t'blades

[Chadd 916]

Posted for product review.

[mojo122 530]

Background

5’9’’ and 185 pounds

Skating in G35’s with t-blades. I have only used the medium rockers with the 1/2†(M13) and the 9/16†(M15) runners. I have skated in the past in Tuuk custom plus, ICM, and Perfecta blades.

Feel

I honestly don’t feel any difference in the feel for the ice between the t-blades and any of the other conventional holders I have skated on in the past. The design of the t-blade does make them lighter than conventional holders, but the overall weight difference in my opinion is insignificant.

Steel

The edges on the t-blade runner so far have been extremely consistent from runner to runner. Although they claim to last 4 to 5 times longer than a conventional sharpening, I myself have only gotten about 10 to 12 hours out of a set. However, for $16 (US) a pair, the edges are prone to damage just as are conventional steel when subjected to contact with goal pipes and other players’ skates. Advantage goes to conventional holders since you would only be out the cost of a sharpening in this case.

7/10

Variations

Offering 3 different rocker lengths and multiple hollows certainly allows for the skater to try various combinations to determine which works best, while allowing the skater to change hollows depending on ice hardness. Downside is that it might cost you a fair amount of money to determine which setup you prefer best.

9/10

Durability

So far for me the holders and runners are holding up just fine minus the fact that they don’t last as long for me as advertised. The weakest part of the holder is without a doubt the stabilizers. Granted that they are probably more of a cosmetic feature than a functional one, but by their name (stabilizer), they give the impression that they are a necessity for the holder/runner configuration. They break very easily and I’m confident that a lot of t-blade users buy additional stabilizers for replacement when they do. If they’re part of the holder setup, then they should be built to withstand some abuse. I’ve had 2 crack just from receiving passes in my skates. They need to replace the plastic stabilizer with something stronger and more durable.

7/10

Performance

Without a doubt the glide is nice with t-blades. This however doesn’t in itself equal any increase in overall speed. I haven’t been able to figure out why my skate edges occasionally give out when accelerating hard or doing crossovers at full speed. Going with a shallower hallow has helped somewhat, but has not completely eliminated this problem for me. I debated trying the shorter rocker as well, but since the slipping is only intermittent and more prevalent on the right, I don’t think it’s the rocker length causing this.

7/10

Conclusion

t-blades are an excellent alternative to conventional ice skate holders and steel for some hockey players, but not the majority. Consistency in weight and hollow combined with 3 rocker radiuses and multiple hollow settings allow for the user to find a combination best suited for them. However, unless you live in an area where it is difficult to get consistent, quality sharpenings, or must drive greater than 30 minutes or so to do so, you can get the same things (radius, hollow) for about a 3rd of what you would pay for a t-blade runner.

Overall rating

7.5/10

[hamstercaster 2]

Background

6'1'' 264 pounds (and counting... down lol)

Using Nike Ignite intermediate skates with T-Blades. Using the Medium Rockers with 13 Blades so it goes like this: 280 M-13. Have used CCM Tacks with stock blades before and my Nike Ignite with their stock Tuuk blades for a few years before switching to T-Blades. I switched to T-Blades because I broke the plastic on one of the skates and decided to give T-Blades a try

Feel

I was told by the store clerk that I would need a couple of games to adjust to the blades because of the different angle. It took me 2 seconds really. For me, this what the doctor had ordered. I had never felt as confortable on skates as with T-Blades. With my Tacks I always felt as if I could fall forward at any time. With my Tuuks, I had a hard time keeping balance standing still as I rocked back and forth because of the "rounder blades" With the T-Blades I actually felt more confortable and stable and it has actually made me a better player.

10/10

Steel

These blades have met my expectations. I was told that they would give me around 20 hours of ice time which would be the equivalent of about for or 5 skate sharpenings. This would then make the blades cost the exact same has sharpening my skates which was find by me. I have just purchased my third pair yesterday. First pair lasted 33 hours of ice time on hard ice. Ice is much harder in the winter in my local rink. The second pair has lasted me about 45 hours of spring ice which is usually a bit softer. I tryed on my 3rd pair yesterday and it bit to much so I'm gonna put my second pair back on for today's game since the ice is very soft at our local indoor's rink. So far it's been a great investment for me.

