Update - I have my new skates!
I ended up going with the Paramount CP blade (essentially the carbon steel version of the SP blade I was initially interested in). My tech tried to order the SP for me, but the CP was shipped instead (I think there was a miscommunication, and my tech doesn't typically stock Paramount, so she didn't catch it). She was very apologetic and offered to order the SP for me, but I decided not to wait, as my old skates were getting increasingly uncomfortable and starting to hinder my progress.
A few points of interest:
- When my tech sharpened the CPs, she commented that they seemed a bit harder than average for carbon steel blades - so even though it wouldn't be on the level of a stainless blade, she thinks it's possible I might still get a little more time between sharpenings than I did with my old MK Pros.
- My tech also mentioned that in her emails with Paramount, they described the CP as having a 7' main rocker. I thought that was interesting to note, as Paramount's website doesn't give main rocker radii for their lower-level blades - just the higher-level 12", 17", and 27" stainless blades (and even then, they're not necessarily "given" per se, but implied by the diagrams in their brochure showing the MK/JW profiles they're based on).
- The 12" spin rocker on the CP feels much more round than my old MK Pros ever did, even when they were brand new. I also found this interesting given the mystery surrounding the actual specs of the spin rockers on the MK Pro and the Coronation Ace. Paramount says that per their measurements, the MK Pro has a 12" spin rocker, and the Coronation Ace's is a more subtle compound 12"/27" - but in Bill S's excellent thread on this forum comparing the two, it seemed like this wasn't necessarily the case. After skating on the Paramounts, I feel pretty certain that whatever the MK Pro's specs are, it does not have a 12" spin rocker (or at least, the pair I've had for the last 5 years didn't!).
- The CPs have a bit more glide than my old Pros - which might just be a function of them being brand new. They're sharpened to the same ROH as my old blades (1/2"), so no difference there.
Overall, while it's only been a couple weeks, I'm quite happy with the Paramount blades so far. If my long-term experience with them is as good as my initial impression has been, I could definitely see myself getting another pair in the future - maybe even the stainless ones next time