Therma Blade

[Hipster 5]

Thermablade's for sale on Ebay

Thermablade holder/Runner Master Pac

what a steal...$405US as apposed to retail $399US

Better alert Puck-it. I think he has some bullish views on Thermablades.

The Zamboni man helped me hook up my Garmin GPS device to one battery and my Blackberry to the other so now I can say with certainty if I'm forechecking or backchecking and I can read about the laws of Thermodynamics in between shifts. That Zamboni guy, MacGyver, is cool. ;)

[DarkStar50 679]

Thermablade's for sale on Ebay

Thermablade holder/Runner Master Pac

what a steal...$405US as apposed to retail $399US

Not to mention you'd have to pay for installation.

Just 'cause you bought the tires doesn't mean putting them on is free. It's what we call in the service industry "labor."

Then again, there's never been a problem with Majer. :lol:

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

hey guys,

Well I have had mine since August or mid September cant remember the exact date but there on my 9k's.

Anyway its really pretty simple as per Hipsters explanation.

for the record I am 5'9' 185.

Coach Jr A Girls here in Ontario as well as play some good league and pick up. Mainly with the Jr A and up guys I know.

Anyway the blades.

Ok well they had no 263 so I had to go 272. there a little long for my 6.5 skate but just fit on.

At first they seemed to hold the charge and I could feel the glide and it seemed pretty good.

As far as I can measure there is a 10ft radius on the skate from the factory with a Graf style Pitch.

As for the Hollow I tried a 5/8ths to start and it was to sharp.

I went down to a 7/8ths sharpened on the new Blackstone Machine when it was delivered in the Shop in Toronto my skates were the test pair and I havent sharpened them since. I know that was the last week of September.

The steel and this was checked by someone in the Industry when I was skating in Montreal (JR hint) said the Rockwell in them is similar to the old Pefectas.

Also the thickness is about 3.2 mm thick and there fore just holds the edge better because it is thicker.

LS2P is the thickest at 3.0 mm.

The Battery stopped working from what I can tell in October and to be honest I just like it better with out.

Also heard from an inside source the 4 guys in the NHL that are wearing the blades don't turn them ON they just like the steel way better...

and that I agree with 1000%.......

If the Price comes down or the quality goes up then they may be worth all the money!

A non-heated version for 150 or so well worth the money!

As for hipsters choice of who should get them I think the one thing that was correct is that if your done growing in your feet it is better as its a fair amount of cash to be moving from skate to skate.

[Hipster 5]

They look sharp on the XX's. Looking forward to your first impressions.

[Hipster 5]

Thanks for the comments. Nice to hear that someone else tried them and wasn't violently opposed to their existence.

Did you get the battery fixed or have you opted not to use the battery anymore? That's an interesting idea there for a non-battery version to be sold on the merits of the holder and the steel. If the holders and steel are worth $150 then the That puts the over under on the Thermodynamics at $250.

So the question is, "Do heated blades create $250 worth of value?"

I think that any product that is mostly priced on some type of mechanical function benefit must have solid functional reliability, i.e. the battery works when you turn it on. which it sounds like they do not so far.

Glad you like the holder and steel though.

hey guys,

Well I have had mine since August or mid September cant remember the exact date but there on my 9k's.

Anyway its really pretty simple as per Hipsters explanation.

for the record I am 5'9' 185.

Coach Jr A Girls here in Ontario as well as play some good league and pick up. Mainly with the Jr A and up guys I know.

Anyway the blades.

Ok well they had no 263 so I had to go 272. there a little long for my 6.5 skate but just fit on.

At first they seemed to hold the charge and I could feel the glide and it seemed pretty good.

As far as I can measure there is a 10ft radius on the skate from the factory with a Graf style Pitch.

As for the Hollow I tried a 5/8ths to start and it was to sharp.

I went down to a 7/8ths sharpened on the new Blackstone Machine when it was delivered in the Shop in Toronto my skates were the test pair and I havent sharpened them since. I know that was the last week of September.

The steel and this was checked by someone in the Industry when I was skating in Montreal (JR hint) said the Rockwell in them is similar to the old Pefectas.

Also the thickness is about 3.2 mm thick and there fore just holds the edge better because it is thicker.

LS2P is the thickest at 3.0 mm.

The Battery stopped working from what I can tell in October and to be honest I just like it better with out.

