X-Pro® freestyle ice blades

[Kaitsu]

Does anyone have any experience about these blades?

http://www.inlinefigure.com/products-SuperIce_blades.htm
http://www.inlinefigure.com/wwdistributors.htm

[Bill_S]

That's the first that I've heard of them.

Interesting! I wonder about the country of origin for them? Because the company is associated with Snow White inlines, I have a hunch but I'll keep it to myself.

[Query]

Because the company is associated with Snow White inlines, I have a hunch but I'll keep it to myself.

They are made by the seven dwarfs.

[supersharp]

This is very interesting.

Snow White is based in Taiwan and is a competitor to Pic skates. In-line figure skating is very popular in some regions. I've seen competition videos that are pretty impressive. 

It looks like they have created one blade that looks like a Coronation Ace/MK Pro option and another that is a Pattern 99 variation. The cost of the P99 version is pretty favorable ($380 vs $525+).  I'm curious about how the steel compares to what J Wilson uses.

I like the idea of paying for quality rather than a brand name, but I think the Step blades are a better blade and an even better value:

https://skatersedgeshop.com/?product=step-ninety-nine-figure-skate-blades&v=7516fd43adaa

The steel has beautiful flow, I have verified that the profile is identical to the Wilson Pattern 99, and there is no chrome relief strip to change the edge geometry.  Just beautiful polished stainless all the way to the edge.  The pick matches the Wilson shape. The stainless stays sharp longer so you get a longer blade life.  And...it costs even less than the SupertIce chrome steel version. 

[Query]

I wonder why the two SuperIce blades are so different in price. Except for the profile and toe pic, the descriptions are similar.

I like Step's prices. I'd be tempted to switch to Step Dance - if it were similar to the MK Dance blades I used to love.

But if you compare the shape of the drag pic, the Step Dance is quite different from the MK Dance - I suspect it would be much easier to trip over. And I wonder if the blade is ground thinline at the edge, like the MK Dance.

[Kaitsu]

I wonder why the two SuperIce blades are so different in price.

Funny that you wonder SuperIce pricing. What is your explanation for the fact that Pattern 99 costs nearly double compared to Coronation Ace? Same on Ultima Matrix Legacy VS Matrix Freestyle or Supreme and many other brands.
It looks like other manufacturers just follow Wilson pricing and that explains the price difference between different blade models at same manufacturer. And classifying blades on the basis of skating skill levels is pretty much just a excuse for higher prices of almost identical blades. Step is not exception in this pricing strategy.

[supersharp]

The manufacturers claim that they sell so many more CoroAce blades than Patt99 that the cost for the CoroAce can be kept at a lower point.  I think part of having the Patt99 blade cost considerably more is to make you feel like you have made an important upgrade.  And even more so for the Gold Seal.  Theoretically, you move up from CoroAce to Patt99 to GS as your skating improves, but I'm not sure these changes are necessarily helpful to the skater.  If you need a bigger toe pick, the Patt99 will be a good upgrade.  But then the GS has a smaller toe pick.  Do you grow out of needing the Patt99 pick?  It seems like so much of this is just hype to get you to spend more money and join the expensive blade club.

Side comment--A lot of pairs skaters like Patt99 because of the pick for solid pivots and throw-jump landings.  They do not grow out of the need for this feature.

I am not a fan of the GS from a skate tech point of view.  The tapered design on the GS makes the bite at the front (wider part of the blade) more extreme than at the back, which may or may not be helpful.  I suppose having that extra bite for dropping off the toe pick on jump landings might be nice, but then it would be less nice on some of the footwork that you would like to manipulate your blade through.  The GS being side-honed almost guarantees that your edges will not be level unless you are going to a sharpener with patience and attention to detail.  Off-level edges at the back of a tapered blade where you already have a smaller edge angle seem like they could be quite a problem. 

The MK Gold Star has a similar design, and I know someone with a pair that I am going to borrow to test.  I need to see if the taper feels good or not.  I used parabolic blades for awhile, and when I switched back to parallel I hardly noticed a difference. The taper makes a greater change along the length of the blade, though, so it's worth a separate try. 

[Query]

I have indeed wondered about prices for other brands too.

I guess there is a pretty high barrier to entry for new manufacturers. So they can charge what the market will bear.

