All you need to know about skate blade holders

Knowing what kind of skating you’ll be doing can help you learn what blade holders you need.

Ice skates have undergone a transformation as the years have passed. What was once considered standard is now literally considered antique, as sports technology and advances have pushed skates into elite athlete's high performance tools. You may not be trying out for any professional teams anytime soon, but here are a few tips about skate blade holders that will help you get the skates you need to perform at your best.

If you watch any footage of hockey greats from by-gone eras, you'll see that their skates were thin leather boots, pulled taut, with three metal tubes holding a thick skate blade to the sole. Generations of players used skates like this, and obviously still played pretty well given the number of sweaters hanging from rafters inside professional arenas. But times change, and so do skates.

In simple terms, a skate blade holder is the molded plastic cover that holds the blade of your skate to the boot. They're usually developed to be as aerodynamic and as light as possible, with a few strategically placed holes to help filter water and snow away from the base of the blade during play. Recreational skates usually feature simple, functional holders and higher end hockey skates generally use better quality materials to withstand the impacts of sticks and pucks that come with playing hockey.

Skates are sharpened with a convex curve along the blade that helps forwards and defensemen propel themselves forward with speed. The degree of radius (also known as rocker) possible on a pair of skates is, in part, related to the skate blade holder being used. Different holders will allow for a more extreme radius than others, and some will let a player experiment with different rockers.

When it comes to lightness, less really is more. However, make sure you are not sacrificing strength for comfort. If you have a holder that shatters on impact from a puck, you might find yourself replacing the entire skate because your holder prioritized lightness and cannot be separated from the boot or the blade using standard tools.

Some things to look for:

• Pick a holder that can withstand impacts from pucks
• Choose a holder that can be removed from the boot with simple tools
• Look for a holder that can have a new blade added
• Compare recreational skates to middle and high end and check the details of each

The vast majority of skates will look nearly identical because certain developments have been time tested for lightness, strength and durability. Each holder has specific features and price points and can vary widely. Hopefully, a few tips about skate blade holders will help you choose the skates you need for the level of play you enjoy.