So I'm FINALLY getting new skates, and I'm thinking of switching from Gold Seals to something else. Gold Seals are so expensive and I can get away with something cheaper. I like a big toe pick, so I'm thinking of Phantom Specials. I don't want K Pick and I dont' think I need Parabolic either although I know people who like Parabolic. I'm Silver level hoping to move up to Gold, working on axels and doubles up to flip. I know I DON'T want Pattern 99s.

What blades do you have, and why do you like them? Any suggestions?

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

I have regular Phantoms (acutally just got my third pair) and love them!

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--
Natalie

http://www.ILoveTaB.com

I switched from Gold Seals to Phantoms and had a terrible time with my spins - though I also got new boots and had problems with them, too. But my spins improved once I got over the breaking-in stage. Jumps improved immediately. I like the bigger toe pick immensely.

Ugh, don't ever bother with K-Pick!

How are Phantom Specials different than regular Phantoms? Have you looked into Gold Stars? I think they have the same rocker as Gold Seals but bigger toe picks.

Do you really need new blades, too? Might be easier to keep the blades while you are breaking in new boots, if the GSs have any life left in them.

Just my 2 cents as a person who no longer freestyles at all. (but is blade-obsessed).

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

The Gold Stars are nice, I started on them before I went onto Gold Seals but they're about the same price (over here anyway) so that doesn't solve your problem.

Personally I wouldn't part with my Gold Seals for anything (well, maybe a few million ), they're expensive but last for ages so skate for skate don't really cost very much ......

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The best whisper is a click

No, the Gold Seals are literally down to their LAST sharpening. They're probably close to 6 years old at this point. The Phantom Special has a solid sole plate which I do like. The big cross cut picks on the Phantom are what's really drawing me to them, but the change in rocker does worry me. I will look into the Gold Stars.

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

They have deeply side-honed edges (more than any other blade) if I remember correctly.

No they're not - they're a 7' rocker. That's what I had before I got my current blades (Gold Seals). I didn't notice any toepick difference...but will compare them later. I personally like the gold seals much better but in any case would not jump to a 7' rocker if you're happy with 8' now unless you're very lightweight...

Why don't you want Pattern 99's?

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

Phantom Specials and regular Phantoms both have a 7' rocker, as do Gold Stars. So if you want to stick with an 8' rocker without getting Gold Seals, you may need to get Pattern 99's.
Phantom specials have a "dovetail" which I think means they are tapered toward the back. A friend of mine who has them says they are supposed to be faster, but who knows?!

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

I just looked at my blades, which are regular Phantoms, and they are side-honed (thicker to thinner from plate to edge). I think doubletoe is right that they are dove-tailed (thicker to thinner from toe pick to heel).

Edit: OK, I was wrong about what dove-tailed is here. Thicker to thinner from toe pick to heel is actually tapering.

Ok, looked it up.

Phantom Specials are different from regular Phantoms in two respects - one, they have a solid toe plate like a Gold Seal. Two, they have a "dovetailed edge section", which means, essentially, they're side-honed.

But they are side-honed more than any other blade on the market. From a good page on the matter:

"Note that on side-honed blades, the side of the blade where it meets the ice is cut at an angle to the plane of the blade, so the bite angle is effectively increased by this amount. On side-honed blades that I have examined, this angle appears to be between 2 and 3 degrees. An exception is the Phantom Special, on which the side is cut at an angle of about 9 degrees!"

It means that to feel similar, you'd need a different ROH sharpening than whatever you've got on your current blades - well and they still won't feel similar given the rocker difference...

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

My son used Phantom Specials when they first came out and never looked back, double jumps that he was only just landing were suddenly landed and new doubles came easier, I think the shape of the Specials allow them to be more forgiving if you have a bad landing because it allows you to hold on to your edge at greater angles. If only I were good enough to even consider them!!

That would be helpful for me!

What about Ultima blades? Anyone have those?

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

Are those the ones that screw in to a permanently fixed mount? If so, the current British champion, John Hamer, has them this season, and loves them.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

The screw ins are Matrix blades, the Ultimas are made by Jackson. Some swear by them and others hate them.

But dovetail is not the same as side-honing. You can have a side-honed blade that is not dovetail. Side-honing is when a blade is thicker at the plates and thinner towards the edge.

Here's a photo of my Phantoms, which are side-honed but not dovetailed. Look at the shading on the blades, especially under the heel where the stanchion meets the long part. That is side-honing. (I was mistaken in my earlier post where I confused dovetailing with tapering.)

