The most commonly used boot?

[lillia]

I was reading some threads here about bots and blades and stuff and I started to realise that there are some differences between my own experiences and what is said in the threads. I'm from Sweden and most of the skaters here (far from all) use either Risport, Edea or Graaf-boots.
Now I'm interested to know which boot you use and which brand you think are the most common one in your club?
(I use Risport RF2 super with Pattern 99's.)

[sdfigureskater]

Many of the adult skaters (20's,30's40's) that I skate with tend to favor either SP Teri, Jackson, or Harlick boots. Pattern 99's seem to be a real fave among skaters as well. I skate in SP Teri's (I bought them on ebay new, however they were made in 1999) because I really like the way they were made back before they started using synthetic materials for the outer portion of the boot. I guess some people like the heat moldable feature but I like
real-all leather boots. I tend to think that SP Teris were great up until they changed over to the whole heat moldable thing. I hear a lot of complaints about the new ones unfortunately. When these wear out I'll probably go back to Harlicks because I'm sure I won't be able to find another older/new pair of SP Teri's :( Harlicks are great though!

PS I wish I had gotten a chance to skate while I lived over in Sweden (Gothenberg a couple years and Vegby for a while) ...Especially outside! Sweden is such a beautiful place, I bet it would have been great :)

Thanks for your post!

[dbny]

A lot of adults also wear custom Klingbeils, especially those of us on the east coast or not too far from it. I think Riedell is probably the most worn boot by kids (in the US), especially at the lower levels, thought Jackson is making significant inroads.

[blue111moon]

I wear stock Reidells because they fit my foot the best (I've tried SPTeris, Harlicks and - ages ago, WIFAs).

In my small club, most of the kids are in either Jacksons or Reidells. Two of the coaches wear Harlicks.

[Isk8NYC]

In stock boots, most skaters in my area wear Riedells, Jacksons or Harlicks.
In custom boots, Klingbeil, SP-Teri, and Harlicks are common.

I wear custom Klingbeils, but I have a pair of stock Jackson boots on order.

[sk8tmum]

Low Level - Jacksons primarily, Gams on the decline.
Mid Level - Jacksons, seeing more Riedells, some Klingbeils
Upper Level - Riedells and Klingbeils.

Only one Risport that I can remember, one pair of Grafs, no Sp Teri or Harlicks. More movement towards Riedell lately, those that were using upper-end Jacksons are switching to Riedell.

Blades:
Low Level - the stock Jackson blade or Comets.
Mid Level: Comets, a few Aces, some Pattern 99's
Upper Level: Comets, Gold Seal and Pattern 99.

Some ISE and Ultima blades are turning up.
Haven't seen any Paramounts, but, the regional skate shop is selling them now so I expect to see them soon.

[sk8tmum]

Many of the adult skaters (20's,30's40's) that I skate with tend to favor either SP Teri, Jackson, or Harlick boots. Pattern 99's seem to be a real fave among skaters as well. I skate in SP Teri's (I bought them on ebay new, however they were made in 1999) because I really like the way they were made back before they started using synthetic materials for the outer portion of the boot. I guess some people like the heat moldable feature but I like
real-all leather boots. I tend to think that SP Teris were great up until they changed over to the whole heat moldable thing. I hear a lot of complaints about the new ones unfortunately. When these wear out I'll probably go back to Harlicks because I'm sure I won't be able to find another older/new pair of SP Teri's :( Harlicks are great though!

Thanks for your post!

Klingbeil is still all-leather, no heat moulding plastic in there :)

[CoachPA]

I've been in custom Harlick's for years and I love them!

As for my students, many of them are in Riedell and the rest seem to gravitate toward Jackson.

[Query]

Counting only figure skates outside department store throways, in decreasing order, around Maryland (USA) I would guess: Reidell, SP-Teri, Jackson, Klingbei (most popular custom boot), Harlick, Graf, Risport, GAM, but I haven't seriously researched this.

I use Klingbeils Dance, but could modify any boot to fit, if it wasn't pink. I love the look of the plush interiors of the upper level Jackson boots, but can't afford to dump the Klingbeils, which never break down.

I.E., there are a lot of brands here. No one company or model pleases everyone. I'd say shop around a lot, and see what feels snug and comfortable on you, and forget the silly popularity thing.

As to blades, MK/Wilson easily wins the popularity contest, followed by Jackson Ultima. I think I've seen 1 or 2 paramount pairs. There is no consensus at all on which models people like. I use currently Ultima Dance, but preferred MK Dance, because they are faster and the smaller rocker works best for me. I used to use Coronation Ace, but often tripped over the longer tails more than in dance blades. Besides they were slow. I tried Ultima Supremes - tails too long again, and I didn't like the toe pick. My choices would be way different if I did much freestyle. The way they are sharpened matters as much as shape, so I do my own.

Unfortunately, no one here rents quality blades (wouldn't that be wonderful), so I have no idea what I would like best.

[sdfigureskater]

Ahhh.... I love my phantoms!!! They're awesome for spinning :)

[herniated]

I also see a lot of Klingbeils, Reidells for boots some sp terris. Blades..gold seal, pattern99. I wear Klingbeils and now coronation dance blades. But I used pattern 99 for years!

[lilskater14]

hey i am buying need iceskates. I'm a freestyle 3/4 joining a synchronized skating team but still need a blade to jump as well as spin. I've used ridell for years, no idea about the others except gam. Any suggestions?

[RachelSk8er]

hey i am buying need iceskates. I'm a freestyle 3/4 joining a synchronized skating team but still need a blade to jump as well as spin. I've used ridell for years, no idea about the others except gam. Any suggestions?

If you're on a lower level team (i.e. juv or below), you should be fine with still wearing a freestyle blade for synchro. Or if you want to try a synchro blade, you can do freestyle in Ultima synchro blades (you can do through a double lutz in them). They're actually pretty inexpensive, only about $130.

There are synchro boots, but stay away from them if you are still doing freestyle. They aren't stiff enough for a lot of jumping. Most synchro skaters actually don't like synchro boots because they are soft and break down very quickly (Klingbiel's synchro boots seem to be the most popular with people who wore synchro boots on the last team I skated for because they could be customized and made stiffer). Reidell's newer models that are cut slightly lower should work well for synchro, and have the stiffness you would want for freestyle. Most of the skaters on my old teams wore either Reidells or SP Teris, a few Harlicks.