Ultima Matrix 1 blades, anyone know where I could still get them?

[katz in boots]

Hi all, haven't been around for a while, not skating much these days.  Just once a week, mainly for synchro.

I need new skates though and am thinking about whether to get maybe a synchro or dance boot & blade.  I still like to jump & spin a bit, so am unsure about the blades.  Wondering if the old Ultima Matrix 1 dance or synchro blades might be worth trying before I commit.  Of course these aren't made anymore.

Does anyone know of a source that might still have these blades?  Does anyone out there have a pair they don't want ?  Looking for a 9 3/4. 

[Query]

Why don't you rent them from the Katz Figure Skate Rental Company? It rents high end boots and blades to figure skaters who want to try them out. It doesn't exist yet, but it should - and will, after you start it.

Mike Cunningham, who runs skatersparadise.com, liked the old Matrix 1 sets, and tries to dig them up.

I'm part of the problem too. When the old Matrix blades stopped being made, I bought out Rainbo's supply of 9-3/4" Dance runners (I've still got 2 or 3 mostly unused pairs), along with one Synchro pair (used once or twice), and 1 Supreme pair (used a few weeks). I've stopped using Ultima blades, and should offer to sell you the chassis, blades, and a set of extra bolts and nuts - but I might come back to them some day, if I magically get a lot better.

BTW, Matrix 1 and 2 sets are incompatible. Not only are the new Matrix 2 screws glued in, but the holes are in different places.

If you find any, I can give you a couple suggestions to prolong the life of the soft bolts, and to eliminate the "clicking" sound.

If you are near the DC metro area, I could lend you mine for part of a session, to try.

[katz in boots]

"If you are near the DC metro area, I could lend you mine for part of a session, to try."

  I'm in Australia !!!

Well, fancy you having the same size as me.  If you decide you can spare a pair of dance runners or the Synchro runners, let me know.

[fsk8r]

I can't comment on the Matrix 1 bit, or the dance blades, but the synchro blades are designed to jump and spin in them. You get the shortness of dance blades with the toe-pick of a free blade (similar to the Ultima Legacy).
I can do all my (single) jumps in them without any problems.

Good luck hunting out some blades. I'm sure somewhere a shop has old stock.

[Query]

>I'm in Australia !!!

A short commute.

[Skittl1321]

Can I ask why you would want to "commit" to a blade no longer made? Especially one meant to be interchangeable?

What's the point if you can't get replacement parts?


I second the "just start calling pro-shops"...someone is bound to have it in stock, and probably eager to get rid of it, since it is no longer a current product.

[Query]

Skittl1321, replaceable runners were great! Light, cheap (U.S. retail $110, compared to about $400 for Ulitma Matrix 2). You don't have to move the chassis when you swap runners - Katz can swap between synchro and dance runners in a few minutes. BTW, I think Ultima still makes the same Dance and Synchro blades, but permanently mounted on two other types of chassis, so Katz won't have a long term transition issue.

Some of us would love to see all the blade companies sell cheap runners that fit one standardized mount. Ultima's original Matrix mount had engineering issues, but more importantly, many pro shops wouldn't carry them. Pro shops prefer to sell more expensive chassis+runner pairs, and which makes skaters buy multiple boots for different disciplines.

Shop Internationally! E.g., if you go to the U.S. sites of www.yahoo.com and www.google.com, search for

 

"Ultima Matrix" runners

there are zillions of matches, though some may not pan out.

[FigureSpins]

Hi all, haven't been around for a while, not skating much these days.  Just once a week, mainly for synchro.

I need new skates though and am thinking about whether to get maybe a synchro or dance boot & blade.  I still like to jump & spin a bit, so am unsure about the blades.  Wondering if the old Ultima Matrix 1 dance or synchro blades might be worth trying before I commit.  Of course these aren't made anymore.

Does anyone know of a source that might still have these blades?  Does anyone out there have a pair they don't want ?  Looking for a 9 3/4. 

Ask Tidewater Ice / MDS Blades if they have the blades in their closeout stock.  They had a huge sale last year, but they still list some closeout items, including the Matrix chassis and blade runners.

Email: mdsalesinc@att.net

I tried clicking on the "Ultima Matrix Dance Runners" but it went to a dead link page.
http://www.tidewaterice.com/MDSblades.htm

That might mean they're out of stock or maybe they have it in inventory and no one updated the website database quantity.

[Skittl1321]

Skittl1321, replaceable runners were great!

I understand the product is great- but unless you buy a ton of replacements and just store them, what's the point of buying in after the product has been discontinued?  Once your couple replacements wear out, you have to find new blades anyway.

