What kind of blade guards do you use?

[FigureSpins]

I will admit to being cheap, but I don't skimp on equipment that counts.  My kids wear good skates and always have guards / soakers that fit, even if they're in the lost&found. 

I won't buy flashing light-up guards that cost twice as much as regular guards.  When I sell or give away a pair of skates, I send the guards along with them, so that the user has something to use if they haven't purchased their own yet.

I do have a pair of my oldest DD's skate guards that are over 15 years old, even though we all wear 10" blades now.  They were too adorable and unique to give away - I'll try to post a photo so you can see why I can't part with them.

So, let's take a poll and see who uses what!

[pikachu314]

Just switched from pink 1 piece centepede type ones to spring guards, and oh, what a difference! My old ones always used to slip around but I don't have that problem any more.Best skating present ever - it makes walking around so much easier.

But I were to throw my old beaten up pair away it'd be just my luck that I'd lose my new ones the very next day; I'm going to hang onto my little pink centepedes for now.

[AgnesNitt]

I used to be religious about guards. Rinks I skated at had long walks to the rink from the lobby where you put on boots. Now it's about 5 steps. Only the fanatical freestyle youngsters working on high level jumps wear guards.

[Sierra]

I used to use centipede guards but when I had new blades mounted, they just didn't fit correctly. They slipped off the tightest I could get them and they didn't stretch enough to the next hole. So I got a pair of simple two piece guards. No fancy lights or anything. I had to get something that was guaranteed to stay on because every year at the xmas show, the skaters have to walk across a LOT of concrete.

I wear them almost all the time because I keep seeing pennies and hair pins all over the lobby. It's like a landmine. The centipedes are kept as a spare even though they're kind of useless. I suppose I could use hair ties to secure them on in an emergency.

[jjane45]

I have the most basic one piece guard, but only use them during ice shows or going to the car in skates. My rink's floor is relatively clean and I am scared of forgetting to take the hard guards off.

I desperately want to lose them so I could buy a new pair: when trimming the guards I accidentally cut one of them too short and 2 inches of the blade is hanging out of the guard, lol.

[FigureSpins]

COuld be worse: I know people who cut the two-piece guards too short and the kid has to do bust-enhancement exercises to put the stupid things on their skates.  Kid got new skates with longer blades, they're still stretching the guards to fit.  I saw her put her blade (in guards, but still) on the pipe railing near the rink to stretch and warmup.  All I could think was "hope she doesn't miss and put the actual blade on the metal."

jjane - I give you permission to buy guards that fit - 2" is a huge gap.  Make it a New Year's gift to yourself.

[jjane45]

jjane - I give you permission to buy guards that fit - 2" is a huge gap.  Make it a New Year's gift to yourself.

Yes, Madam! LOL~ My black gloves are mended multiple times already. It's not about the value, something in me just keeps things until they break or become unsafe.

[Sierra]

COuld be worse: I know people who cut the two-piece guards too short and the kid has to do bust-enhancement exercises to put the stupid things on their skates.  Kid got new skates with longer blades, they're still stretching the guards to fit.  I saw her put her blade (in guards, but still) on the pipe railing near the rink to stretch and warmup.  All I could think was "hope she doesn't miss and put the actual blade on the metal."

jjane - I give you permission to buy guards that fit - 2" is a huge gap.  Make it a New Year's gift to yourself.

Mine aren't trimmed at all, and there's a 1 inch gap in the middle. I guess girls with any size feet over 8 and majority of guys have to deal with slightly small two-piece guards. I'm always so paranoid that I'll step on some bit of metal that sticks up in just the right place to hit the gap.

[PinkLaces]

I have the 2 piece guarddog guards.  They are getting kind of rusty on the screws of the springs.  Might be time to replace them.

[JHarer]

I have pink centipedes too, but I haven't trimmed mine, so they have about an inch of overhang.

[fsk8r]

The speed skaters either use 3 piece guards or extra long two piece as they'd otherwise have a rather large gap in the middle.

But I'm another lazy skater. I wear guards at my main rink when I'm trying to keep them sharp slightly longer than normal (test or competition coming up) otherwise I don't bother as the floor is pretty clean. At my secondary rink I always wear guards to the door as they have some horrid plastic to step on to get to the rink.
I figure I don't spend that long off the ice in boots.

[FigureSpins]

I have (insert color/style/size/special features) guards too...

It's amazing to realize how many skaters have the same/similar guards.  Tip: Label them with your name so they aren't taken by accident.  One of my DDs' guards was picked up by accident by the synchro team's sole boy skater.  He didn't realize it because her guards were longer, so she was walking around with the bladed equivalent of "high water" pants.  (Too short, blade tail hanging over.)

What were the odds? Same team/practice, color, same one-piece style.  The one-piece is unusual in this area - most skaters have the two-piece versions.

I switched my kids from the two-piece guards because they frankly didn't wear them.  They just carried them to appease me, which wasn't acceptable.  They admitted that the clear, jewel-like 2 pc. guards were too hard for them to put on by themselves without sitting down.

I figured it was worth $10 to give the one-piece versions a shot and now they wear them most of the time.  I still occasionally catch them rushing off to talk with friends instead of doing the right thing.  

