Why don't they make soakers with terry cloth?

[bayroan]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I've been wondering why all this "absorptive" soakers for figure skates are made of microfiber. In my experience microfiber does not absorb water very well! I've been looking to upgrade from my thin beginner-package soakers, but all the thicker ones I've seen seemed like flappy acrylic and I worried that they'll fall apart soon and not absorb well. Today I went into a pro shop asking about soakers, and they pointed me to hocky skate guards, which were made of terry cloth! What gives? Why do hocky blades get terry cloth while figure skate soakers get microfiber? Does anyone have any idea?

[tstop4me]

Will any of the hockey blade soakers fit your figure skates?  Many soakers are generic to hockey/figure, although some are specific to hockey only or figure only.

[AgnesNitt]

Try Northern Ice and Dance soakers some of them are all terry.I like the SoftPawz brand.

https://www.northerniceanddance.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=soakers

[MCsAngel2]

I use Fuzzy Soakers... the inside isn’t terry, but the things are super padded so the blades are like cushioned all the way around and up to the mounting plates. They work great, I have silver sequined ones.

[Query]

BTW, many microfibers are less hydrophilic then cotton, and allow faster evaporation, reducing rust and corrosion. Perhaps the softer texture scratches the edges less. I think terry is cheaper, I'm not sure of the relative durability.

Some soakers have a ballistic nylon strip at the bottom, to increase durability if you walk on them. (Try not to - if you want the soakers or the edges to last longer.)

If we posit that the distinction you make is mostly correct (I'm not sure):

Maybe some figure skaters love microfiber's soft feel, but hockey players are too banged up to tell the difference?

[tstop4me]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I've been wondering why all this "absorptive" soakers for figure skates are made of microfiber. In my experience microfiber does not absorb water very well! I've been looking to upgrade from my thin beginner-package soakers, but all the thicker ones I've seen seemed like flappy acrylic and I worried that they'll fall apart soon and not absorb well. Today I went into a pro shop asking about soakers, and they pointed me to hocky skate guards, which were made of terry cloth! What gives? Why do hocky blades get terry cloth while figure skate soakers get microfiber? Does anyone have any idea?

* Note that "microfiber" refers to fiber size, and not a specific fiber composition.  Some materials are more absorbent than others.  I dry my skates with polyester microfiber wipes, and they work just fine.  "Microfiber" has become a popular advertising hype term for a variety of items; I personally have not come across microfiber soakers though.

* Similarly, "terry cloth" these days refers to weave and texture.  Previously, "terry cloth" was all cotton, but not necessarily anymore.  Again, absorbency varies a lot with material.

* I'm not sure why you're so focussed on absorbency.   I do see some skaters using their soakers to dry their skates.  Do you?  I think it makes more sense to use a separate towel to dry up almost all of the water.  The soakers then just need to absorb residual water and additional water from condensation, but this is minor compared to the water and slush coming off ice. 

* Soakers are also blade covers, used to mechanically protect the blades from damage (by banging against each other and by banging against other objects) and to protect other objects (such as your kit bag) from being cut up by the blades, particularly the picks.  For me, the more important criterion is durability of the soakers. 

* AgnesNitt posted a link to terry cloth soakers, and there are several listed on Amazon as well.  Just be aware that some soakers listed as terry cloth (such as the popular A&R TuffTerrys, which are the ones most pro shops near me carry) are not solid thick terry cloth anymore; they have a thin terry cloth outer cover and are stuffed with fiber fill of some sort.  Plenty absorbent, but you need to handle them properly to avoid poking holes in them.

[Loops]

Terry is nice because it absorbs, and wicks away the condensation that forms as the blades warm up post- skating.  You should definitley dry the blades before putting the soakers on, but the blades will take a while to come to room temperature.

I also like terry for soakers, and think these things they sell today are so gimmiky.  I make my own out of old towels.  Google can help, I use the tutorial put together by IceMom.  It's easy and works well.  Saves tons of $$ too.