CHOOSING A BLADE

Rocker
Toe Pick
Blade Styles
Blade Profile

Rocker

Rocker is named for the blade’s ability to rock back and forth (rocking motion). A smaller radius results in more rocker.

7′ (foot) Rocker

More curved blade, thus less surface contact with the ice.

Pros:

More forgiving on spins.
Smoother three turns; more mobile on the ice.
Deeper edges.

Cons:

Less contact surface for edge control and landing jumps.

8′ (foot) Rocker

Less curved blade (flatter), hence more contact surface with the ice.

Pros:

Faster on the ice (if you see speed skates, they are virtually flat).
Better edge control so you don’t fall off the edge easily while preparing to jump.
More stability upon landing jumps (important for multiple revolution jumps).

Cons:

It is harder to find the ‘sweet’ spot for spins and three turns as the blade is less curved.

Generally, it is recommended you start off with the more curved blade (7′ rocker) until you are confident in your ability to centre spins. A flatter blade (8′ rocker) becomes important for performing triple and quadruple jumps. The flatter profile affords you more room and time to correct your landing, but you must be spot-on with your spin entries as the 8′ rocker provides less of a rocking motion, so it is harder to rock forward onto the spin rocker to begin your spin

TOE PICK

The drag pick is the bottom pick. The master picks are the front picks (for jumps). The drag pick is the last thing to leave the ice on a jump (even on edge jumps); the first part of the blade to touch the ice on a jump landing; and, it slightly touches the ice on most spins.

On jumps, the toe picks bite into the ice to give the skater a stable entry for takeoff. On landing, they provide a pivot point to use in controlling the impact, and position of your exit.

Toe picks are also used for pivots and pirouettes. Jump-Spins, such as the Flying Camel, do use the toe picks to land the jump portion and then pivot onto the proper spin rocker edge for the spin portion.

Cross Cut

Cross cut toe picks don’t dig as deeply into the ice, but will keep the pick from sliding on the ice. This is a wonderful feature for beginners to intermediates as it will allow you to work on your jumps with greater consistency.

Straight Cut

Straight cut toe picks will allow the skater to quickly dig into the ice deep. This will allow skaters to get more height on their jumps. However, it may also make them lose momentum due to increased likelihood of slippage. Recommended more for advanced skaters who are confident in their jumps.

Blade Styles

Parallel

Most blades run parallel. These are the easiest to sharpen.

Parabolic

Similar to parallel, but the blade is thinnest at the center, which helps to center your weight on this part of the blade. Most blade companies have discontinued the production of Parabolic models.

Side Honed

On the vertical side of the blade, there is some material removed, resulting in a lighter blade and more bite angle (deeper edges). We would not recommend parabolic style blades for any side honed and tapered blades. You actually pay extra for one feature, but lose TWO features in return. We would only recommend them in place of parallel style blades.

Revolution

Originally made to be lighter than standard blades, skaters later found that the composite chassis (the base that holds the blade) had some flex to it. This elastic property cushioned impact forces which is important. The cushioning on Revolution blades is very noticeable and helps to perform jumps for longer. Your hips will thank you for it!

The caveats to revolution blades are typically the cost and less room for catch foot maneuvers. If you plan to skate often, they are a good investment.

Blade Profile

Blade profile is the shape and placement of the spin rocker in relation to the rest of the blade. The point where the curvature of the rocker changes is the ‘sweet spot’. This point should fall just slightly forwards of the ball of your foot. Hence, blades are designed to accommodate people’s foot differences in boots. You can see in the graphic where this sweet spot is in different blade models. These models can be purchased in traditional or revolution style.

Note:
The glide/stroke section (the main rocker) is measured in feet.
The spin rocker is measured in inches. Thus, a 27 inch radius is also 2.25 feet, which makes for a more curved section than a 7 or 8 foot rocker (17 inch = 1.42 ft, while 12 inch = 1 ft).

The larger the radius of the spin rocker, the flatter this part of the blade is. You can see that the Pattern 99/Aces have the flattest sweet spot. Meanwhile, the Gold Seal/Star/Professional have a curvy spin rocker, BUT the sweet spot is farther forward. Phantoms occupy the middle ground. Does the curvature of the spin rocker matter? The most important part is the
placement of the spin rocker, so make sure you have the correct blades fitted
first (sweet spot just slightly ahead where the ball of your foot flexes). The curvature of the spin rocker has the same characteristics as discussed in the ‘rocker’ section above, but doesn’t much matter when it comes to the spin rocker. In fact, you’ll see that the further along the sweet spot is, the more curved the spin rocker has to be so you don’t end up spinning on the drag pick.

