NATO

Great replies guys, very helpful indeed and has certainly answered a lot of questions I had. You're close with regard to size, it's a size 7.5 - Blade length 263mm. I did wonder why I didn't have a single 'flat' of the blade, I could rock the skate back and forward, but I do notice now that the mid-front side is *slightly* longer than the mid-back section. You mention that defensemen at your shop find a 20/40 profile good for manoeuvrability (255mm blade length). What's the equivalent profile you'd recommend for myself as a defensemen, 263mm blade length, or is 25/45 spot on? I love reading into the more technical side of skating, so this is all great to know :)

What is the 'proper' way for a skate blade to be profiled? I had mine profiled 25/45 (Defense) with a CAG-One profiler, this is what it looks like. Could I have feedback on what this looks like compared to what you guys consider good/bad? I've seen a guy skate with a LightSpeed2 blade which has had the toe and heel tapered off pretty severely, whereas mine still resembles the stock LS2 blade.