Warning this is a bit long!
So much to my disappointment, I have not been able to speak directly with Warren about this blades, but did send him an email message asking him a few (more like all ) the questions most of us are asking.
What type of skaters are you targeted toward?
The website claims you worked with renowned world and Olympic coaches and you yourself are an Olympic skater, can you be more specific on who helped create and design the SkateScience Blades?
There are rumours that Kaitlyn Weaver is wearing SkateScience blades, is this true? And/or can you give me some other names of top level skates wearing SkateScience Blades?
How does the SkateScience blade profiles compared to for example the MK Phantom, MK Professional, Gold Seal or Pattern 99?
What are the specific rockers radii?
What is the lift angle?
How long are the Synchro tails?
What is the stanchion height?
The toe rake on the TripleQuad has a very interesting design, with three “large” toe picks near the bottom; what is the reason behind that? Is this to allow a more direct transfer of momentum and provide more explosivity? If so, how was this testd?
The toe rake on the DoublePlus looks to be similar to that of the MK Phantom, what makes the landings less ballistic?
The MK Phantom has a 7ft primary radius with a 8ft radius on the tail, do any of the SkateScience blade have this type of back radius divide? If not, why do you feel it is not necessary?
Most new blades are being made of a carbon fiber and stainless steel combination. You have chosen to do a completely a high performance stainless steal blade, because according to the website the blade/boot ratio is very low and does not have a large impact. Why is that?
How much do these blades actually weigh?
What is the SAE steel grades used on the blades?
Do you use HSLA steel?
Using complete steel, assuming harder steel, blades would suggest that the lifetime of the blade should be increased, correct?
How long do these blades typically last?
Typically skaters go about 45 – 60 hours on traditional blades, some having to travel multiple hours to get skates sharpened. How long can a skater expect do go between sharpening?
Lets say a skater working on all doubles is switching from MK Pro to DoublePlus, how long do you expect the transition period to take? And what effects do you expect the transition to have?
However, much to my disapointment his reply was not as technical as I would like, but did answer some of the questions. Here is the direct copy of the email:
I am sorry. But as you may be aware, almost every manufacturer of figure skating blades practically copied the ancient designs of MK/John Wilson. Indeed, most shamelessly, even advertise this fact. That is to say, in figure skating, intellectual property is considered a commodity that anyone can gain profit from, without recourse to licensing or compensation. For that reason, we decline to give any information regarding our designs, materials, development, etc., save what you can read on our website.
I can tell you however, that stainless steel blades hold their edge longer than carbon steel blades. And that they are lighter. Though not as light as aluminum/steel hybrids. The SS weight differential with the Revolution blades, is so close, as to be insignificant. The front radius design as it relates to the toe pick and the main radius; is what makes the SS blade landing less ballistic. Extra large front toe picks are for optimum pre-jump rotation on multi rotation, toe jumps. Transition from MK/John Wilson designs, and their copies, to SkateScience blades takes approximately 1-2 Sessions. After only two full competition seasons since launch, several Junior and Senior Grand Prix, and Junior/Senior World athletes compete on SkateScience blades. Junior world medals, including gold, have been won on SkateScience blades. We have two junior world gold medallists, currently in SS blades. We believe that this penetration of elite level skating athletes into a new brand is unprecedented. We sell into every major figure skating nation.
I hope you understand SkateScience's reluctance to advertise proprietary information. The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating.
Regards,
Warren Maxwell.
Pres. SkateScience.