Riedell Eclipse Blades

[Isk8NYC]

Riedell just came out with their own line of blades called the "Eclipse" blades.  They're designed and made in North America, fwiw.

The brochure is here: http://www.iskateriedell.com/brochure11/

There are four blade models in the product line:

Infinity - Freestyle; doubles through quads (8' rocker/straight cut rake) - $325 MSRP - Compare to Pattern 99.
Mist - Freestyle; singles through triples (7' rocker/cross cut rake) - $229 MSRP - Compare to Coronation Ace.
Volant - Freestyle; singles through doubles (7' rocker/straight cut rake) - $135 MSRP - Compare to Majestic.
Dance - Ice Dancing (7' rocker) - $235 MSRP - Compare to MK Dance.

0000OOOOoooo...the blades come with a polishing cloth to "maintain ultimate sheen."

I saw these at Nationals last month and they were very shiny and pretty. 
Have no idea if the profiles match up to any existing Wilson or MK blades.

They're made from heat-tempered, high-carbon steel with high-polish plating above the business parts of the blade, chroming/chrome relief (?) on the parts that are supposed to touch the ice.


Website: www.eclipseblades.com

Most important detail (to me) was that they state quite clearly that the blades must be sharpened prior to first use.
Finally!  Some honesty in retail.


EDIT: Added Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) and the existing blade comparisons.

[Sk8tmum]

I see they are promoting a new line of blades as well; that's interesting.  More competition the better; price points on these will be interesting.

[Isk8NYC]

I think these will be cheaper than the current JW/MK blades, but I think those prices are going up. Just a hunch.

[JHarer]

I am kinda considering the Volante to replace my MarkIV. That polishing cloth makes it awfully tempting!

[Bill_S]

Nifty!

Some observations...

I see that none of the blades are parabolic. They show "parallel" for all of them, even the high-end Infinity. I wonder if they believe parabolics are unnecessary?

The top-of-the-line Infinity has straight cut teeth. Curious!

I was surprised at the suggested 1" ROH on dance blades. Is this typical for dance blades?

I will certainly consider them for my next pair of skates.

[Sk8tmum]

Pattern 99 blades have straight cut teeth; some people prefer them. Gold Seals are cross-cut.  From what I've seen, parabolic blades are not in wide use; if Riedell is just starting the line, I would think that they would want to start "narrow" and then build if they get greater acceptance.

[Isk8NYC]

I would think that the Riedell contract with Wilson and MK is probably expiring.  They've been "bundled" as a sales unit here in the US for some time. 

These blades are probably Riedell's attempt at getting some basic blade models in house so the profits aren't going elsewhere.
Traditionalists may not like JW/MK's new high-tech blades and will seek a less-expensive alternative.

That's just my MBA talking, lol.

I forgot to ask what the blade profiles were based on, but I'll do that when I get a chance. 
It would nice to know if the Infinity is a disguised Pattern 99.  (The toerake looks like it to me.)

[icedancer]

Interesting that they put the ROH as 1" on the dance blade - that seems kind of flat but maybe that will make for a better run?

Have you seen the prices on these blades?

thanks for posting.

[Isk8NYC]

I haven't seen prices as yet, sorry.

[Elsa]

A 7' rocker with a 1" ROH?  That sounds like an old Gold Test figure blade.  Could it be a typo?

[Isk8NYC]

It looked odd to me, too.  That's why I didn't post the ROH.  In fairness, the catalog/brochure does say to get the blade sharpened to your preferred ROH before using them.

[icedancer]

Well, I started thinking about it and I think the ROH that I currently have on my MK Dance is 7/8 which is very close to 1" actually - maybe someone figured out that a slimline dance blade actually runs better and turns better, etc., if it is a little flatter.  I know that one time I had a deeper grind put in and could hardly skate or turn or anything - the thinness of it...

Any prices on these blades?

[fsk8r]

I would think that the Riedell contract with Wilson and MK is probably expiring.  They've been "bundled" as a sales unit here in the US for some time. 

Hopefully the contract is expiring. Currently to get MK/Wilson blades in the UK (where they are manufactured!) they all have to get shipped from Riedell in the US. Waiting times can be months. The global exclusivity side of the deal wasn't such a great idea.

But personally I don't skate on MK/Wilson blades given that they seem to have a pretty near monopoly on the market, and welcome more competition. I've just upgraded from ISE blades to Ultima but I'll keep an eye out for these Eclipse blades next time I'm needing new ones.
I'm hoping that more competition will bring down the prices of the lower end (more common) blades.