[Query]

Katz, here is one link to where they can possibly be bought:

http://www.figureskatingdeals.com/bladesultima.php?dep=Blades&title=Blades&brand=Ultima

>Skittl1321 wrote
>Once your couple replacements wear out, you have to find new blades anyway.

The runners don't wear out any faster than normal blades do, so that applies to any blades. And she doesn't have to find a new blade type when she can't find any more interchangeable runners - she just has to switch to the standard mount blades. The runners built into Ultima standard mount blades, as far as I know, are identical in shape to the interchangeable mount runners. There is no future problem.

This is completely different from the Jackson Pro-flex discontinuation - which I mention in another thread at

 http://skatingforums.com/index.php/topic,1787.0.html

Let's say the first link pans out. Instead of buying a new Matrix 2 Dance blade pair for $400 and a new Matrix 2 Synchro blade pair for $400, she buys an old Matrix (1) chasis for $300, a 1 Matrix 1 Dance runner pair for $180 (odd that the above link is above original retail price of $110, but maybe that is typical??), and 1 Matrix 1 Synchro runner pair for $180. It will have cost her $660 instead of $800 to do so. If she finds someone willing to sell runners at the original $110/pair retail price, it will only have cost her $520, an even better deal. The deal is even better if she manages to buy more than one runner pair of each type.

In addition, she doesn't have to buy a second pair of Dance boots to mount Dance blades - saving her an additional $640 - $1500, if she likes good custom boots. Given that she isn't sure she wants to use two blade types, that is quite a savings.

I hope that make sense, Skittl1321.

That logic is why I bought mine. Almost immediately afterwards, they were discontinued, so I bought out Rainbo's 9-3/4" Matrix (1) Ultima Dance runner stock. What I didn't take account was that I turned out not to like Ultima blades. If she turns out not to like Ultima blades either, then buying any Ultima blades will have been a waste. But that is a separate issue.

BTW, a pair of dance blades can last me 2 - 3 years, skating daily. If she dances once/week, it might, under the right circumstances, last her 14-21 years, perhaps the rest of her skating life. So replacement may not be an issue anyway, especially if she manages to find more than one pair of runners. Of course, I sharpen my own, very carefully, and I take very good care of my blades. Maybe she skates more aggressively. So this last argument may not apply.

And, BTW, none of my logic applies if she only finds substantially used or modified Ultima Matrix 1 blades. If the blade shape is different, she won't have managed to test anything well.

[FigureSpins]

Tidewater Ice has these runners and chasses listed at the bottom of their blades page:

We also have some new replacement runner and chassis for the original replaceable Matrix blades.

Jackson Ultima Original two piece Matrix blade parts:
Supreme Set - Chassis and runners 10.5"  $ 299.00   
Supreme Runners  $ 109.00   
Freestyle Runners $ 99.00     
Aluminum Chassis set only   $ 199.00   
 
LINK: http://www.tidewaterice.com/figure_skating_blades.htm

Ask Tidewater Ice / MDS Blades if they have the blades in their closeout stock.  They had a huge sale last year, but they still list some closeout items, including the Matrix chassis and blade runners.

Email: mdsalesinc@att.net

I tried clicking on the "Ultima Matrix Dance Runners" but it went to a dead link page.
http://www.tidewaterice.com/MDSblades.htm

That might mean they're out of stock or maybe they have it in inventory and no one updated the website database quantity.

[FigureSpins]

I know this is an old thread, but I saw this page online that listed the Matrix chassis and blade runners.

http://www.figure8.net/catalog.asp?CategoryID=66

[Robin]

Also check eBay daily. Every now and then, a shop goes out of business and they sell all the stock cheap. You have to check frequently. I just found my blades (Pattern 99 K-pick) brand new for $127, which is unheard of. You might have the same good fortune. You just have to keep checking.

[Query]

Is the O.P. still interested?

If I can dig them up, I've got a bunch of used 9-3/4" runner pairs:

1. Two essentially unused Dance runner pairs, with no mods.
2. One Dance runner pair that was used a few months (at maybe two hours/day), with minor profile modifications.
3. One Synchro runner pair that was only used 2 or 3 times, with no mods.
4. A Supreme (freestyle) runner pair that was used 2 or 3 months, but with some profile mods.

I've also got a 9-3/4" Matrix 1 chassis pair, so you could mount the runner(s) on a separate pair of boots (e.g., Dance vs freestyle) from the one your own chassis is mounted on. And a few extra runner mounting bolts.

They would need to be shipped from Maryland, USA, which would isn't ideal for you.

Is there still any interest?