ISE shadow blades and paramount blades

[ibreakhearts66]

who knows what about these? i know the highest level ISE blades are good for triples and quads, but what about the shadows? i can't find any info on what level they're good for. i figure they'd be good for double axel through low triples, but i'm not sure. (eeee OMG can't believe i'm actually having to think about triples while considering new blades!!!!!!!). they're cheaper than pattern 99, and i really, really can't afford 400 dollar blades right now. i mean, i guess i may just have to shell out the money, but eeek.

also, anyone have any experience with paramount blades? they're pricier, but i'm thinking that they may be worth it. forget the fact that they come in cool colors (which i do find pretty awesome), they do seem like really good blades. they're super light weight, and are consistently made. i heard one lady who got them and said they were hard to spin in, but i think she struggles with her spins in general.

i'm scared to move up from coronation aces (yes i'm doing double axels in coronation aces lol) bc of a really bad toe-pick fall (tore a tendon in my knee and nearly shattered my pelvis...), but i'm starting to think it has to be done.

[Skittl1321]

I honestly can't tell you- as I'm still doing pitiful half jumps, but I see a lot of paramounts at our rink (which actually means visitors from the other closest rink- as ours isn't a very serious training rink) with skaters who have good doubles are are working on triples. It seems to be a very popular blade in this area.

Another popular blade seems to be the Ultima matrix series- I see this more on coaches, but quite a few of them have their students in them now.

I can't tell you about the ISE blades- as I'm not entirely sure that's what I've seen. There is one skater who has blades with cutouts, but it doesn't seem to be the same pattern as the Storm.

My blades are super low level- but that's what I can tell you from looking around the rink.

[BuggieMom]

I just ordered Paramounts for my dd, and I expect them here any day now. She is currently using Pattern 99. What attracted me to the Paramounts was the fact that they hold a sharpening longer. Her current blades are just barely over a year old, and are already almost worn out. She likes them super sharp, and skates quite a lot, so they are sharpened once a month, at the least. It might have something to do with the amount of steel the sharpener takes off, but either way, less sharpenings=longer lasting blades. I met a girl back in July that had Paramounts, and she said she had gotten them in January and had yet to have them sharpened.

i heard one lady who got them and said they were hard to spin in, but i think she struggles with her spins in general.

I suspect the spinning problem might have had to do with a change in rocker size. I heard about that a lot when my dd moved up from her old blades to the Pattern 99. Since the Paramounts are modeled after the Pattern 99, they have the same 8ft rocker and almost the same toe pick profile. I believe Coronation Aces have a 7 ft rocker? It might, or might not be an issue for you. DD had no problem with it.

Cost? Well, I guess it is a jump from the Aces to the Paramounts, but for me it was actually a savings! I found a place that had the 420 Paramounts for cheaper than the Pattern 99's, and if the blades last for a while, it saves me even more than that in the long run. (PM me if you want the name of the site!) The Paramount website says the 420's are great for those working on doubles and triples. So you might not need to go with the more expensive 440's. Now, keep in mind I am not an expert, just a mom who is very chea...um, frugal...and has done a LOT of research into these blades.

I can't wait till we get these things so I can see for myself how light they are. I will update when dd gets to skate on them and has an opinion.

Oh, and I got her the PINK ones! :D The color is so light, you really can't tell from across the room, you just know that something is "different" about the blades. A coach at our rink has the blue ones, and again, it is so light, it isn't very noticeable.

[Mrs Redboots]

The one male skater at my rink who does triple jump uses Paramount blades, as does his slightly less advanced sister, and they love them.

The only negative thing I've heard about them is that they are very hard to sharpen, so do check with your sharpener before buying them, as you don't want to find you can't get them done locally!