klingbeil's, I will need smaller blades, and my coach is actually switching me from Coronation Comets to Aces (see my thread on Mr. Klingbeil to find out I got the Comets). She feels I don't need the big toepick on the Comets at my level (ISI FS 2) and from what I understand the Ace is a joy for spinning, which doesn't come easily to me.

The Comet is flatter with a larger radius, and I wonder if that along with toepick hasn't exactly helped me with 3 turns and spins. Elsy2--wow, did the Ace really make that much of a difference in your turns and spins? Maybe there's hope for me yet!!! :P

Beth

[JDC1]

Maybe I'll get new blades!! :-) I really want new skates but unfortunately I have a sick kitty and cannot afford the huge expense but I have considered upgrading my blades more than once. I have a beginner blade too but now that I am doing toe jumps and trying to spin probably I should upgrade. ANd Elsy2, you got me so excited, I have had SUCH a chore with spinning, I always blame my blades but my coaches aren' t so easily convinced!

[Elsy2]

Yes, the Aces made a huge difference for me, and I was finally able to learn to spin on them. The search for the right blade for me has been a continuing process....after two years on the Aces I still struggled with being unstable, rocking off the back of the blades, and rocking during spins. I then changed to a flatter blade, Ultimas. For me, a flatter blade made sense and I am much more stable and able to sit back on the blade without falling over! :roll: So, although I needed more rocker at one point in my skating...eventually I needed another change.

The moral of the story is....good equipment is worth it!

[Ellyn]

My first "good" blades were Pattern 99s that I bought secondhand in 1975 from a friend who only used them for a month. They lasted me about 20 years, although for about 15 of those years I was averaging maybe 5 hours a year on the ice. When I finally got around to getting new skates, 5 or 6 years ago, I ended up with Vantage blades, which took some getting used to but I managed with OK. The next new skates I think I got Professional blades (never can remember exactly) -- I was glad at first that they were relatively inexpensive because the boots were expensive, but I've never really gotten used to them. Part of it may be that I never got the alignment quite right.

Anyway, one thing I consistently have a problem with is committing enough weight to the toepick on the toe jumps. Which is one reason my lutz is so pathetic. And now that I'm starting to attempt double toe (about 1.25 is what I can manage so far), I think I'll need more grip with the toepicks for that jump too.

So should I save up for a new pair of Pattern 99s? Any other blade suggestions for my next pair?

[Elsy2]

Ellyn,
If you likes your Pattern 99's, maybe you should go back to them. They are a flatter blade than your Professionals, so maybe that's why you never adjusted to the Professionals. The Professionals are a 7' radius, the Pattern 99 are 8'. If you wanted to try something inbetween, the Ultima Freestyle blade is a 7 1/2' radius. I think you'll like larger toepicks, they do feel more secure.

[icenut84]

Hi mikawendy

I can relate because I had Wilson Excels too, and now have Coronation Aces. I had the Excels because they came as a set with my first pair of boots. A few months later when I still couldn't get a RO edge to save my life, a coach looked at them and told me my right blade was set too far to the outside. I got it fixed and it was fine. I continued wearing the skates for nearly a year and a half (skating once per week) but I wanted new boots because the ones I had were too big (I wore 2 pairs of socks - long story) and I had been told by a few people that my blades weren't very good ones, especially not for spinning which I was having a lot of trouble with. I got new boots (Risport) than also came with the blade attatched, and the new blades on them were "cheapies" without even a company name on them (And someone told me they weren't very good for jumping, although I was doing ok on them). I used them for a couple of months till I ordered Coronation Aces. I haven't had them or skated on them for very long, but already I can say they helped my spinning. Next time I skate (hopefully next week) I won't have been for about three and a half weeks so I have no idea what will happen! Fingers crossed I won't be too rusty! :)
I think you could maybe talk to your coach about it, see what he/she says. They might say you're alright for a while considering your level (I don't know what that is because I'm not familiar with USFSA), or they might agree it would be a good move. If you do though, I recommend the Coronation Ace. :) My coach described it as the cheapest of the best and the best of the cheapest. It's a good all-around blade too.
Hope that helps!
Rachel

[Hannahclear]

I have Coronation Aces too, and I have always liked them. I just got them sharpened for the first time in about four years. I almost forgot what it was like to have edges.

What is the next Wilson blade up from Coronation and how much does it cost?

[mikawendy]

Originally posted by icenut84
I think you could maybe talk to your coach about it, see what he/she says. They might say you're alright for a while considering your level (I don't know what that is because I'm not familiar with USFSA), or they might agree it would be a good move. If you do though, I recommend the Coronation Ace. :) My coach described it as the cheapest of the best and the best of the cheapest. It's a good all-around blade too.
Hope that helps!
Rachel

Thanks, Rachel, and everyone else who has given advice. I think I will see what my instructor says (I'm still in the basic level, so I don't have a coach per se yet). I think when I need new boots I will switch to SPTeri (better fit for my foot shape), which, in my size take a different blade size, so I think I'll wait til then to upgrade my blades. I'm having an OK time on spinning. I have a little trouble with getting left edges (LFI, LBO, LBI especially), but I think I'll have to blame that on inexperience ;) rather than my blades. The woman who sharpens my blades took a look at me walking in them to see if they were mounted okay (not too far in/out), and she said they looked okay.

I look forward to my next upgrade eventually, because if I spin ok on Excels, perhaps I'll do even better on Aces? (maybe?) It will be nice to actually have a rocker of some sort! I was watching my skating tapes and could see how the tail of the blade wasn't even touching the ice during some of the spins. On my blade, it feels like the whole blade is touching the ice...

Thanks!
--mikawendy

[CanAmSk8ter]

Originally posted by Hannahclear
I have Coronation Aces too, and I have always liked them. I just got them sharpened for the first time in about four years. I almost forgot what it was like to have edges.

What is the next Wilson blade up from Coronation and how much does it cost?

After Coronation Ace comes Coronation Comet, which is very similar. I had both (ages ago- I have dance blades now) and the main difference I remember was that the Comet has a slightly bigger toe pick.

[lisabelle]

the comet is also much flatter than the ace. i skate on comets and it's a lot harder to get on the right part of the blade for spinning.