Cat Clawz Traction Grips for Skate Guards

[Isk8NYC]

Interesting new product idea:



Site: http://www.catclawz.com/


I wonder if it's similar to these products:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main?ie=UTF8&asin=&isAmazonFulfilled=&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&orderID=&seller=A3UX8TCG5IKYCG

[jjane45]

Interesting. Wonder how long do they last with daily use. Does look like sand paper...

[Isk8NYC]

My BIL, who is the King of Tools, Gadgets and Doohickeys, used to buy some self-adhesive traction tape to put on his elderly grandmother's winter shoes.  I wonder if this is similar and how long it lasts?

NB: There is a disclaimer on the website that states the product will scratch tile and wood floors.  Makes sense.

[Skittl1321]

That is really interesting.  I wonder why the adhesive isn't just on the back of the cat claw?  Why use double sided adhesive and then apply the traction strip?


(The most common reason to wear  guards at our rink is to go to the food court or Target, so I wonder if it would scratch those floors up.  It's tile, but the cheaper laminate tile.)

[SynchKat]

A guy I skate with puts gritty stuff on the bottom of his guards and can walk on the ice in them.  He put it on. My guards too but it wore off pretty quickly. 

[Query]

My soakers do not slide, and I can walk on the ice with them without problems - provided I know in advance that I am wearing them. Maybe they are better, because they won't scratch up the floors or the entryway ice. One of my rinks already has signs forbidding people to enter with shoes with cleats. Do they need signs against Cat Claws too?

When I don't know I am wearing soakers, I expect the skates to slide, and my upper body is already moving forward, but the skates stop, so my upper body tumbles forwards. I'd bet Cat Claws would create the same problem.

[Skittl1321]

provided I know in advance that I am wearing them. Maybe they are better, because they won't scratch up the floors or the entryway ice.

I think the first statement means that they won't be better- the problem is, you have to know you are wearing them.  Skaters who suffer falls from stepping on the ice with their guards have the fall because they didn't know they were wearing them.  The Cat Claw seems to be designed to prevent that fall, the unknown one.   Although the video has the guy walking around on the ice, I don't think there intention is to create a product that allows you to walk around the ice in your guards (why would you want to do that?) but to prevent the fall if you do step on the ice in your guards.

If you did fall in them, chances are you would fall the same way you described in your soakers- fall forward.  The fall from stepping on in guards, is often a dramatic prat-fall, typically backwards, hitting the head on the ice or entryway, because your feet slip out from underneath you.  Falling forward seems like it would be a lot safer, but I do agree with you- when people step on, they step on in a glide.  So perhaps these, and your soakers, are only designed to work for people who step onto the ice.

 So maybe wearing your soakers gives you the same protection- I don't walk around in my soakers though, they aren't designed for that.  That likely makes this (or something like it) superior.  The kids I know who do it seem to have to sharpen their blades more often (it wouldn't surprise me if there was a connection, as the fibers seem likely to dull the blades), and buy new soakers more often.  Not to mention, as I said before- the most common reason to wear guards around our rink is to go walking somewhere in the mall, and you would likely fall if you tried to do that in soakers (plus I'm not sure they would offer the protection against a hard surface to the blades).   There are soakers with grips on the bottom for walking, but I'm not sure if there is anything inside of them to protect the blade from dulling when cutting the fibers.

I don't think something like this (which seems to be like sand paper) would have the same effect as cleats.  It will scruff the ice up.  Cleats dig into the ice and create holes and divots.

[AgnesNitt]

I was told that back in the old days of wooden blade guards, you could step on the ice and not slide. The falls backwards were a result of the plastic guards coming out in the 70s. There also used to be a guard with rubber ribs on the bottom, and reportedly those didn't slide either.

I've had my stupid moment of stepping on the ice with guards on,I don't want to do it again.

[Query]

I normally don't bother wearing guards on or to the ice. I walk on my toe picks from the nearest bench. I suppose that would be a bad thing if I was a high level jumper, because it must make the toe picks less sharp...

You don't need fancy equipment. All you have to do is be careful. Check for guards, gloves, and adequate clothing each time you enter the ice. It's a basic safety checklist. Unless you really can't remember.

[Skittl1321]

Check for guards, gloves, and adequate clothing each time you enter the ice. It's a basic safety checklist. Unless you really can't remember.

I think the people who fall on their guards do this checklist 99.9% of the time.  It isn't like they fall everytime they enter the ice.  It's like your first fall backward to hitting your head, or splitting your chin falling on a camel spin.  If you skate- it is bound to happen eventually.   Even if you skate safely every other time.


I've seen these falls happen to elite skaters and coaches who have 20+ years at the rink, and are there 4-5 days a week.  They just forgot to check that one time.

I mean- isn't that how most accidents happen?  You forget soomething you always do, just that one time.


I just don't wear guards, my walk is about 5 feet, but my blades don't cost $500.  The skaters with those seem to be the ones who step on the ice with one skate and then take the other guard off while gliding.  (I couldn't do that anyway, I'd probably fall over while trying to get the guard off the blade)

[Sk8Dreams]

I mean- isn't that how most accidents happen?  You forget soomething you always do, just that one time.

I just don't wear guards,

I have the opposite strategy, since I need to walk through littered areas, I ALWAYS wear my guards.  My theory is that if I make no exceptions, I won't make a mistake.  I have made exceptions a few times, for ice cuts, for example, and have found myself to be ultra aware, and checking to be sure before stepping on the ice.  Wish me luck