There is no reason to worry about trying to match the life of your boot and your blade. Any reputable professional skate technician can fill holes in the soles if you have to change blades or have a blade moved as long as you properly care for your skates (dry them off, don't leave them in the hot car, etc).

Given your $$ situation, it may be easier for you to try and stagger because it's cheaper to buy either new blades or new boots versus both at the same time (Coronation Ace are reasonably priced and will take you far even if you replace them with the same type of blade when they run out of life, but you'll inevitably need a siffer and thus more expensive boot down the road as your skating progresses.) I've pretty much always staggered boots and blades for that very reason (plus, when your boots are broken down but your blades still have plenty of life, or vice-versa, there is no reason to spend money you don't need to spend).

__________________
2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

Well, I want to match it as closely as possible. If I remount two blades on the same boot with every boot I have, Mom won't be happy, and I can guarantee that she will stop paying for remounts. That'll be another expense for me to shoulder. And I didn't get boot nor blade at the pro-shop (I don't know if they even carry blades, and they had a pair of the Medallions for sale, but about eight sizes too small), I don't even know if the pro shop does mounting, I'm going to ask the coaches and the other skaters where they mount their blades and if the pro shop mounts, if they can be trusted not to screw it up.

It's the same amount of money either way, buying them at separate times frankly won't make a difference. I just think it's easier to mount one pair of blades and be done with it, even if their lives don't quite match up. If there's no sharpenings left on the blade and I sharpened them three weeks ago, then it really is not worth it to remount, though if there is half of the sharpenings left and the blade is still adequate for my level, then I guess I will be remounting. But I prefer to mount the Aces now for that reason and because I'll be spending more on sharpening in the long run because apparently Clubs have an 15 hour sharpening life. And even though the blade on there now is an entry level blade, it's still a stock blade, and really isn't that high quality (as evidenced by the too frequent sharpening and tendency to rust. I'm done with dealing with it, I am sick of taking rust off of it every two weeks and I do not want to deal with sharpening it so often, it is a pain to wait for the shop to open, and sharpen, I have missed half of public-skate by the time they are done. And actually, the blades on my old skates lasted a good deal longer in a sharpening than Clubs, and they were a completely unknown recreational blade, GR-4, I believe.) I told my mom that I could seal the blade to the sole with silicone sealant (like Bill_S does), so she's only halfway satisfied. There is plenty of silicone sealant in my father's junk shop

Really? Everyone- I repeat everyone- including the coaches- uses lacquer at my rink. A parent lacquers them for $25. When I got the boots I asked an instructor about Sno-seal and she said it had to be applied too often, get them lacquered, etc. etc. Is it too late?

Mounting new blades only costs 10 euro around here (it's free if you bought the blades or boots at the store) and it's a one-time expense. It takes the pro store like only a few minutes to do, I mean they align the blades with the sole properly, put in a few screws, tell you to go skate in them, if it doesn't feel right they move them a bit, once everything's all right they put in a few more screws and c'est ca. It's not rocket science. They use screws from the hardware store, lol.

If your skating is not suffering due to too low level a blade, I'd agree with your mom on the wearing our your blades thing. Blades are a terrible thing to waste, they're so expensive. Nothing wrong with re-mounting blades to boots, I did it too, I first got new blades (it was necessary), then new boots when I could afford em. The only reason I needed new blades first is because my old ones were bent, though. Usually people break down boots before they're through their blades.

are your feet still growing?

If your feet are growing, then, there is a chance that you may need a different blade size when you change boots; also, you may need a different blade size if you change brand of boot.

Thus, saving your blades may not work ... if they are too small (or even, weirdly enough, too big) - on the next boots. A friend's daughter, with no change in foot size, went from Graf to Klingbeil. The blade size went DOWN as the Klingbeil heel height and boot design and length on her foot in the new boot was shorter front to back!

Those blades are pretty cheap- $50, I think. And the skate/blade combo was $160 altogether, $180 with shipping, and $120 after my mother paid for $60 after she decided to use my old, $60 beginner skates. So basically the Clubs were free, and the boot with a large discount. I just won't deal with a blade that has a 15 hour sharpening life. I finally figured out the level of the blade, Freeskate 4; I can pass everything in 3 except for the backspin, so I'm coming up to 4 pretty shortly here. So I'll be switching the blade in a matter of weeks here.
I wouldn't know if my skating was suffering without trying a better blade. I didn't know that the reason I couldn't do back 3s on the rec blades on the old skates is because of the blade.. got new skates, could magically do a back three, and my spins improved right away, as did waltz threes and spirals. I seem to have lost my clockwise mohawk however.

