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Blade Upgrade
OK, I know this has been gone over time & time again, but now it's my turn.
This now ends my second winter on figure skates. I started with Jackson Elite boots & Ultima Mirage blades. I'm thinking of upgrading my blades for next year. My initial thought was to stay within the Ultima brand and get Protege or Legacy. But it's tempting to try something else. MK Professional, perhaps? I have strong edges and I'm better at footwork than jumps. That being said, I do work on jumps. I have small T.L. & Sal. Also have a nice big waltz jump. My spins are lame. I get a nicely centered two-footed spin about 1/2 the time (good enough that a teenage girl came up to me and asked me to help her learn how to spin! I was amazed....I thought I looked horrible!). Scratch spins have eluded me thus far. So, besides asking my instructor (which I will be doing), what collective words of wisdom do you all have? Thanks, Jon Last edited by russiet; 03-26-2006 at 08:17 AM. Reason: set notification |
#2
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I have Ultima Proteges and I looooooove them. They glide so fast & smoothly!
When I got my current boots I was considering either MK Pro or Coronation Ace; my fitter said the Proteges are comparable but cheaper. Looking at the specs I see that MK Pro & Coronation Ace have a 7' rocker while the Proteges have an 8' rocker (as does the Mirage). Maybe the more curved blade would be easier to spin on, though I don't have trouble spinning in the Proteges (that's not to say I can spin, but the problem is me and not the blades!). It seems to me that you might have an easier time adjusting to the Proteges--same brand, same rocker as you have now. |
#3
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I just upgraded from Ultima Mirage to Coronation Ace, and I absolutely love them. You can actually feel the difference in quality. My spins are more centered and faster. Supposedly, the 7' rocker helps with spins. The Mirage has an 8' rocker which could make things harder to spin. But I absolutely adore my new blades. THey have a nice rip sound when I'm stroking or doing crossovers.
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#4
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#5
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You are in a Mirage, which is 8'....don't go flatter into something like the Comet which is 8.5' or you will NEVER get your spins unless you want to expend tons of hard effort (trust me on this one)
My 2 cents worth. Yes, the Aces are waiting in the wings for summer.......
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Skate@Delaware Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter! |
#6
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Adjustment
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I just heard back from my instructor, and the Coronation Ace were one of his picks, along with "anything made from England ( MK or John Wilson)". |
#7
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But yea, the adjustment for the blades really didn't take long at all. Couple laps around the rink, couple spins, and all was well. |
#8
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I'm going to be moving from the Comets (8.5') to the Aces (7') this summer, so I think there will be quite a bit more of an adjustment period than a few laps. I plan on going up through the USFSA Learn-To-Skate book and work through the elements (I did this for my rollerblades which took 2 weeks to get up to and through 3-turns).
I am not sure how it is going rockier, because I went from Mirage to Comets and lost all rocker (yeah, I was off mine). And I lost my spins for about 6 months too. I was told that the toepick on the Ace was worse than the one on the Comet,,,but it isn't. It's just cross-cut a bit-big deal.
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Skate@Delaware Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter! |
#9
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~ Cliff |
#10
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and the winner is...
Right now I'm thinking the Coronation Aces. It will be a few weeks before I spring the $, so I may yet change my mind.
Regardless, I will re-post and let you know what I think. Thanks!! Jon |
#11
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and to mix me up a little....
I just spoke to my skate fitter & he is reccomending MK Professionals over the Coronation Aces. He mentioned something about the difference in the secondary rocker.
Anyone with opinions on those blades? Thanks Jon |
#12
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You just can't go wrong with the MK Professional; it's the best quality blade for the price and it will serve you well all the way through your single and double jumps. It has a nice grabby toepick but it isn't so big that it gets in the way. More importantly, it has a 7' rocker that almost finds the sweet spot for you when you spin (provided you don't rush that entrance edge, LOL!).
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#13
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It seems there's some bit of controversy over which pick style is better - different brands claim that either one sticks better depending on what they're trying to sell.
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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 |
#14
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I'm getting my daughter MK Pro's (you should hear them at the pro shop "Big Mistake! She will be set back on her skills", etc. Whatever!
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Skate@Delaware Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter! |
#15
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Time was, you had Coronation Aces or MK Pros until you started to work on double jumps, and the next time you needed blades after that you went to Phantoms, and there you stayed..... these days there are a lot more options!
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#16
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Mounting
OK, online I could buy either the Pros or Ace for $175.00 and $178.00 (respectively) and that includes shipping.
My skate fitter (1-1/2 hours away) is quoting me $205.00 and $20.00 to mount (add 5% sales tax, too.) Here's the order I that I'll approach this:
Last edited by russiet; 03-29-2006 at 06:39 PM. |
#17
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I've just been through the whole Coronation Ace vs MK Professional thing when buying new boots and blades. I did all my research and had worked out the two were basically equivalent. By the time I went to the fitter I'd decided on Coronation Ace merely because more people seemed to have them and everyone seemed happy with them.
Well, the fitter showed me both the Coronation Ace & MK Pro and I ended up choosing the MK Pro for two reasons: 1) The toe pick on the MK Pro looked less evil - as it's going to be a while (if ever) before I really need a decent toe pick this was a significant factor for me! 2) The finish on the MK Pro was just so much better than the Coronation Ace - I know aesthetics probably shouldn't come into it, but it just looked like better workmanship. Anyway, I've been skating on the MK Pros for a few weeks now and am very happy with them. They are really nice to skate on - though admittedly this is partially because they are such a huge improvement over my old blades! |
#18
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#19
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If you're a big (strong) jumper, go with the mk professional. But with the jumps you're doing, it probably won't make a huge difference either way.
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#20
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I didnt know if i should make a new thread, so im sort borrowing this one.
I have ultima mirages as well, and im looking to upgrade too. i can do up to a double toeloop, but am desperately trying to re-land double loop & double flip. what would be the most economical choice? i am no longer competing, so im just skating recreationally (but still jump!) now. |
#21
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