Are the guards with the spring in the middle or the ones with the plastic piece on the back better? Also, when they say "one size" do you think they will fit larger sized skates as well as average?

Thanks!

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Sasha Fan
Supporter of Alissa and Amber Czisny

For years, the only option were the one-piece guards with the spring at the heel. I bought a pair of the two-piece guards with the center spring and found them to be fussy to put on. You have to get the blade into the guard slot twice: front piece and back piece. I also didn't like the gap it left in the center, which gives the guard the tension to stay put.

Since I'm basically lazy and I don't like fussy things, I just bought a one-piece pair with a rubber loop at the heel. I like them much better. You can insert the heel and step/slide into them more easily.

As for size, the "large" on both were okay for my 10" blade.

It's a matter of personal preference. I had the single piece guards for years when I was young, I found them a pain to put on because my particular set didn't have a flexible loop. And I didn't like the way the back bit flipped up and down when I walked. Putting the two piece guards together and getting them to STAY together (doesn't help if you get a broken screw with them } is another pain, but it's only initially.

I think the 2-piece ones look a little better, but they're much more hassle to put on and take off. So lately I've just been using the one piece kind.

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Andrea

i like the twopiece ones better, cause they stay on better! when i had the one piece guards, they kept on falling off whenever i got out of the car. (tie ur skates int he car, it saves time! )

I think the 2 piece ones are much better. They wear through a lot slower, too. Our pro shop is evil and only sells one piece though, so I have to buy two piece on line. Oh well, www.skate-connection.com/ just gets more buisness from me.

I prefer the two-piece, and once you have set them up, they couldn't be easier to use.

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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!

Another one for the two-piece!

They can be a pain to put together but they're so easy once they are AND I find them much easier to walk in

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The best whisper is a click

I like the two-piece ones, however the springs get rusty over time and you basically need to buy a whole new pair of guards just to get the springs. I am still wondering if there is somewhere where I can just get the springs on their own because I have a pair of guards without the springs that I would like to sell.

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Check out Cool Cat Skating Products - Australian Owned and Produced Skating Stuff.
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You might let it be known to your rink guards and manager that if they find a guard someone left there, you'd like to have it.

I'm another two piece person. My blades are long enough that I didn't have to cut the guards down. I like having the security of the springs to protect my edges.

I've cut down a lot of guards for friends and teams. It's not difficult.

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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau

Gary--
What did you use to cut the guards? I had to do this recently, and the only thing I owned that was sharp enough (and not a good wedding present knife) was a super-sharp bread knife that my father gave me. It was advertised on TV as one that never gets dull.

I had to be really careful and still it felt quite precarious to be sawing on the hard plastic with a long knife on our cutting board!

I get my dad to cut it using a small handsaw, mind you it leaves the edges kind of messy.

They make a special cutting tool to cut guards, but I've only used one once when I was helping a guy from the local skate shop.

Usually, I just use my pocket knife (I keep it sharp) because I'm at a rink with no other tools. I put the guard on a bench and start pressing my way through it. After I've gone as far as I can in that direction, I'll move my blade to a new spot along the same cut. It takes a lot of pressure. My pocket knife also has a screwdriver, so I can hook up the springs.

If I was doing it at home, I'd lock the guard in a vise and use a hack saw. With a fine blade you'd get a pretty clean cut.

(If your looking for a gift to give someone for Christmas, the Leatherman Micra multi-purpose tool is great. It's very small, but has a knife, scissors, two screwdrivers, tweezers, etc. I think they run about $ 28.00. My sons, girlfriend, mom, and I won't leave home without ours.)

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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau

How do you put the two-piece guards together? I have a pair but have never managed to work it out, so I still use the one-piece ones, but it is annoying that they flap when you walk.

I've has my two-piece guards for so long that I'd forgotten that you have to cut them down and put them together! That bit is a pain (you can probably sweet-talk your pro shop into doing it for you), but one they're done, they're done. I like they way they fit the blade much better, and they definitely stay on when you walk. I always had problems with the one-piece ones, because they'd shift the slightest bit and fall off.

One tip--when putting your skates on, you'll want to 'kick' your heels down into the back of the boot for a nice, firm fit. Don't do this with your guards on! I learned this the hard way. Puts nifty little holes right through the plastic, especially with a sharp blade! Just kick the tail of the bare blade against the padded floor, lace up with your foot at an angle so just the tail is touching the floor, then put the guards on.

OMG, I did this too! The problem is, once that hole's there, the tail of the blade gets "stuck" in it, so when you go to take the guard off, the tail wedges into the hole and you have to use both hands to get the darn thing off. Once I had done that, I realized I had kind of unintentionally given my guards a front and a back- the hole had to go in front. Every time I put the guards on, I had to check that they were on "forward". After a couple weeks of that, I gave up and bought new guards!

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I have always considered the big end the back and short end the front. Are there some that are equal at both ends?

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

Can I be added to the list of those who have used a bread knife too?

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I stuck holes in the back of two pairs before I learned my lesson. Duh to me .

I remember the old days of the one piece guard -- and am thankful for the two piece guard! Fortunately I don't have to cut them.

In answer to twinkle, you should have two springs and two screws. The screws go at opposite ends of the spring, and on opposite sides of the guard. The end of the screw holds the loop of the other one, one end of the screw should be on one side of the guard, at the front, and the end of the other screw should be on the other side of the guard, at the back. Hard to explain, easier to show .

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

The first pairs I had we didn't need to cut down - in fact, rather the reverse, they had a gap in the middle. But then I moved to dance blades, and they had to be cut down; husband did this with a hacksaw, I think, or possibly a sharp knife. I don't know - why keep a dog and bark yourself?

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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!

I prefer the two piece guards. I like how they don't stick out behind your blade so people can't step on them. I use to think getting the guards on was hard but after a few tries it's just as easy as the one piece guards. I think skate-connection.com assembles your guards for no charge if you give them your blade measurements.

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beks~
"winning isn't everything... wanting to is."

" the only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary"

"It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at pracitce that counts; it's what you put into the practice."

Don't know how anybody who runs a home manages without a tool box! a junior hacksaw is very useful for all sorts of household tasks (like cutting curtain track, trimming skate guards ...) You can buy them in a DIY store for a few dollars - the handle is thin chrome metal tubing bent into 2 dimensions, to hold a disposable blade about 6 inches long. (A similar shape to a handled haircomb). I think you should have a go - it takes about 4 minutes planning, 1 minute cutting, and 5 minutes to get the fit right with the springs and screws. You will also need a slothead screwdriver to turn the screws into position.

I have a set of screwdrivers (that I nicked from a place I used to work at) and a hammer but no hacksaw!! The screwdrivers come in very handy in relation to skating stuff.

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Actually my skate guards are three pieces since my blade is very long, I have size 12 skates.

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Keeping School Figures Alive!!

WOW!!!! And I thought my 10-1/2 boots were large. I only have two piece guards, but I didn't have to cut them down.

Three piece, huh. How !!!

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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau