BladeTech Hockey Skate Steel Review

Could this be the best quality steel available for your hockey skates? Yes...it is...

[@MatthewPlayz999]

Great review. I've logged some hours on these and have used both the pulse ti and step Blacksteel and find them at least on par imo. I'm using them as my primary runner as a 40 year old beer leaguer myself, I'm hoping these give some longevity benefits to my joints. FWIW I have used these on the ODR and then coaching my son without sharpening them and they felt no different or less dull. I'm a big fan of the blade Tech!

[@mongillohockey]

Awesome! Thanks for the comment!

[@crackedice8]

This is good information, you have great insights on gear, unlike most hockey channels which mostly just praise brands for promotions. I made a video comparing every hockey blade brand if ur interested.

[@mongillohockey]

Thanks! Yeah, the main reason I started my channel is because I wasn't getting the real information I wanted. Specifically, I wanted to know the thoughts of people who actually paid their own money for stuff. That just wasn't out there at the time. In most cases, I'm spending my hard-earned cash on this equipment, so I'm telling it like I see it. Also, send me a link to your video; I'd like to see it.

[@crackedice8]

@@mongillohockey kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6PZl3xmbLh_hbM I'm not very good at talking to a microphone yet lol but completely agree with you, gear gets expensive and I find forums, people and hockey shops give more insight than most channels.

[@MXJEFF94]

I just put some in my Bauer Ultra Sonics....Same set up. Curious to see how they (Blade Tech) perform. My favorite pair of steel right now is the Carbonlite. I can feel them flex a little while turning and they hold a great edge. Not only that...the carbonlite in your hands compared to the normal steel is incredibly noticeable.

[@mongillohockey]

Yes, I’ve seen that steel in person and they’re wicked lite. I haven’t skated in them, however. My concern is durability. I’ve seen two sets break so far on the same spot. It’s that front tooth. I hope you get good durability out of them because I’d like to see them become more widely used.

[@Thedonron12]

Solid review, I just picked up a set of their mirror finished runners. I like the steel and will defiantly pick up a set of their DLC runners next.

[@mongillohockey]

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with them. I wish I could've gotten more than one ice session in with them, but I know my steel and metal, so I'm pretty confident they're making good stuff. Let me know how they work out for you.

[@Thedonron12]

@@mongillohockey Yeah I hear that. I skate 2-3 times a week so I will do a follow on review. I'm 6'4" 245lbs and I can defiantly feel a bit of flex on the front end of the blade exiting turns especially.

[@goatsonapost]

I liked stepsteel however, the height really threw me and I had to compensate my sharpening as my preferred 1/2 ROH (on shorter runners) was waay to much on the step (serious chattering, due to the increased leverage with the height)

[@goatsonapost]

Great review as always. Q- have you thought about reviewing the marsblades i2 holder?

[@mongillohockey]

Thanks! Unfortunately I don’t plan to review that holder. The last I checked it was kinda heavy and hard to find. Someone would have to send me a set for free, but I doubt anyone will, because if they suck id say so! Lol. So I probably won’t get to those unfortunately.

[@darianfong8869]

Great review, it was cool hearing about the high quality steel that these runners are made of. quick question, do you feel the blades “flexing” at all when skating? i currently have marsblade i2 holders on hyperlites and love the rocking motion that it gives. i got the holders when they had a promotion but now it’s gone. i ordered a pair of machs and considering buying either another pair of marsblade holders or giving these bladetech runners a shot.

[@mongillohockey]

Hi there, thanks for the comment and questions! So, you only feel a slight amount of flex and that feeling is subjective. I mainly feel it what I’m standing there jumping on my toes. In my experience these are a bit of a step up from marsblades although I do love the marsblade rollerblade holders. Anyways, all felt flexion is good with the BladeTech.

[@livegood9876]

Great reviews on this, thanks. Do you prefer Bladetech steel/technology over the flare steel? Which brand or design would you pick over the other? You mention the flare being faster on chewed up ice (can sharpen at less hollow), which intrigues me because i play on chewed up ice frequently as do most of us rec hockey players.

