T-Blades

[Cosmic 178]

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of T-Blades? I am somewhere that has crumby skate sharpening available, and buying a skate sharpener does not make sense (getting it out here would be a problem anyway). If you have had success or good experiences with T-blades, then which models are good? 6'2, 225 lbs, coming back after a 17 year layoff. Was half decent back in the day, nothing spectacular but I was good enough that house league teams would ask me to play if they were a man short. I expect to be approaching intermediate, in a non-check beer league.

(PS- I did a search but all sorts of unrelated stuff came up, so if someone knows were threads are, then I will gladly receive the links.)

[sickwilly 37]

I'd look into the DLC runners that Step Steel makes instead, or maybe Blackedge runners. T blades make a horrible sound and didn't hold their edge as well as advertised when I used them. I found no improvement in glide or performance, either. The only way that I'd go with them again is if it was very, very difficult to get a good sharpening. Since I live in the States, I'd rather save up a grand to buy a home sharpening unit than go back to T-Blades. The noise made the fat jokes way too easy for the opposing teams, too.

[jbatafuco 6]

Yeah, I would suggest buying a couple sets of DLC or Blackedge if you can swing it and mail a set at a time off to be sharpened. There are several reputable shops that do this, with some of them being members on this site.

The advantage to buying the more expensive steel like Blackedge is that it really does hold an edge for a LONG time and the shipping costs would be kept to a minimum for you.

I would think that is much better than T Blades. They're horrible.

[Cosmic 178]

Yeah, I would suggest buying a couple sets of DLC or Blackedge if you can swing it and mail a set at a time off to be sharpened. There are several reputable shops that do this, with some of them being members on this site.

The advantage to buying the more expensive steel like Blackedge is that it really does hold an edge for a LONG time and the shipping costs would be kept to a minimum for you.

I would think that is much better than T Blades. They're horrible.

This is an idea. They will ship to SE Asia?

I'd look into the DLC runners that Step Steel makes instead, or maybe Blackedge runners. T blades make a horrible sound and didn't hold there edge as well as advertised when I used them. I found no improvement in glide or performance, either. The only way that I'd go with them again is if it was very, very difficult to get a good sharpening. Since I live in the States, I'd rather save up a grand to buy a home sharpening unit than go back to T-Blades. The noise made the fat jokes way too easy for the opposing teams, too.

There is a skate sharpener out here, I got a guy that I ought to ask for, but he does not work at the skate sharpening place. I think he just hangs around the rink or something. It is sort of not clear. But I suppose there is a core of guys skating out here, and I did see a couple of solid technical skaters when I went to the rink, so I guess someone is doing a good enough job.

[sickwilly 37]

If you wind up getting the DLC blades, ask the sharpener not to use the honing stone afterward. It will damage the DLC coating.

[Cosmic 178]

If you wind up getting the DLC blades, ask the sharpener not to use the honing stone afterward. It will damage the DLC coating.

What about Blackedge, they are ok to use the honing stone with?

[jbatafuco 6]

No, you cant use a honing stone with Blackedge.

You would have to contact whichever shop you went with to see their shipping policies to SE Asia. My guess would be that they will but that cost will be passed onto you.

If there is someone doing an adequate sharpening job there, perhaps purchase a good set of steel like Blackedge and get them sharpened locally. Probably your best option when considering cost.

[calixguy18 8]

I used T-blades a while ago. They do make a loud noise, which other skaters commented on but it wasn't a big deal. The edges were great and did stay sharp for a while. The problem I had was the plastic piece that holds the blades on, 2 on each skate, started to break from getting hit with pucks. The other problem is that it was starting to get pricey to keep buying them and the replacement parts. I think I started losing screws too. In conclusion, if I had no way of getting my skates sharpened, I wouldn't have an issue with using T-blades (besides the way they look).

[Beflar 55]

I miss my t-blades. They were my first skates.

Pros: They are lighter than anything sold today. The blades do last longer. Plus you get the same sharpen everytime which is a bonus. They do have great glide also but i had the L length so that would make sence.

Con:The blades are louder but it just sounds like your really digging in. They do cost alittle more and you will need to get spare parts all the time since things tend to get lose or break.

Four out of five stars.

I would love to try t-blades again but i would change what i was wearing since i think i had the L-9 which is a crazy set up.

Cheers

[talkintothemike 4]

I always get a laugh out of some of the responses when T-Blades are mentioned. I have had them for at least 12 years, and originally got them due to the lack of good sharpeners in my area. I played college hockey so I was very used to having my skates done just the way I like them. T-Blades have been great. They hold an edge longer than regular steel, they resist nicks/loosing an edge way better than regular steel, and each new set of runners that you get with the same hollow and radius, is EXACTLY the same.

Do they make more noise than regular holders and regular steel. Yes. Do some people give me a hard time. Yes. I just have never cared.

All the new options such as Blackedge, etc...are great but if you don't have a sharpener than can do regular steel, you can forget about anything more complicated.

[Chadd 916]

I always get a laugh out of some of the responses when T-Blades are mentioned. I have had them for at least 12 years, and originally got them due to the lack of good sharpeners in my area. I played college hockey so I was very used to having my skates done just the way I like them. T-Blades have been great. They hold an edge longer than regular steel, they resist nicks/loosing an edge way better than regular steel, and each new set of runners that you get with the same hollow and radius, is EXACTLY the same.

Do they make more noise than regular holders and regular steel. Yes. Do some people give me a hard time. Yes. I just have never cared.

All the new options such as Blackedge, etc...are great but if you don't have a sharpener than can do regular steel, you can forget about anything more complicated.

I wasn't a fan of them when I tried them, but everyone has different experiences. The part that I highlighted is so important to remember, these were made for people that can't get a consistent quality sharpening.

[sickwilly 37]

If it were me, I'd try to gather more concrete info about the sharpeners in your area before going with T-Blades. The points that others have made about their lightness and consistency are true. I should have mentioned those in my earlier reply. They are definitely the lightest holders I ever used. Even so, I felt that I generally had better edges with well-sharpened, traditional/DLC steel than with T-Blades. On the other side of the coin, I think that the T-Blades might have felt a little better when they started to dull than regular steel that was getting dull. (You can probably get by on a fading set of T-Blades a little better than you could with traditional stell that's due to be resharpened). From what I recall, I could get a set of T-Blades to last about twice as long as a regular sharpening on standard steel. That's just me.

Unless you purchase skates with the T-Blades already installed, you have the cost of the holders, the stabilizers, the runners and the conversion to consider. I think it's a lot easier just to buy some upgraded steel (again, if you have a sharpener you can trust) and just pop them into your existing holders, if you like them. I would also check around to see about the availability of replacement runners. HM didn't seem to have a great selection, and I think I recall seeing guys saying they were having a hard time finding them at one point (I may be wrong here).

talkintothemike makes a few good points. I also wouldn't want to put a 120 dollar set of steel into the hands of someone I thought would immediately ruin it.

I was joking a bit about the skate noise earlier, although I did get annoyed with it after a while. IMO it's pretty bad when you make a hard stop. Then again, I'm a bigger guy and a powerful skater, so it could have been worse for me than it might be for others. I had a few frends playing on another team comment that The T-Blades made it easy for them to tell where I was on the ice. In some cases, I think it might make it a little harder to try to sneak in behind someone for an open pass with the extra skate noise. Not a huge difference-maker overall, but I hadn't thought of it until they brought it up. When I switched back to regular steel, the same guys jokingly asked me to put the T-Blades back on.

In your location, they may well be the best option. If you can get a quality sharpening without too much effort, I'd go with steel with DLC.