I'm starting this so the practice report thread doesn't veer off topic since in answering questions I want to say a lot.
My second hand boots came with Gold Seal blades. I was in my first LTS semester working on basic 1-3, and due to the pandemic the group lessons were the only ice time available or I might have tried the Gold Seals before switching to more reasonable blades.
I ended up getting Aspires, and the tech asked if I wanted to keep the shim that was under the right blade. Thinking it was for pronation or something I said no. This tech used straight edges and things to check the blades, I recall, and she warned me she could only fill the old holes with glue instead of properly plugging them due to time constraints (I drove up to Potsdam for this.)
When I skated my right blade skittered like crazy. This remained a problem for about six months? I blamed my right leg being rather weaker as it drags a bit if I wear high heels, but I did wonder for if something was off with the blade/boot. Once I adapted I stopped thinking about it.
Yesterday, a year and a half later, I had Pattern 99s mounted.
I went to the tech that my coach swears by despite his increasing forgetfulness.
He used no straight edges and made no measurements to check the blades (just eyed them,) and he did not fill the old holes with glue or anything to keep water out of the leather under the chem glaze. Not filling the old holes concerned me, and he did a full permanent mount instead of the temporary one I anticipated. (To be fair the tech who put the Aspires on also did a permanent mount.) Also, the Aspires were flat against the sole with contact at all areas, but the Pattern 99s have gaps at the toe plate. I pointed it out and he put in another screw on one then said it was due to the soles and wouldn't be a problem.
Skating, I felt the old skittering again, but not as dramatically.
I asked the only coach at the rink yesterday if the mounting was normal, and she was surprised that Forgetful Tech is still doing skates and said "maybe he forgot to fill the old holes." She uses the other tech I went to once for a sharpening. (His sharpening was "too sharp" for me to be happy if I have the option for my guy.)
I live far from all the skate techs, but...
Too Sharp Tech has a small rink, so if I go to him I think I might get to test and play around with the positioning and such?