How Skate Fuel Enhances Your Blade Performance

Skate fuel blade coating. Ice, naturally has a thin film of water on it, even at temperatures exceeding 250 degrees below zero. This thin layer of water reduces the friction between a skate blade and the ice to virtually nothing as long as the style of skating is such that strides are long, relatively straight and where cornering and cuts are moderately slow and easy. This allows for both heat transfer from the blade to the ice to cause the desired melting and the naturally occurring layer of water that always exists to remain in place under the blade and keep friction/drag at bay.

However, the skating style and design of  blades are such that increased friction between the skate blade and ice during aggressive starts and hard sharp turns occurs due to the lack of time for the heat generated on the blade to transfer through to the ice. The blade moves too quickly through the turn to allow for the melting that normally occurs during slower easy turns and glides.

Additionally, the natural occurring micro-thin layer of water is displaced from beneath the blade. Water can not be compressed. It can not withstand the intense pressure and force created during aggressive starts, turns and cuts. Those actions result in the blade running through the ice dry with an elevated drag/friction coefficient.

Skate Fuel is a white creamy paste that once applied to a skate blade creates a micro thin layer of liquid that semi-permanently bonds to skate blade. It’s designed to withstand the aggressive abuse any player can offer up and will not come off the skate blade once applied. It has the required compressive and bonding strength to hold in place under the intense pressure created by aggressive cutting and cornering. The result is undeniable performance improvement. Skaters will find that they notice smoother cornering due to reduced friction/drag coefficients. Additionally, improvement to maximum glide speed and lengths are realized which has multiple resulting benefits.

What The Pro’s Had To Say

During Pro trials, we found that players felt an increased ability to hold their edge due to a smoother cut path and reduced friction between the blade and the ice. Some players also improved the performance value of using Skate Fuel by reducing the radius of sharpening they currently use. Reducing the sharpening radius brings the skate up out of the ice and reduces drag/friction even more. That results in further maximization of glide speed and length performance.