Helloo
I'm planning to get new blades (was going to order them today but the shop shut early! d'oh), and they will probably be Coronation Aces (have never had them before - had two different pairs of cheapies - but have been told they're the best of the cheapest and the cheapest of the best). But before I order I want to make sure I'm getting the right thing. I'm not sure if the shop will measure my boots for the right size (I don't think they will) so how exactly do you measure to know what the right size of blade is? Is the blade supposed to be fitted from the very front to the very back? The ones I have now are right at the front but about half a centimetre away from the back. They're size 10 2/3, and the ones on my old boots were 10 3/4 (both times, the blades came attatched - although with my first ones, they were attatched in the wrong places, one being set too far out meaning it was impossible to get an outside edge, so I'm not taking the measurements of the current blades as gospel).
So could someone tell me exactly where/how you measure the boots to be sure you're getting the right size blades? I showed my coach my current ones (10 2/3) and told him that my old ones were 10 3/4, and he said either would be fine, but I'll probably go with the 10 3/4. I guess I just wanted to double check with all the knowledgeable people here

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

The blades should be only fractionally shorter than the length of the boot. If you buy shorter blades, the most important thing is to line up the ball of the foot correctly, so the front of the blade should be almost flush with the toe. The blade lies along a line from the gap between big and second toe and the centre of the heel. Usually you will only put in about half the number of screws to hold it, then try skating round, try forwards, backward, left, right, three turns, and make sure the blade feels well centred. Some people have pronated feet (inner ankle bend inwards) and they will have the blade moved fractionally to the inside of the boot to make outside edges easier.

WARNING!!!! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ATTACH YOUR OWN BLADES!!!! Get the fitter in the shop to do it - it should be included in the price - also, he will have an electric screwdriver which makes things much easier. Failing that, get your trusted local blade sharpener or coach to fit them. If you attach your own blades they are likely to be skewed and may bend in use. Also, occasionally it is necessary to sand part of the base of the sole of the boot in order to get optimum surface for blade.

You will love your new Coronation Aces!

MK blades and John Wilson blades (including Coronation Ace) come in different incremental measurements.

MK sizes their blades in 1/4 inch increments and John Wilson sizes theirs in 1/3 inch increments.

So if you were using a 10 3/4 inch before, depending on the sole length you could conceivably use either 10 2/3 (Wilson blades such as Coronation Ace), 10 3/4 (MK blades) or possibly 11-inch (not probable).

I would recommend not getting the blades until the boots arrive because the sole length can vary even between boots of the same size. And if you ordered customs, all bets off until they arrive. Otherwise, you may find that you bought a blade that's the wrong size for your boots.

On my most recent pair of Klingbeil customs, I requested the sole be made to fit a certain length blade, because at the time I ordered them, I was planning to use my old blades (which I thought had more life left in them than they did). When I decided not to use those blades, I waited until the new boots arrived to make sure of the sole length before getting the new blades.

--jsl

Thanks for the replies

I already bought new boots (Risport) not long ago, so I'm not waiting for new ones to arrive. The thing with the blades, though, is that they came with blades attatched (as did my old ones, which were my first pair), and the blades aren't very high quality, like my old ones weren't.

Don't worry Jasmine, I wasn't going to try to attatch the blades myself! Good Gawd, I wouldn't dare. I'd probably put the right blade on the left boot! Upside down! lol. Naw, I didn't even want to tighten a screw without talking to my coach. Too scared of making a mess of it! Thanks for the warning anyway!

I'll probably ask my coach to mount them for me. He said that either I can get the shop people to do it (which I'm a bit wary about because a. I don't know them personally and b. Last year when I asked them to move my blade because it had been mounted too far to the outside, I showed him exactly where it needed to be moved to and when I got it back it had been moved the wrong way - even more to the outside! Got it fixed though), or he will do it for me (but it will probably take a week or something because of time and his commitments). With lining the blade up though, is a general guideline that the front should be lined up with the seam at the front of the boot and vice versa at the back? That's what I was told before anyway.

[quote:ee57020888]MK sizes their blades in 1/4 inch increments and John Wilson sizes theirs in 1/3 inch increments.[/quote:ee57020888]

:? Are you sure? My old blades were Wilson Excels, and the size on the side of the blade was 10 3/4.
I'll probably ask in the shop to double check for the correct size anyway.

Thanks again people!
(Hope I DO love the Coronation Aces!! And hoping they will greatly benefit my spinning )

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

I may have the brands' sizing backwards. I know one is 1/4" increments and the other is 1/3" increments. But since my blades are even 9", I can't tell which.

[quote:bb3854a898="icenut84"] With lining the blade up though, is a general guideline that the front should be lined up with the seam at the front of the boot and vice versa at the back? That's what I was told before anyway.

[quote:bb3854a898]MK sizes their blades in 1/4 inch increments and John Wilson sizes theirs in 1/3 inch increments.[/quote:bb3854a898]

:? Are you sure? My old blades were Wilson Excels, and the size on the side of the blade was 10 3/4.
I'll probably ask in the shop to double check for the correct size anyway.

Thanks again people!
(Hope I DO love the Coronation Aces!! And hoping they will greatly benefit my spinning )[/quote:bb3854a898]

Hi

You can't go by the front/back seams on boots because they're not always in the centre either! I was told that as well and it's a load of **** according to the guy at (the then) MK factory where I used to get my blades sharpened.

Re: MK v Wilson - my Gold Seals (Wilson) have been 9 1/2 and 9 3/4, my MK Dance are 9 3/4!!

My 9 3/4 blades are actually slightly too long for the boot, they JUST fit on with a very slight overhand but they're both pretty new so I can't afford to change them.

Good luck with your boots/blades My new boots are SO comfortable, it's totally amazing Unfortunately I'm convinced that my blades aren't in the right place but have been 'told' to wait a week or so before changing them

L x

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The best whisper is a click

[quote:7f7eafc217="TashaKat"]You can't go by the front/back seams on boots because they're not always in the centre either! I was told that as well and it's a load of **** according to the guy at (the then) MK factory where I used to get my blades sharpened.[/quote:7f7eafc217]

Ah well. Will get Mister Coach to do it for me anyway, he'll know what he's doing a lot more than I would! lol

[quote:7f7eafc217]Good luck with your boots/blades My new boots are SO comfortable, it's totally amazing Unfortunately I'm convinced that my blades aren't in the right place but have been 'told' to wait a week or so before changing them

L x[/quote:7f7eafc217]

Thanks. My new boots are VERY comfortable compared to my old ones too, so that's great! I have to wear pressure-reducing plasters on my heels every time I skate but with these, my boots feel absolutely fine. Yay! One problem sorted anyway, now it's the blades, lol.

Why do you think your blades aren't in the right place? You mean they're set too far to the inside or outside? If you're convinced of it, why can't you get it moved? When I got my first pair of skates, I skated on them for months before being told (after asking someone) that my right blade was set too far to the outside. I couldn't get a RO edge to save my life but thought it was just me, but after I got it moved it was much better.

(Edited for messing up one of the quotes! d'oh)

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

Hi They were set too far to the inside ....... you get used to how they feel and I just felt that I was falling in, it was difficult to get an inside edge but I was slipping out on the outside edge. You can 'test' it by skating a one foot glide in a straight line, you do, however have to be careful not to try and compensate for it!

My coach has moved them now (they think that I'm too fussy about my blades ) and I KNOW that they're better because I can 'do' back 3's again

If only someone could invent a machine that you stand on and it automatically draws a line on the base of your boot where your ideal weight balance is ....... should I copyright that idea? LOL

Lx

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The best whisper is a click