[@mongillohockey]

Hi there, thanks for the comment and great questions! So, I personally feel Flare is the best performing steel out there, but it’d at a cost that a lot of people don’t want to deal with. For this reason, I’ll buy BladeTech every time. This is the issue with Flare. You personally will have to go to the Flare website to purchase a level to ensure the steel is even after sharpening. This will cost you $100 USD. Without the level, many places won’t touch your steel without it. Also, if you get your skates sharpened at one of the big hockey shops like Pure Hockey, they primarily use Sparx sharpening machines now and will NOT have a wheel available for the type of sharpening you’ll need to get. This means you’ll have to go to the Sparx website and buy your own wheel and have pure hockey install it every time you want to sharpen your skates. For example, if you skate on 5/8” the Flare equivalent is 1 and 1/4”. There’s also a rumor out there that Flare is getting sued by Bauer and they might disappear but I can’t confirm that. If you’re willing to get past all of that stuff, Flare will outperform other steel. It’s good on your joints because of the wider surface area, better glide, does much better on chewed up ice and isn’t too tall like the Step Steel offerings. If you’re not will to go through all of that, go with BladeTech.

[@kidsportsnation5907]

Excellent review, thank you. Did you have any issue with the BladeTech steel wiggling in your holders? I purchased a set which are the correct size for my holder but they wouldn’t lock in correctly and wobbled side to side in a manner that was not safe to skate on. I’ve seen on forums at add some hockey tape to fix it but didn’t want to risk it.

[@mongillohockey]

Hey man thanks! So you might’ve had an early set. I’ve seen that happen in early pairs of them. They also had steel at one point that was too hard to sharpen! Lol. They’re perfect now. I own 9 pairs between the CCM XS and Bauer Tuuk Edge holders. Don’t hesitate to give them another rip. It’s also not out of the realm of possibility for it to be your specific holder.

[@jren60]

Great review. Would you recommend the black armour variant of the BT over the Step black steel and the pulse Ti?

[@mongillohockey]

Thanks man! I would recommend it. I believe the coating to be pretty similar, but the BT steel is just a little higher quality. I’ve now been skating on this for a number of hours and I still don’t need a sharpening! It’s pretty great!

[@Ryan-ud9fk]

Hey! Curious if you have any changing opinion on these over the past year. Im looking to upgrade my stock pulse SS and use those only for outdoor in the winter. Im also curious how bladetechs profiles would be rather than my stock 10' radius (comes stock with 9,11,13' triple)

[@mongillohockey]

Hey there, thanks for the questions! Not only do I still love the BladeTech steel, but they’ve now become my favorite steel of all time. The reasons are as follows. The metal quality is literally better than anything else made (This includes Step Steel BlackSteel). The quality is due to harder metal. This equates to less sharpenings and better glide. The steel also has the power flex spring in the toe of the steel. It doesn’t really make you faster, but it does take pressure off your hip, knee and ankle joints. The actual shape of the new and unprofiled steel is better than other blades. In other words, it doesn’t have that annoying too much steel on the toe and heel that you need to remove. Lastly, the steel is tall but not as tall as Step Steel. I find Step Steel to be so tall that it reduces lateral stability to gain tighter turning. Not worth it. Regarding profiling, just apply any profile you want and you’ll be good. For example, I use a Zuperior medium triple profile. No matter what steel you have, it’ll need a profile and most come with something resembling a 10 foot radius but they’re never even until they’re cross ground prior to profiling. Hope that helps!

[@Ryan-ud9fk]

@@mongillohockey Thanks so much for the reply! The website says that they ship with a triple 9,11,13' radius which is something I would like to try. I was thinking of experimenting with a quad zero anyways and this seems similar only without the 6' in the toe. Ive onlt ever skated on the stock 10' and wanted to try something new after seeinf your profile video. Also I do notice that there is a slight gap on the holders at the toe and heel so right now I have a thin piece of teflon tape there to snug things up. Im wondering if the same issue arises where there is a tiny gap that having a small piece of tape might make it difficult to spring. I also think this steel might be more consitant throughout and have less of a gap in general since I notice the factory stainless does have some thickness variability between the outside edge and inside edge. Any thoughts on this?

[@beerleaguebumhockeyreviews]

Have you skated more since the video? I’m super curious about these joint claims. With rheumatoid arthritis I’ll try basically anything . You mention the “spring” something else I would be super curious about and the fact you felt it intrigued me as well. I would also expect nothing lol so if you feel it ads something I’m interested. When I switched from carbon to pulse ti I was disappointed I couldn’t tell the difference since the carbon being lighter so I would be worried same here I wouldn’t notice a switch. But if you think it’s worth it I may give it a go.