Also heard from an inside source the 4 guys in the NHL that are wearing the blades don't turn them ON they just like the steel way better...

and that I agree with 1000%.......

If the Price comes down or the quality goes up then they may be worth all the money!

A non-heated version for 150 or so well worth the money!

As for hipsters choice of who should get them I think the one thing that was correct is that if your done growing in your feet it is better as its a fair amount of cash to be moving from skate to skate.

[Hipster 5]

The steel and this was checked by someone in the Industry when I was skating in Montreal (JR hint) said the Rockwell in them is similar to the old Pefectas.

Also the thickness is about 3.2 mm thick and there fore just holds the edge better because it is thicker.

Also heard from an inside source the 4 guys in the NHL that are wearing the blades don't turn them ON they just like the steel way better...

and that I agree with 1000%.......

Do you recall if the industry guy mentioned a number to refere to the steels's Rockwell rating. I have some Maple skate blades (another great Canadian company) that are 64 Rockwell on the steel and they stay sharp a long time.

Those Perfectas were funny blades. I never got used to the pattern they made on hard stops. looked like an 18 wheeler's bouncing skid marks. They seemed to work OK for Wayne, though, eh?

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

thank god, someone who provided some real explanation. Thanks OTG28. Interesting that the steel is thicker. I find it highly amusing that they're using the benefits of a wider blade under the guise that the therma part of their blade actually does something.

I was wondering about the merits of the holder itself... i think I even made a wise crack early on to the effect of "watch them make a holder people like"... good on them if they made something 'better'... but i guess it finally shows that any improvements really arent the result of a hotter blade. what do ya know, i was right... they're full of shit.

[DarkStar50 679]

thank god, someone who provided some real explanation. Thanks OTG28. Interesting that the steel is thicker. I find it highly amusing that they're using the benefits of a wider blade under the guise that the therma part of their blade actually does something.

I was wondering about the merits of the holder itself... i think I even made a wise crack early on to the effect of "watch them make a holder people like"... good on them if they made something 'better'... but i guess it finally shows that any improvements really arent the result of a hotter blade. what do ya know, i was right... they're full of shit.

And you are so sure of that based on what?

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

any improvement was likely to be a slight one. IF at all. improvement in the performance due to a better blade, keeps chipping away at that margin that the 'hotness' would have actually provided in their statistical claims.

that, and I dont have time to retype everything I've said in this thread regarding the scientific basis for my decision on the merits of their claims.

Really, it just goes to show that they're testing practices are significantly flawed. And that they performed biased tests. You cant compare this holder against an LS2 and claim the advantage you find is due to the heating of the blade. That's a cardinal sin... It's willful omission of variables to support a hypothesis.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

thank god, someone who provided some real explanation. Thanks OTG28. Interesting that the steel is thicker. I find it highly amusing that they're using the benefits of a wider blade under the guise that the therma part of their blade actually does something.

I was wondering about the merits of the holder itself... i think I even made a wise crack early on to the effect of "watch them make a holder people like"... good on them if they made something 'better'... but i guess it finally shows that any improvements really arent the result of a hotter blade. what do ya know, i was right... they're full of shit.

Hey now don't put words in my mouth although I like them better without the heat on there is a diffrence. I am not of the caliber at this time or maybe never have been to really feel the diffrence. As for the other guys I heard about it was a similar feeling because the blade glided so much better they didnt feel the need to charge turn on and so on. That is hear say 2nd hand and not fact from there mouths but it is a very reliable source in the industry.

[habookus 1]

I was able to get thermablades a couple of weeks ago, and if anyone was skeptical about them, it was me. I decided to use them in a league game for the first time and did not know what to expect. To be honest, when I first got on the ice, I hated them. I could not skate, accelerate, turn etc. I wanted nothing more than to take them off right after my game, but I stuck it out and kept them, and couldn't be happier. What needs to be realized is that the picth on the blades is extremely different than any skate blade other than Graf (someone even told me it has a larger pitch than Graf...), so it will take some time to get used to them. And when you get used to the feel of the blades themselves, the heated feature is an added bonus giving you that extra push in your stride and the confidence to take that sharp turn. In all I like them, and even if the heated feature isn't being used (which they should be!) the blade and holder itself is top notch.

[Jordan 13]

What needs to be realized is that the picth on the blades is extremely different than any skate blade other than Graf (someone even told me it has a larger pitch than Graf...), so it will take some time to get used to them.

