When did you upgrade blades?

[FallDownGoBoom]

Helloie! I'm an adult who's been lessoning for a year. My boots are Jackson Competitor -- really a terrific choice for me -- and my blades are stock (Ultima Mirage.) The manufacturer says this boot/blade combination is appropriate for all single jumps. Right now I'm doing the waltz jump and toe loop. I plan to do all the singles, more or less, but nothing too crazy beyond that. My edges are quite good. I have no intention of doing dance.

My coach and I are wondering whether it's time to upgrade the blades. When you were beginning, when did you upgrade? Why? Did magical things happen, or was there no big difference? Did it take significant time to get accustomed to the new blades?

I want to hear your stories because I'd like to discuss the whole issue in depth with my coach, other coaches, and The Cute Guy Who Looks Like Moby (In A Good Way) At The Pro Shop, And If I Were Half My Age And Half My Height, I'd Scoop Him Up In A SECOND.:twisted:

[Skittl1321]

This probably won't completely answer your question, but when I moved to Basic 6 I upgraded from a recreational blade to the ultima mirage. Yes, miraculous things happened. I could suddenly spin and bunny hop. But I'm not sure going from a mirage to a protege would cause any miracles now. My miracle was caused by having a real rocker (rather than an almost flat) and a real toe pick (rather than almost nothing).

I will probably stay with the mirage for quite awhile. Right now I have about half of my single jumps, still working on a loop, and only on a half flip and half lutz, but they are all pitiful and little.

I will probably upgrade when I get a lutz, but not because I think it will bring incredible improvement- more because it's a way for me to reward myself.

[Isk8NYC]

I have several students who upgraded from the Mark IV blade to the Mirage.
They're all doing very well on the Mirage. I plan to have them keep these blades until they're working on axels, then replace it when they get the next new pair of skates.

One of the skaters remarked that her spins are more sure on the Mirage than they were on the Mark IV's. She also bought new boots, Jackson Freestyles, at the same time. The right-sized boot could also have something to do with the sure-footedness.

FWIW, I agree with the "reward" plan.

[Sessy]

I'm on Risport Etoile, which is just under Risport RF4/Risport Laser and those are said to hold up for doubles - I'm guessing Risport is made for singles, though it doesn't say anywhere. I've started working on the axel and actually landed "something" - doing only a total of a little over 1 revolution in the air though and very cheated - so I've decided to get boots next season, since then I'll probably really be working mostly on my axel and maybe a double.

The reason I decided this point for me to upgrade is that my skates have been breaking down ever since I've been landing the lutz - and they'll probably break down even faster when I start landing 1,5 revs. The crease by the anckle is getting larger with every training session it seems and they're also starting to hurt where they didn't before. Probably, the smart thing would be to switch right now already, but this is very impractical due to this seasons in figure skating we have: I'd not be able to break them in before the end of the season, and also right now there's almost nothing left in stock to choose from, at the beginning of the season, the choice options are muuuuch larger. Of course, I also intend to work in the summer to earn some money to pay for those boots - even though my mom would probably buy them for me if I asked.

I did upgrade my blades to coronation ace already last month, because my previous blades were mounted improperly and bent because of this, making it impossible to spin. It took me a while to figure out this was a blade problem and not just a problem with my balance.


I upgraded boots and blades once before, that is when I started taking lessons. I used to have really really weak very thin skates when I just skated twice a year on sundays (and then not at all for 5 years).

[frvanilla]

I'm on Risport Etoile, which is just under Risport RF4/Risport Laser and those are said to hold up for doubles - I'm guessing Risport is made for singles, though it doesn't say anywhere. I've started working on the axel and actually landed "something" - doing only a total of a little over 1 revolution in the air though and very cheated - so I've decided to get boots next season, since then I'll probably really be working mostly on my axel and maybe a double.
I am very surprised that Risport Etoile can hold up an axel. I believe Etoile are made for simple single jumps only. :bow:

I upgraded from Risport Etoile to Risport RF3 (Cristallo) when the Etoile could no long hold up my salchow landing. I also upgraded the blades to Wilson Coronation Comets at the same time. But I only had them for a very short while before I switched to Wilson Coronation Ace. My old pair of boots were very beaten up and the stock blades had no sharpening remaining. The stronger boots gave me a whole lot more ankle support and the new blades made the take off and landing of my jumps a lot easier. Now I am working on lutz.

