Ok, so it's time for me to upgrade my blades, but im not sure which ones to go for, all I was told to get was the pattern 99 or Phantom. Im currently on Wilson 4 Aces.

Is there much difference between the 2, I know the 99 has an 8 foot rocker and the phantom 7'. Is this really a big deal?

Thanks

I used a Phantom when I was a little girl, had a hard time centering spins with them, but it all depends on you and how you skate. When I came back to skating (18 years later) I got the pattern 99s, which I adore. My spinning is much better but in all honesty, it is up to you. I prefer blades with the 8' rocker but that is me.

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Depends on what you like. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Phantoms. I am on my third or fourth pair. My spins are centered and pretty fast on my 7' rockers. I feel like I have a little room for error when finding my sweet spot...

I LOVE my Phantoms. Before Phantoms, I had Ultima Freestyles and Pattern 99s, and I could really feel the difference between the rockers. The Phantom blade took a little work to get used to, especially in spins and jump landings. I had to build up my core strength in order to maintain control over what part of the blade I was skating on since it was more curved. The good news is that after an adjustment period, my turns are cleaner, I hardly ever toe scratch anymore, my spins are faster, and my edges have much better overall flow.

On the other hand, a rink I used to skate at near Chicago had pretty much everyone in Pattern 99s, and they all loved them.

At my current rink, almost everyone has Gold Seals. They keep trying to get me to switch, but I'm not giving in!

It's really a matter of personal preference. It's a shame that you can't test out a pair of blades before you buy them!

The two blades are pretty equivalent and both are excellent blades, so it's a matter of personal preference. My blade guru recently pointed out that the rocker shape of a blade is just as important as the rocker radius, and that's why he always recommends sticking with whatever brand of blade you are already using (there's less adjustment required). So if you are using Wilson blades now, you will probably feel more comfortable on the Wilson Pattern 99's.

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I don't know about Phantoms, but I tried pattern 99 for a year. I couldn't stand them. Besides having a flatter blade, the standoff (distance from the bottom of the boot to the ice) is shorter. Spinning was exceptionally difficult and jumping wasn't much easier. Ugh. My coach, however, thinks they're great. He says they are betting for jumping, although I didn't think so.

If you want to save money, why not look into the Ultima Elite blades. It is the same profile as the Pattern 99 but it won't break your wallet at half price of the Pattern 99's. I'm in them now and find them to be the same as my old Pattern 99's. Also, there's more steal on the Ultima Elite blades, so they last longer sharpening wise than the new Pattern 99's (which are made to take half of the sharpenings of the old Pattern 99 and the Ultima Elites).

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I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

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I went from Comets to phantoms and really like the shape of the phantoms.

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Thanks for all the replies. I like the sound of the Ultima Elite blades. Ive heard the mounting plate on them is flat, so te boot needs sanding flat for them to be mounted, is this right? At the moment this is the only thing thats putting me off!

yes this is true that the boot needs to be sanded flat in order to mount the Ultima Eite but it's not that much sanding that is done. the Ultima Elite's plate is solid and can take more stress than the Pattern 99. If you're over 120 pounds it's nice to have a blade that is built as solid as you are.

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"It's not age that determines but the heart." "Skating is not just a sport for the young but it's a passion for the soul of the young at heart." Brigitte Laskowski

I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

Singerskates Sports Music Editing