T-Blades

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In ice hockey and other ice sports, T-Blades are a recent development claiming to be an alternative to traditional hockey skates. Instead of sharpening the blades, T-blades are simply replaced when worn out. They are composed from plastic holding a thin metal runner that contacts the ice and are therefore lighter than the conventional skate blade.

Supposedly, T-Blades help the skater move faster, because with less metal to contact the cold surface of the ice, the blade stays warmer and forms a film of water on the ice, increasing glide efficiency. One noted disadvantage of T-Blades is the disticntly loud sound they make as they cut into the ice.

The fact that edges are precsion-made by a machines is appreciated by some skaters, since one does not have to rely on a human operator to apply edges on the skateblade. On the other hand, this is possibly why T-Blades are not very popular among professional players, because of the skill level of equipment managers at that level.