My coach has asked me to look into the Coronation Ace and the Pattern 99 blades for my next set. I currently use an MK blade on my Reidell Silver Stars - it's been so long that I don't remember exactly what the blade is. It's for a more basic skater, and doesn't have much of a toe pick. I'm an adult pre-bronze skater with an expanding reperatory of moves, jumps and spins. I'm not too thin, if that matters (it does with boots, perhaps also with blades?)

Anyone here use either of these two blades. What do you think of them? What are the differences between these blades and the more basic ones I'm using? Did the change help your skating?

And what's up with this "Parabolic" thing? Some are, some aren't - what's the difference?

The Coronation Ace is the blade for your level. The Pattern 99s are really meant more for somebody doing Axels and Double jumps. You will be very happy with the Aces and probably notice a difference.

I don't know anyone who has tried the parabolic blades but the theory is that allow you to turn more easily. I think they run about $50 more per set to get the parabolic variation.

Good luck with your new blades!

LW

I agree that the Ace is better for you. MK Pro, AFAIK, is probably more blade than you need at this point. Don't worry about being too big for the Ace, either- I probably only weighed 110-115 when I had my Aces, but I was landing doubles in them for a good year, maybe longer, and could have kept them even longer except that I quit freestyle and got dance blades. Their rep as beginner-only blades is kind of undeserved, in my opinion It's a good solid blade that should serve you well for the next few years at least.

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I hope you love the Coronation Aces like I did when I first had mine. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face. What also makes this a good choice is that the radius will be the same. MK blades are all 7' radius, and so is the Ace.

The Pattern 99 is flatter than the Ace. It's an 8' radius, and that would take some adjustment to get used to. Now if you are rocking all over the place on your current blades, then maybe a flatter blade would make sense. Most of the skater's at our rink will move up to this level blade when they reach doubles.

I personally needed a flatter blade, so I do wear a higher level blade than what I need. Love my Ultimas though, and so happy I went for them. The glide and speed difference is quite apparent.

My coach says he recommends Coronation Ace until you are doing doubles, then, next time you get new blades, upgrade to Phantoms.For dancers, there is also a Coronation Dance blade for those who aren't ready for MK dance, but who need dance blades.

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I agree with those who've said Coronation Aces are the right ones for you. Those are what most of the skaters at my rink use.

Nicki

Thanks, all. From answers here and at FSU, it seems like the Coronation Ace might be the one for me. I'm going to try to see if I can get a used pair so that I can try them for a while - I'll need new boots sometime over the next year or so, too, so may get a new pair at that time.

Lastly, how do you know what size blade to get? I see that they seem to come in sizes. I guess these are the length of the blade. Does it correspond with your skate size somehow?

I always thought that Coronation Ace and MK Pro were comparable blades in terms of fit for a person's level of skating. NOT in terms of rocker length, pick profile, length of tail, etc., as they are two different brands, but the skate pro who sold me my MK Pros discussed the MK Pros and Coronation Aces with me and said either would work.

(BTW, I chose the MK Pros because they were slightly less expensive and I knew a few other skaters of similar level who had just gotten some and had a positive experience with them. I'm also working on pre-bronze level stuff and am not too thin either.)

My first blades were Coronation Ace, and I had them on my Klingbeil boots for more than 4 years. Can't say I ever had a problem with them. However, when I got new Klingbeils 9 months ago, I upgraded to Pattern 99s. Most of the adults in my club have them and wholeheartedly rcommended them. I'd also had problems with my backspin and backsit, but with the Pattern 99, I can now do these spins. The one thing I do miss on the Coronation blades is the toe picks. I used to do nice pivots becasue I could easily locate the toe pick. That's not the case on my P99s (though it's getting better). It makes doing the death spiral a bit harder!

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What you do is you measure the sole of your boot, from the toe to the heel. Then you minus a quarter inch from that number. For example, I wear a size 11 skate. The toe to heel measurement is 11.5 inches, so my blade is 11.25 inches. The "size" of the blade is normally the length of it. Most coaches reccomend not getting a blade that goes from the front to the back completely because it messes up your center for your spins and where you take off for your jumps. Hope this helps!

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Just want to add that the blades are measure from the tip of the toe plate to the end of the heel plate.

If you keep your eye on ebay you may be able to pick up a new pair pretty cheaply. I got hubby a pair for $50 and found a set for myself for $80, both brand new in the box. You do have to be patient though.

If you want to try to find a used pair and don't have any luck locally, you can try Don Korte's Skate Exchange and Pricecutters.com

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