[Christy]

Funny that you wonder SuperIce pricing. What is your explanation for the fact that Pattern 99 costs nearly double compared to Coronation Ace? Same on Ultima Matrix Legacy VS Matrix Freestyle or Supreme and many other brands.
It looks like other manufacturers just follow Wilson pricing and that explains the price difference between different blade models at same manufacturer. And classifying blades on the basis of skating skill levels is pretty much just a excuse for higher prices of almost identical blades. Step is not exception in this pricing strategy.

My understanding is that the steel on the Legacy is 420 whilst the Supreme and Elites are 440, but whether that justifies the price differential is debatable.

[Kaitsu]

My understanding is that the steel on the Legacy is 420 whilst the Supreme and Elites are 440, but whether that justifies the price differential is debatable.

What I know, 420 and 440 are steel qualities which are made I guess with "US standards". These steels are used by Paramount skates. Ultima Matrix blades are made in Taiwan and they use AUS8 steel which is made with standard used in Asian countries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_blade_materials


400 series

The 400 series remains one of the most popular choices for knife makers because it is easy to sharpen and it is resistant to corrosion.
The 400 series is magnetic.
410 is a hardenable, straight-chromium stainless steel which combines superior wear resistance with excellent corrosion resistance.
416 is very similar to 410 with the addition of sulfur to improve machinability.
420 has more carbon than 410, but less than 440. As such, it is softer than 440, but has a higher toughness.[34]
420 series contain several types with various carbon content between 0.15% and 0.40% this steel grade is widely used to make high-end razor blades, surgical scalpels, etc. It obtains about 57 HRC after suitable heat treatment.

420HC (420C) is a higher carbon content 420 stainless steel. The HC stands for "high carbon" and it can be brought to a higher hardness than regular 420 and should not be mistaken for it. Buck Knives, Gerber Knives and Leatherman use 420HC extensively.[11] 420A (420J1) and 420B (420J2) are economical, highly corrosion resistant stainless steel grades. Knife manufacturers use this material in budget knives, also in diving knives due to it's high resistance to corrosion.[11]

440 series has three types: 440A, 440B, and 440C. 440A is a relatively low-cost, highly corrosion-resistant stainless steel. In China, Ahonest ChangJiang Stainless Steel developed 7Cr17MoV, a modified 440A, by adding more vanadium.[35] 440B is almost identical to 440A, but has a higher carbon content range compared to 440A.[35] 440C is also highly corrosion-resistant, but is capable of having a very high hardness. The hardenability of 440C is due to it having the highest carbon content in the 440 group. Because of this, 440C is one of the most common stainless alloys used for knife making.[35] The once ubiquitous American Buck Model 110 Folding Hunter was made of 440C before 1981.[citation needed] Böhler n695 is equivalent to 440C.[citation needed] Knife blades specified as being "440" can typically be assumed to be the lower-hardness 440A grade.

AUS series

The AUS stainless steel series is produced by Aichi Steel Corporation of Japan. They differ from the AISI 4xx series because they have vanadium added to them. Vanadium improves the wear resistance, toughness, and ease of sharpening.[11] In the alloy name the appended 'A' indicates the alloy has been annealed.

AUS-6 (6A) is comparable to 440A with a carbon content close to 0.65%.[11] It is a low cost steel, slightly higher wear resistance compared to 420J.
AUS-8 (8A) is comparable to 440B with a carbon content close to 0.75%.[11] [is often used] instead of 440C.[11] SOG knives uses AUS-8 extensively.
AUS-10 (10A) is comparable to 440C with a carbon content close to 1.10%.[11] It is slightly tougher than 440C

[supersharp]

Very useful details on steel, thanks Kaitsu!

[Query]

Ultima Matrix blades are made in Taiwan and they use AUS8 steel which is made with standard used in Asian countries.

Jackson Ultima Matrix composition is a bit complicated, and has varied over time.

As far as I know, they all have some type of aluminum chassis, but could be wrong. It's one of the things that made them relatively light.

When I bought my olds Matrix (1) blades (about the time they stopped Matrix 1 production), their web page said the chassis were aluminum and the runners were 440 (I think they said 440C, but am not sure).

Then they switched to the highest end runners being 440 (C?) and others being 420.

But yes, Jackson Ultima's current web page says current Matrix Adanced runners are AUS8, but the chassis are Aircraft Aluminum.

Their current Matrix Legacy runners are 420J.

Other Ultima blades, including Legacy lite, currently have (based only on that page) unspecified composition runners.