[FigureSpins]

I sent Riedell emails asking about prices and rocker profiles.  Will post when they reply.

Update #1:  The blade profiles match up (according to Riedell) in this way:

The Infinity and Pattern 99 are near identical with an 8' primary radius,
the Mist is near identical to Coronation Ace with a 7' pimary radius,
the Volant near identical to Majestic with 7' radius and
the Dance near identical to MK Dance with 7' radius. 

Key advantages is the precision edges on these blades that require custom radius of hollow sharpening to  the skaters desired R.O.H. prior to use, consistent heel lifts and chrome relief rakes for secure ice engagement.

Again, they've emphasized that you have to get a good ROH sharpening before using the blades, so that means finding a reliable skate sharpener, not going to the hockey kid in the rental shop.  That step alone should lower the retail price since they won't be sharpening them at the factory, but you'll probably need to pay for the initial sharpening.  (Maybe not, depending on the pro.)

Update #2: MSRP's

The volant is $135. mist $229, invinity $325, and the dance is $235.

[Isk8NYC]

Updated information in first post!  (Prices and rocker details)

[JHarer]

Those prices look good to me! Now I'm considering the Volant even more than I was previously.

[icedancer]

Love that $235 for the dance blade!

[Isk8NYC]

I don't know what their definition of "near identical" would be; there could be some differences.

[Sk8tmum]

The Coro Ace clone is not sufficiently "cheaper" to have me want to try it as an alternate ... the Pattern 99 one seems a better savings, however, but, not a blade that we use for our kids.

[Query]

A web search says Northern Ice and Dance, sells them. They discount MK, but not Eclipse. Someone please start a price war.


If someone wants other blade shapes, contacting Riedell's might help.

[Isk8NYC]

Reidell just posted a new link on the Eclipse blades site that lets you find dealers for these new blades.

http://www.iskateriedell.com/riedell-skates-dealers/

[Query]

Just saw some Eclipse blades at the Liberty competition (no I didn't compete). The Eclipse Dance look a lot like my MK Dance blades, and are stainless steel, so likely require less care and last longer. But I neglected to bring anything to compare the spin rocker radius and length. Reidell advises a 1" ROH, but I would ignore that, and change the ROH to 3/8" or even 5/16".

Most dance blades including these are ground thinner than most figure skating blades in a strip at the bottom. By my measurement, the Eclipse Dance were ground about 1/64" thicker than my MK Dance blades at the bottom - though I have slightly stoned the sides of my MK Dance blades. They were about 1/32" thicker at the bottom than the Paramount Dance blades someone displayed. But a technician I trust said that both differences may be larger than machining tolerances, especially the hand-guided MK/Wilson machining tolerances.

All the displayed Eclipse blades looked to be of good quality (same production line as the now discontinued GAM blades) - and are possibly machined to higher consistency than MK/Wilson blades. I can't say anything beyond that by direct experience, and they haven't a long track record yet.

They certainly aren't as light as Paramount or Ultima Matrix 2 blades. (Or perhaps the MK/Wilson Revolution blades, which no one displayed.)

When my MK Dance blades wear out, I will probably move to Eclipse. But that's just me, and should not affect your decision.

[FigureSpins]

Riedell's 2012 catalog came out and they added two new models to their Eclipse blades:


Eclipse Crescent: http://eclipseblades.com/crescent.html

Designed for the discriminating instructional skater and beginning competitive skater, the Eclipse Crescent offers a 7 foot radius for improved mobility, precise edges for greater consistency and straight cut rakes for more secure engagement—revealing the highest performance level of any blade in its class.
•Rocker: 7'
•Suggested R.O.H: 5/8"
•Sizes: 8" - 12"
•Style: Parallel
NB: I think the Crescent is a clone of the MK Double Star.  It's an entry-level freestyle blade.


Eclipse Pinnacle http://eclipseblades.com/pinnacle.html

Reach the peak of performance with the Eclipse Pinnacle, designed for the most demanding competitive freestyle skater. Offering an 8' blade radius for maximum speed and solid sole plates for added strength to tackle rigorous routines. A side-honed runner and chrome free rakes bite into the ice, while its increased stanchion height allows for better skate clearance. You'll stand proudly atop the podium in the Eclipse Pinnacle.
•Rocker: 8'
• Suggested R.O.H: 5/8"
• Sizes: 8" - 12"
• Style: Side-honed

This seems like a Gold Seal clone to me, based on the rocker radius, toepicks and the stanchion height.