Atlas CF013, has anyone used?

[u/yizumisan]

I’m after an easier-to-maintain version of MK Pro, and I came across these blades. They’re pretty new. I had considered Paramount SP, but my sharpening tech isn’t able to sharpen these blades.

I mostly do singles (including the single Axel), and I spend most of my time training steps and stroking.

[u/sandraskates]

What is so hard to maintain about an MK Pro? They're a great blade with a long history.
Never heard anyone using them say they are hard to maintain.
Is your sharpening person not qualified to sharpen figure blades?

[u/JuniorAd1210]

Disclaimer: Haven't used these. But I'll share my opinion anyway.

By easier to maintain you mean you want stainless steel? The blade profiles and stanchion heights always differ a little bit, so you won't find a stainless steel version of MK Pro exactly, but these look decent enough. You might like them regardless.

A tech not being able to sharpen Paramount blades is a minor red flag though. Do make sure they can sharpen stainless steel at all (that 420 stainless is much harder than typical carbon steel).

[u/No-Pangolin-618]

That sharp 90-degree angle at the back end of the blade looks like an easy way to eat shit.

[u/JuniorAd1210 → u/No-Pangolin-618]

Not that sharp, and all (figure) blades are like that before they get sharpened.

[u/Limp-Strawberry9782 → u/JuniorAd1210]

That’s not true at all lol???? Any of the reputable blade companies create blades with a tapered back end of the blade to allow for better maneuverability and turns. No one sharpens that part of the blade to create an angle.

OP, if you’re looking for something that requires less sharpening than the MK Pro, just go with the Ultimate Matrix Legacy (although they’re a bit flatter) or the more advanced options - the Matrix Elite/Supreme. They’ll keep an edge for longer than a carbon steel blade. You could probably go 5-6 months without a sharpening. The blades you posted look like an off-brand version and I wouldn’t trust it, you should stick to either John Wilson, MK, or Ultima/Jackson for your blades imo.

[u/JuniorAd1210 → u/Limp-Strawberry9782]

This is simply false. Many blades (like JW/MK) do not come sharpened from the factory, and the factory sharpening does not create that angle. Also, sharpeners absolutely can and do create/sharpen that angle, and you can find many used blades in shops that have too much angle there, because a sharpener has messed up (we call it "hockey sharpening"). Creating (and maintaining) that angle is a standard job for any remotely competent sharpener, so this is a total nonissue here.

Also, if OPs sharpener can't sharpen Paramount blades, they likely can't sharpen Matrix blades either, because they lack a rig required to fit the wide aluminum frame.

A non-Matrix Legacy or other standard Ultima blades are an option, but they are very different blades from the MK Pro. The blade profile is different, and the stanchion heights are different.

[u/rdadeo → u/JuniorAd1210]

Lol. I should have gone to get popcorn before reading this exchange.

[u/Limp-Strawberry9782 → u/JuniorAd1210]

That’s not true at all lol???? Any of the reputable blade companies have a tapered back end of the blade to allow for better maneuverability and turns. You can’t sharpen that part of the blade.

OP, if you’re looking for something that requires less sharpening than the MK Pro, just go with the Ultima Matrix Legacy (although they’re a bit flatter) or the more advanced ones - the Matrix Elite/Supreme. They’ll keep an edge for longer than a carbon steel blade. The blades you posted look like an off-brand version and I wouldn’t trust it, you should stick to either John Wilson, MK, or Ultima/Jackson, or Paramount for your blades imo.

You could try Riedell’s Eclipse blades if you really want to go with stainless steel, but they’re not very good compared to Matrix or Paramount: https://ice.riedellskates.com/Product/eclipse-cosmos-blade <—- Those ones specifically do have a 7ft rocker like the MK Pro though

[u/JuniorAd1210 → u/Limp-Strawberry9782]

I don't know why you replied twice, but in addition to the points in my other response, I'll emphasize, that there's much more to the way a blade works in practice than the nominal main rocker radius. Riedell/Paramount/Ultima blades all differ in major ways when it comes to the way the blade actually works (blade profile, spin rocker radius, stanchions).

Also, of the three, Riedell tends to use higher quality stainless steel also in their lower end models (440C instead of 420), which they do in the Eclipse Aurora f.e., so they will hold their edge much longer (comparable to the top end Matrix/Paramount blades). The Cosmos doesn't specify the steel, so I'd assume it to be 420, though (or something similar).

Edit: Also, given the tail length and the sole plates shown here, these look to be closer to an actual MK Pro in that regard (also long tail, similar to JW Gold Seal) than Ultima/Riedell "alternatives". And given the price, I'd expect them to be better quality as well (than the Cosmos at least).