[@mongillohockey]

Unfortunately I haven’t gotten to skate more than the one time because I got Covid. I’m feeling better now, but decided to hold off until I get my booster on the 27th. I’ll start skating again after that. So, I’ve been fortunate enough to try most all of the brands of steel runners that have come out over the years. The BladeTech DLC has better quality steel than anything else out there. I think at worst, the BladeTech will give you slightly better edge retention than Step and Pulse Ti. At best, the BladeTech will give you a little protection against injury with a performance most when coming out of tight turns. Like I mentioned in the video, I could feel it springing me out of turns a little. I need more time on it, but I’m impressed so far. I’ll throw another thing out. Although BladeTech seems to be the best of the traditional width steel, the best overall performing steel is Flare. I’ve used it for years as an official. I’ve only recently gone away from it because I’ve lost confidence in the folks around my area to sharpen it correctly and I don’t want to buy a Sparx machine quite yet. Flare is awesome though. Let’s keep in touch on the BladeTech as I log some more hours on them.

[@beerleaguebumhockeyreviews]

@@mongillohockey yes keep me posted but from What you presented may pull the trigger. I like the spring idea especially adding to the hyperlite flexible boot. Thanks man

[@mongillohockey]

Hey man, I thought I’d let you know that I’ve logged a few more hours on the BladeTech. They’re definitely legit! I’d recommend you trying them if you can. I can say confidently that they do spring you out of turns a bit and there might even be a slight shock absorption effect in play too. From a glide perspective, they’re as good or maybe slightly better than anything else out there. Flare steel is the exception, but that’s an investment to run Flare. Plus, I’m not sure how long they’ll be around. I heard of an impending law suit from Bauer. I can’t confirm that, however.

[@beerleaguebumhockeyreviews]

@@mongillohockey I appreciate the update I will make the purchase! Glad i waited for your thoughts!

[@mongillohockey]

@@beerleaguebumhockeyreviews You’re welcome and I’ll be curious to hear your feedback on them. Might be worth a video if you have the time and interest. I actually skated again last night and I think pivoting is pretty great. I’m pretty happy that I found these. Normally I’d have to drive up to Surrey to try and track down Step Steel at The Hockey Shop, so this cuts out a trip across the boarder for me.

[@juiceybrucey3475]

Great review, thanks! Looking to replace steel in my 16 year old son’s Bauer 2S Pro skates that he loves. The current LS5 Carbon runners have served him well… wondering if there’s more of a performance benefit in a lighter 150-160 lb skater?

[@mongillohockey]

Thanks for the comment. I really think it depends on how much your son can tell the difference between one steel to another. From my perspective BladeTech and Pulse Ti outperform LS5 any day of the week from Edge retention to glide.

[@juiceybrucey3475]

@@mongillohockey Got the Black DLC blades for my son. Practiced once and then played on them last night. Had a monster game. He says they feel great, he notices a bit more bite with same glide. Says he doesn’t feel any flex or “spring” though… not yet :)

[@mongillohockey]

@@juiceybrucey3475 Nice! As I mentioned in my video, I think the worst case scenario is that he notices no difference. But at the very least I’d bet he can go longer in between sharpenings. Impact I’m actually on the way home from the rink right now where I let someone try out my BladeTech. He said he didn’t notice the spring but he felt like there was better glide than his pulse Ti. He’s probably just subjective from one person to another. At the end of the day they’re nice sets of steel.

[@treyw7634]

Hey, you mentioned you "moved away" from Flare Steel. Could you please tell me why that is? I'm about to buy a set of BladeTech and a pair of Flare Steel to have both, unless you say I probably shouldn't try the Flare Steel. Thank you I'm a highly skilled skater btw if that matters

[@mongillohockey]

Replied to you on your other comment

[@jimjimmy7365]

What’s up with my Bauer dlc coated blades after every sharpen I hone them and then wipe the dust off with a cloth and when I do that part it looks like I wiped the edge right off and has a shiny color like there’s no edge again it’s strange. Either the dust is ruining the sharpen or the sparx heats up and ruins the steel I don’t know I’m hoping someone can help me with this one. It’s a pulse TI

[@mongillohockey]

I’ve now seen a couple sets of pulse Ti with the DLC get damaged. At the end of the day, BladeTech and Step DLC is just better.

