Kat,

I responded to your thread in another forum.  I gave a succinct answer there.  Here, I'll give a more detailed, nuanced response.

(1) Yes, some skaters can perform even advanced maneuvers with heel slippage.  There are several Russian coaches at the rinks I go to, and I've heard their stories.  One skater I know once bought new boots and had heel slippage.  He first asked my advice.  I told him to go back to his fitter and return them.  He then asked one of the Russian coaches.  She said, "Not a problem.  Just skate!"  He listened to her, of course, since she's a much more advanced skater than me, and she's a coach.  He kept having problems, but the Russian coach kept telling him, "Not a problem.  Just skate!"  Two months in, he had heel bumps, blisters, and bloody scars on his heels. He finally went back to his fitter.  Fortunately, the fitter was one of the rare good guys who took the boots back and gave him full credit towards a different pair of boots that fit properly.

(2) Gel sleeves work wonders to reduce abrasion and minimize inflammation.  They are super squishy and conformal.  If the slippage is very minor, they might work.  But if the slippage is substantial, they don't work so well.  One skater (here or on another forum) tried to layer 2 or 3 gel sleeves ... unsuccessfully, too mushy.

[cont'd below]

If they mostly fit that is pretty wonderful, especially if they are fairly cheap. Though it is always possible they may not last very long.

Just apply a little moleskin (but avoid the dollar store junk, unless you are willing to keep redoing it) around the inside of the heel of the boat - enough layers to make it snug and not slip. Push hard so it keeps sticking.

You could maybe do the same thing with your old boots - but once boots start to break down, they tend to keep breaking down, so that won't work for long.

But yes, there are lots of people who say the fit should be perfect from the start. But I started looking for kludges after paying for badly fit full custom boots.

From my perspective a little too big is much better than a little too small - because it leaves me room to fill space to make the fit perfect, within reason. In contrast, it is hard to make stretches hold for long, though I've done that too.

BTW, I suggest you do the same thing for your other shoes. It is really easy to get injured in any type of shoe (especially if used for athletic purposes - and I admit skates are the only high heel footwear I've used) if you have a lot of slippage. Loose skates are of course much worse than most loose shoes (with the possible exception of climbing shoes and some performance dance shoes), because you are balanced on edges, high above the ice.

I'd say you can make them work, but my opinion is that most people are pretty finicky and wouldn't agree.  The Soviet skaters I know are absolutely incredibly forgiving of setups, and while I'm just an adult whatever I think they aren't wrong.

ETA: there are all kinds of hacks for heel slippage.  Bunga pad stuff and more DIY padding too.

So my current skates are dying-- my landing-foot boot is starting to feel unstable on landing from jumps so I know it's broken down to the point that I'd better stop jumping on it soon (it feels fine for everything else).  However, I'm not skating that much anymore (no class, just on my own for fun and reviewing stuff), so buying new skates is just not warranted as an expense.  I'm open to secondhand.

At a secondhand sports store today, I actually found my brand in my size (I have narrow feet and wear Riedell; seems most of the non-crap secondhand skates I see are Jacksons, so this is a rarity).  No clue which model, but probably not anything really recent.  I tried them on, and they feel good... except.  My heel slides up and down in them, noticeably, on any sort of jumping action.  (No doubt the inner padding is broken down enough by the previous owner, though they otherwise feel stable and from the very little I did in the store, I feel like I could land jumps in them, but takeoff has a heel slip.)  It does not seem to be a problem just on my feet or walking in them.  Is this a dealbreaker or do you all suppose it could be remedied by some sort of heel grip/stabilizer added in the boot?  (I'm not sure different lacing could do much for me here-- then again, I've never had to try anything else with my current boots.)  I thought of buying them anyway and trying it out, but figured before I dropped the money on them, I'd better make sure it's a viable remedy rather than taking a risk.  If it matters, I'm on the light-ish side, average height, have only a couple single jumps.

I do have narrow heels and "heel slippage" is normal life for me in most shoes, but, it is not normal for me in skates.  (Admittedly, my current skates were heat-molded to my foot, but still.)  Do you all think this is an issue that could be remedied with inserts, or should I give these the miss?  (If it wasn't that I rarely see them in my size/brand and the price is pretty good, I probably wouldn't bother.  I'd had myself resigned to just giving up jumping in my current boots.  OTOH, it's possible the previous owner gave them up due to this issue, which may tell me there's nothing to be done and they're only suitable for rec skating now.)

Thank you in advance!

A lot will depend on the bearings (materials and mechanical design) that allow for the pivoting action.  There has to be tight tolerances to ensure minimal lateral play.  At the same time, the bearings need to withstand high impact from a multitude of directions.

I did a quick search on the Dutch klik-klak speed skates.  Those do have specialized bearings.  I would think that figure skating blades would be an even more demanding application.

I wonder if they have put any thought into making them easy to sharpen with level edges. Does the frame need to be removed for sharpening?

I have actually seen those!  Last time, or maybe the time before that I was at the rink I noticed the cushions on someone's blades. 

They look interesting. 

I'd be worried about the wear too.  A landing fall on a failure of blade parts sounds like a bad one to me.

What do you think about these blades

https://blade.science/?srsltid=AfmBOorXIepoGA0nytVhTpSUr4wjouSCxUh1Oh9oXtMKcYWH7J2bu-Bk

I am a bit sceptic. One reason is, how long they last. Ultima Matrix blades are "rigid type", but still jump landings hammers aluminum mounting screws ja chasis so that runners get loosen.

I truly hope they succeed, but typically all totally new inventions in figure skating does not fly.

Excellent, thank you!

Quote from: supersharp on August 30, 2026, 06:33:09 PMKaitsu--What type of filament did you use for yours? Any secrets to share? Thanks!

Attached pictures showing the cover from several different angles. I'll also share you a private link to a video that shows in greater detail how the cover looks on my machine. The video should clarify a few "secret" features that would be difficult—or even impossible—to understand from the attached pictures alone.

I used regular PLA. I didn't have other filaments in gray color and its the easiest filament type to remove support material. I do not have AMS in my printer, so support material is same as base material. You could use different filament for supports and therefore get better surface finish to surfaces which are printed on top of supports. PLA is also cheapest option to make prototypes. It took quite many trials and errors before all dimensions were reverse engineered in level that please me.