Katz, here is one link to where they can possibly be bought:
http://www.figureskatingdeals.com/bladesultima.php?dep=Blades&title=Blades&brand=Ultima>Skittl1321 wrote
>Once your couple replacements wear out, you have to find new blades anyway.
The runners don't wear out any faster than normal blades do, so that applies to
any blades. And she doesn't have to find a new blade type when she can't find any more interchangeable runners - she just has to switch to the standard mount blades. The runners built into Ultima standard mount blades,
as far as I know, are identical in shape to the interchangeable mount runners. There
is no future problem.
This is completely different from the Jackson Pro-flex discontinuation - which I mention in another thread at
http://skatingforums.com/index.php/topic,1787.0.html
Let's say the first link pans out. Instead of buying a new Matrix 2 Dance blade pair for $400 and a new Matrix 2 Synchro blade pair for $400, she buys an old Matrix (1) chasis for $300, a 1 Matrix 1 Dance runner pair for $180 (odd that the above link is above original retail price of $110, but maybe that is typical??), and 1 Matrix 1 Synchro runner pair for $180. It will have cost her $660 instead of $800 to do so. If she finds someone willing to sell runners at the original $110/pair retail price, it will only have cost her $520, an even better deal. The deal is even better if she manages to buy more than one runner pair of each type.
In addition, she doesn't have to buy a second pair of Dance boots to mount Dance blades - saving her an additional $640 - $1500, if she likes good custom boots. Given that she isn't sure she wants to use two blade types, that is quite a savings.
I hope that make sense, Skittl1321.
That logic is why I bought mine. Almost immediately afterwards, they were discontinued, so I bought out Rainbo's 9-3/4" Matrix (1) Ultima Dance runner stock. What I didn't take account was that I turned out not to like Ultima blades. If she turns out not to like Ultima blades either, then buying any Ultima blades will have been a waste. But that is a separate issue.
BTW, a pair of dance blades can last me 2 - 3 years, skating daily. If she dances once/week, it might, under the right circumstances, last her 14-21 years, perhaps the rest of her skating life. So replacement may not be an issue anyway, especially if she manages to find more than one pair of runners. Of course, I sharpen my own, very carefully, and I take very good care of my blades. Maybe she skates more aggressively. So this last argument may not apply.
And, BTW, none of my logic applies if she only finds substantially used or modified Ultima Matrix 1 blades. If the blade shape is different, she won't have managed to test anything well.
Topic: Ultima Matrix 1 blades, anyone know where I could still get them? (Read 6337 times)