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20+ best figure skating brands (2022) – boots, blades, accessories

Last updated on January 20, 2022

Want to choose your next figure skates, clothes or accessories? Below are some of the best figure skating brands on the market and tips on how to choose the best ones for your needs.

Note: This is for intermediate to advanced figure skaters. if you are an absolute beginner, you might want to head straight to my article about the best ice skate for beginner adults and teens or the best figure skates for girls.

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Table of Contents
Best figure skating brands - selection criteria
BOOTS - Best figure skate brands
BLADES - Top figure skate brands
CLOTHES & COSTUMES - Good figure skating brands
ACCESSORIES - Best ice skating brands

This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase using my link, I get a commission at no extra cost to you (learn more).


Best figure skating brands - selection criteria

Let's me start by saying that there is no absolute best figure skating brand - whatever the product: Boots, blades, clothes, accessories.
It always depends on your personal needs.
You need to find the best brand for you, the best fit to your shape and expectations.
Below are some criteria to consider, before looking into the most popular brands for each type of figure skating equipment.

Most popular brands short answers

I recommend you read the article to learn more about the best brands, but if you are looking for a short answer the most popular brands of figure skates are:

  • Boots: Jackson, Riedell and Edea
  • Blades: MK, John Wilson and Riedell
Figure skate brands logos

Major Boots and Blades brands

Skating level

First-of, a beginner skater does not need custom boots or personally designed costumes.
For figure skates, you start considering buying separate boots and blades at an intermediate level. Before that, the complete stock figure skates are absolutely sufficient. However, as you progress, finding the perfect fit will give you an edge.

Your skating level will impact:

  • Customization needs for the boot
  • Stiffness level of the boot (more support needed)
  • Quality of the blade
  • Durability, as you skate more or less often
  • Lightness of the boot 
  • Special technological advance to absorb shock

If you are a beginner skater, purchasing an advanced boot will NOT make you a better skater!

Shape

For example, the shape of your feet, for the boots:
Each figure skating boot brand is known for different shapes fitting different types of feet. For example:

  • Jackson skates have a wide toe-box, but they are the most versatile and tend to fit most feet, which is why they are so popular
  • Graf skates have very high arches
  • Riedell skates are narrower
  • Edea skates work for squarer feet
  • ...

But also, your training clothes. Some brands will be a better fit depending on your morphology.

Brand Figure skating feet shape

Budget

Another essential criterion is price.
You can find figure skating equipment at all prices - especially for boots, blades and costumes the price variations are huge.
When a child is still growing, you want to be reasonable as the skates will have to be changed frequently.

Having high quality and durable skates is great, but not if it impacts the financial stress level of the skater or the family.

What ice skates do Olympians wear?

You should never base your choice on which famous skater is wearing them because they don't have the same shape of feet.
But if you are curious:

  • Jackson - Nathan Chen, Kaetlyn Osmond, Alina Zagitova, Adam Rippon, Guillaume Cizeron...
  • Riedell - Alexa Linden, Johnny Weir, Vincent Zhou, Amy Lin...
  • Edea - Evgenia Medvedeva, Gabrielle Papadakis, Yuzuru Hanyu, Kaetlyn Osmond... (very popular with the latest generation of high-level figure skaters)
  • Risport - Shoma Uno, Wenjing Sui, Alexandra Trusova...
  • Graf - Ashley Wagner, Javier Fernandez, Carolina Kostner, Brian Orser, Alexei Yagudin, Evgeny Plushenko, Oksana Baiul.
Evgenia Medvedeva 2018

Evgenia Medvedeva 2018 by David W. Carmichael, CC BY 3.0 

Next, I will introduce the best figure skating brands for:

  • Boots
  • Blades
  • Training clothes and costumes
  • Accessories
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BOOTS - Best figure skate brands

First things first, you need boots.
Like for shoes, there are different shapes of boots depending on the manufacturer.

The most popular brands for ice skaters of all levels are Jackson and Riedell because they cover a complete range of products from beginners to Olympians, but for high level, the Edea boots are becoming increasingly popular.
But they all have their specialties.

Let's learn more about all of them

Jackson Ultima

  • Origin
    Created by Don Jackson, the 1962 World Figure skating champion, in partnership with his brother. It was purchased by Tournament Sports Marketing Inc in 1986.
    Headquarter in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada - website
  • Products
    Jackson manufactures both boots and blades for all levels of ice skaters - from absolute beginners to Olympians.
    Stock and custom boots
  • Shape specificity
    Overall design particularities: wide toe-box and narrower heel - they come in different widths
  • Specific Technologies
    Heat moldable technology to customize figure skates to the feet - they are dedicated to enhance fit and comfort
  • Famous customers
    Famous figure skaters wearing Jackson skates: Nathan Chen, Kaetlyn Osmond, Alina Zagitova, Adam Rippon, Guillaume Cizeron... See the list of Jackson Athletes here
Jackson Ultima logo

Riedell

  • Origin
    Founded in 1945 by Paul and Sophie Riedell. Paul is a member of the ice and roller skating Hall of Fame.
    Family business run by the grandsons of Riedell
    Headquarter in Red Wing, Minnesota, USA - website
  • Products
    Ice skates and Roller skates - for figure skates, they manufacture both boots and blades for all levels of ice skaters - from absolute beginners to Olympians.
    Stock and custom boots
  • Shape specificity
    Rather narrow skates with tight toebox (best with tapered toes)
  • Specific Technologies
    A proprietary manufacturing process for high quality products.
  • Famous customers
    Famous figure skaters wearing Riedell skates: Alexa Linden, Johnny Weir, Vincent Zhou, Amy Lin... See the #TeamRiedell skaters
Riedell logo

EDEA

  • Origin
    Originating in Italy, the first boots hit the ice in 2002, after 2 years of research and development.
    Headquarter - Crocetta del Montello, Italy- website
  • Products
    They manufacture boots only. Their boots have become very popular recently with high level skaters.
  • Shape specificity
    For squarer feet (heel, arch and toes of the same width).
  • Specific Technologies
    The Edea boots are famous for being significantly lighter than other boots, as they are made of synthetic material instead of leather.
    Top models have anti-shock technology to relieve pressure when landing a jump
    Careful, you can't heat them like typical boots, since they are not made of leather.
  • Famous customers
    Famous figure skaters wearing Edea skates: Evgenia Medvedeva, Gabrielle Papadakis, Yuzuru Hanyu, Kaetlyn Osmond ...  See the list of Edea Skaters
Edea logo

RISPORT

  • Origin
    Founded in 1970s in Italy, it was acquired in 1995 by the Rossignol group.
    Imported from Europe - Headquarter in Montebelluna, Italy - website
  • Products
    Boots only - from entry to competitive level
  • Shape specificity
    Like Italian shoes, tend to be narrower. Gradual lift in the arch, comfortable for flat feet
  • Specific Technologies
    Light boots with microfiber, recognized for the durability of the skates
    Rebound and flexibility of the tongue.
  • Famous customers
    Figure skaters wearing Risport include Shoma Uno, Wenjing Sui, Alexandra Trusova... See their "band of heroes".
Risport logo

Graf

  • Origin
    The family-owned company GRAF SKATES AG was founded in 1921 creating sport shoes and venturing into hockey skates and figure skates in 1937.
    Headquarter in KREUZLINGEN, Switzerland - website
  • Products
    Boots only - well-padded products with customization
  • Shape specificity
    They have wide toe bow, high arch and narrow heel. If, like me, you have a very high arch on your feet, this will be one of the best options.
  • Specific Technologies
    Ultralight outsole
    Special model for ice dancers with lower backstripe (to point your toes, I love it!)
  • Famous customers
    Figure skaters wearing Graf (except me LOL) - Ashley Wagner, Javier Fernandez, Viveca Lindfors, Carolina Kostner, Evgeny Plushenko, Oksana Baiul.
Graf logo

GAM

  • Origin
    Owned by the same company as Jackson
  • Products
    Entry to mid-levels skaters - good comfort
  • Shape specificity
    Wide toe-box
  • Specific Technologies
    Leather with heat molding capabilities

