Boot Brand

[Kacie B]

What brand of ice skates do you currently wear?

[susan ba]

with price as not part of the factor, i'm one of those "others" and chose jacksons over a close second choice sp teri. (both pairs were about the same price.)

[HeatherV23]

What kind of skate would you recommend for a skater like me: I've been taking lessons at my college--- I'm doing turns- 2 foot and one foot including 3 turns and I just learned mohawks. Crossovers are getting much stronger, and I can do a waltz jump pretty consistently (working on getting an actual entrance for it). I want to get a descent pair of skates that I can hold me up for a long time, but I don't want to spend WAYYY too much money. Any suggestions?

[Hadas]

Heather, sounds like you need Jackson Complete Signature, wood for female adults. Hope this helps a little, the boot is great if you aren't going to go all out and spend a gazillion dollars ;)

[susan ba]

heatherv23: what is your price range for the boots... and what is your price range for blades

i'm a fan of the jacksons... but they're not for everyone because i think the front is wider and the heel is higher... having said that, each of the major boot copanies have websites that can help make recommendations depending on the level that you're at and the level that you'll be at in the next year.

[AshBugg44]

I wear Riedells

[HeatherV23]

Hey! I'm happy some finally responded! Since that original post, I've learned a lot-- I can now do waltz, toe loop, and a half flip, and I'm learning to spin as well. I'm having a wonderful time, but I can't use hte rental skates anymore--- I've been using my instructor's daughter's old pair of harlicks that hurt my feet on the arches, but are quite strong and can support the jumping.

A few people have reccomended Jacksons to me, and I phoned someone who helps fit people with skates up in Binghamton, and after Thanksgiving break I'm gonna try again to contact her-- she said she can tell by just seeing them on my feet as to if they're a good fit for me.

What style of Jacksons would you guys reccomend, and waht blade wouldbe good? A lot of people recommended Coronation Ace by Wilson to me. My price range is between 200 and 300 dollars... I want skates that'll last, but won't break my budget. If I have to go a little more expensive, I will because I've been working and my parents will help me pay for it as part of a Channukah gift...

-Heather :)

[susan ba]

we sound like we are at the same skating level. aside from the spins (quite pathetic!), i am doing most of what you are. i'm working on getting an entrance for my waltz too! (but proud to say that the landing exit is strong)

from the internet and from my fitter (she's quite good), here is what i know about what i have:
i have the jackson elite 3100... good for skating agressively and for trying singles and doubles (which i'm nowhere near lol) my fitter says they should last me about a year if not more depending on how i skate.
the boots cost more than $300 though.

i have the coronation comet... i chose this over the coronation ace because i has a larger radius and will give you more speed. the drawback is that i think you have to be more perfectly balanced when spinning though. (which was particularly bad for me since i can't spin to begin with lol) the comet costs about $170 and the ace is about $160 i think. but i think the blades will last longer than the boots...

so this stuff is out of your price range but maybe you can solicit other people to help out. maybe 20 from an aunt or two, 20 from brothers and sisters and friends can add up. my personal advice is spend the money on the boots since foot comfort and good support is so important. but mostly, jacksons are right for my feet, not nescessarily for yours...each brand fits different types of feet...so buy the ones that work for you. i often hear how some skaters buy a brand of boot that all the other skaters are wearing or that the pro-shop is pushing and then it's not right for them

sorry soooo long.

what else are you learning these days? i'm trying to do the back cross cuts with comfort and power... i'm also praticing my spiral and am just starting my one foot spin. i've given up on my two foot spin! i'm starting to learn my salchow... and am practicing the timing for my toe off ice. i kind of want to wait until i get an personal instructor before i really get started on the jumps so i don't start out with bad habits

quick question: do you do your waltz like a half axel or like a star waltz?
check out "skateweb the figure skating page" for a wealth of info. i think the following is the link or part of the link

frog.simplenet.com/skateweb/ (http://frog.simplenet.com/skateweb/)

[susan ba]

heather, you might want to check out www.rainbowsportsshop.com 1.800.752.8370

they are having a hoiday sale... by the way, my boot is the elite plus, not the elite. i think part of the difference is that it has more padding and has a rolled padding at the ankle openning so it doesn't irritate your ankle.

anyway, some samples
jacksons: elite plus are $300 instead of $350
elites are $200 instead of $230
the ace is $150 instead of $180
and the comet is $155 instead of $190
also,
sp teris are $325 instead of $365
pro teris are $300 instead of $330

i hope that helps

[HeatherV23]

Actually, since then, i met with the lady and I got myself a pair of Jacksons Competitor boots... they're not as stiff as the elite, which i wonder if that's bad because the stiffness of harlicks never bothered me. I got a coronation ace, and since I have a hard time spinning on the coronation comet (which was on the skates I was borrowing), I think it'll be better for me. THe whole thing came tou around 300 dollars with teh sale prices, and the lady was kind enough to mount them for me free of charge. I haven't been able to try them, but they fit my feet well and don't hurt me, but I'm hoping they are stiff enough because it is hard for me to tie them tightly up on top (perhaps is that part of having brand new boots?)

