News:

No Ice?  Try these fitness workouts to stay in shape for skating! http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=8519.0

Main Menu

Ultima now offers 7' rocker blades too.

Started by Query, April 09, 2022, 08:18:44 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Query

I have associate Ultima with 8' (8 foot radius of curvature) (main) rocker blades.

But they are playing the field, and offer 7' rocker blades too:

https://jacksonultima.com/pages/bladesproducts (at the end of the page).

They have so many different blades now, people could easily be uncertain what to buy. Even within one brand. It's like trying to find the best car or truck for you, but without the test drives.

supersharp

A lot of our skaters wear Ultima blades. The Legacy 7 is pretty popular, particularly for skaters that are working on dance as well as freestyle.  The 7' radius is a little more agile than the 8', at least in theory.

They have the same somewhat confusing number of selections for boots, and they are adding and subtracting models every season...hard to keep up with.  The biggest draw for Jackson boots is that they are available in wider widths than many of the others. They have changed their last a few times and now have a wider forefoot with a less-wide heel, which is a big improvement.  They also offer semi-custom widths where they will put a very wide upper on a standard wide sole for less than the cost of a custom boot.  It's a little strange looking from underneath because the upper bulges out over the edge of the sole on both sides, but it has been a lifesaver for skaters with very wide feet. 

Query

Quote from: supersharp on April 09, 2022, 11:01:14 PM
They have changed their last a few times and now have a wider forefoot with a less-wide heel, which is a big improvement.

It is an improvement for those of us with wide toes and narrow heels, and midfeet that are in between. But not everyone is like that. There are a fair number of people where they are all about the same width (I was told that is the "Italian last" foot shape, which Edea at least initially designed for), and it is pretty common for the heel to be wider than the midfoot. Though in my case, Jackson didn't go far enough in the width differences between toes, midfoot and heel, and they assume the toes are longer than mine, so that the balls of my feet are positioned wrong, and they bend too much there for my feet in any event.

I tried to customize Jackson boots that was two sizes too large for me by hand shaping a custom insole (and would have spot-stretched the boots too), but that was too big a size difference. Unfortunately, my size of men's boot is not common enough for any pro shop I've visited to stock.

It is impractical for stock boots to fit everyone. They would have to have hundreds or thousands of sizes and shapes to make almost everyone happy.

lutefisk

I've had 7 foot Legacy blades for a couple years now and am pleased with them for the low level dance and MIF that I'm doing.