[Sessy]

I am very surprised that Risport Etoile can hold up an axel. I believe Etoile are made for simple single jumps only. :bow:

I upgraded from Risport Etoile to Risport RF3 (Cristallo) when the Etoile could no long hold up my salchow landing.

LOL, yeah but I used to dance (in 3 inch heel shoes, jumping around, at the speed of jogging/running) and everybody is amazed at how easily I walk and run in 4 inch stilletto's. I lace very low too, I leave the top 4 hooks (2 on each side) unlaced on both boots! (sometimes I'll lace 2 hooks higher on my landing leg). When I sprained my anckle when my toepick stayed in the ice while I fell over backwards, the foot just slipped out of the boot sorta. I'm landing mostly on anckle strength I think, not on boot strength, so why would they break down? They're not taking much impact...

I actually know a worse case than myself though! A girl I know learned up to the flip in HER GRANDMA'S SKATES, 1 layer of really old leather and no toepicks to speak of... 8O 8O 8O Then she upgraded straight to Risport RF3... Like whoa.

As for risport cristallo, my mom's got that one - from the time that they weren't heat moldable at least - I tried them on since we have the same size: YIKES! My heel wasn't touching the bottom of the skate, instead my feet hung in the boot by the anckle bones. UGHHH. 8O
A lot depends on the individual shape of the foot and anckle I guess though.


BTW here are the Risport Etoiles when I just started practicing the lutz (10 months old at that time - though not skated on for like 5 months in summer)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sessy_liz/342588738/

[russiet]

I started on Mirages January of 2005 & switched to MK Pros September 2006.

I like the 7" rocker better. The toe pick starts a little father up, and I don't catch it inadvertantly as I did with the Mirage.

My spins have gotten better on the MK's, but not overnight.

The MK's also feel more agile to me.

How much of this is due to my own improvement? Some, but not all.

I sharpen my own blades, I notice the MK's are easier to put a fine edge on. Also they stay sharper longer with just regular honing.

All blades are overpriced.

[Sessy]

You sharpen by yourself?!

[sue123]

I started on the Ultima Mirage, but upgraded after I started on the toe loop, although this had more to do with me getting new skates than anything else. And I needed new skates, my feet shrank and were slipping out of the heel and nothing would keep them there, so I got skates a size smaller and got new blades than too. I think my skating improved afterwards, my spins were faster. But I'm not sure how much improvement was due to a pair of skates that fit properly and how much was due to the blades.

[NCSkater02]

I've been in Jackson Competitor and Ultima Mirages for close to four years. I just tried a pair of MK Visions yesterday (on my Competitors). The difference was weird. It didn't feel different, but my feet sure told me they were different--they hurt after the half hour that I skated.

I'm hoping that once I get used to the different rocker (7' compared to the Mirage 8') that I will finally figure out how to spin. I did notice that 3turns seemed to be a little smoother and I wasn't skidding them as much.

I think the Vision is much more blade than I need at this point (I'm working on Pre-Bronze) but a friend had them and wasn't using them, so she offered them to me to try. I'm going to give it a couple of weeks before I decide.

[xofivebyfive]

I'd like to know that as well. I have some type of riedell boots and coronation ace blades, which I upgraded to when I told the skate shop guy that I was doing things in FS 1, and that was in May. I'm going to be starting on the axel soon I think, so I was just wondering if I should get new boots or not. I have no clue what the actual boots are so right now you can't help me but I'll go find them later.