I would like to know what the most popular boot is amongst pro and elite skaters, and which blades are the preferred brand.

Of course, personal preference comes into it, but is there any specific boot (and blade) that is far more popular than the other makes?

I don't really see how there can be, because there are so many variables, including what is easily available in your country, who your nearest fitter is and what brands are sold there, and, above all, what size your feet are and what shape - a brand that suits one person so well that they wouldn't dream of wearing any other make of boot will be utterly anathema to someone else!

As for blades, so much depends on what sort of a skater you are, whether you are a beginning free skater, an elite dancer, or what....

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Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

The top level blades are mostly GoldSeals and Pattern99s for freestylers. There's ones out there that are just as good, but since those two are older, most I know (and know of) are on those. Also, far fewer people have parabolic blades than the makers would lead you to believe -- I know of one (very good) coach that switched all of his students to parabolics for one season and pronptly switched them all back the next when he found it didn't really make any difference.

As for boots, Klingbeils are very popular in New England, and they're used elsewhere, but traditionally it's been mainly New England skaters that use them (it's definitely growing, though). SPTeris are probably the most common, and Harlicks are fairly common, though it seems that they're less so than they used to be. This also based off of who I know and know of, though, which is mainly the East Coast.

Hollow Ground,

I have no idea what pros prefer, but since I'm no pro it doesn't really matter either.

There are two very popular blade brands: MK and Wilson. Both are very good. There are many boot brands, and although Harlick, SP Teri, Jackson, Reidell and Klingbeil are the most popular boots in the U.S., skaters from other countries wear Graf, Risport and other brands. Within each brand of boot and blade, there are many different models of boots and blades, with each one being the perfect design for each level of skating. So the boots and blades that would help a beginning skater skate her best would not be good for an advanced skater.

By the same token, if you use the blades and boots that the top world skaters are using, it will be very difficult for you to skate well in them. They generally use very stiff boots, which most skaters can't bend their ankles in very well (The top skaters break them down doing triple jumps). The top skaters also often use 8' rocker blades like Gold Seals or Pattern 99's, which give them better control of their jump landings but are much harder to spin on. These skaters are just such good spinners that they can spin on them anyway.

Sasha Cohen wears Klingbeils. Since SP Teri has imitated Klingbeil's setback hook, it's much harder to tell who wears Klingbeils just from seeing the upper part of the boot. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I really think it's despicable in this case.

If you watch the undersides of the boots, you can often catch a glimpse of the toe plate on the blades. Going by that, most of the elite freestyle skaters wear either Gold Seals or Gold Stars (solid toe plate). It's very hard to tell anything from a distance beyond that.

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Ultimas used to have a solid plate too. Don't know if they still do. I think Grafs might as well.

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Actually, the solid toe plate is a feature only of the Gold Seals. I have Gold Stars and they don't have a solid toe plate.

Pictures: http://casey.shobe.info/images/?s=Ic...ld+Star+Blades

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To answer your question there is no definitive answer. Like the rest of us pros like different boots and blades depending on fit etc. Then, of course, it depends who sponsors them

Harlicks are fairly high profile (my favourite) as are SP Teris, Klingbeils, Wifa etc etc etc

Same with blades though I doubt that you'd see a pro in Coronation Aces!

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Far from being despicable, I think it is wonderful, as I have SP Teri feet and am probably one of many skaters whose ankle bones are now benefiting from SP Teri's decision to offset that hook. Besides, if Klingbeil has a patent on it, then they are receiving royalties from SP Teri and making money off every KT-2 and KT-3 boot that is sold. If they don't have a patent, then it wasn't their original idea in the first place.

To add to that...the skate shops in my city will add an extra off-set hook if you want. I don't think it's a big deal.

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Umm -- what is that off-set hook for anyways?

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

don't know how everyone else uses it, but I put my lace bow loops around the off-set hooks then pull the laces snug and tie another bow.

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Casey are they your skates? If so, have you had the tail of the blade shortened because it looks really short in comparison to my MK Professionals. It looks more like a dance/synchro length - are they like that in real life or is it just an optical illusion??

