A tighter budget this Christmas doesn't mean you can't buy a pair of ice skates. Used skates can be just as good as new ones.
Sue Hickey, co-owner of M&M Sporting Goods in Plymouth, Mass., said she often recommends used skates, especially for children.
“Kids outgrow them so quickly,” she said. “And for a young child, they're already broken in.”
From the moment the ponds freeze in the winter, Hickey said people bring buckets of used skates to her store to trade in. Used skates start at around $20 per pair; new skates start at around $30 or $40.
Those in the market for skates need to decide whether they want figure skates or hockey skates. Figure skates have blades that are longer and wider, and the blades have toe picks on the ends for stopping and turning. Hockey skate blades are shorter and narrower and do not have picks. Hickey recommends that inline skaters buy hockey skates, which have the same side-to-side movement.
A skate blade can be made of either carbon steel or stainless steel, said Mike Leivi, owner of Play It Again Sports in Dedham, Mass. “Better skates will have stainless steel,” he said.
Most hockey skates have a boot made of ballistic nylon, while figure skate boots come in a variety of materials. Leivi said the most expensive figure skates have a leather inner and outer shell, which provides the best ankle support. A step down would be skates with a leather inner shell and a vinyl outer shell. The least expensive skates have a vinyl inner and outer shell.
Another option for figure skates is the soft boot skate, which looks more like an inline skate and usually has a Thinsulate lining. These skates are often more comfortable than traditional figure skates.
Hickey said the soft boot skate is perfect for “moms who have to go out there (on the ice) with their kids, but don't want to go.”
Fit and comfort are most important in choosing a skate. Leivi cautions against buying big skates that your child will grow into, saying it's better to buy a used pair and trade them in the following year.
Patriot Ledger writer Julie Onufrak is at jonufrak@ledger.com.
author: Julie Onufrak