Just bought new blades - Ultima Matrix chasis + Supreme freestlyle runners - the only Matrix blades in my size they had in stock. Ordered Dance runners too. (I got the interchangeable blade system to try switching between dance and freestyle blades.)

I asked the very reputable shop owner/boot technician who sold them which freestyle blades would be best for very low level freestyle work. He said there is no clear superiority of one blade over another, that people just get used to one style or another, and coaches tell students to get what they use. The Ultima catalog also doesn't say any of their three freestyle blade styles are better at anything than another - each is just designed to imitate different types of blades made by other companies. (Oddly enough, Ultima Dance blades have more aggresive toe picks than their Synchro blades. Go figure.)

(He did say some blades have toe picks you basically can't reach, so beginners won't get into trouble, but which obviously nixes some freestyle moves. The toe picks are just to tell you they are "figure skating" blades.)

The Supremes are different from my very worn out MK dance blades. I've tripped over the picks and crossed tails a few times on the new blades, but new freestyle blades should be different from very worn out dance blades - longer tail, bigger toe picks, different rocker, different space between sweet spot and toe pick. Besides, I'm not used to them yet.

My coach said very thin blades (MK Dance, Pattern 99) may be faster but are harder to spin on, but I'm not sure if she has tried them both much.

Is the shop owner right about freestyle blades?

I don't want a flame war over what blades are best, just curious whether any freestyle blades are unambiguously better at doing anything specific better than others, or work better for low level skaters. And say whether you've spent enough time with the styles you compare to be used to them.

You just said it yourself. Longer tail, bigger toe picks, different rocker, different space between sweet spot and toe pick. These are all things that make blades good for different things or for different people. Flatter rockers are more stable on jump landings but more difficult to spin on. There is a consensus on this; however, different skaters prefer different blades. My DD started out on Coronation Aces, and when she moved up to Gold Seals was amazed at the landings she held onto, and it did not affect her spins, even though the rocker was larger.

There is a concensus among skaters and coaches that Coronation Aces are the best freestyle blade up to doubles. They are definitely the most popular blade.

I think it's true that most coaches recommend the boots and blades that they are familiar with.

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Or MK Professional blades. Same factory, same specifications, equally recommended (at least around here). Having said that, Ultima blades also come recommended as a good blade for the money.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

I just got ultima supremes and had a heck of a time with them for the first few weeks. The rocker was different than my other blades and the toe pick was insane. I did love how they automatically felt better, though I lost my ability to do a backspin...ouch. About a month into them and I've gotten everything back and even my coaches are commenting that my new blades have helped. My backspin is still iffy, but it is 80% back

Interesting. Someone else stated that MK Pros are about equally recommended for the same purpose. Is there a general consensus on blades for skaters working on doubles?

Kay

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The manufacturer's recommendations are here:

MK:
http://www.mkblades.com/blades/recommendations.html

Wilson:
http://www.johnwilsonskates.com/blades/index.html


Interestingly, MK Professionals and Wilson Coronation Aces are recommended all the way through Junior freestyle, although they are only recommend for adult levels through Silver (not Gold). That makes no sense in terms of actual skating ability, so I think it's fair to assume that they are also taking into consideration the skater's equipment budget.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Pattern 99's or Gold Seals. Paramount blades are becoming very popular among the younger competitive set.

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I think about half the seniors who skated at UGL Regionals had Paramount blades. They are also becoming very popular at my home rink- but I really want to know where they are getting them sharpened- our rink doesn't have the attachment thingy. Unfortunately, I never seem to be off ice at the same time as those skaters to ask them.

Is it true you don't need to sharpen paramounts nearly as often as regular blades?

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Hi

Im a low level freestyle skater and Im having problems with my blades at the moment. I wanted the coronation ace blade and I was told that since they werent in stock I should have the coronation comet as they are practically the same. Being unexperienced in the blade department I took the advice.

Im now having problems with three turns where as before I had none and I simply cannot get a spin, even two footed what so ever. I think there is a massive difference in the blades due to the rockers, toe pics etc and there is no way that the coronation ace and the comet are remotley similar.

I am now on a quest to get a pair of 10" coronation ace blades and hope that the three turn will come back with ease as it used to.

Andrea

I would try to get the skate shop who sold you the Comets to eat at least part of the cost of replacing them, since they mis-represented the blade to you. You will also notice that the Comet is not recommended for anything below Adult Silver (or standard track Juvenile). The rocker of the blade is probably the single greatest difference you will feel between two blades, and the difference in rocker between those two blades is huge (7' vs 8.5'). It's no wonder you are having trouble with 3-turns and spins; you have a *much* flatter rocker!

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

My daughter has these. Yes, it's true that they don't need to be sharpened nearly as often. She used to sharpen every 3 weeks or so - now it's closer to 3 months. We send them out of town with one of her coaches. I don't know exactly where he takes them.

OK. I guess the Ultima Supreme blades were meant for higher level skaters than me, though they have no similar comparison chart. (I continue to be amazed how many commercial web sites are fancy on the flash and dance, but are hard to navigate, buy, or get hard info from.)

All of the the Matrix runners seem to be high level blades - I guess that's who generally splurges for the interchangeable blade system.

If I understand right, turns and spins will be harder than on something like Coronation Ace blades.

Of the available Ultima matrix runners,

http://www.jacksonskates.com

would any be optimal for very low level freestyle (easiest low half and single jumps, easy spins - which I have trouble centering, 3 turns, spirals, etc.)? Assume I will never do an axel, double jump, or sit spin.

I dont know anyone that has the matrix set. My daugter has the eliete ultima and loves it !!Nice blade for the price.

they are both very different, i wanted the ace blade and they were out of stock (wilson blades esp the ace are hard to come by now the storeowner said there is a big backup on getting them out this fall by the company). I had to do a lot of traveling to find my ace that i needed. in any case, at the pro-shop they had the comet in my size, but the guy made it clear to me that it was a very difft blade and it would take getting used to. thank goodness he was honest enough to tell me this and lost out on my sale.. I went elsewhere to get my blade and then brought it back to him to mount.

This is the whole reason we got the Paramounts for my dd. She likes her blades super sharp, and went through her Pattern 99s in a little over a year. (sharpener was probably taking too much off, also!) I would get them sharpened once a month, sometimes every three weeks. She has been wearing the Paramounts for almost two months now, and is not even hinting at needing a sharpening. She skates about 10 hours a week, so she is putting in the time on them.
Oh, and they're pink! Too cute!

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BuggieMom
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Some people are like a Slinky...not really good for anything,
but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs....

I love my MK Visions. I wore Coronation Ace my whole life growing up, then as an adult was talked into Pattern 99. I never could get used to the rocker. I lost all my blade control, couldn't do a rocker three turn. So I researched and found the Vision has the same rocker as the Coronation Ace with the toe picks like the pattern 99. LOVE THEM... I also like the parallel blade better mostly because of where I live, it is hard to find someone who knows how to sharpen skates, and parallel are easier to sharpen.