Why wouldn't you have had them profiled to the same pitch, readius etc that your old blades had ? Seems to me the only way to compare them properly to your old set would be to have them set up the same way.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

What needs to be realized is that the picth on the blades is extremely different than any skate blade other than Graf (someone even told me it has a larger pitch than Graf...), so it will take some time to get used to them.

Why wouldn't you have had them profiled to the same pitch, readius etc that your old blades had ? Seems to me the only way to compare them properly to your old set would be to have them set up the same way.

Actually the Pitch on the Graf or the Pitch holder on Plus 1 is actually better for the average person stride. It takes getting used to and to some is uncomfortable but its better for knee bend and the biomechanics of skating!

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

thank god, someone who provided some real explanation. Thanks OTG28. Interesting that the steel is thicker. I find it highly amusing that they're using the benefits of a wider blade under the guise that the therma part of their blade actually does something.

I was wondering about the merits of the holder itself... i think I even made a wise crack early on to the effect of "watch them make a holder people like"... good on them if they made something 'better'... but i guess it finally shows that any improvements really arent the result of a hotter blade. what do ya know, i was right... they're full of shit.

Hey now don't put words in my mouth although I like them better without the heat on there is a diffrence. I am not of the caliber at this time or maybe never have been to really feel the diffrence. As for the other guys I heard about it was a similar feeling because the blade glided so much better they didnt feel the need to charge turn on and so on. That is hear say 2nd hand and not fact from there mouths but it is a very reliable source in the industry.

no no, not trying to put words in your mouth. My words based of the fact that theres a thicker blade.

[Law Goalie 147]

Makes me wonder what the effective differences would be between a heated C+ and a normal one. I'm guessing none.

Anyone with a pair of TB's fancy offering theirs up for surgery? heh

[Bmplam 1]

Just wondering ... with a thicker blade, would the skate sharpener need a different stone?

[TBLfan 25]

a 1/2" hollow would still be 1/2" but it would be sharper.

[ean 0]

Very interesting technology to say the least, never thought I'd see the day there would be electronics in blade holders...I can see an advantage over regular holders, however considering my entire repertoire of gear from skates to stick cost about 200 dollars, it'd be hard for me to justify purchasing one of these. However for professional players for whom 400 dollars is a tiny investment (that doesn't come from their own wallet) in order to gain any possible advantage over competitors I can see these becoming rampant in the NHL so long as players agree they are advantageous. However I can't imagine that your average poster on these boards or your local beer league player has skating abilities that push the envelope of current skate technologies and would actually be able to make use of the slight advantages of these skates. But if you've got the money...why not I guess.

[yorkualum 0]

Thought I would weigh in on this discussion. I'm new to the site. I'm a mid 20's mens leaguer who played college hockey.

I rec'd a pair of TB's thru my local dealer to try out. I was skeptical to change but I went out with an open mind.

There is no doubt that these blades made my glides smoother and my turns a lot tighter. For the first 5 minutes, it felt weird, but after getting used to them, I defintitely felt the benefits. It wasn't pure speed as much as the ease in my strides and turns.

For you guys who worry about $400-- how many golfers spend that on the newest Taylor Made driver? Or how many slo-pitch players spend $400 on a new bat? What's the difference? If you want to hit a golf ball or softball farther, you pay for the technology. If you want to skate better (not necessarily faster), you pay for the technolgy.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Thought I would weigh in on this discussion. I'm new to the site. I'm a mid 20's mens leaguer who played college hockey.

I rec'd a pair of TB's thru my local dealer to try out. I was skeptical to change but I went out with an open mind.

There is no doubt that these blades made my glides smoother and my turns a lot tighter. For the first 5 minutes, it felt weird, but after getting used to them, I defintitely felt the benefits. It wasn't pure speed as much as the ease in my strides and turns.

For you guys who worry about $400-- how many golfers spend that on the newest Taylor Made driver? Or how many slo-pitch players spend $400 on a new bat? What's the difference? If you want to hit a golf ball or softball farther, you pay for the technology. If you want to skate better (not necessarily faster), you pay for the technolgy.

Yes but I bet your not paying full price for your skates either? I also would hedge to bet that you didnt pay for the blades. (thats right you stated that)

[bluesman68 0]

Thought I would weigh in on this discussion. I'm new to the site. I'm a mid 20's mens leaguer who played college hockey.

