My old Matrix I Dance blades don't have the same measurements as my Matrix 1 Supreme runners. They are substantially less tall, and they lack the indented portion - the sides of the Dance runners are parallel. Hard to take accurate measurements without mounting them - which I don't want to do, because it wears out the hex key holes in those soft bolts. Anyway, all my runners are at least somewhat used, so the measurements don't reflect what they were like new.

I also notice the Supreme runners (of which I only have one pair) have had enough metal removed that they will soon be hard to sharpen with my Pro-Filer, because of that indented portion, which will probably make them flop around - unless I add tape to create a tighter fit at the bottom, so the top doesn't matter. Which, as we've discussed before is a bit of a hassle and a challenge to do right, so that the edges are even.

I was talking to someone who tells me that they remove their blades from their Edea boots every 20 hours and ship them to their skate tech for sharpening, then they reinstall them. They said they'd done it for a few years and never had problems but it did make me wonder:

How many times can you reuse the same screw holes in the Edea soles before they start to enlarge?
If you remove then reinstall blades into the same holes will the blades always be in the same position or could they be reinstalled at slightly different angles each time?

I ask because I have considered shipping my skates for sharpening, but didn't think I could remove then reinstall the blades, because of the questions above, and obviously I know with other brands such as Risport that have leather soles, it wouldn't be possible to remove the blades more than once or twice.

No need for calipers.  A ruler will do.  Thanks.

With my current blades ("Supremes" - freestyle blades) installed, there is about 1/8" height of thinly ground blade at the bottom (in the orientation we skate in; also maybe it was lightly larger when I started using the blades)), followed by about 1/8" indented  portion (Why? I assume it is decorative, or to save a few grams, but if the Pro-Filer like tool didn't have a deep enough gap, it would matter.), followed by a variable width of parallel sided runner, for a total (including the two 1/8" heights) of about 1/2" near the stanchions, to .75" at the center.


Hey, I just figured something out about the new replaceable runner Matrix RXS blades.

I already knew they made each chassis have one particular non-replaceable toe pick - which means you need a different chassis for each type of blade - whereas the older designs had the same chassis for all runners. The toe picks were included in the runners, as with most blades.

But that non-replaceable toe pick also means you wouldn't want to trim the toe pick when the blade starts to wear down. So you maybe  have to replace runners more often...

Interestingly, the RXS ad says you don't need a special blade holder - because the runners fit all machines. But to take advantage of that, I guess you'd have to remove the runner every time you sharpened it. And it looks like they still attach with those stupid bolts that use the tiny hex inset, that will probably wear out if you do that a lot.

Oh. You mean what I think of as the height of the exposed portion of the runner...

In other words, the height (vertical dimension when blade is placed on the ice) of the portion of the runner that has to fit in the gap.

I've got to dig my calipers out of storage.

I'm largely unconcerned with cosmetic issues too. A few people on this forum have claimed they can tell they are slower with scratched blade sides, so maybe it isn't just cosmetic. Intuitively, it makes sense, if you consider boats in water, and studded tires on ice - but those are a lot different. Without objective measurements under conditions similar to figure skating, it's hard to tell.

In my case, I'm personally certain that getting stronger would make much more difference than minor scratches.

To emphasize Kaitsu's response in Reply #37, why would scratches on surfaces that do not contact the ice at all cause slower glides?   Intuitively, it doesn't make sense at all (to me).   Are you concerned about some higher-order aerodynamic effects?