Whatever happened to T-Blades?

[Petey21 1]

I remember some years ago T-Blades were the latest craze, at least among posters on these boards, and some were even seen in the top leagues and the NHL as well. But I haven't seen these for quite a while now, not at any LHS and not in use by anyone, so I was wondering what happened to them? Are they still being manufactured or sold? Why aren't they as popular anymore, were they just a fad because they were new and different back then?

[romdj 26]

I think they're still popular in Europe, due to the fact that you don't get as many lhs as north america... and if i was playing in Europe I'd probably get some T-blades, but here, it's just not worth it..

[hockeymass 11]

There's really no advantage to them if you have access to a good sharpener.

[Beflar 53]

There's really no advantage to them if you have access to a good sharpener.

Good sharpeners are not easy to find...

If t-blades would have continued to expand on what they had they would have lasted even longer. Good product but doing something different like combo profiles would have kept them fresher longer etc.

I wore them for years.

[bigdmac 12]

I still wear them and love them. Not really any advantage to them if you have a good sharpener around though, however I do a lot of travelling and tend to bring my skates so I like them for that reason. My LHS still has a pretty good stock of them, and they have no problem ordering me anything I need directly from t'blade.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

i noticed one of the boston players wore them tonight. you could hear him skating, even on tv. lol

[Philly Fly-hairs 0]

i noticed one of the boston players wore them tonight. you could hear him skating, even on tv. lol

dennis seidenberg is who you saw wearing them... he has worn them ever since his days with the flyers

[jimmy 194]

German company, so most of the Germans in NHL are wearing them, likely being paid endorsees.

[hockeymass 11]

Good sharpeners are not easy to find...

If t-blades would have continued to expand on what they had they would have lasted even longer. Good product but doing something different like combo profiles would have kept them fresher longer etc.

I wore them for years.

I agree, it is difficult to find a GOOD sharpener, but in most areas where hockey is popular you can usually find at least one place who knows what they're doing. There's also the mail-order option.

[Sofer 0]

lots of suppliers dont carry tblades so its tough to get a hold of the replacment blades. i think thats what really hurt them

[EBondo 233]

Not to mention, the real upside to T'Blades were that they made your skates much lighter. This was when skates were pretty heavy, even at the top of the line. Now, skate technology has developed so much that the need to make your skates lighter is no longer necessary. It alreadyfeels like there's nothing on your feet

[ibeck 38]

German company, so most of the Germans in NHL are wearing them, likely being paid endorsees.

Siedenberg actually mentioned this in a bruinstv episode. Jochen Hecht has always worn them as well.

[Tommyj214 3]

lots of suppliers dont carry tblades so its tough to get a hold of the replacment blades. i think thats what really hurt them

and the fact they make you projectile vomit and your ears bleed at the same time.

[akravetz 29]

newbie question... what are T-blades? I have heard of them and read threads like this but don't know what they are. How are they different from the current blades I have on my skates?

[wrangler 157]

newbie question... what are T-blades? I have heard of them and read threads like this but don't know what they are. How are they different from the current blades I have on my skates?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Blades

[gboyce 1]

lots of suppliers dont carry tblades so its tough to get a hold of the replacment blades. i think thats what really hurt them

Not entirely true, the place I work I we can get them.. just don't stock because they are not a popular option.

[Monty22 833]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MASSIVE-T-BLADE-ICE-HOCKEY-PLAYER-BLADES-CLEAROUT-SALE-/180797102318?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item2a1858d8ee

Found them.....

[bigdmac 12]

Why would anybody drop a grand on a bunch of random sizes and colours? Doesn't really make sense ot me, they would probably have better luck selling one thing at a time.

[romdj 26]

I think they're still popular in Europe, due to the fact that you don't get as many lhs as north america... and if i was playing in Europe I'd probably get some T-blades, but here, it's just not worth it..

And now that I'm in Europe and that the closest decent sharpener is 70 miles away, I'm looking for some..

[bigdmac 12]

What size are you looking for?

[kenneth 5]

for the people that used them how long did they hold an edge before needing replacement?

[bigdmac 12]

Definitely longer than a regular sharpening, however I think they advertised lasting four times as long as a regular sharp but I didn't think they lasted THAT long. I would say about two and half or three times longer than just your regular sharpening. It did help knowing that they were always going to be consistent everytime you changed a set so you never had to worry about a bad sharpening or anything like that.

[romdj 26]

What size are you looking for?

I'm pretty sure I'd just need the runners. I don't really know, that option seems so expensive...

I think t-blades needs to go back to the drawing board and restart from the ground up.

[Pure Hockey 4]

This video talks about it,

Seidenberg wheres them because they were invented in his hometown by someone he knows. its not in this video, but its kind of funny, the Bruins EQ staff has all the stuff for his skates labeled as "The Seiden...." The drill for his skates is labeled the "SeidenDrill" etc.

I used them for a season in High school, loved the performance, but my issue was, I always played Wed/Sat. and just sharpened my skates for game days, and didn't for practices. The problem I ran into, being OCD about my blades is do I put on a new set every game, or every other? Or do I just leave one in until I feel them go, or put in a new pair for a game then swap them back out with an old one for the week's practices etc. So in the end I just went back to TUUK's.

[W.Heinle 0]

I just order them online from http://t-blade.com/ (http://t-blade.ca/) when I need new blades.