I've got a question for everyone here...what exactly is the difference between various blades? I know some of the blades are different from others (i.e. freestyle vs. dance) but what exactly is the difference between say a Club 2000 (which sells for maybe $50) and one of the top-of-the line blades with a list of around $500? What makes a dance blade? Is there a difference in a blade's ability to hold an edge in the better blades? Are the more expensive blades actually worth the extra money?

I don't know the technical ins and outs of blades (but a lot of skaters here do)........but I do know a good blade is worth the money. After all, you won't want to put a rental quality blade on those fancy new boots. I've had Phantom and Pattern 99 blades, and love them both.

club 2000s are more for freestyle... i know alot of people who have them now and are freestyle skaters... i dont think they would b too good for dance...

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~Dreams Can Come True~

The primary reason for differences in price for similar types of blades is the quality of the steel used. For example, the Club 2000 is a bottom of the line freestyle blade, and the Gold Seal is a top of the line freestyle blade. All other things being equal, the Gold Seal will last much, much longer than the Club 2000. Freestyle blades need large toepicks, while dance blades must not have large toepicks, and are narrower than freestyle blades. There are various tweaks that apply to various blades, such as side honing or tapering, which is supposed to make holding an edge easier. A major difference is the rocker, which is measured as the radius of the circle of which the bottom length of the blade is an arc. Rocker can range from 6 feet to 8.5 feet. A smaller rocker makes turning easier, and a larger rocker is more stable but makes spins more difficult. A lot of blade choice comes down to one's bank account and personal preferences. Personal preferences often come down to what kind of blade one started with and has become used to. For example, I use a Coronation Ace blade which has a 7 foot rocker. I tried a Coronation Comet, which has a rocker of 8.5 feet, and felt like I was wearing skis.

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Other than the size and design of the toepicks, the major difference between different freestyle blades is the radius. A 7' radius blade is a standard freestyle blade and is easier to spin on than an 8' radius blade because it is rounder. An 8' radius blade is flatter, making it harder to spin on but giving more stable jump landings and more speed over the ice.

Once you get to the level of Coronation Ace (for Wilson blades) or Professional (for MK blades), the quality of the steel and blade are all excellent (i.e, strong, hold a sharpening for quite awhile, etc.). Once you get above that level, it's added features like side-honing, tapering, parabolic tapering, k-picks, etc. that make the blade more expensive. Some people swear that these features make a difference, while others don't think they make enough of a difference to warrant the higher price.

ROH, or "radius of hollow" is the depth of the hollow between the inside edge and outside edge of the blade. This is something that can actually be changed by your blade sharpener, so it is not an inherent difference between blades. A smaller ROH will give you a deeper hollow (i.e., sharper edges). 1/2" and 3/4" ROH sharpenings are probably the most common for figure skaters.

Oops, I meant 1/2" and 3/8" ROH are the most common sharpenings for figure skaters.

Dance blades have a much shorter tail than freestyle blades (due to the tight footwork & partner's feet in close proximity). Dance blades have much less toepick than an intermediate-high freestyle blade. Depending on the maker, some have almost no toe picks, some have decent picks but the drag pick is rounded.

Some dance blades are narrower than freestyle, but not all (in fact I think only MK makes that really narrow blade).

Nope -- Wilson also makes the super-Dance 99, which is thin, and Ultima dance blade also is skinner than the normal blade.

I just wanted to point out that not all dancers use dance blades, although you will notice them quite a lot with the elite skaters that you see at competitions, etc. But around my rink, there are plenty of very good ice dancers that use a regular free-style blade. Some of them round off the bottom pick a bit, but others just go with what they are used to skating on.

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

To throw another blade into the mix...synchro blades have characteristics of both free skate and dance blades. Synchro blades are shorter like a dance blade (Ultimas are a bit longer than a dance blade, and MK Vizions are about the same length as a dance glade), but have more pick than a dance blade to accommodate the trend in synchro towards more free style. They are also the width of a free skate blade.

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

I know of a female coach who did all her dances (through internationals) in regular freestyle blades. Including the Golden Waltz.

Personally I don't think dance blades are even remotely necessary until somewhere around USFS Silvers (thinking Tango here). But then I was on Pattern 99s through the first time I tested the European Waltz many years ago. Successfully trained, tested and passed Foxtrot without stepping on the heel of my blade on the closed outside mohawk in that dance, in Pattern 99s.

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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

I got dance blades after falling with my coach because I stepped on my heel on the 14-step mohawk. On the way down he said to me, "Get dance blades!" It was very funny.

I remember telling him that at least my heel was at my instep as he wanted it... -- he was not impressed...

Anyway, I've had 3 different types of dance blades in the last 15 years and I'm not sure I could ever go back to those long-tailed blades!

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

Well I am very new to all this...I started on Gam G3 blades and realized after about a year that these were VERY rockered blades! I have had EXTREME difficulty spinning.

I just tried out my new Graff Edmonton Special boots with Pattern 99 blades...I only tried a simple upright spin and it was the best one that I have done in Months!! I have my work cut out for me...These blades have a very different feel but I think they will be better in the long run!

I am getting ready for my first true session with them tonight a 6pm!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

Do Pattern 99's have a 7' or 8' rocker? Keep me posted on how the boots work out - I don't know many other Graf owners!

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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

Pattern 99 has an 8 foot rocker.

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

Another blade sharpening tale ..... Once upon a time ....

On Friday, I had my blades sharpened by the illustrious JT (of Birmingham, UK), official blade sharpener to the Lillehammer Olympics and blade sharpener to the stars. JT's wife is a top pairs coach who has coached to Olympic level.

The last time JT sharpened my blades was three years ago, when I bought new blades from him. But immediately my Eastern European coach saw them, the first thing he said was that JT's radius of hollow was too tight for me, and that he (EE coach) was going to sharpen them flatter.

I mentioned this to JT, and asked for a shallower grind on the blade this time. He interrupted me half way through, as though this was a common request. ("Were they catching?" he asked, sympathetically). Apparently, the blades come with a ready-ground radius of hollow of 7/16 inch. He showed me his card guide, and we settled on 5/8 inch for me (my coach always sharpened by feel, never measured).

But it was no surprise to JT - apparently his wife likes them sharpened at 3/4 inch .... And he told me that most of the Russians he has dealt with like them pretty flat ....

It is also about 1/2 to 3/4 inch lower than other blades, meaning you are closer to the ice.

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