Our rink is having new lighting and a dropped, insulated ceiling installed.  There are small screws and pieces of metal all over the place, so going without guards is just asking for trouble - I found a black metal allen wrench on the floor last month from the sound system installer.  He had dropped it on the black rubber flooring and couldn't find it, so he was glad to get it back.

One of my DDs has become lazy, so she's using her beautiful soakers as guards, which is going to stop today.  They're big, puffy chinese soakers that I paid retail for at Klingbeils because I knew she'd love them.  Walking in soakers with wet blades, then putting the wet soakers back on after drying the blades ...  :bash

[jjane45]

Walking in soakers with wet blades, then putting the wet soakers back on after drying the blades ...  :bash

LOL before putting my soakers on I use the their exterior dry the blades. Maybe that's not a good idea after all.

[kiwiskater]

Here's a question - I have the 'new school' 2 piece guard but for some reason the toe pick end of the guard has ended up mashed...it looks almost like the picks have slipped put of the guard & sheared some of the plastic from the edge into a big mound (does anyone get what I mean - I keep forgetting to download a pic from my camera)...does anyone know why it does this?

I always put picks in first and pull them over the tail & I don't see that the blade is outside the guard anywhere to shave the plastic into that mound...

[Kat]

I usually put mine in tail first then stretch over the pick, lol.

I've only once ever seen someone with the same guards as me--gold glitter--and that was at a competition where I was just there to see my friend skate so no worries.    Actually, I rarely see guards at the rink, period, so mine aren't hard to locate at all.

[Elsa]

I voted two-piece guards and use them for walking, but I keep soakers on my blades when they're in my bag/closet (only off to dry).

I also still have my pink glitter one piece guards with my name in pretty purple script from when I skated in the late 80's/early 90's.  They matched my pink and purple striped scribe.   

[Sk8Dreams]

 Tip: Label them with your name so they aren't taken by accident.

Also, so you can point to your name when retrieving them from a public session skater in rentals whom you find walking around in them!

BTW, I found out that the soakers with that bottom strip are not for walking.  The strip is to keep the blades from cutting through.  If you walk around in your soakers, they are not going to be dry when you leave the rink and store the skates in them.

[katz in boots]

modern 2 piece guards for me.  I did try centipedes briefly when I first got the Ultima Matrrix 1 blades cos I didn't think the 2 piece would fit.
Couldn't stand the way they slid aback & forth as I walked, or the slapping noise they made.

[Isk8NYC]

I like one-piece guards far better - the clapping doesn't bother me in the least.  I can easily slip them on and I've never had them fall off.

[icedancer]

Wow - surprised that there is only another skater besides me that doesn't use guards!  I have fallen so many times and LOST so many pairs of guards that I just finally gave it up.  I am careful... I think to not step on crap or otherwise ruin my blades...

I actually do own a pair of those two-part guards that I got in the lost-and-found but I never wear them unless I have to go outside or something - otherwise forget it!

I also skate in places that are clean and it is a relatively (very) short walk from the place where I put my skates on to the actual ice... except I do occassionally walk to the bathroom.... hmmm, maybe I need to re-think this practice of not wearing guards.

[AgnesNitt]

Wow - surprised that there is only another skater besides me that doesn't use guards!  I have fallen so many times and LOST so many pairs of guards that I just finally gave it up.  I am careful... I think to not step on crap or otherwise ruin my blades...

Geeze, don't use me as an example. I hate my skates. I hate my blades. I'm so low end, I could be missing half an edge and it wouldn't make any difference.

[Query]

Mostly soakers with thick reinforced bottoms.

Have also used plastic 1 and 2 parters.

I've carried skates upside down bare and tossed them into the car, but sliding around in the car wore down the edges.

I sometimes walk on toepicks instead of using guards. Toepicks have lots of nicks and gouges. Used to walk on the tails too.

Near the beginning, I once walked on uncovered blades to my car. Didn't think a few dozen feet on asphalt could damage an edge. Next time I skated they didn't feel right. I wonder why.

Starting next week I will use my Star Trek transporter to beam them into a padded room with a dry inert gas atmosphere.

In two weeks I will start using my replicator to make new perfectly broken-in skates with perfectly sharpened blades every day.

Even better, a boot fitter once cut me a sheets of leather and threaded elastic thongs through one end of each, strategically placed and of length to be taut on the blades. Took him a minute or two, and lasted years - I should do it myself. You could all do it in a few minutes. If you can't find reasonably thick leather, go to a fabric store and try a thick leather-like plastic, and cut a bungee cord for the thong. Easy to clean. (Dirty guards wear out blades too.) Doesn't take much space in my coat pockets when I skate.

[jjane45]

Near the beginning, I once walked on uncovered blades to my car. Didn't think a few dozen feet on asphalt could damage an edge. Next time I skated they didn't feel right. I wonder why.

Edge? What edge

[GordonSk8erBoi]

There was no option for it, but I use 2-piece guards in different colors (purple & teal) :-).  Easy to spot.  I haven't yet (knock wood) stepped on the ice with them on, though I came thisclose about a month ago!