Another blade Q - when to upgrade/high ends

[spiralina]

I'm close to starting work on Axel and thinking about a blade upgrade. I have been on parabolic Coronation Aces since I started skating and whilst I know that they are meant to last through lower level doubles a) I've got to this point in less than a year and have started overrotating some jumps, and would rather adjust to new blades just the once at this watershed even if a little earlier than recommended, and b) I have really not loved the Aces. I had massive difficulties to overcome when starting spinning even though I had above average field moves and good edge control - and thinking I might be more suited to a more aggressive spin rocker. (I can spin fine for my level now, just still not loving the spin rocker - much harder to not scrape even compared to cheapo Ultima Mark IVs.)

Is this too early? What have your experiences been with Pattern 99/Vision/Gold Seal/Gold Star/Phantom etc.? I was thinking parabolic Phantoms but admit I may just like the name   If anyone has tried different types of high end blades I'd also love to hear how you found they compared.

If I do swap I'll have a 10" pair of parabolic Aces, sharpened only 10 times, for sale on the cheap

[Sk8tmum]

Coronation Aces have a very good spin rocker; there should be no problem there. They are rated by the blade manufacturer themselves as being fine for all of the doubles; the will take you to working on triples.  They are one of th most recommended blades for a reason as they are very good in terms of design, etc.

From anecdotal experience, moving my kids to a CoroAce improved spins significantly as they are designed to be spin-friendly. Granted, it was from a CoroComet ... but, the improvement was marked.

In terms of moving to a higher end blade:  Coro Ace to Gold Seal is a pretty seamless transition (except for the pain of the cost). You will find it harder to move to a Pattern 99, as it is a different "profile". The Gold Seal is very similar to the Ace in terms of the rocker, etc, and they are both cross-cut picks. Don't know about the other blades ...

First question, though: what does your coach recommend? Has she commented on the spin issues? Is it a technique issue (if you're scraping, that could be a technique problem). Does she want you in the higher-end blades at this point? 

Also curious: why the parabolic? They're not that common ... how did you end up in them?

[icefrog]

If you have Aces you should be fine, unless you don't like the 7 ft rocker? The Mark IV is 8ft and very flat. Do you always go to a good sharpener? The rocker could have been shaved off. I've seen it happen to kids that take their blades to a hockey shop.

I personally LOVE Gold Seals, but a friend at my rink had an old pair that they gave me around 6 months ago. I'm not sure if I could buy them for myself brand new. They are very pricey, I wasn't in Aces when I switched so I might not have noticed that much of a difference when I changed. They are an excellent blade and my coach wants me to stay in them now since I've adjusted to them so well. I sometimes land axels and we are working double sal in the harness.

[Sk8Dreams]

My DD moved from Aces to Gold Seals and immediately felt the difference on jump landing, holding on to landings she would have lost on the Aces.  Coronation Aces have a 7' rocker, while Gold Seals have an 8' rocker, hence the greater stability.  Pattern 99's are flatter and lower, and have a reputation of being harder to spin on because of this.

[Isk8NYC]

I've switched back-and-forth several times between Gold Seals and Pattern 99's.  I found the Pattern 99's harder to spin on and I rocked off the heel regularly.  That might be because the Pattern 99's have lower stanchions and I just misjudged the height, but they feel like the blade tails are shorter than those of the Gold Seals.

[davincisop]

I have majestics. I'm only working on loop, but my coach told me I need to upgrade because it's going to help me tremendously. I'm working on silver moves and she even worked on some foundations for gold moves today. Ask your coach, they may be able to give you a good idea.

[spiralina]

Thank you all for the insights. I should have mentioned that one of the reasons for upgrading now is that 3 pairs of nearly new Phantoms, Gold Seals and Pattern 99s in my size were on eBay when I wrote this at a really good price (yes, I learned my lesson from last time and asked for tonnes of pictures). EBay UK normally never has such stuff so I wanted to take advantage! I ended up going with the Gold Seals, the seller also threw in nearly new custom Klingbeils (for a total of only $210  ). Fingers crossed they arrive in one piece - I'll give them a whirl then store until I start work on doubles in hopefully a couple of months.

Sk8tmum, I'm in the UK and parabolics are quite common here (possibly prevalence of dance has boosted their profile). At the rinks I skate at most adults move off Coro aces at around axel - I suspect the lower cost of blades here (JW and MK both in Sheffield) may contribute to switching earlier.

Icefrog, yes a good sharpener... spin issues were when I had John Turner!! As I understand though Coroaces have one of the flattest spin rockers at nearly 23" whilst Gold Seals the most aggressive at 12" (and Phantoms close).

Isk8nyc, sk8dreams - thank you, resounding no for the P99s for me!

[sarahspins]

When I was skating as a teenager, it seemed like most skaters were in professionals or coronation ace's once they started freestyle (meaning out of basic levels and out of the entry level boots/blades) until they had an axel and started on doubles (in fact my coach flat out told me I couldn't move out of my professionals until I had a solid axel.. then I had that, and was too afraid to change boots/blades for almost another year!), then they moved to either phantoms or pattern 99's... you'd occasionally see someone with gold seals (easy to spot because of the solid sole plate), but they weren't quite as common as the others. 

Now I see more and more skaters on Paramounts, and it's really difficult to tell at first glance which profile or blade level they have.

I have always skated on MK blades, so I am more familiar with them, but I started on double stars (which IMO are okay, but they're only $50 less than Professionals, and the professionals are definitely better - bigger toe picks for one, but the finish/quality seemed better too), skated on those for about a year, moved up to the professionals for a few years (and eventually turned those blades into figure blades and took patch lessons), and then Phantom Specials (which are the same blades I am still skating on)... I have never skated on anything but a 7' rocker and spins have always been my strength... I think it would be hard to skate on a bigger rocker if I were to change now.

[jumpingbeansmom]

My dd moved to pattern 99s around the time she started landing axels and was starting double salchow.   She was only 8 years old and she has loved them.

[Sk8tmum]

As I understand though Coroaces have one of the flattest spin rockers at nearly 23" whilst Gold Seals the most aggressive at 12" (and Phantoms close).

The spin rockers on the Aces and the Seals are quite similar; it's the Comets that have the flat rocker ... Aces are great for spinning on.