Jackson Freestyle blade length

[kamishki]

We just upgraded my daughters skates to Jackson Freestyles. The boots are size 3 and the blades that came with it were size 8 1/3. When we had them tuned up and sharpened the fitter said he thought the blade was to short!  We double checked with her trainer and his partner and they both felt that the blade was to short also!

The blade that came on the skate is the one that came from Jackson. The manufacturer said it was correct.   The blade is mounted forward to the front edge of the boot, but their is a gap between the rear mounting plate and the back of the heal that is nearly 1/2" inch.....this is what is getting everyone's attention.

    According to Jackson, they have just switched the blades they use for this skate and the new blades come in 1/4 inch increments. The updated blade would be an 8 1/2 vs. the 8 1/3 that came on this skate. an 8 2/3 blade (last years blade) would be a very close fit....

So....does anyone have a similar experience or any suggestions?...it would not surprise me if this problem was limited to the size 3 boot (or maybe some other specific sizes) Any suggestions, are we being to picky? I really want my daughter to have the best setup we can afford for her.

[Isk8NYC]

Start by measuring the sole of the boot, toe to heel.

Take that measurement and subtract 1/4" - that's the recommended blade length for those boots.

A 1/2" gap isn't recommended at all, however some fitters recommend blades that are the full length of the sole.  If you're buying a pricey blade, it allows for growth - the blades can be moved to bigger boots.

If it's any consolation, the blade was mounted correctly, flush at the front, gap at the back.  The shorter blade tail would be good for synchro and dance.  I don't know if it will be good for back one-foot turns, though.  She might have to shift her turning point further forward on the blade, which could be difficult, especially if she changes to full-length blades.

What brand/model blade is mounted on the skate?  Freestyles used to come with an Ultima Mark IV stock blade, but I don't know if that's still the case since I last bought a boot-and-blade set. 

[kamishki]

It is still a Mark IV blade.  We aren't sure what to do.   I really didn't plan on spending $$$ at this point.   The price for the Freestyle was the budget.  I don't want her to be struggling or adapting at this point!  the new skate was supposed to be better not worse!

[JimStanmore]

I used blades that were almost an inch short for a very short time.  My new blades came in before my new, smaller boots did.  I wanted to experiment and thought I would fall quite a bit.  I didn't fall, but couldn't bring myself to skate with confidence.  I did have several caught myself in time incidents from letting my weight get too far back.

Your post did not say anything about Jackson being concerned they sold you a mounted blade that is shorter than industry recommendations.  Did you ask them about a replacement?

Also, you might be able to get blades on myskatingmall and sell yours.

[Query]

I suppose in theory it would make the most sense for the blade mount position and length to be relative to the foot, rather than to the boot, though that isn't the way blades are traditionally measured. Perhaps Jackson deliberately has a lot of extra padding or other material at the back of this particular model, and a 1/2" gap at the back is equivalent to a 1/4" gap at the back of most boots?

I have generally found that if you call up a skate boot maker, someone who knows a lot is happy to talk to you about why their boots are the way they are. You may or may not agree with them in the end, but you may also learn a lot that is useful. There are now lots of ways to get cheap long distance phone service, so it is worth it.

For example, I just spent some time talking to someone at the Reidel factory who deals with custom boots. Among other things, he explained their theories of why they use lower than usual figure skate heel heights. He also said Reidel is happy to add Thinsulate or Lamb's Wool insulation to make the boot warmer. Wonder if other boot makers will do something similar. There are days I would love that.