Advice about purchasing new Jackson skates, please

[sdjmchattie]

Hiya, I've just the other day ordered Jackson Mystique boots for my girlfriend and I, and I wondered what people thought of these? I was going to order Jackson Marquis for myself and Jackson Classique for my girlfriend but was advised not to because we are both relatively novice at skating and were told the larger toe pick would become a big problem for us until we get better at skating. Is this sound advice? I'm quite a heavy guy (98kg) and want a boot and blade that can take that sort of abuse (not that I'll be jumping in them any time soon). I felt the Marquis with the Mark IV blade would be a better combination but it's impossible to go and see these models in real life because the decent shops selling figure skates are far away (we don't have many in the UK) and all I have contacted have to order men's skates in specially, so I have to decide before I can see them if you see what I mean.

Any and all advice would be gratefully received!

[AgnesNitt]

My skate fitter is a nationally recognized expert (supports the US team at Nationals and the Olympics and Worlds). He usually puts his beginner skaters in Mystiques. I think when I bought mine a few years ago they were a couple of hundred dollars (what that is in pounds no idea--75?).  They won't last as long as the higher end skates BUT! they'll also break in faster which is good for beginners. They will probably last you through your beginner lessons. I defer to the coaches on the forum, but you probably won't need to worry about manly boots until you reach freestyle.

Whoever gave you advice about the larger toepick was correct. The Mystique toepick looks like sandpaper compared to the big picks of competitive skaters. You'll still trip on it and crash onto your hands.  Let me introduce you to my friend Mr. Wristguard.

BTW a  friend of mine skated in JACKSON Premiere. He weighed 127 kg. His boots with parabolic blades lasted 6 months (he was doing jumps).

[FigureSpins]

Welcome to skatingforums! 

Some coaches like starting beginners with the larger toepick, so they never get used to the small beginner one.  That way, there is no transition, especially with adults since they tend to stay in the same skates for a long time.  Other coaches like to "underboot" and "underblade" the skaters, so they can build ankle/foot control and strength faster.  That breaks the boot in, and DOWN, faster.  Having a too-stiff boot on a beginner can lead to pain and injury as much as a too-soft one.  You can always replace them later, when your skills improve.  If you gain/lose weight, you might need a different size boot anyway. 

The introductory-freestyle Ultima Mark IV blade has a more pronounced rocker, which is the real issue.  Every blade has a curve, or rocker, that should be under the ball/toes of the foot.  A beginner's blade has a smaller curve, so the blade is more flat than a Mark IV.  A beginner just learning to control their balance will tend to rock forward and backward on the blade, hence the danger of tripping over the toerake.  It's not the size of the toerake as much as the curve of the rocker.

Boys and Men with wide feet have it really tough in Jacksons: there's only one width (regular) for both available boot models.  (Mystique & Marquis)  Jackson boots do run wider than Riedell, but sometimes even that extra width isn't enough.  I have a young student who was in Mystiques that the pro shop stretched for width and he outgrew the skates within six months, width-wise.  He's in stock-width Marquis skates now and says his feet feel okay, but I think they went up a half-size larger than he needed.  I also think the "last" (sizing model) of a Marquis is a little wider than the Mystique, but I haven't been able to prove that yet.

The blade adjustment is a problem - he became accustomed to the beginner blade and using the rocker and toepicks now for Basic 7-FS1 is a learning curve for him.  (No pun intended)  I think the larger (longer skate) is also part of the problem.

I bought a pair of Marquis for my husband, who is very much a beginner, and he LOVES them.  After 23 years of using rentals once or twice a year, he's very happy with his first new pair of skates.  His feet don't hurt during his annual skating trip and he likes skating really fast on the sharp blades.  (My oldest DD says he's "scary fast.")

Too bad he still doesn't know how to stop, but he can glide until it's safe enough to grab a wall or one of our daughters, lol.  He has torn knee ligaments, so the snowplow stop just doesn't work on snow or ice for him.  I tried to teach him a hockey stop, but without practice, it's really hard to master.

Try the Mystiques on and see how they fit.  Pull out the insole and see if your foot fits across it properly without hanging over.  If the boot feels soft or wobbly when you stand up with them laced properly, you might be too heavy for the skate.  If the fitter is knowledgeable, he'll be able to guide you or suggest the Marquis.

The price difference is substantial - almost $50US - so you can always consider these your "beginner skates" and buy new ones when your skills improve or the skate starts to feel soft.

Good luck!

[sdjmchattie]

Wow, some really good advice on here.  Thank you for taking the time to provide me your insight!  As I have already ordered the Mystiques I will wait and see how they feel and take the advice of changing them for Marquis if they don't feel like they're supporting me enough.  It's a difficult one because I don't really know how supportive they're supposed to feel, but I am just a little apprehensive because of the more advanced blade on the Marquis.

I am so grateful of the replies I've already had and hope there may be more opinions on the way.