Actually I just had a great idea: when the PVC soled skates my mother uses wear out, I'll get her to buy a nice leather soled skate for herself and mount the Clubs on them. The Clubs will be the perfect level for her because she isn't going to do much jumping or sit/camel spins, at most she might do scratch spins and advanced footwork which the Clubs will be perfect for. And she will need a higher level skate to have more support and to last longer, I have a feeling she will break down the beginner skates faster than I would've (she weighs 50 lbs more than me.)
Just told her that, she "Mhm'd" and returned to the phone bill. Then she muttered something about tripping over the toepick. Perhaps when she's paying more attention..
Her blades and my blades are both 11' despite us having a half size difference, the soles only differ by a tiny bit so 11' blades fit both sizes of boot. So we just have to find a model that is the same size sole.

I don't think they're still growing.. the last time I went up a skate size was nearly a year ago. And my old skates are Riedell Women's 10, I actually went down a size and got Women's 9.5.. and they fit perfectly so the old skates must have been a tiny bit big. And I've been buying the same boot/sneaker/flip flop size for years and years.
If they do grow, I will somehow find a way to stunt their growth, because feet growing means a height growth, and I am already too tall for skating. I'm taller than my coach for pete's sake.
(Don't take me seriously about stunting growth.)

Can models of the same brand differ in sole length? That's another reason I want to put blades on now.. who says they'll fit the next boots? I am planning to stay with the same brand though. My foot is custom made to Riedell (rather than being the other way round), so Jacksons, GAMs, whatever, probably wouldn't fit me nearly as well.

Passing down blades is a good idea, imho.

I second the vote for Sno Seal over lacquer. My first two pairs of boots were lacquered on the bottom by our pro shop guy and I noticed that eventually the lacquer cracked just like nail polish, allowing water to seep into the leather through the cracks. On the second pair, I finally ended up sanding off all of the lacquer with sandpaper (which was a total P.I.T.A.) and re-waterproofing them with Sno-Seal. You really can't re-waterproof the lacquered ones with Sno-Seal when they start to crack, but you can always re-waterproof with Sno-Seal if you don't have the lacquer on them. The Sno-Seal actually gets absorbed by the leather and keeps the water out. I Sno-Seal my boots 2-3 times a year, or whenever I notice the leather sole getting a little darker in spots. It doesn't take long to do.

As for your blade hollow, maybe it's just your current blades, not the ROH that's the problem. Why not start off with 1/2" ROH on the new Coronation Aces, then only switch to 5/16" if the new blades also feel too slippy? Also, based on what you were saying about edges slipping on spin entries and salchow takeoffs, you might want to ask your coach if you are bending your ankles and knees enough on those entrance edges. I know that if I'm not really bending deeply and pressing the ball of the blade into the ice, I'll slip and get a poor entrance/takeoff even with freshly sharpened blades.

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

Hmm. Well, I'll see what I can do about the lacquer.

Didn't think of body position- as usual, I blame it on the blades
Strange though since I only slip on sit spin entries, which I have a bent knee anyway. Must be some other error on my part. Like having my butt stuck up in the air.

It's probably better to start out with 1/2" anyway, because if the 7/16" feels really weird I might think it's a mounting/alignment issue.

I slip on my spin entrances when my blades aren't sharp enough anymore (but then I like my blades super sharp compared to other people at my level). When's the last time you had em sharpened? Another reason I like aces myself, they stay sharp better, it's like the steel is harder or something... Well personally I'm just lyrical about coronation aces in general, frankly. But then, I got my mom to switch to them (they really aren't necessary at her level but she could afford it at the time) and she was too so meh, maybe there's something to that. I found it harder to do quick turns in the aces but the edge quality on them just is really super.

I had them sharpened 15 hours of skating ago (about six weeks.) I also like my blades sharp, though my spin entry has always been slippy, though this last Saturday it was slightly worse, I think the blades might be dulling. (yup- after 15 hours, when they should be lasting 20-30 hours.) That was another decision factor in me getting the Aces, is what I read about how nicely they retained a sharp edge because of the high quality steel.

Hmm, my Mk's that I had previously also dullend really quickly. I thought it was cuz they were bent but maybe it's just that MK uses worse steel or something? Hmm...

Bill Schneider (on this board) advocates Silicone sealant, and he knows a lot more than me about mechanical stuff.

Hand sharpeners aren't as expensive as machine sharpeners, nor are blades hard to mount. See my pages. Likely your dad could do both. But as others said, if you buy new boots or blades from them, most pro shops won't charge to do a re-mount.

If you sharpen blades that frequently, buying better quality ones that require fewer sharpenings will save money in the long run. So would learning to do it yourself, as would having your dad do it. Maybe you could encourage a local boy to do it? Either someone mechanically inclined, or one at the rink?

I didn't know blades sitting in your lap could attack you so aggressively. Yours must be as playful as kittens. I am also enjoying the image of a frightened full grown horse jumping into the arms of a slightly annoyed teen age girl. You must be so strong! I bet it's excellent conditioning for figure skating.