Dovetail is when the edge part of the blade is literally thinner on both sides because of an angled cut on either side:

|_____|
../__\

A dovetailed blade looks like the picture on the left, if you were looking at the blade from the back:
http://www.diydata.com/techniques/ti...s/dovetail.gif

What would be the advantage to a dovetailed blade? I'm definitely leaning towards the Phantom, still maybe the Phantom Special. I don't know anyone with the Matrix blades, but a couple people have Ultimas and like them.

Vesper, your skates look so nice and white. I can't wait till mine look like that again. Last year for synchro I had to spray them beige and they look awful, half the beige has chipped off.

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

Hmm, I want to see a pair of Specials in person now.

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

Hi Casey, here's a pic of son's blade, you will need to scrole across, kept it big so you could hopefully see more details, couldnt get it to focus properly to emphasise the dovetail but verperholly's description is good:

Samba

I have the Ultima Matrix blades. If you are like me and love sharp blades then these are great as you can get a second pair of blade runners and change to sharp blades in 2 minutes max. ALso easier to give the runners than boots to sharpener if you use one away from the rink - would make mailing them reasonable.

Only problem is that the screw shanks get a lot of stress and will compress a little and "click" as you walk in them. I'm getting a new pair after 6 months of use.
Lyle

Yes, I remember now. My friend's Phantom Specials look like they are thinner toward the bottom of the blade, not the back of the blade. They look different from the side-honed blades (like my MK Gold Stars) which are flared out at the bottoms, but apparently, both features give you more bite angle. Based on that link Casey posted (which I've seen before and found very interestin), the Phantom Specials give you more edge bite than any other blade, so I guess if you like the feeling of sharp blades that hold a deep edge really well, then you would like them. Then again, as Casey said, you may want to sharpen with a larger ROH if they feel too sharp.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Gams are worth looking into as well. They are outselling just about everything else in Alberta these days (all levels, including National and International Senior competitors). I have the G10s and love them. They don't have the giant pick some of the other blades do, but mine aren't the top model. I think I paid about $300 for mine. They have a really nice glide and stability that I never felt on my Ultimas or MKs. The company is Canadian, so I don't know how accessible the blades are in the US, but it would be worth doing a bit of research: http://www.gamskates.com.

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

Gams are worth looking into as well. They are outselling just about everything else in Alberta these days (all levels, including National and International Senior competitors). I have the G10s and love them. They don't have the giant pick some of the other blades do, but mine aren't the top model. I think I paid about $300 for mine. They have a really nice glide and stability that I never felt on my Ultimas or MKs. The company is Canadian, so I don't know how accessible the blades are in the US, but it would be worth doing a bit of research: http://www.gamskates.com.

ETA: Don't be fooled by the rocker measurements shown on the site. The 7' and 8' that we usually refer to aren't accurate measurements, but they are standard for the industry. The Gam site shows the precise rocker measurements, and also refers to the primary and complex rocker. My Ultimas were listed as an 8' rocker, and my G10's actually feel a bit more curved.

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

lunaskater, thanks for pointing out this site. Is there any way to see the prices? I notice they have a dance blade... do you know anyone that is using them?

icedancer2, the blade obsessed...

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

I don't personally know anyone who is using the dance blade; sorry! As for pricing, they had a very good customer service department when I called last summer to ask some Q's about boots, so give them a call!

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

Okay, here I am resurrecting an old thread from years ago...

I currently have Phantoms and I have had this same pair for nearly 10 years. I am planning to get new skates next year, and if I switch manufacturers, there is a chance I'll also have to get new blades. Stormy, I am pretty sure you and I wear the same size shoe (women's 6). What size are the blades on your Reidell's? My blades are 9 1/4 and I remember that the blades when I was in Reidell years ago were too big for my new SP Teri's at the time, but I don't remember by how much and I know that those boots were also at least a half size too big for me.

If I do need new blades, I want to use this opportunity to consider switching to a different model. My coach recommends to stay in Phantoms because she says it is harder to switch after you start the "big jumps" (doubles). I don't feel that I would have difficulty transitioning, but I won't switch if a different blade wouldn't provide any improvements, especially if it is a much more expensive blade.

So, vesperholly said she switched from Gold Seal to Phantom and was happy with the switch. I am considering going the other way (on blade choice, Stormy) and am looking for more feedback. Also, I am interested in the discussion regarding the Phantom Special and am curious to see if anybody has any updated information with these blades. I understand the dovetailing, but is the dovetailing instead of tapering and not in addition to? Perhaps I just need to make a trip to a skate shop that has both to compare.