Harlick

  • Origin
    In 1935, Louis Harlick, a custom footwear maker, made his first pair of custom skating boots. He joined with the Henderson brothers in 1960. Today, the company is still owned by the Henderson family.
    Headquarter: San Carlos, California, USA - Website
  • Products
    Boots only. High quality boots with customization using special padding. Fitting in California - not for beginners
  • Specific Technologies
    Handcrafted from traditional leather.
  • Famous customers
    Used to be worn by Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding, Meryl Davis and Charlie White
Harlick logo

SP-Teri

  • Origin
    Making skating boots since 1948, Joseph Spiteri launched his own company in 1963 in California. It is now led by Bill Fauver who used to be a competitive ice skater.
    Headquarter in Nashville, Tennessee, USA - wesbite
  • Products
    Boots only with customization, famous for its fit, entry level to elite
  • Shape specificity
    Customized with material, flexibility, padding, orthotic allowances, tongue options, insoles...
  • Famous customers
    Mirai Nagasu, Dorothy Hamill
SP-Teri logo

Other figure skate brands

On Amazon, you will also notice other brands. They offer some good entry level skates for reasonable prices. They often started with other products such as roller skates or hockey skates and are branching out into ice skates.

  • Bladerunner (Italy)
  • Botas (Czech Republic)
  • Lake Placid (USA)

Now let's talk about blades...

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BLADES - Top figure skate brands

Another essential for creating the perfect figure skate for you is the blade.

The most popular brands at high level are MK and John Wilson.

Specific attributes to look at for your blades (depending on your level)

Figure skate blade parts anatomy

  • Material - Carbon steel (most common to start with), nickel, aluminium, carbon fiber, stainless steel, titanium - different materials offer different advantages: corrosion resistance, strength, elasticity, weight...
  • Blade types - Parallel (most of the blades, easier to sharpen) and parabolic (help center your weight) are the most common but new shapes are appearing such as the Revolution, and other traditional such as side-honed or tapered.
  • Rocker - 7 foot or 8 foot (more or less curved)  - 7' is more mobile and easier for spins while the 8' is better for speed, edge control and jump landing.
  • Toe rake (a.k.a Toe pick or Teeth) - several shapes available: straight-cut are great for beginners to intermediates (low profile to avoid tripping over them), then cross-cut is common. For advanced skater the K-pick is preferred as it is more aggressive.
  • Tail length and lift angle - Tails are shorter for ice dancer and longer for figure skaters. Blades also have different lift angles (how high the tail is from the ice) - this has an impact on the time for the toe pick to come into contact with the ice (larger lift, longer time).

Want to understand more? - check out my complete article about figure skate blades.

MK Blades

  • Origin
    MK means Mitchel & King
    Headquarter - Sheffield, United Kingdom - website
  • Famous products:
    The Dance Blades, Phantom Blades, Gold Star Blades
  • Shapes and materials
    Competition level blades are available in various profiles
    Materials are carbon fiber composite and steel
  • Famous customers
    Many famous figure skaters use MK blades, especially ice dancers: Tessa Virtue, Gabrielle Papadakis, Patrick Chan...  See their Hall of fame
MK blades logo

John Wilson

  • Origin
    Historical blade maker, John Wilson was commissioned to make blades for King William III in 1696
    Headquarter - Sheffield, United Kingdom - website
  • Famous products:
    The Pattern 99 Revolution blades, the Gold Seal Blades...
  • Shapes and materials
    Competition level blades are available in various profiles
    Materials are carbon fiber composite and steel
  • Famous customers
    Many famous figure skaters use John Wilson blades: Yuzuru Hanyu, Shuman Uno, Nathan Chen, Adam Tippon...  See their Hall of fame
John Wilson logo

Both John Wilson and MK have similar websites and the same address. They are both owned by the parent company HD sports.

