2nd-oldest son (7):

• Started in used Reidell boots with Reidell Capri blades. Used these boots until recently.
• Inherited the oldest's MK Professional Freestyle blades when he upgraded, as despite the wear on these they were better than the Capris.
• Moved to SP-Teri boots very recently, currently using the Professional Freestyle blades still, but will switch to the Matrix Elite blades since they are the right size and in very good shape.
• Can also land Axels, though not as consistent or stable as the older siblings. Planning to compete at whatever level he's at this September.

3rd-oldest son (6):

• Started in used Reidell boots with Capri blades. Still using these but not for long...very well worn at this point...
• Moving to SP-Teri boots as soon as new blades (new old stock Four Aces) are delivered.
• Smaller and not as capable as his older siblings, but doing exceptionally well for his age. Planning to compete at whatever level he's at this September.

2nd-oldest daughter (5):

• Started in used Risport Venus boots with MK Flight blades. Still using with no plans to change in the foreseeable future.
• Had only completed Basic 4 by the time her older siblings had passed Freestyle 1, but enjoys skating and doing great for her age. Planning for even her to compete for fun this September.

Youngest daughter (3):

• Started in used Klingbeil Rental skates.  Only skates once or twice a week.  Expected to keep using until she grows into her older sister's current pair.

Oldest daughter (9):

• Started in used Risport Electra Lites with Coronation Ace blades in good condition. Used these until about a month ago without issue. They were getting a bit tight so we switched.
• Switched to used Jackson Supremes with Matrix Elite blades. The boots well-worn, but still very solid/stiff. The blade runners look like new. She struggled with spins when switching to these, but is a good spinner and has recovered well. These are pretty good skates but ultimately have too many compromises - a lot of wear on the boots, the blades a little too short for the boots, and a bit too large of a size for her anyways.
• New Jackson Premiere boots ordered, and she'll inherit the oldest boy's Gold Seals. The bend in the blade doesn't seem to have held him back so we'll see how it goes for her... Coaches prefer Edea but we don't...
• Consistent Lutzes, working on Axel but can't get the rotation fast enough yet. Planning to complete pre-preliminary tests this summer and enter first competition this September also.

Six of my children first skated in late December for a holiday outing. Within a month, they all had used skates from various sources and were skating regularly. Within a month the oldest five started LTS classes 3x/week, and a 2-3 months after that switched fully to private lessons, once four of them had passed all the Basic levels. It's now been a solid six months, and quite the adventure trying to juggle all the expenses and trying to balance cost with value/need. Here's a current update:

Oldest son (11):

• Started in used Reidell boots with MK Professional Freestyle blades, old and badly sharpening-damaged. Used these for a few months but caused pain and he outgrew them. But used these through the Lutz.
• Moved to SP-Teri split-width boots with "new" old stock Gold Seal blades - discovered more recently that one is bent which surely happened before purchase somehow. These worked better but did not accommodate his very high arches well - more pain. But working for consistent axels and an occasional double.
• Moved to barely-used custom Klingbeil boots (scored for $10 consignment!) which he found comfortable, using the same Gold Seal blades. Did some of his best skating ever on day one with these. Coach says the mounting that I did is optimal.
• New Aura Sky 50 boots ordered, along with Phoenix Gold blades. The plan was to order Jackson Supremes - unfortunately not available for boys in his size so we were going to order a girl's set and have it painted black. We had already considered Edea and Risport options which were less comfortable. The Jacksons were not perfect but a Bauer insole seemed like it would help. But when we returned he saw they had Auras also and opted to try one on a half size off and found them very comfortable. So we decided to order a set of those in the proper size. Decided to go with the lightest possible blade to match the light boots to explore that extreme end of the spectrum.
• Planning to complete pre-preliminary tests this summer and enter first competition at pre-preliminary level in September.

Will do, thanks!

Here's one of my previous threads concerning a low-cost edge checker (no reference horizon):  https://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=8715.0

Unfortunately, all the attached images were lost when the forum software was upgraded.  But Kaitsu noted that under certain circumstances, magnetic edge checkers can induce enough residual magnetism in the blade to cause the blade to pick up swarf during sharpening and interfere with production of a clean edge.  So you probably want to use a weak magnet instead of a neodymium one.

Correct, the vial is the reference as it stands perpendicular to the blade.

I just want to clarify one point.  You aren't using the function of the bubble level itself, correct?  You are simply using the top and bottom perimeters of the vial (as sighted in the perspective shown in the first photo) as reference lines orthogonal to the sides of the blade.

Prices for blade edge checkers are way too much.
Cheapest I found cost 74€
I made my own:
- Generic conduit level 90°: 15,36€
- Aluminium angle profile 10x10x100mm: 2,6€
- Neodymium Magnet, N52, 10x10x5mm: 1,7€
- 2 Drops of super glue: 0,64€
Total: 20,3€
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Hi Casey,

I would like to advise you to wait and see if you are not in a hurry.

I go to the IE web site and found that their Next Gen machine is coming soon. So, you can wait to see if the new machine have some significant improvements.

Anyway, it is my own opinion.

Regards.

Woofoo

Interesting. But I hate the idea the skater should walk on a (wooden) floor with his or her blades. Even a little, though I realize not all skate shops have access to an actual ice rink. One skate tech I knew installed sheets of fake-ice (the kind that I hate to skate on, but it is better than a floor) for such work.

BTW, I don't know Russian, and am dependent on the English auto-translation of the Russian auto-captioning, so I may be missing something important.

On leather soles, it is very helpful to push very hard as you screw in the screws, so the holes don't strip. Is that no longer needed on plastic soles?

And I think one should at least consider making adjustments inside the boot (e.g., to the insole) instead of or in addition to offsetting the blade position.

There is also the matter of offsetting the mount forward and back - because the outsole may not match the size and shape of the foot, etc.

I think he is very correct that many would-be skaters give up skating because their boots or blades are adjusted incorrectly for their bodies. (Or simply don't fit the size or shape of their feet - which he doesn't mention.) But also, they give up because they rent skates that don't work for their bodies, and also give up too quickly.