I am currently wearing Jackson Freestyle skates from 12 years ago. I purchased them when I was 14 and skated in them for less than a year
(made it up to loop jump and camel spin before I quit). I returned to skating in January, so I've been skating in these same skates for almost a year now as an adult. So the skates have now be used for around 1.5 to 2 years grand total.
I am the same weight and height I was at 14 years old.
5'9 and 150lbsI have all of my single jumps, except axel, and am working hard on getting my axel right now, I'm also working on back-camel, but no flying spins yet.
Since I'm an adult and therefore my foot size will not change, I would like to invest in skates that will last, but at the same time I don't want to "overboot" myself and stall progress.
Currently wearing: Jackson Freestyle womens size 9B, Mark IV blade 10 1/3, Stiffness rating: 45
(purchased 12 years ago)These skates have always fit really well, so I'm extremely likely to just stick with Jackson since I know it fits.
My feet are definitely not narrow, but neither are they super-wide. They are the average B. If Riedell is narrower than Jackson in the toebox that wouldn't be good.
I'm also very interested in the Edea skates because they look so sexy!
But I know "looks" don't matter, comfort and support is what matters!
I purchased the Jackson skates (with the blade pre-attached) from the internet when I was a kid. I was lucky they fit well without any adjustments because no one around here knows how to adjust size or mount blades or anything.
I plan to be in a big city in a few weeks that has a skate shop stocked with Jackson, Riedell, Edea, etc and they will size your foot, mount blades, do heat-molding etc. So this is a great time to find out what Edea feels like and what my "true" size is since I've never been sized by a professional or worn any skate other than Jackson.
My skates have creases, but aren't fully broken down yet. I don't really notice anything on jumps, but I do often feel like I want more support in my camel spins. I'm often re-tightening the laces after too many camel spins. I'm crappy about getting the laces tight enough, but if the boot was stiffer, maybe it wouldn't matter as much?
I think skaters can learn axel and early double jumps with just a Jackson Freestyle (stiffness rating 45), but would a stiffer boot help or hurt me? It is better to underboot a bit (to develop stronger muscles) or overboot a bit (to make skates last longer)?
(my coach says she thinks I would be fine in boots rated for double jumps, so I've already got an OK from her, whatever I decide to do.)Jackson or Edea?
Which Jackson would you recommend for my current axel attempts and my future doubles?
Which Edea would you recommend?
Would Ice Flys be too much? (Everyone is in love with those skates lol. Great marketing.)
I have read mixed reviews about Edea
(some people come to hate them, some love them). Any good stories or horror stories about these skates? I'm willing to put down the money, but I don't want to waste money buying something I will end up hating. Will Edea's high level skates last longer? If I have to put down that kind of money every 2 years because they wear out too quickly, that's too much.
I like the idea of Edea's "lighter" skates, but I read about horror stories about keeping the laces tied or having too much flexibility in the ankle. While I never tie very tight at the top of my skate, I want lots of support in the "hinge area" of the foot. Whenever I'm retying the laces on my current skates, it's because I'm desiring more support in that hinge area for camel spins or jumps.
I have no real opinion about blades. I just generally choose whatever is considered a "normal choice" for the boot I going to buy. But I'm open to suggestions for blades as well.