Blade	Manufacturer	Toe Pick Size	Toe Pick Rake	Blade Style	Blade Material	Side Honed	Chassis Material	Stanchion Height	No. of Rockers	Spin Rocker	Skate Rocker
Gold Seal	John Wilson	Standard	Cross Cut	Taper	Steel	Hollow-Ground	Steel	High	2	12"	8
Gold Seal (Rev)	John Wilson	Standard	Cross Cut	Taper	Steel	Hollow-Ground	Carbon Fiber	High	2	12"	8
Phoenix Gold	John Wilson	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Cardibe	Strength	Carbon Fiber	High	2	12"	8
Pattern 99	John Wilson	Large	Straight	Parallel	Steel	Strength	Steel	Low	3	27"	8
Pattern 99 (Rev)	John Wilson	Large	Straight	Parallel	Steel	Strength	Steel	Low	3	27"	8
Phoenix 99	John Wilson	Large	Straight	Parallel	Carbide Steel	Strength	Carbon Fiber	High	3	27"	8
Coronation Ace	John Wilson	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Steel	Strength	Steel	Standard	3	27"	7
Coronation Ace Lite	John Wilson	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Steel	Strength	Steel	Standard	3	27"	7
Gold Star	MK	Standard	Cross Cut	Parabolic	Steel	Hollow-Ground	Steel	High	2	-	7
Gold Star (Rev)	MK	Standard	Cross Cut	Parabolic	Steel	Hollow-Ground	Carbon Fiber	High	2	-	7
Phantom	MK	Large	Cross Cut	Parabolic	Steel	Hollow-Ground	Steel	Low	2	17"	7
Phantom (Rev)	MK	Large	Cross Cut	Taper	Steel	Hollow-Ground	Carbon Fiber	Low	2	17"	7
Professional	MK	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Steel	Strength	Steel	Standard	2	12"	7
Professional Lite	MK	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Steel	Strength	Steel	Standard	2	12"	7
Dynasty	MK	Large	Straight	Parallel	Steel	Strength	Steel	Standard	-	-	8
Dance	MK	Dance	Straight	Parallel	Steel	Strength	Steel	Low	-	-	7
Galaxy	MK	Large	Cross Cut	Parallel	Steel	Strength	Steel	Standard	-	-	8
440ss 12"	Paramount	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Stainless Steel	Strength	Aluminum	High	3	12"	-
420SS 12"	Paramount	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Stainless Steel	Strength	Aluminum	High	2	12"	-
440ss 27"	Paramount	Large	Straight	Parallel	Stainless Steel	Strength	Aluminum	High	3	27"	-
420ss 27"	Paramount	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Stainless Steel	Strength	Aluminum	High	3	27"	-
440ss 17"	Paramount	Large	Straight	Parallel	Stainless Steel	Strength	Aluminum	High	2	17"	-
420ss 17"	Paramount	Large	Straight	Parallel	Stainless Steel	Strength	Aluminum	High	2	17"	-
CA 1085-CS	Paramount	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Carbon Steel	Strength	Aluminum	High	3	27"	-
CP 1085-CS	Paramount	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Carbon Steel	Strength	Aluminum	High	2	12"	-
C9 1085-CS	Paramount	Large	Straight	Parallel	Carbon Steel	Strength	Aluminum	High	3	27"	-
RXS	Jackson	Std/ Large	Cross Cut / Straight	Parallel	Stainless Steel	Strength	Aluminum	Standard	-	-	8
Elite	Jackson	Large	Straight	Parallel	Stainless Steel	Strength	Aluminum	Standard	-	-	8
Supreme	Jackson	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Stainless Steel	Tapered	Aluminum	Standard	-	-	8
Freestyle	Jackson	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Stainless Steel	Strength	Aluminum	Standard	-	-	8
Legacy	Jackson	Standard	Cross Cut	Parallel	Carbon Steel	Strength	Aluminum	Standard	-	-	8