I rec'd a pair of TB's thru my local dealer to try out. I was skeptical to change but I went out with an open mind.

There is no doubt that these blades made my glides smoother and my turns a lot tighter. For the first 5 minutes, it felt weird, but after getting used to them, I defintitely felt the benefits. It wasn't pure speed as much as the ease in my strides and turns.

For you guys who worry about $400-- how many golfers spend that on the newest Taylor Made driver? Or how many slo-pitch players spend $400 on a new bat? What's the difference? If you want to hit a golf ball or softball farther, you pay for the technology. If you want to skate better (not necessarily faster), you pay for the technolgy.

Yes but I bet your not paying full price for your skates either? I also would hedge to bet that you didnt pay for the blades. (thats right you stated that)

...and do you hear anyone bitching about paying well over $100 bucks for a stick these days? I'm kind of with trainerguy, considering this is a one time buy that sounds like it has benefits, I'm amazed that everyone has forgotten how much more thay are paying for sticks compared to 5-7 years ago. And to be realistic, how much more has a OPS helped out most guys? They really took away from the feel of a puck, they gave some guys (better players) a bit more velocity, but if you didn't have a good shot in the first place what good does a $150+ stick do for you?

[mrusse01 0]

Thought I would weigh in on this discussion. I'm new to the site. I'm a mid 20's mens leaguer who played college hockey.

I rec'd a pair of TB's thru my local dealer to try out. I was skeptical to change but I went out with an open mind.

There is no doubt that these blades made my glides smoother and my turns a lot tighter. For the first 5 minutes, it felt weird, but after getting used to them, I defintitely felt the benefits. It wasn't pure speed as much as the ease in my strides and turns.

For you guys who worry about $400-- how many golfers spend that on the newest Taylor Made driver? Or how many slo-pitch players spend $400 on a new bat? What's the difference? If you want to hit a golf ball or softball farther, you pay for the technology. If you want to skate better (not necessarily faster), you pay for the technolgy.

Sorry dude, no offense but I don't buy it. Subject-expectancy effect (placebo effect in medicine) - you expect a certain result and so you unconsciously manipulate your findings to conform with expectations. It's not a knock on your personality or your skating ability or anything, and I know there's nothing you can do but report your findings as best you can, but I still remain skeptical based on some of the theory provided earlier in this thread as well as a stunning lack of solid evidence coming forth from thermablade themselves.

Coming from the car world it's the same thing with what we call a 'butt test'...you install a new product on your car and can 'feel' it pulling harding, going faster, etc...but when you throw it on a dyno or take it to the track there is no improvement.

The problem in the car world (and the hockey world, and just about everywhere else) is that the majority of people only really care about the 'butt dyno', so companies don't feel the need to actually back up any of their claims with scientific results. As long as it sounds like a pretty good idea, people will buy into it with little or no evidence.

[yorkualum 0]

Between 'puck it' and 'mrusse', we have a couple of NASA scientists in the thread. Can you guys seriously get real?

Just because you may not like a product or believe in its merit, you shouldn't discount it. Thermablade has done some serious homework here. It may never fly off the shelf because of its price tag, but scientifically, the theory makes total sense. Don't tell me that a heated blade doesn't cut thru the layer of water above the ice surface..... and since it does, don't tell me that it doesn't make for a smoother skate with less friction.

That being said, I'm not so sure that these will ever revolutionize the game.

[krwwc6 0]

I went to my LHS a few days ago and was talking to my friend who works there. He said that they sent him a trial pair and he used them for a while. There was definitely a difference in his skating, but, like most everyone has said, it doesn't merit the $400 price tag.

[mrusse01 0]

Between 'puck it' and 'mrusse', we have a couple of NASA scientists in the thread. Can you guys seriously get real?

Just because you may not like a product or believe in its merit, you shouldn't discount it. Thermablade has done some serious homework here. It may never fly off the shelf because of its price tag, but scientifically, the theory makes total sense. Don't tell me that a heated blade doesn't cut thru the layer of water above the ice surface..... and since it does, don't tell me that it doesn't make for a smoother skate with less friction.

That being said, I'm not so sure that these will ever revolutionize the game.

Just because I don't believe in the merits of a product, I shouldn't discount it? Why the hell not?

And thanks for helping me prove my point about the vast majority of the population needing little or no evidence to quickly buy into something that seems like a good idea.