So, I finally broke down Friday and bought a new pair of skates... nothing really special just a nice pair of Jackson Freestyles with Ultima Mirage blades. Had them nicely sharpened and today went to try them out. All went well, they actually felt great and didn't even feel like wearing a new not broken in skate since I had them heat molded... until I got off the ice. It was then that I noticed a layer of siler film peeling of my right blade!!!

Has any one here ever had this happen?

I'm taking them back to the pro shop to have them checked out on Tuesday since they're closed tomorrow... I'm curious to see what they, and you, have to say!

I have heard of that happening, and always with Ultima blades.

that is very strange- i havn't used ultima blades but that seems very unusual.

Are you sure maybe the blades were packaged with a layer of plastic or something to protect them in their box?

Or maybe the layer of wax was bigger than the usually strip they use for the bottom.

gosh...I don't even know what that could possibly be.

When Ultima first started manufacturing blades, the chrome peeling was "allegedly" a common problem. I say allegedly because I went through two pairs of Ultimas over 8 years and never had either set of blades peel. I think the "official" word was that it was a bad batch of blades, and the problem was remedied. They have also moved their headquarters once or twice since they first started up, and now use slightly different manufacturing techniques than the ones that created the first line of blades.

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One of my friends had that happen with a different brand of blades. The pro shop she took them to said that it was fine, and just put clear nail polish or something on it to help keep it from rusting

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"Without a struggle, there can be no progress" ~ Frederick Douglass

Ultima has had problems w/ the chrome peeling. Take them back & they'll replace them.

Yuppers! I went through two pairs of Ultima blades, one silver the other gold platting, both blades the chrome was peeling off. Turns out that they had a huge deffective batch where as the zinc under the chrome was not electroplated correctly, and peeled off the blade. IT TOOK ME ALMOST TWO YEARS OF SCREAMING, BACK AND FORTH, BETWEEN ULTIMA AND THE DISTRIBUTOR FROM WHOM I BOUGHT THEM, TO FINALLY GET A CREDIT FOR THE DEFFECTIVE BLADES!

I've switched up to Wilson Gold blades and have never had a problem, since.

Thanks all for the input... I'll see what they'll say at the pro shop tomorrow... I just hope I get to keep the blade while waiting for a replacement since these are the only skates I have!

it's probably not the chrome finish. On all new pairs of skates, they come with a clear plastic or silicone layer to protect the blades. To me, thats what it sounds like

In deed, it was the chrome peeling off, because the Zinc platting underneath the chrome was peeling off. The company, Ultima, admitted to the defect...it is very public information at this point. You should have no problem returning these blades and receiving a credit.

It's definitely not a clear layer and does not appear to be plastic or silicone, instead it is a thin silver foil layer shiny on the outside and matt on the inside. So I'd have to side with those that suggested it's the chrome peeling off.

Thanks lovepairs for the info!

Every pair of Ultimas we've owned in the past six years have peeled, so it's not a "bad batch" problem -- it's an ongoing Quality problem. I spoke to the Jackson rep at a tradeshow last month about this problem. The company is aware of the problem and is willing to replace the blades at no cost to the consumer.

I had this happen with a pair of Jackson Freestyles w/ Ultimas last year and Jackson sent a better blade, an MK brand one. Ask if your pro shop will request this when ordering the replacement blade.

Your pro shop needs to order the new blades, mount them, then get a return authorization for the old blades to credit their account. The Jackson rep said that you don't need to return the blades first, so you shouldn't lose the use of the skates while waiting for the replacements to arrive.

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It happened to my Ultima Elites. I had those blades for over three years, and there was never a problem with rusting or performance. In my blades, at least, it was purely cosmetic. I have Ultima Freestyles now - they're new - and if it happens with them I'm not going to worry about it.

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When I bought my Mirage blades, my fitter told me to expect the chrome to start coming off.

It did. No effect on performance.

For the cost of the blades that was a small concession. They were good learning blades.

Talked to the Jackson/Ultima Service Department today... they'll gladly exchange the blades for a new set going through the pro shop where I purchased them. I called him up right afterwards and new blades are on order as we speak. I can keep my current ones till the new ones come in so no out time at all. I'm glad!