Paramout SK8s

  • Origin
    Headquarter - Gurnee, Chicago area, IL, USA - website
  • Famous products:
    Customization possible
  • Shapes and materials
    Carbon steel
  • Famous customers
    Many famous figure skaters use John Wilson blades: Javier Fernandez, Nicole Rajico...  See their Skaters list
Paramount logo

Jackson and Riedell

We already saw these 2 companies in the Boot section. They both make blades to go with them.

  • Jackson Ultima - various profiles in aluminium and stainless steel 
  • Riedell Eclipse - various profiles in stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum and titanium
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CLOTHES & COSTUMES - Good figure skating brands

Best figure skating tights brands

For competition (and sometimes for practice), figure skaters wear tights. They can be footed, footless or over-the-boot.
The most famous brands of tights are Mondor and Capezio.
Learn more on how to choose your figure skating tights in my article.

Mondor Classic - over the boot

Best figure skating dress brands

For competitions, it is often best to have your own design and a seamstress to create the perfect costumes for your morphology and your programs.
However, this has a cost.

Some brands are offering a variety of pre-made figure skating dresses:

  • Mondor
  • Chloe Noel
  • Jerry's Skating World
  • Elite Expression
  • Liuhuo
  • ...

Get it on Amazon

Get it on Amazon

Best figure skating training clothes brands

Jacket, leggings, leotard, tops, skirts... There are many ways to dress for figure skating practice.
There is no one brand that really stands out. They include:

  • Chloe Noel
  • Elite Expression
  • Jerry's Skating World
  • IceDress Thermal apparel
  • Mondor
  • ...

But you don't have to choose clothes that are specific for figure skating. As long as they are thin, warm, breathable and not soaking up water, most sport clothes will be fine.

You can find here my suggestion for 5 looks to enjoy at practice.

See colors and designs

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ACCESSORIES - Best ice skating brands

Best figure skating bags brands

Right now, the most popular brands of figure skating bags are Zuca Sport (with the wheel system) and TransPack backpack (with the ventilated pockets for the skates).
But figure skate manufacturers also have bags such as Idea, Jackson and Riedell.
See my article to help you choose the best ice skating bag for you.

See the many designs on Amazon

Get it on Amazon (various colors)

Best blade guards' brands

The choice is way more limited concerning skate guards.
One of the popular brands right now is Rockerz in the US because they are fully customizable (with combinations of colors) and arrive already sized.
See my article on skate guards to better understand the differences.

Get them on Amazon

Figure skating laces brands

Figure skating laces are made by a combination of figure skate manufacturers,  figure skating clothes manufacturers and accessory manufacturers:

  • Edea
  • Riedell
  • Jackson
  • Jerry's
  • A&R

Get them on Amazon

Get them on Amazon

Best blade towels

A towel to dry out your blades must be soft and very absorbent, and preferably quick to dry. See my article about choosing blade towels
Most fabric are boring.
If you are looking for personalized towel with nice designs, check out my IceSkatingPassion collection on Zazzle. I have found that this fabric is really great and efficient:

Figure skate blade Towel live on edge pink purple
Personalize and get the Figure skate blade Towel
Star Figure Skating Towel blade black frozen blue
Personalize and get the blade towel
Ice skate towel figure skates Black rainbow pink
Personalize and get the blade towel

See my collection of absorbent blade towels for figure skaters

Figure skating protective gear brands

When looking at protective gear, brands are not always specific to figure skating.
You can use protections that are also made for cycling, volleyball, basketball and many other sports.
However note that Chloe Noel does make pads to protect the hips and tailbone of figure skaters, and Jerry's Skating World some clothing pieces, such as padded shorts...
Learn more about ice skating protective clothes and protective pads in this article.

See the 2 colors or padded shorts / Read reviews

Get hip pads on Amazon

Other figure skating accessories

There are no famous specific brands for

  • Boot covers
  • Figure skating gloves

Other accessories with figure skating designs

And if you are looking for everyday life accessories with figure skating designs check out my collection on Zazzle with:

  • Notebooks
  • Mirrors
  • Leggings
  • Tank tops
  • Yoga mats
  • Jewelry
  • Bedroom decors
  • and much more...
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Sticker ice skates pair figure skating rainbow
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Ice skating mirror figure skates red silver
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