pgeorgan 76 Report post Posted October 31 I've tried almost every ProSharp profile there is and recently skated on out-of-the-box Bauer Fly-X. Best skate I've ever had. Used to be a big believer in these other profiles but not anymore. I feel stupid for having skated on the quads the last several years. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Larry54 243 Report post Posted November 1 (edited) I tried quad zero once on my 254mm blade only because I could order a new blade with it. After a year I never really gelled with it and I wasn't willing to go down the profile rabbit hole. So I went back to the 10' factory profile and felt right at home. Maybe my brain / muscle memory couldn't adapt to multiple contours. I think I'm better off practising on a single profile than trying to find a magic profile that might improve my skating somehow. The farthest I might go from a single profile is to try a 9/10 or 9.5/10.5. Just my 2 cents. Edited November 1 by Larry54 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
puckpilot 312 Report post Posted November 1 IMHO, profiles have their place. I've always treated them like a tool aiding me as I work to improve. They never fixed any of my issues. They never made me a better skater. At best they masked my flaws. I used a 13/26 profile with a negative pitch for like 5 years. It's what I needed as I worked on my flaws. About 6 months ago, I moved back to a 13' neutral profile, which is what I think I need/want now as I further work on getting better. I'm sure down the road, I'll probably move a little bit closer to the 10' stock profile, but we'll see. To me, profiles are like curves. A curve makes certain things easier/harder, but it isn't going to make you something you're not. Just because you use Ovi's curve doesn't mean you can shoot like Ovi. Just as using profile X isn't going to make you McDavid. Anyone who says otherwise is selling you a bridge. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pgeorgan 76 Report post Posted November 2 On 10/31/2024 at 10:08 PM, puckpilot said: IMHO, profiles have their place. I've always treated them like a tool aiding me as I work to improve. They never fixed any of my issues. They never made me a better skater. At best they masked my flaws. I used a 13/26 profile with a negative pitch for like 5 years. It's what I needed as I worked on my flaws. About 6 months ago, I moved back to a 13' neutral profile, which is what I think I need/want now as I further work on getting better. I'm sure down the road, I'll probably move a little bit closer to the 10' stock profile, but we'll see. To me, profiles are like curves. A curve makes certain things easier/harder, but it isn't going to make you something you're not. Just because you use Ovi's curve doesn't mean you can shoot like Ovi. Just as using profile X isn't going to make you McDavid. Anyone who says otherwise is selling you a bridge. My experience was similar. Probably made me a better skater for having had the experience, but going back to a 10' for the first time in years was sort of eye opening. It dawned on me that the idea of a quad or a multi-radii profile is somewhat flawed in that I'm not sure you can really have the best of both worlds. Eg, agility doesn't just come from the front part of the runner. If you flatten the back to add stability, you're going to notice it in other aspects of your game. You're definitely going to lose some agility, somewhere. Further, I don't really feel that "unstable" on a basic 10' with neutral pitch as compared to a quad. I'm right where I need to be on my skates and I think that translates to being the most stable, IMO. That's certainly how I feel on the ice, anyway. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pgeorgan 76 Report post Posted November 2 (edited) On 10/31/2024 at 9:05 PM, Larry54 said: I tried quad zero once on my 254mm blade only because I could order a new blade with it. After a year I never really gelled with it and I wasn't willing to go down the profile rabbit hole. So I went back to the 10' factory profile and felt right at home. Maybe my brain / muscle memory couldn't adapt to multiple contours. I think I'm better off practising on a single profile than trying to find a magic profile that might improve my skating somehow. The farthest I might go from a single profile is to try a 9/10 or 9.5/10.5. Just my 2 cents. I think a 9.5/10.5 is about the only one I'd considered trying at this point, just given the positive experience I've had with a basic 10'. Edited November 2 by pgeorgan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Larry54 243 Report post Posted November 3 (edited) On 11/2/2024 at 9:09 AM, pgeorgan said: My experience was similar. Probably made me a better skater for having had the experience, but going back to a 10' for the first time in years was sort of eye opening. It dawned on me that the idea of a quad or a multi-radii profile is somewhat flawed in that I'm not sure you can really have the best of both worlds. Eg, agility doesn't just come from the front part of the runner. If you flatten the back to add stability, you're going to notice it in other aspects of your game. You're definitely going to lose some agility, somewhere. Further, I don't really feel that "unstable" on a basic 10' with neutral pitch as compared to a quad. I'm right where I need to be on my skates and I think that translates to being the most stable, IMO. That's certainly how I feel on the ice, anyway. I feel that if you work enough on your skating, you reach a level of stability that makes flatter portions of a profile less necessary. And the flatter portions will only limit your agility. If one's goal is only top speed that might be another story. But I find agility much more useful than top speed in hockey, anyway. Each person has different needs, and the 10' gives me what I need. Edited November 3 by Larry54 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flip12 714 Report post Posted November 4 Different profiles for different people though. I feel much more agile on 13'+1 than I did on neutral 10' or 9.5'/10.5' (if that's True's stock profile). I don't feel the blade catching at all when I don't want it to. I'm thinking of going to an even longer profile next. I haven't tried any of the more complicated combos, but I really don't want a super short profile in the front of my blade as well as the added pitch. The added pitch is enough. Just like ROH, I'd say go with what works. If you get good enough grip at a shallower hollow or if you have enough agility and quickness at a longer radius, it'll only help. As soon as the blade is grabbing when you're not expecting it there's too much dig, either front-to-back/profile or side-to-side/hollow, and it's time to back off. That's my work-in-progress theory. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites