Which Blade Do You Recommend?

[MiaHoll]

Which blade do you recommend?  I am a USFSA Free skate 3 and I am getting ready for a Pre-preliminary freestyle test next month.  I am currently considering MK Single Star, Eclipse Crescent, and Eclipse Volant (I welcome any other blade suggestions if you have any).  Also, can you tell how your spins feel, the take off edge to your edge jumps feels, and whether or not your blade feels heavy?
Thanks,
Mia Holl

[sarahspins]

None of those are truly a huge step up from the blades you currently have... they are all still beginner blades, and I wouldn't recommend buying any of them new at your level.  Unless your sharpener has determined that your 3 month old blades are at the end of their useful life (which is unlikely given their age, unless they've been sharpened a couple dozen times or more by now) I don't see a real pressing reason to make such a minor "upgrade" (in quotes because it's really only a slight move up in quality from what you have, it's not really a move up for where your skating skills are). 

At your level and assuming you expect your skills to advance over the life if your blades, you should really be looking at blades like the MK Professional or Wilson Coronation ace, or clones such as the Ultima (or Matrix) Legacy or Eclipse Mist.

HOWEVER, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to continue skating on your current blades until they are used up and ready to be replaced. 

[MiaHoll]

None of those are truly a huge step up from the blades you currently have... they are all still beginner blades, and I wouldn't recommend buying any of them new at your level.  Unless your sharpener has determined that your 3 month old blades are at the end of their useful life (which is unlikely given their age, unless they've been sharpened a couple dozen times or more by now) I don't see a real pressing reason to make such a minor "upgrade" (in quotes because it's really only a slight move up in quality from what you have, it's not really a move up for where your skating skills are). 

At your level and assuming you expect your skills to advance over the life if your blades, you should really be looking at blades like the MK Professional or Wilson Coronation ace, or clones such as the Ultima (or Matrix) Legacy or Eclipse Mist.

HOWEVER, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to continue skating on your current blades until they are used up and ready to be replaced. 

Thanks for answering   You really know your stuff.  My sharpener just deepened my hollow today and my skating has really improved.  My sharpener said that I didn't need new blades just a deeper hollow.  He didn't charge me for the sharpening because he said it was his fault for not noticing how much I have improved.  I will get one of the blades you recommended after I land my Axel.

[techskater]

You should consider one of the recommendations (or the MK Vision) before working on your Axel

[sarahspins]

You should consider one of the recommendations (or the MK Vision) before working on your Axel

Agreed - there are some skaters doing axels on lower level freestyle blades, but as an adult I think it makes sense to be in a mid-level freestyle blade by the time you'er working on flips and lutzes, since the bigger picks help with grip on those jumps, and and the higher level blades are made from better quality steel so they'll hold a sharpening longer.

The only reason I didn't mention the Vision is that it's a little above the price range of the others, but it's also a perfectly suitable option.

[techskater]

I mentioned it because I know a lot of adults working on flip-Lutz-Axel in them since they are a better blade than the MK Pro and as long as well taken care of can last several years.