Talk About Your Skates!

[sk8Joyful]

Mod Note: Spun off thread drift to new thread.


I bought my Reidell's a few years ago, while I still had a coach, after taking group lessons.
They have a Sapphire-blade (i know for us beginners), but it's ok.

They are far superior to "rental" skates, and are helping me learn...
One day, I talked our Sharpener into giving me the middle-cut, and I liked the EDGE-feeling so much better, I keep it.

[kiwiskater]

Thx, I've resurrected my ancient photobucket account!

anyway, on to the more important stuff These r my new Graf Prestige skates



Anyone know anything about these blades?




also - some of the holes aren't screwed (see the pic below), is this normal?

[Kat]

I bought my Reidell's a few years ago, while I still had a coach, after taking group lessons.
They have a Sapphire-blade (i know for us beginners), but it's ok.

Thats what mine have (I didn't realize you could upgrade the blade on the 133s until later...they didn't tell me at the skating shop, but maybe that's because it would've put them past my budget).  Anyway, my former coach inspected them (after finding a couple classmates had the crappy beginner Jackson blades) and deemed them okay for now ("I'll tell you when you need better blades," she said).  The Sapphires are actually comparatively nice for low-end beginner blades, as they actually have some semblance of a rocker and toe-pick (as I learned my second time out after having crappy skates and blades.  Belly-smacker onto the ice, after stuffing oneself at the buffet, is a very VERY bad idea.  Disaster was narrowly averted).

[Mr. Fan]

also - some of the holes aren't screwed (see the pic below), is this normal?

It seems like a pretty common practice, but my skate pro thinks its a bad idea.  He likes to say, you wouldn't drive your car with only half the lug nuts holding the wheels on, why only have half the screws holding your blades on?  He does take great care to do an on-ice adjustment with just the slotted holes screwed in, but once he has the blades trimmed out for an effort free straight glide, all the screws go it.

With only half the screws, each screw and hole has to handle twice the forces on it to hold boot and blade together than if they were all there.

I can say that while I loan out my screwdriver to people who need to tighten screws on their half-filled skates, I have never needed to touch up my own screws.

[sk8Joyful]

re Reidell's with Sapphire blade:

Thats what mine have (I didn't realize you could upgrade the blade on the 133s until later...). 

Is that what they are, a '133' ?, & why do they continuously change Names, etc. on each of these items? - Not sure if this is important to remember.

Anyway, my former coach inspected them, and deemed them okay for now ("I'll tell you when you need better blades," she said).  The Sapphires
are actually comparatively nice for low-end beginner blades, as they actually have some semblance of a rocker and toe-pick.

Yes, I'm aware of both the rocker, & the toe-pick;
tho I've wondered -IF I'd feel more secure, with a bigger? rocker, but I'm not quite sure about that either.

I do know (2nd. to bad-posture) my toepicks have saved my hide, lotsa times. Close to face-plant (so Coach feared), she'd say
totally amazed: "GOOD save you have the most amazing balance, managing to save yourself from that one".

After the health-challenges I've already overcome, & the ones I working on overcoming now), I think my subconscious mind wants to make sure
I continue having as much fun as possible as I try to learn skills, so eventually I can put together some sort of "program" that I am justifiably happy with, lol.

[Sierra]

I have Riedell Gold Medallions with Coronation Aces, which I love. Before the Aces I had Club 2000s. My first pair of skates were Riedell White Ribbons with a generic blade.

I skated in rentals for ten months. Yes, ten months. My mother's excuse? She was waiting for my birthday to buy me skates (I started skating in October, birthday is in August.) At the time, it did not occur to me to buy my own skates.

And then the White Ribbons stopped being useful and I needed to upgrade. I looked for a skate that would last me to around axels, since I figured I'd be doing axels in a year or two. I had to buy my own skates, since my mother refused, and I'm currently saving all my money for whenever I need a new pair. I got my Medallions for $160 on eBay

Unfortunately, I am now doing axels and double loops half a year after buying these skates, so I'll see how they hold up. I wasn't really planning on advancing in jumps so quickly. Maybe they won't break down too quickly since I only skate 4 1/2 hours a week.

[kiwiskater]

I have Riedell Gold Medallions with Coronation Aces, which I love. Before the Aces I had Club 2000s. My first pair of skates were Riedell White Ribbons with a generic blade.

How did you find the Club 200's? I hear they are a good blade & well talked about on the net, but I hear rumour that they aren't being produced anymore - anyone know if there is truth it that?

[Sierra]

How did you find the Club 200's? I hear they are a good blade & well talked about on the net, but I hear rumour that they aren't being produced anymore - anyone know if there is truth it that?

They were attached to my Medallions at purchase. The Medallions are discontinued. And yes, the Club 2000 is a nice blade for low freestyle- scratch spin, backspin, salchow, etc. It served me well.
I changed blades pretty soon after purchasing the skates because I could not find any info on the Clubs.

[Kat]

Is that what they are, a '133' ?, & why do they continuously change Names, etc. on each of these items? - Not sure if this is important to remember.

I dunno if the 133 boots are the only ones that have the Sapphire blades or not.  When I look at their site it seems that even some things about this boot/blade combo have changed since I bought mine--they now say the boots are made of leather (previously they were "Clarino" synthetic, which made Vegetarian Kat happy) and now the blades in the picture have the name "Quest blades" and "Onyx" on them.  I don't know how those blades would compare to the Sapphire.  Also don't know if it's still possible to upgrade the blades to, say, Coronation Ace when you order them.

I guess they change names just because they change the design of the boots, y'know?