I have had Risport RF4 boots with MK21 blades to get me to my current standard (in my signature), but am beginning to see that with lots of jumps (and spins) ahead of me, I should be thinking about upgrading. I am very happy with the Risport build standard, and seen the quality of the RF3, so will choose those as my next boot, but I am uncertain as to the blade ... I see no reason to move away from MK, and the Professional seems a reasonable choice, very much in favour I gather from lots of posts here (as is the Coronation Ace I believe).

My uncertainty comes from the options available for the Professional blade, there is also the K-pick option, and the parabolic option. Does anyone have any comments on these, as the cost increase does not seem much, but I would not want to make a choice without making an informed judgement?

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I don't have personal experience with either of these options, but a friend who just went from regular Gold Seals to K-pick Gold Seals told me she can feel the difference in weight. The added bits on the sides are heavier and also don't fit well into blade guards. What I've heard about the parabolics is that the shape does not work the same magic for skate blades that it does for skiis because of the shortness of the blades. They are also harder to sharpen properly. I know there is at least one person on this board who has said the parabolics helped her.

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I upgraded my Risport Etoiles (just one under RF4) with Coronation Ace blades and I was very happy with the upgrade, and my mom upgraded her risport cristallo or super cristallo (? predecessor of the rf3) with the same blades and was also very happy with it. I also noticed coronation ace stays sharp longer and gives quite the lift on toepick jumps. But I was a lot less maneuverable on coronation ace than I was on mk21 for a while (like, months). Coronation is good enough for axel and stuff like double salchow.
And uhm, well the toepick on coronation ace was a bit of a shock to me how much larger it is compared to mk21. It gives the blade different properties, like, if you stick it in the ice it stays in the ice (not so with mk21, those will slip out way faster). I'm a bit concerned that if you go to huge toepicks right away, you might have a problem with it.

I would advise against the K-pick, since it will make it difficult to tell if you are using correct picking technique on your toe jumps. The toeloop is the reason the K-pick was developed, and it's really only for doubles, triples and quads. But if you look at the toepicks of those actually doing triple and quad toeloops, you will rarely see K-picks, which should probably tell you something.

Having finally compared the Parabolic side by side with the standard blade and seen absolutely no difference in blade curvature or width in the center of the blade, I am now doubting whether there can possibly be a difference in performance. But some people feel a difference, so. . . ?

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what does it do for the toeloop then?
I've never seen blades with it, at least I don't think I have.

BTW I googled k-pick and uhm check out the graph on this site:
http://www.johnwilsonskates.com/features/k-pick.html
The difference seems to be in distance, not height. And the height is what gives you the extra time to rotate, not the distance.

It could be a placebo affect, where people WANT to feel a difference. If you've also changed boots, there's no way to tell which is causing any 'felt' difference.

What we really need is a scientific experiment, comparing some value (such as jump height or edge depth) before and after changing blades. Not just for the elite skaters, mix in some average joes and see if there's a measurable difference.

I wouldn't suggest the K-pick or Parabolic options to parents unless the skaters are already working on doubles.

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I was interested in Parabolics initially. A friend of mine and a fellow skater has parabolic blades but the blades keep bowing to the left or right. He has to constantly get them adjusted. At first I thought it was a bad mounting but I think it has something to do with the narrow middle section of the blade. That concerns me a little bit.


BlackManSkating

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I have risport RF3s and MK Professionals and am soon testing for novice free skating. I found that RF3s have been the easiest to break in (other than lasers but i havnt had them since i was about 8) RF3s also keep their stiffness really well and dont break down too quickly.
I have always used MK professionals and they are AWSOME: easy to fit, easy to sharpen. just watch out for the toepick when u first use them. The toe pick doesnt slip on jumps if you use the right technique.

I think you have chosen well but i may be biased...

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Flik

LOVING premed and get to skate so much more.

But ANY blade can bow. Or be mounted wrong. That's just one of those "things that happen".

I haven't tried the Parabolics but most people I have met have loved them and said that their edges were better and turns were easier. I say "said their edges were better" because in most cases I could not see a difference in their overall skating. The only one I really believed was an eite skater who said she could really tell the difference and LOVED them and another adult ice-dancer who is quite good liked them also (and is really picky about her equipment [and can afford to be, if you know what I mean - myself I will force myself to get used to almost anything!).
As far as sharpening them, but expert blade-guy says they are the same as sharpening any other blade. I trust him.

But I also fall into the camp of thinking that the Coronation Ace or MK Professional is about the best all-purpose blade there is out there.

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I am looking for a blade which has a large clearance between the toepick and the ice. Any recommendations?

I would say no to the k-picks. From what I understand, and what I've seen around the rink, there are problems with the extra side toe-pick part falling off. Save yourself the money and the trouble! As for the professional (or coronation ace), both are great blades. I'm in the coronation ace right now (which is basically the same as the professional) and have been for years. I'm finally going to move up as they don't grip the ice quite well enough for double flips and double lutzes, but they've been great to me!

just out of curiosity, why do you want a large clearance? the faster the first toepick hits the ice, the more force goes into a jump (or something like that. i know the shorter clearances benefit jumps).

but, what you want for the largest clearance is a blade with a 7' rocker. coronation ace, professional, majestic, and all MK blades have a 7' rocker

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You've been skating a while, haven't you? If you're still tripping on toepicks, check the size of your boots. When they're too big (meaning long), they're hard to control and tripping's often the result. Happens a lot when the width is too narrow and the store doesn't have the right width in stock - "We'll just go up a size." (Forgive me if I've mistaken your question. It's hard to remember everyone's situation.)

What blade are you using now, and what level are you currently skating?

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Isk8NYC has hit the nail on the head. I now realise that when I purchased my Risport RF4 skates earlier this year my lack of knowledge allowed me to fall into the trap of getting boots that were too long just in order to get the width right. Yesterday I decided to take the plunge and try to buy a skate with a better fit. I settled on the Jackson Marquis which seemed an excellent fit in width, length and foot location. The Marquis has exactly the same Ultima Mk V blade (length and ROH) as my Risport but the boot is wider and is about half an inch shorter internally than the Risport.

Today I gave the skates their first outing and although it is far too early to draw any firm conclusion I immediately noticed an improvement in control and there seemed to be more 'feel' through the skate. I hope it continues.

New skates - CONGRATS!! (I love new skates.) Post a picture!

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