When I get home, the first thign I want to do is try them! I'll let you know how it goes.

And as for waltz jumps, I try to do it sort of like an axel.. I do back CCW crossovers step up on my left foot, and try to kick out, but sometimes I try to make myself rotate more than is natural to do. If I could do an axel, that would be my ultimate skating goal for myself! I don't htink that's gonna happen any time soon though!

-Heather

[aehodman]

I agree about the Ace blades -- I love to spin and they really helpp you get a good center (although mine are so old and worn out I really, REALLY need to get some new ones)!

Keep up the good work guys! I am with you on the ice in spirit (only 8 more weeks or so until I am back on the ice, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!! !!!!)
:)

[susan ba]

heather...

soooo???? how are the boots?

[Skateberry]

haha i don't even remember the blades i have... the boots are riedell and they seem perfectly fine!

skates are SO expensive though!! are there any skates you can get for less than 150$ total that aren't really bad?

[lory007]

I wear SP Teris and I think I have a Coronation Ace blade. I haven't had any problems with them--the SP Teris (especially Super Teris) are a stiffer than Riedells though. Don't know much about any other skate brands.

Alice

[SkatrOnIce]

I have SP-Teri Super Teri Deluxe with a Pattern 99 blade. I had Jacksons before, they were the higher level ones and my coach got them for me before they came out, but they really, really hurt my feet (they were way too big). But form the looks of the improved boots, I may get Jacksons next :)

[chinadoll]

mine are riedell 320s.

[fldhcky11]

mine are jackson 1070

[barblynn]

I use Risport (Italian). They were recommended by my coach - he likes them better than SP-Teri.

[fldhcky11]

skateberry, I know you posted a while ago, but it may still be nice to have an answer...I got my skates at play it again sports (although they are new) and they were only around $100. I think they might be an out of date model, so it could depend on what level you're at, but mine are jackson's and really nice skates, so you never know.

[IceSpiral]

I wear Jacksons. I have the heat moldable kind just like how the Graf boots are supposed to be. However, the Jacksons boots cost less.

[nessie2002]

riedells are sooooo comfortable. once u get into the higher levels where u need a lot of boot support, u go thru riedells reallie fast :P, which is why i switched to harlicks (which has a lot of support but reallie hurts my feet :x ). since u're not working on jumps that are demanding a lot of support, i would suggest riedells. :)

[FKA Catchick]

Jackson 2700 heat molded... whee!! Can't wait to try them out!

[choreography]

I have custom Harlick's with all the bells and whistles. Since I am an adult and my foot is not growing, not to mention that I only skate about 4 hours per week, I decided it was worth the "investment" for my aching feet. They were super easy to break in and I have been very pleased. I switched from a professional blade to phantoms and have had much better luck spinning with them.

[Deetlebug]

I just switched from Riedell 320s to Harlick HiTesters with MKGoldstar blades. And wow what a difference great blades makes!

I spent an hour in my new skates yesterday and two hours straight today. One small spot of trouble on my left ankle, boot is rubbing, but it is easily fixable. Other than that, I'm just learning to readjust balance in them. They feel stiff, but good.

I am liking these Harlicks. :) :) :)

d . . b

[AshBugg44]

I know have Klingbeils :D

[HeatherV23]

Wow! I totally lost track of this thread! *sheepish smile*

The Jackson boots were definitly strong enough, and the blade is wonderful (be it a bit *too* sharp, and stopping isn't as easy as it used to be!). The problem was, though, at teh arches of my feet and on the outside of my foot (opposite the arch), I was getting some MAJOR pressure & pain when I skated in teh boots for more than 5-10 minutes. I figured maybe it was a process of breaking skates in, or maybe because I wasn't used to skating in stockings and not socks (I'm a size 7 regular shoe, and I bought a size 5 1/2 skate!).

Anyways, unfortunatly for me, they cancelled the lessons that my school used to offer because of lack of interest. I was pretty heartbroken about that, but I took every opportunity to go whenever a friend with a car could take us there (It was horrible because it is about 10 minutes away, down the highway from the University, but the cab would charge $13 each way to get there -- no way I could spend $30 a pop just to skate in the crowded public sessions on a college student's cashflow!!). Anyways, I usually got to go once every 2 weeks, but they still hurt a LOT! So just last night, I went to the local pro-shop (since I am home), and they did the heatmolding -- I am hoping to try them this weekend. I hope they are good!

