FAQ

General/Maintenance Related

What is the difference between rec figure and rec hockey skates?

• The biggest difference is the blade. A figure blade will come with a flatter, wider (4mm) blade with a toe pick. Hockey rec skates come with a thinner (3mm), more curved blade. rec skates are for beginners and designed for comfort more than performance.

What is the difference between soft and hard guards and do I need both?

• The difference:
  • Soft guard are used to help dry the blade and protect them in transport
  • Hard guards are. designed to be worn when walking around with your skates on to protect the blade.
• Do I need both?
  • we absolutely recommend having both types of guards considering they are built for different purposes. You may be able to get away with one or the other but you have to be very careful as soft guard can rip when walking in them and hard guards do not help with keeping blades dry.

What advice can you give in regards to figure skate maintenance?

• There are many best practices for maintaining skates properly. Here are a few:
  • Once leaving the ice, attach hard guards when walking around.
  • When taking your skates off, dry the blade very well with a towel or something similar. Proceed to add a soft guard onto them and place them in a bag for safe transportation.
  • Once home, remove the soft guard and wipe the blade again as condensation may develop from the blade warming up. It’s important not to leave soft guards or any guards on the skate because they hold moisture and can cause rusting on the blade. air out skates and store them in a dry environment without a guard on
  • When storing skates in a dry environment, it is recommended to remove the footbed of the skate because moisture can sometimes get trapped under them leading to the rusting or breakdown of skate screws and soles.
  • DO NOT air out skates in the sun. Especially if the skates are heat moldable because it can alter the structure and fit of the skate.

When buying boots and blades separate, why do I need to return to add screws in the blade?

• Many figure skates come with a “temporary” mounted blade. This allows us to minimally adjust the blade to provide better balance for you. However, we cannot imitate skating in the shop so we recommend skating on a temporary mount (for only a few hours and NO big jumps or else the screws can loosen and the blade can move). After skating and hopefully getting feedback from your coach, you will return to get the blades permanently mounted to fully secure the blade to the boot

Sharpening Related

What hollow should I sharpen my skates at?

• There is no right answer for this question. The most common hollows for figure skating are 3/8″ and 7″16″. For beginners, young kids, and outdoor skating we generally recommend a 3/8″ hollow but besides that it’s really personal preference.

How often should I sharpen my skates?

• This varies quite a bit as well because many factors contribute to a blade feeling sharper or “duller”. in general a deeper cut, like 3/8″, will seem to feel sharper for a longer period of time. but ice conditions, size of the skater, level of the skater, and weather conditions can affect the way a sharpening feels. We would recommend sharpening your skates every 5-12 hours of ice time

Do I need to sharpen brand new skates?

• Yes! A lot of skates do not come with an edge or sharpening on them whatsoever. Other new skates will come with a “factory sharpening”. These skates may feel sharp but often times it’s a very poor sharpening.