In Need Of New Blades
I bought my current pair of boots and blades about 7 or 8 years ago. I honestly don’t even remember how long it’s been. This is my first pair of “real” skates since my previous pairs were bought in a hockey (gasp!) shop attached to my home rink. I think I spent $90 on my former skates.
I drove to a skate shop about 90 minutes away to get fitted for new boots and blades. I have wide feet, and the only boot brand that worked for me were Jacksons. I ended up with Jackson Competitor boots and have been very happy with them.
The blades I bought with the boots were Coronation Aces. The skate fitter said that it was a very popular blade that would help me get through an axel and some early double jumps. She was right, because I have been landing axels in these blades and had a few (inconsistent/incorrect) double jumps before I gave birth to my daughter.
Now the blades are finally on their last legs. They have maybe 1 or 2 sharpenings left before they are done.
Coach B said that I should replace them with the same blades, but I’m curious to see if there is anything else out there that might improve my skating. Do blades make that much of a difference, or is it mostly the skater? I’m interested in trying out Gold Seals but the price tag is a bit high. And I don’t know the difference between the various models of Gold Seals (parabolic? taper? cross cut?), so I need some help.
Thoughts? Recommendations? Or maybe, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”?