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Definitely not dance/synchro length...all of my synchro blades just barely cleared the heel of the boot, and most dance blades are shorter than synchros!

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They do look shorter than some FS blades, though -- but I think it may be an optical illusion.

Sometimes it may depend on how the heel is cut -- if the heel of the boot is more blocky, then the blade looks shorter -- this has happened with my boots -- one heel is cut differently than the other.

Are Synchro blades longer than dance blades? I may consider those. Thanks.

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

Depends which brand you get. MK Vision Syncros are the same length as a dance blade. Ultima synchros are a bit longer. Both of these synchro blades have a larger pick than a dance blade. Gam is now making a synchro blade also, but I don't know anyone who's tried it.

My old Ultima Synchro's are a size 10. If you are interested, I could measure the exact blade length for you.

ETA: Synchro blades are not thin like a dance blade, though. They are the same width as a free skate blade.

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Well, I wear a 10 1/4" but I would still be interested. You can measure it either from the bottom pick, or maybe from the middle of the heel stanchion to the end.

I just switched my new ($400+) Super Dance 99 to my old MK Dance -- the difference is only about 1/3 inch, but I can really feel the difference! The SD-99 were just too darn short and I felt unstable. BUT they were so fast and smooth and low to the ice and the flow was incredible! It's a tradeoff, though, because I want to be able to do more than just skate edges and stroking, I want to be able to skate!! So for now the old MKs will do.

I don't think I care whether the blade is thin or not. My favorite dance blade was the one I wore for 10 years -- called "Wilson Dance" -- it was a Majestic with the backs cut off [which the Wilson rep confessed to me at one point] -- they were a regular freestyle width, with beginner-freestyle picks, but were shorter and therefore very comfortable for dance. But they were at least an inch longer than the Super-Dance 99!!

BUT they don't make them anymore, and the pair I have has absolutely no edge left to sharpen. I have considered buying a pair of Majestics and having the backs cut off, but wondering if realy there wasn't something else they did to the blade to make it more dance-friendly... like in the rocker-department...

Anyway, thanks for the input. This is the information I am craving, and most people just look at me cross-eyed when I ask about it ("crazy adult skater" is what I think they are thinking... ).

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

In fact MK and Wilson merged a good few years ago, so although they have continued the two trade names the blades are actually made by the same people.

John

The phantom specials also have a solid toe plate, or at least they did when I had them (a few years ago, admittedly).

John

This is highly subjective everyone will have a different opinion.

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Slightly OT but not for long... (Sorry! ) It's funny you should mention this suggestion. I asked on these boards (where else??) about exactly this on Mirage blades some months ago, and was howled down. I'm still secretly wondering if it can successfully be done...and whether I would spend the next 6 months falling off the back of the blade if I tried it...

Don't feel bad. I am guessing that a lot of people who are posting on this board haven't been skating (or dancing) as long as I have. I remember that a lot of people in the '80s talked about filing down the bottom pick a little and cutting off the backs of freestyle blades instead of buying dance blades.

I don't know when dance blades were originally on the market -- maybe early '80's?

Anyway, on the original topic, it is probably regional and also depends on what era you are skating in. When I was a kid, Stanzione was the best boot and everyone knew it. Now you almost never hear of it. Harlick is and has been a great boot, but did you know that the original Mr. Spiteri (of SP Teri) worked for HArlick and started his own company in the '60s?

When I was a kid Reidell and SP Teri were new brands and not considered that good. It was STanzis, Harlicks, or -- well, I had Oberhammers, which although they were a perfectly fine boot, I hated because I was the only one I knew who wore them...

As far as blades, Gold Seal has been around the longest as a high end blade...

It's all what works for you, as I have so sorely learned with this new boot/blade combination!

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

Yes, the two brands are now owned by the same company but because they continue to be marketed under two separate brand names, you need to know which brand you're looking for when you go shopping for blades. Also, each brand still has its own blade models with different features and often different radii (I think that's the plural of radius? LOL!).

So that the metal base of the hook doesn't end up pressing right on your ankle bone when you lace the boots up.