I think your current blades and skates were appropriate to a beginner level. Coronation Ace, or any similar higher end blade (some of the Ultimas have been good bargains), will let you skate better in the long run, as may a better skate. But using equipment that your coach is familiar with is often a good idea.

Regrettably we can't help you with your parent "problem". But a lot of girls would love the chance to show and ride horses. Yours don't sound so awful.

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Mitch Grunes ModifyingBoots FallingGently HomePage

21st century, Query... I'm sure she could even do it herself if she put her mind to it

I don't trust myself to sharpen own blades, or mount just one slip of the hand..
That's what I told my mother, having to sharpen these blades every 15 hours is costing her money. I am aiming to get the blades mounted next week, though if my mother refuses, then I will sharpen and try again in another few weeks. (My mother pays for the sharpening card.)

My blades simply don't like me. Today the toepick tried to eat my glove whilst putting hard guards on. Hopefully the Aces will be less, er, playful.
Sounds like a great image. Though, it's more like horse tries to jump on top of me, I jump away and curse at it, while horse watches scary plastic bag with huge eyes and braced forelegs. Gotta love 'em.

Today while talking to my coach about upcoming competition in three months, she said I'd have to come in freestyle ice to skate to my music, and Mom didn't even blink (freestyle costs twice as much as public.) Good sign. Though it will be hard to get her to pay for enough privates to learn my routine.

Way back (ancient history) when I had my first pair of skates (bought at a thrift shop) my dad sharpened them using a round stone & file...not sure how he did it but it was good enough for me to get out on the cow pond LOL!
I skid on 3-turns when my Aces need a sharpening, that's how I know (not bending enough is always my issue for anything so I can't go by that). You can do quick turns on them if you bend more tho.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Walk through your routine as much as you can off-ice!


Skate @ Delaware, didn't you used to have blades that matched the ROH, rocker and length of your "good" blades for sillicon-oil-fake-ice stuff? Did those match your aces or some other type of blade?

Yes. Riedells do, as a matter of fact. The heel tapers in and is slightly higher on some models (1310s, 2010s, not sure if it's like that on any others), so they take 1/2"-1/4" shorter than some of the other models. I was in size 6 Royals with a 10" blade for years, then 1500s with a 10" blade. Got 2010s earlier this year, and 10" are too long. I need more like 9 3/4 (could go down to a 9 1/2 even).

If it's a difference of 1/4" though, a skate tech can work with that and mount them so the plate hangs a little bit off the front and back of the sole. That's what we did with mine so I didn't have to spend another $530 on blades and it works fine, I don't even notice it when I skate.

__________________
2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

I will I made it a goal to get a split spiral by September. I'm using the competition as ammunition to get my blades mounted soon.


The rocker spin spot isn't affected by the blade hanging off?

Hmm, I don't know if a 1310 or 2010 is in my future anytime soon. Aren't those double jumping skates? I would think a 435 or 875 TS would be the skate to step up from Medallions (though I don't actually know anything.)

I meant the step sequences

BTW, we all assumed you are on real (i.e., cold water) ice. If you are on synthetic ice, getting a high end blade is almost pointless, because it is more abrasive.

I probably shouldn't say this, but, AFAICT, all the kids who are good enough to go to nationals (and for the most part who do well in regional) competitions skate almost every day, and they spend a lot of money on skating, so you should be realistic about your dreams.

__________________
Mitch Grunes ModifyingBoots FallingGently HomePage

It's cold and makes snow.. that's real ice, right?

I said something about nationals..?

As I posted in my twizzling backspin post, it was not me or the ROH that was causing me problems in patch figures, jump takeoffs, or spin entries. It was the blade slowly loosening. If you want to see the whole story go to
http://skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=31065
and scroll to the last two posts by me.
Anyway after my blade was tightened I stopped slipping on sit spin entries, my salchow was very secure, and though I forgot to try an outside figure, I bet you tomorrow I will not be skidding on my figure edges. Though I said in the other post that my blade had been tight when I first skated on them, I now think that it wasn't like that for long, or might have perhaps been a tiny bit loose to start with. I can not know for sure because I did not work on sit spins until about three or four weeks after I had gotten the skates. But the blade was loose at least three-four weeks after I got the skates because I think the first time I held an outside edge all around the figure circle was a few weeks after I started the class. The first few weeks I was putting my foot down too much to know if I had been skidding on the edge or not. So I really cannot know for sure if the blades were loose to start with or if they were tight and loosened after skating on them a few times.

Anyway, I'm sticking with a 1/2" ROH and the next few times I skate I will see how the 1/2" ROH does on those CorAces. (The Aces are being mounted now because either way a blade is getting mounted, when the guy tightened my old blades it was only temporary, they'd have to be remounted to ensure that they would stay tight. So might as well put on the new blades.)