The better news is that I have a car to bring up to school next semester! Yay! That means I can go skating whenever I can manage (and the weather permits... Binghamton is one of those places where it will be warm and sunny one day, and a blizzard the next).

Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things... I'm VERY slowly getting the hang of the balance for one-foot spins. Any tips for a beginning spinner who can do 2-foot just fine, and is trying to transition to 1-foot? :-)

-Heather :)

[Anita18]

Waaa I can't change my entry in the poll, LOL...I used to have Riedells and I did my final fitting for my new SPTeri's today! :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin

It was interesting, because the Watts Classic blades they ordered for me didn't match; one was 9.25 and the other was 9.5 and they couldn't mount the longer one. So, George put on MK Pros without adding the price difference. (I really like this company, LOL..:) :) ) He also wanted to keep them until Monday, because the skates were inexplicably flaking white particles (Leather? Polish? LOL I referred to it as "skate dandruff") and he wanted to repolish them. I should get them by Tuesday! :rollin :rollin Dunno if I can skate in them yet, because my rink has a melting problem with half of the ice, so they have to keep the other half at 14 degrees so the ice doesn't melt all the way! :eek :eek Hopefully they'll get that fixed soon! :eek LOL I haven't jumped or spun in weeks, because my Riedells were broken down so badly (I couldn't even do backward crossovers since the laces dug into my ankles - I had no ankle padding! :( :( ) , so I'm not sure how I'm doing on them...:\

Most coaches teach a one-foot spin by having the skater do a two-foot spin, then lifting up the right leg (if you're a CCW skater). Make sure most of your weight is on the left leg before you do this, LOL...I don't even remember how I transitioned, gosh, but it wasn't <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> that<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> long ago. I remember I fell a lot, though, cause I always ended up on the heel. :p

[nessie2002]

I have Harlicks High Tester *ow ow ow* :eek and MK Professional blades. :p I have to get new boots soon (it's been almost two years already with these Harlicks).

[icekate54]

I have Risport Lasers, they were recommended to me because I was a beginner and I am still wearing them. They came with blades and cost about $160 when I got them. I didn't start taking lessons until age 42 and I am still in the same skates 4 years later...that says a lot about my progress :o ) I can do waltz jumps in them but they are really basic beginner skates and not meant for jumping.

[rhonda]

i have custom harlick's and mk gold star's. both have been very good to me.

i started skating at 8 with riedell's which i think are a great beginner skate. i tried to go with sp's afterwards but they didn't work for me for freestyle. they just weren't sturdy enough. so, i ended using them for patch (figures). i love my harlick's especially because they were custom molded to my feet.

i went with my mk gold star's because of the shape of the blade and the enormous toepick. i'm a jumper so those blades helped a great deal.

[carlask8]

Guess what!?!?!?!
I just ordered my new pair of custom harlicks 2 days ago! I can't wait, I had a pair of SP Terris, and I really like them, but very year, without fail, when I start skating more getting ready for nationals my heals get really raw and end up bleeding. I can't wait for my new boots to come in!!! Ok, sorry for the rant, but I am just so excited!!!!!!

[nutty ducky]

i have belati boots, and i have john wilson: wilson excel blades. i need to get new boots though. my coach has recommended risport RF2's. does anyone recommend them to me? and i have to get new blades, coronation ace. does anyone recommend them too?
thanks

[bereaguy32383]

I use the italian made Risport's. I used to use Reidell but switched to Risports.

[fskaterchick]

I just bought my second pair of Reidells. They are Reidell 900's. They aren't in yet, but I am soo excited! They come in on Wed-Frid. I really suggest Reidells b/c they are soo comfortable, and I never had any problems with my old pair.

[sk8ndream]

I have Reidell boots! :)

[fskaterchick]

i just got to bring my skates home! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!I am soo excited! I cannot wait until i get to skate on them! GO REIDELL!!!!!!!!!!



:SP

[GMAN]

I have had reidell ever since I started skating. I think they're very comfortable and fit my feet well:)

[FigureSkater4Eva2007]

I have Jackson Dance boots. They support my ankles extremely well. But B4 I got those I had Glacier skates, and they were the same size as my reg. shoe size, and they broke down after a while, so I had no support what so ever, so then I got the Jacksons boots(w/ the competitive toe pick) and i ended up on crutches for a week and a half cause of all the support I wasn't used to receiving from the old skates, But I still wear the Jacksons and they are awesome! and because i got a half size smaller skate than I do shoe size they last alot longer now! I can jump soo much better, and my ankles have more support than they ever had! I love them:) the 400$$'s i paid for them, was worth every penny!! Samantha:SP :SS

[swt lil girl]

I have reidell skates...I've never tried any other brand but mine seem to work just fine.:)