I have been using a 7/16 for about 4 years. That was recommended by the highly respected sharpener at the rink. My first sharpening was in LTS and he recommended 9/16 but I felt like I was skidding around so we went to 7/16 the next time and it has felt fine.
This particular sharpener moved to another rink so a (also highly respected) sharpener from a nearby rink is coming in now. He told me the previous grind was very uneven with 1 side higher than the other. He also told me for my size and level he would recommend 5/8 or maybe 9/16 but that with a 7/16 the skate is controlling me rather than me controlling the skate. He said 7/16 is for lighter skaters doing doubles and triples.
Now I don't know exactly what to believe. I may try a 1/2" and see how that feels but dropping back to 5/8 sounds extreme.
Do you lose a lot of material backing off from the existing ROH?
The vast majority of the skaters at my rink use 7/16. We have a few high-level dancers that prefer 3/8 and a senior-level lady was the only one who had 5/16. The skaters that use 1/2 are all in LTS, as are the ones in 9/16.
The real question is what are you comfortable with? Have you asked your coach? Has this tech ever seen you skate? Because techs can be just as set in their ways as anyone else. There's a coach in my area who sharpens all his skaters to 3/8 no matter if they're starting Pre-pre moves at age 7 or international competitors with years of experience. Sharpen to what you are comfortable with, not just because someone "in the know" says to change.
<<Emphasis added.>> I’m in agreement with LunarSkater here. It doesn’t matter what someone else (regardless of whether that someone else is a tech, a coach, or another skater) says should be the best ROH for you. The only thing that really matters is what ROH works best for a specific skater executing specific moves with a specific set of blades on a specific ice surface.
I’ve come across two contradictory ROH strategies. The first is that skaters should start out with a larger ROH (e.g., 1/2” or larger) and then change to a smaller ROH (e.g., 7/16” or smaller) as they advance. The second is that skaters should start out with a smaller ROH and then change to a larger ROH as they advance. Perhaps it’s fair to say that both strategies apply during different phases.
I’m skeptical of rules that specify
absolute ranges of ROH based on nominal skill level alone (e.g., 9/16” or 1/2” for recreational, 7/16” or 3/8” for freestyle) or based on nominal skill level and weight. One general rule, however, does hold for
relative changes in ROH: As the ROH decreases (hollow gets deeper), the bite increases and the glide decreases (with the usual caveat: all other significant parameters held constant). From this consideration, it makes sense to use the largest ROH (shallowest hollow) that provides you sufficient edge control. The optimum ROH will likely change as the skater’s needs and level of edge control changes. E.g., a beginner skater will likely do fine with 9/16” or 1/2” for moves that require only shallow edges. As he advances to moves that require deeper edges, however, he might need to change to a smaller ROH, e.g., 7/16” or 3/8”, to increase bite. But then again, as his level of edge control increases, he might be able to increase the ROH back to, e.g., 1/2” or 9/16” or even larger to increase glide.
The best freestylist I personally know has incredibly deep, beautiful edges; blindingly fast, well-centered spins; breath-taking triples; and majestic, sweeping spirals down the length of the ice: her ROH is 3/4” (and she's petite). There is an elite champion skater of yesteryear in my area. She still coaches, and I’ve seen her skating for fun on publics; her ROH is 5/8” (I know because she goes to the same tech as I do). Klutzy me, on the other hand, was on 7/16” for a long time, but changed to 3/8” specifically to get better control over the entry to a scratch spin.