Mystique (Women’s/Misses/Tot’s)

I’m a 27 year old adult skater and have been skating for 5 months in these and I haven’t had any problems with them so far (bought them second hand too). I go skating 4-8 hours a week and they haven’t shown any signs of breaking down just yet. The boots aren’t uncomfy but they’re not very padded.

I’ve gone through skate UK levels 1-8 and bronze in these and they’re still going strong.

I’d recommend these for beginner skaters but I wouldn’t recommend jumping in these. Overall a good beginner skate.

Great Entry Level/Beginner boot and blade set.
I started skating last year mid-November at 18 years old. I had not taken any lessons prior, just skated recreationally when rinks were open to the public. Got these for me because they were affordable. They sized great and they were fairly comfortable from the get-go. I appreciated the extra padding it has around the ankles. They were *fairly* easy to break in- After I started taking lessons, I was going to the rink 3-4 times a week and found myself progressing faster than I expected so…
Needless to say, I agree with the other reviewers. They do break down fast once you move up from the Entry level- and the soles are plastic/rubber so you can’t replace or change out the blades. I did experience extreme cramps and pain in my foot when I started doing jumps and did have to start taking breaks during sessions to let my feet rest. I ended up switching the soles out and adding some Superfeet soles which helped my foot pain immensely. My ankle gives out a lot; the boot has creased at the ankles so my support is minimal.
I am still in these boots, but I have noticed that they are NOT good for scratch spins at all; I personally find the rocker to be too ‘big’ and toe pick to be too small for more technical spins; the toe pick sometimes slips for me when I’m about to go into toe jumps. (On the hunt for a step up boot and blade combo)

OVERALL:
PROS:
-Affordable boot/blade set
-Good for: (Entry Level) Basic Skills 1-8 and for the beginning moves/skills of Freestyle or recreational skating.
-decent padding and ankle support for lower levels
-good 8′ rocker, toe pick and blade (Ultima Mark II) for edges introduction and basic one foot, two-foot spins
CONS:
-Boots lose support and break down fast (After moving up past Freestyle)
-Plastic soles mean blades cannot be changed out
– too flat of a rocker and too small of a toe pick for more complex and technical skills/ spins/ jumps
-Little to No foot/sole support/padding which can cause foot cramps/pain and frequent breaks during longer practice sessions

I got these as my first skates ever. I’m about to turn 21, I started skating when I was 19 and these skates lasted me about a year. (I don’t consider myself to be an “adult skater” either, I think that really applies to people who are much older than 20 when they start.) They were great for when I literally knew NOTHING about skating, but I progressed much faster than I expected to when I started and bought them. When I got them, I didn’t expect to start jumping waltz and toe loop in 7 months and the stiffness of the skate and the size of the toe pick were NOT ideal for me. As soon as I started jumping regularly, my skates began to break down very fast. I think it’s also important to note that I’m very petite, I think that they probably would have broken down even faster if I wasn’t light. The toe pick is ~about~ the same size as my new professionals, but the one on the mystique didn’t really dig in to the ice as much as I like – I felt really unstable doing most toe jumps and also landing my jumps (which was also because of the loss of stiffness.) The blade was pretty good to learn spins in for the most part as well, I did start to struggle with backspin and sit spin before I upgraded, but these skates aren’t really designed for higher level elements above the basics so I personally think that’s to be expected.

As for comfort, they honestly hurt my feet so bad that I thought it was normal to have to get off every 30-45 minutes to re-adjust until I got my new boots. My skates were sized improperly and when I got my new skates I found out that they’re a half size too big for me (which also contributed to me feeling unstable in jumps.) My best advice is to get sized by a professional who knows about skates and be honest with them about your goals in skating and your current level.

I upgraded my skates when I started working on my loop, which was honestly probably past when I should have. I think that I probably should have started in a stronger boot (like the artiste or freestyle) but, again, I really didn’t know I would progress as fast as I did. Overall, I think that these skates are really good for learning the basics and for recreational skating. I was able to do salchow and loop in these skates, but I think I was really pushing it by doing that.

These were my first pair of skates. For me they only lasted me 3 months before they broke down but I continued to wear them for another 3 months. As an adult skater, I think these skates are a good skate for children at the entry level (I know children who use them up to free skate). But for adults I’ll suggest a stiffer boot. The blade is a nice beginner blade with a generous enough toe pick for more advanced skills (e.g. bunny hop).