Wanted to let you know dd's Klingbeils are working out fabulously!

[jumpingbeansmom]

She has had them for a week and by day 2-3, she was doing all her double jumps and all her spins.  She didn't get ANY blisters, and the break in period has been very minor.  Thanks for all the advice, we really enjoyed Don and his sister and the whole experience!

[MadMac]

YAY!! A new Klingbeil enthusiast!   
So glad everything worked out well.

[jumpingbeansmom]

YAY!! A new Klingbeil enthusiast!   
So glad everything worked out well.

I am sure I will be hard pressed to get her to wear anything else after this!

[Sk8Dreams]

Congratulations!  One of my adult students just got her first pair of Klingbeils, which are also her first pair of non-recreational skates.  She's skating on them tomorrow in her lesson for the first time.  I can't wait.

[cherriee]

Same as jumpinbeansmom, I am happy with my first pair of Klingbeils too! A little tight at the toebox, but was told it will improve when my feet sink back to the heels as I skate more. I've only had 4 hours of use. Otherwise, no break-in issues.

The new Ultima Lite blades are giving me troubles though. Caught toepicks many times, and fell hard on my knees. Lost my scratch spins completely (VERY scared - will they come back?). Before the switch, I was at a point with fast and controlled Power Circles in the Adult gold moves. Now I feel I cannot trust my edges. It could be the boots aren't broken in to the point I can bend my ankles. 

[Sk8tmum]

What blades were you in before?  My DD went from Comets to the Lites (which are basically the same profile ast the Aces) - and her Comets were worn down to the end of their usable life.  She had an adjustment to stop her toe-pushing on them, and the different rocker took a while to get used to. Weirdly enough, however, she had good edges from day one ... and her edges were a problem for her previously ... However, the spins did come back ,and they came back much better as the different rocker was easier to spin in (harder to land jumps in, but, that's another story).

[cherriee]

Sk8tmum, I was in Pattern 99 (bought 10+ years ago, don't know if their profile had changed ever since). Congrats to your DD on the better spins.

[Sk8tmum]

Sk8tmum, I was in Pattern 99 (bought 10+ years ago, don't know if their profile had changed ever since). Congrats to your DD on the better spins.

Then, you've made a big transition: the Lites have a smaller toepick, a higher stanchion (the distance between the top of the blade and the bottom of the boot) and a different rocker.  You've got cross-cut picks now instead of straight cut ... the Lites are a step down from the 99's.   And, the Lites really have the Ace rocker at 7', not 8', which is what the Pattern 99's have. 

Good things about the Lites ... they weigh less, and they attract lots of oohs and aaahs ... major novelty effect for teaching LTS too, as the kids think they are "magic blades".  For some weird reason, engineers are totally fascinated by them, particularly when they start looking at how the design resulted in a lighter weight without less strength ... Oh, and they hold a sharpening a long time, too! She loves them, wouldn't change for anything.

[icefrog]

I thought all Ultima blades have an 8ft rocker?

[Sk8tmum]

The Ultima blades show as an 8' rocker, but, if you check Ultimas one cross reference charts, they show the "equivalent" blade that they are cloning, which do NOT all have 8' rockers.  For example, the Legacy and the Lites are Ace  and MK Profressional clones for rocker and picks; the Protege is a Comet clone; the Supreme = Gold Seal and Gold Star; Freestyle = MK Phantom; Elite = Pattern 99 and Vision.  This is directly from the Jackson website; look for the Ultima Challenge brochure. 

[cherriee]

I just found out somehow my Klingbeil boots are much heavier than everybody else's at my rink. Note I have Ultima Lite blades (meaning they are lighter than most blades out there). Maybe Klingbeil has light weight boots that I didn't know of.

[FigureSpins]

Another person with the blades I love to look at!  One of these days...  sigh

All skates vary in weight based on the size, strength and options chosen.  A foam rubber tongue weighs more than a lambswool tongue.  The stronger the boot, the heavier the skate.  My freestyle boots weigh more than my old instructor boots - both were Klingbeil customs.

Age of the skates makes a difference too - I had my original freeskate boots rebuilt by Don.  They felt lighter after the rebuild because he used a newer, more modern foam padding that weighed much less than the circa-1986 padding. 

http://www.klingbeilskatingboots.com/pdf/infosheet.pdf

[Sk8tmum]

I just found out somehow my Klingbeil boots are much heavier than everybody else's at my rink. Note I have Ultima Lite blades (meaning they are lighter than most blades out there). Maybe Klingbeil has light weight boots that I didn't know of.

yes, they are heavier.  Riedell in particular has dropped the weight of their boots - but, Klings are more traditionally made and they do weigh a bit.  There is a lightweight Klingbeil - but, it's also not a stiff boot, and is lightweight in strength too. My kid's Klings weigh a ton compared to my daughter's Riedells - and the boots are pretty much the same size, and the same stiffness too (hers may be a bit stiffer, actually). That's irrespective of the blades, btw, we had them weighed  blade-less prior to mounting.

[cherriee]

Another person with the blades I love to look at!  One of these days...  sigh

All skates vary in weight based on the size, strength and options chosen.  A foam rubber tongue weighs more than a lambswool tongue.  The stronger the boot, the heavier the skate.  My freestyle boots weigh more than my old instructor boots - both were Klingbeil customs.

Age of the skates makes a difference too - I had my original freeskate boots rebuilt by Don.  They felt lighter after the rebuild because he used a newer, more modern foam padding that weighed much less than the circa-1986 padding. 

http://www.klingbeilskatingboots.com/pdf/infosheet.pdf

Thanks for the info sheet. Don made these boots in October. He only had foam rubber tongue in stock at that time. Comparing to my older Jackson Elite Plus with Pattern 99 blades, the two pairs of boots weigh about the same. Both have foam rubber tongues. I was overbooted with the Elite Plus. They weren't broken in after a year. Shame on me, for choosing the high level boots meant for double jumps, when I don't have an axel.

Still, I'm quite happy with my Klingbeils. There are creases at the tongues after about 5 hours of skating. You can see impression of my heels at the ankle paddings.

[cherriee]

yes, they are heavier.  Riedell in particular has dropped the weight of their boots - but, Klings are more traditionally made and they do weigh a bit.  There is a lightweight Klingbeil - but, it's also not a stiff boot, and is lightweight in strength too. My kid's Klings weigh a ton compared to my daughter's Riedells - and the boots are pretty much the same size, and the same stiffness too (hers may be a bit stiffer, actually). That's irrespective of the blades, btw, we had them weighed  blade-less prior to mounting.

Makes sense!