10/10

Variations

They offer different angles and blade cuts from 9 to 15. At 9 I figure a very light player playing on extremely hard ice could use them as my 13's bite the ice really hard. I honnestly think anyone can find the angle and bite he needs for his game and should also be able to find the right blade angle to suit him

10/10

Durability

So far so good. I play defense and get hit by shots quite often on my shins, toes, ankle and blades and so far the stabilizers have held up quite fine. I do have skate markes on my rockers and expect one or both to break in a not so distant future. They should be cheap enough to replace though so I'm not worried. The blades themselves last long enough to give me my money's worth though. The steel is extra hard and doesn't show much wear and hold up their original cut quite good. I would say that it takes about 10 hours of ice time before they start feeling like conventinal blades feel after 2 games after a fresh sharpening. But because of the stabilizers I'll have to take out a point

9/10

Performance

these blades are sharp!! my 13's were much sharper than any sharpening jobs I ever got done on my conventional Tuuks or Tacks. The only sharpening that came close was the laser sharpening offered at one of the shops I used to go too. The biggest advange of T-Blades is that you always get a consistant blade. A blade that is always as sharp as the previous pair you bought. A blade that keeps the exact same angle game after game or when buying a new pair. I've been to three or four different shops around town to have my conventional blades sharpened and I never was 100% satisfied. There's always a Joe Shmoe that will say: Hmm the last guy sure did a terrible job last time you got them sharpend.. I'll fix that for you... only to make them worse and make you fall everytime you try to turn left or right. With T-blades, no more of this. Consitant cut, consistant angle and no need to go to the shop after every 4-5 hours of playing and since I play 2 to 3 times a week at an hour and a half of ice time, that would mean that I would have to go to the shop every week. With the T-blades I go at least a month in between purchases. Anyway, I usually buy an extra pair so I have a spare one in case something happens. They are also lighter but can't really tell if they have made me a faster player or not since I have lost a total of 74 pounds in the last 9 months, probably 30-40 of those pounds since I started using T-blades.. so I presume that I got faster cause I'm lighter :D

9/10

Conclusion

To me, the T-Blades were just what the doctor ordered. It gave me a bit more agility as I was fortunate enough to get the proper combination for me on the first try. It has given me more confidence in my play and provided me with uniformity in performance. No more relying on the ol' shop guy to sharpen my skates hoping he'll do it right. Perhaps our guys suck and my evaluation would be different if we had competent shop guys around.. who knows. The thing is that it takes one guy to screw up once and then you are pretty much done for for the life span of your blades as many sharpening errors are hard to correct without taking out a serious amount of blade on your conventional blades. T-Blades are a complete charm, they are easy to change and they take only 5 minutes to do so. They are very consistant from blade to blade and are usually easy to find at shops as they have now started to stock them more... they may come a bit more difficult to come buy during summer time though but shouldn't be too bad as I have quite a few shops in a 10 to 60 minute drive radius from home. I am very pleased with the results and recommend the blades to any player out there wether he's a recreational player like me or a league player. I have actually seen a couple NHL'ers wear T-Blades. There was one in Anaheim and I think it was Selanne.. but not sure. I know that they are very popular in Europe and are starting to catch on here in Canada and the States.

Overall rating

9.5/10

[sickwilly 37]

I bought a pair of Vector ZG130's with the T-Blades on them because they were on sale fro $229. I would have preferred sticking with the E-pro's, but figured that if I needed to, I could swap out my blades from my E60's.

Initial Impression- Took me little or no time at all to get used to the setup. The T Blades are very, very light. To be truthful, I notice the difference more when comparing the weight in my hands than when I'm wearing them. They are light, though.

Performance- You do glide well, but not enough so to make it worth using them. When I switched back to traditional holders, I found I was getting more "pop" out of my stride. I would rate them a little lower than the E-Pro.

Noise - I could never get used to this. They make an annoying crunching sound everywhere you go. Opposing goalies and D-men would tell me that they could always tell exactly where I was without looking. (Also makes for easy fat jokes, if you're a big guy!). I really disliked this about the T-Blades.

Variations- In my opinion this was the best thing about the T-Blade system. Lots of different hollows and 3 different rocker lengths to chose from. I found the blades to be very consistent, too. I tried to set mine up so they'd feel similar to my E60's.

Durability-They did not hold their edge 3-5 times as long as traditional steel, and as mentioned in another review, the stabilizers were not durable. I never replaced my cracked stabilizers and noticed no loss of performance. I didn't find the T-Blades to be more resistant to damage than traditional steel, either.

Overall - I'd stick with the traditional holders. The only way I'd buy the T-Blades again was if they came on the skate that I wanted at a price that I couldn't pass up. I wound up switching to Vector 10's, even though the boots had plenty of life left, mainly to get away from the T-Blades. At first, I thought that the T-Blades would be helpful, as it's hard for me to get my skates sharpened competently. I've had better luck getting more mileage out of sharpenings with the E-Pro, plus using a sweet stick/miraclestone combo than with the T-Blade.