Is It Worth It To Buy Your Own Ice Skates?

When starting their figure skating journey, some people can’t help but wonder whether they should buy their own ice skates or whether renting them is good enough for them. This decision definitely has to be well-weighted and based on multiple factors. Find our guide to making one of the most important decisions in your figure skating journey below.

When is it Worth Buying Ice Skates?

It is definitely worth buying or at least considering buying ice skates if you think that your figure skating lessons are becoming more permanent rather than a 1-2 time thing. It is important to remember that even if you feel like renting ice skates every time seems like an easy way out, in fact, it isn’t. Here are a few reasons why:

• Buying ice skates is a huge investment that can last you years.
• Even if they cost a few hundred dollars, renting skates on the ice rink every time will turn out to cost even more.
• Using non-professional ice skates that you rent can be dangerous if you are doing any advanced figure skating tricks
• Regular ice skating skates are different from figure skating ones. The figure skating ones have a larger number of toe picks that allow figurists to perform jumps and other elements requiring more stability on the ice. 

When is it Not Worth Buying Ice Skates?

It’s not worth buying your own skates if you are still at the very beginning of your skating journey and not sure whether you decide to continue with it or not. Renting skates, in the beginning, is a very normal practice if you are just starting or only going ice skating every once in a while. Here are a few reasons why you don’t need to buy your own skates just yet:

• When buying skates, it is important to be committed to actually using them in the future. Skates that aren’t being used for a while tend to rust and get dull.
• If you aren’t sure whether your skating lessons are going to become consistent, it’s better to keep renting skates for now.
• Skates, especially new ones, are a pricey purchase.
• Usually, a used pair of skating boots can cost around $100, while a new one can cost up to $400.
• If you don’t know how soon you will be coming back to the ice skating rink, it might be better to save this money for something else rather than skating equipment. 

Tips and Tricks for Buying Ice Skates

So, you’ve finally decided to buy your first very own ice skates. How exciting! Now it is important to find the ones that will suit you personally. Read below to find a few important factors to consider before buying skates:

• Define the purpose for buying skates: is it for figure skating or for playing hockey?
• For figure skating, you will need skates that allow you to glide, jump, and spin, which is why they have to be more flexible.
• For playing hockey, you will need skates that are comfortable and fit for speed.
• Look at different skating brands online or, if possible, go into the store and try them on to ensure that your feet are comfortable and your boots fit.
• Consider the price: good skates are, unfortunately, never cheap.
• If you are buying discounted skates, they are most likely to be blunt or have sharpened toe picks.