Ultima Blades for Higher Level Skaters?

[KelMo]

So I managed to make my last pair of boots and blades last for a good 8 years (well 5 years of actual skating and probably 3 years off, with one boot rebuild in there, but still pretty impressive if I say so myself...) but now it's finally time to get a new pair of both things and it seems there are some new options out there on the market!

I'm sticking with SP Teri boots because they fit me so well and have held up marvelously, but at the suggestion of my coach I am likely switching from Pattern 99s to Gold Seal blades. Reading the forums here and doing some Google research I've discovered that both Paramount and Ultima make blades that they claim to be comparable to the Wilson originals. People on this site (and skaters at my rink) love Paramounts, but their 420S version is more expensive than buying original Gold Seals, so I probably won't be going with them. However, the Ultima Matrix 2 Supremes MX7150s are $75-$100 cheaper and are made with 440C stainless steal so don't need to be sharpened as often.  I've also heard rumors (can anyone confirm?) that Ultima will let you return/exchange a blade in under 30 days if you try it out and don't like it; this is particularly appealing to me as I'll be switching profiles and don't really know what to expect.  However, I have not seen any reviews of these higher-level Ultima blades.

Has anyone used them or do you know someone who has? What do you/they think? Last time I was looking at boots/blades, Jackson was sort of seen as a brand only for beginners, and they were not considered to be as high quality as the name brands. I think that's changed in the past 8 years?

If it matters, I am an adult skater with a couple doubles, hoping to get a couple more and improve the consistency of my spins. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

[Skittl1321]

An adult skater/coach at our rink who competes in master's level events with doubles (I think he can do a triple, not sure the last time he did it in competition was) wears the Ultima Matrix blades, I assume the Supreme.  He loves them, and has all the kids he coaches in the lower version (the Legacy) of the blade.  If you know a lot of adult skaters who do well at nationals, PM me and I'll tell you who it is, and then you can better judge the level of skating I'm comparing to here.

I have the Legacy version and can confirm you don't have to sharpen them as often.  I think I've had them 2 months and they feel the same as day 1, except I can stop okay now.  But the RIP on their edges is just amazing.

[sarahspins]

I have been wondering this as well.. just how well the matrix 2 supreme compares to the gold seal version of the paramounts.  The price difference is fairly significant!

That said though, with gold seals retailing on the low end for $460 (I have seen them on ebay new for as low as $420), the 420 paramount gold seal version are only $322 from Kinzie's Closer (after coupon) making them $100 more than the Ultima version.  The 440 paramount comes in right at $500 from KC w/ coupon, which works out to $115 more than the matrix 2 supreme.

The only downside I can say is that I've heard some rather iffy things about the actual profile on the ultima blades - not just the matrix line, but all of them, and that they have very finicky spin rockers as a result.  However, with a 30 day trial period, I would think that a skater could decide for themselves on that one   I've never used either - I've been skating in MK Phantoms since 1996.  My current coach favors the spin rocker of the gold seals.. which is one reason I've been contemplating blades lately, but if I were to do that I'd prefer to have SS runners.

[KelMo]

Thank you both for the replies!

Sarah, do you remember where you heard the iffy things about the profiles/spin rockers on the Ultimas? Since one of the main reasons I'm switching profiles is to hopefully help with my spins this makes me a bit wary... Also, how does one go about getting the coupon on Kinzie's Closet? $322 is definitely within my price range (and actually lower than what I saw the Matrix 2 Supremes priced at...)