[@mavieser7]

Curious as to why you moved away from Flare? Lack of people to find to sharpen it?

[@mongillohockey]

Hi, thanks for the comment. I moved away for two reasons. The first is an unsubstantiated rumor that Bauer is currently in the process of suing Flare so they’re no longer compatible with Bauer holders. Kinda like what Bauer did to Step Steel. My source is solid but I can’t confirm, so grain of salt that. The other reason is because the places that sharpen skates in my area moved completely to using Sparx machines and they won’t buy the sharpening wheel I use. The other shops who have normal machines do a terrible job. I still think Flare is the best overall performing steel on the market but no point if you have to resort to buying your own machine to sharpen it.

[@thursty128]

Do you like blade tech more then step I love my step but might want to try bladetech

[@mongillohockey]

I do. I’ve been a huge step steel BlackSteel guy for years but the BladeTech with the DLC de-throned step for me last year. It’s not as tall as step, has harder steel so the sharpening lasts longer and the little springy thing on the toe actually helps a tiny bit coming out of hard cross overs. I wouldn’t buy BladeTech solely for the alleged springy performance boost as that’s questionable. One thing about the step with the DLC is that the finish might be ever so slightly more durable than that of the BladeTech with the dlc. Hope that helps!

[@AMash711]

Do you know the Weight difference compared to step black or pulse?

[@mongillohockey]

I’m sorry I don’t. Although I have step and BladeTech I’m not sure it’d be a fair comparison because the step is more worn down. New vs new I bet they’re close.

[@akcjaznicz8721]

Nice review! How would you say Step Black compares to PulseTi?

[@mongillohockey]

I can barely tell the difference, but I the Step Steel BlackSteel is slightly better quality. It wouldn’t be worth trying to track step steel down if you’re a Bauer person. At the end of the day, the BladeTech with the DLC is better than both for the same price and just as easy to find.

[@akcjaznicz8721]

@@mongillohockey Thanks for the reply. I was asking mostly out of curiousity, since step has kind of a religious following by now. Heck I even persuaded my gf to get step blacksteel blades for her figure skates and they are awesome. Other than that, I am not really in a market for a new steel. I managed get myself brand new PulseTi for 2\3 of the original price when it first came out. Currently I rotate between 3 different sets of steel and I have to admit I was surprised how they all give different feeling of the ice.

[@mongillohockey]

@@akcjaznicz8721 exactly. I’m always surprised that most players don’t realize how different steel is and how important a profile and sharpening hollow is. Even for a novice player. Never understood why players who know about profiling don’t do it.

[@akcjaznicz8721]

@@mongillohockey one more question. Which steel do you think is better. I got rid of my ls5 and I am eyeing Tydan TiN coating vs another set of pulse ti. Pulse Ti will be 20 usd more than Tydan. What do you think is a better option?

[@mongillohockey]

@@akcjaznicz8721 Go Pulse Ti. Tydan got sued (or is getting sued) by Bauer and it’s unclear how long they’ll be around. Plus there isn’t a huge difference in performance. Both are great…but not BladeTech great. 😁

[@humancentered3447]

“Even being vaccinated” as if that made an ounce of difference… the most hilarious thing I’ve ever heard.

[@bfish9700]

Thats it, we need magnacut blades lol

[@stephencruse6525]

Why do you have weird wording on the video

[@mongillohockey]

Are you by chance referring the opening text? If so, there’s an issue that occurred that I didn’t notice until it published. I think it’s happened more than once.

[@stephencruse6525]

How would you compare these to flare?

[@mongillohockey]

I skated on Flare for years and still think they’re the best performing steel out there. That said, in order to run Flare, you need to buy a level and have someone competent to sharpen it. That said BladeTech is the best of the traditional steel.

[@mongillohockey]

@@ml6941 I have used it before and it worked great. But most recently I was just having a shop use my level in conjunction with a blade master machine. That worked great until the shop bought a Sparx, but did NOT buy the wheel I need to sharpen my skates.