Soaker, hard guard or wheels — three ways to cover a blade

Skate guards and blade covers, compared

A skate blade rusts from the water it carries off the ice and dulls on anything harder than ice, and this shelf answers both with three different objects. A soaker — a stretch fabric sleeve, 8 to 10 € here and by far the largest part of the corpus — slides over a dried blade and absorbs what is left; it goes in the bag, not on the floor, and it does not protect against a knock. A hard guard is a plastic channel, usually adjustable, that takes an impact and lets a skater stand on a rubber mat: the corpus shows one at 34.5 cm adjustable and another sold specifically against rust at 12.80 €. A wheeled guard is the third and it is its own product at 55 €: it clips on and rolls, so a player can walk from the changing room to the rink in skates. The mistake this shelf punishes is putting a soaker on a wet blade and leaving it in a bag until the following week, which holds the water against the steel instead of taking it away. So read what each one is for. The adjustable length is the fit specification, and a guard shorter than the blade leaves a toe or a heel exposed. Whether it fits a figure blade with a toe pick as well as a hockey blade is a real difference and the listings say which. This page reports what each maker states its guard does; drying the blade first is the part no guard replaces. We compare fits, type, adjustable length, material, absorbs moisture, walkable and pack.

Every accessory here, figure by figure

1. 

   JAMSSOW J0127

   The cheapest guard here, and the only one on this shelf that publishes a size.

   Fits

   Hockey and figure skates; the elastic adapts to several sizes

   Type

   Soaker — an absorbent fabric sleeve

   Adjustable length

   No; an internal elastic takes up the difference

   Material

   Thick absorbent microfibre with a cut-resistant nylon underside

   Absorbs moisture

   Yes — the stated purpose

   Walkable

   Not published; the nylon underside is stated to survive concrete

   Pack

   Two — one pair

   Amazon reference

   B0DFLWB2H1 (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0786748187967

   • Publishes a size — about 40 × 7 cm — which nothing else on this shelf does
   • A cut-resistant nylon underside, stated larger than standard and able to take concrete
   • A soaker absorbs and holds water, which is the opposite of draining it

   Best for: The bag ride home, after the blade has been wiped

   ≈ €7

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2. 

   S.F.Pachira Kufenschoner

   A soaker that makes a point of drying out again — which is what a soaker usually fails to do.

   Fits

   Hockey skates, figure skates, ice skates and roller skates

   Type

   Soaker — an absorbent stretch sleeve

   Adjustable length

   No; stretch takes up the difference

   Material

   Highly absorbent, quick-drying lining; the fabric is not named

   Absorbs moisture

   Yes, and stated to dry quickly afterwards

   Walkable

   Not published

   Pack

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B0H35QF86K (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0749384390597

   • The only soaker here that claims to dry out again quickly, which is the half of the job the others skip
   • Stated non-slip so it stays on the blade in a bag
   • No size, no material name and no pack count

   Best for: A skater who puts the guards back on a dried blade twice a week

   ≈ £7 / €8

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3. 

   BELIHOME Kufenschoner

   Microfibre outside, terry inside — the only soaker here that names the absorbent fabric itself.

   Fits

   Hockey skates, figure skates, inline skates and short speed-skating blades

   Type

   Soaker — a microfibre sleeve with a terry lining

   Adjustable length

   No; elastic, stated to fit all skate sizes

   Material

   Microfibre, stated abrasion- and tear-resistant, with a terry lining

   Absorbs moisture

   Yes — the terry lining takes excess moisture off the blade

   Walkable

   Not published

   Pack

   One pair

   Amazon reference

   B0DCYYFZT4 (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0683770107669

   • Names the absorbent fabric: terry, which is the looped pile used in towels
   • Stated to fit short speed-skating blades as well as hockey and figure skates
   • No size published, on a product whose fit is its whole specification

   Best for: A household with different kinds of skates and one pair of guards

   ≈ €9

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4. 

   ESSENTIVAL Premium Kufenschoner

   The only guard on this shelf that lets the water out instead of holding it.

   Fits

   Hockey and figure skates, children and adults, all blade lengths

   Type

   Hard guard, adjustable

   Adjustable length

   An 18-step closure system; excess material can be cut off

   Material

   TPE — elastic plastic, stated to resist breaking at low temperatures

   Absorbs moisture

   No — drainage openings in the underside let residual water run out

   Walkable

   Stated to protect the blade from impact and wear; walking is implied rather than stated

   Pack

   One pair

   Amazon reference

   B0FPRMG3G3 (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4262531370069

   • Drainage holes in the underside — the only mechanical answer to rust on this shelf
   • An eighteen-step adjustment, published as a count, and trimmable beyond that
   • A hard guard holds no water off the steel; it needs a soaker as well, and the buying tip above says to own both

   Best for: Walking from the changing room, and a blade that is dried before storage

   ≈ €13

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5. 

   Blue Sports NP214

   The only guard here that says it suits curved blades as well as straight ones.

   Fits

   Hockey and figure skates, adults and children; straight or curved blades

   Type

   Hard guard, adjustable

   Adjustable length

   Individually adjustable and shortenable; no step count published

   Material

   Not published; made in Canada, stated

   Absorbs moisture

   No

   Walkable

   Stated to be pulled on quickly to protect the blade and the bag

   Pack

   One pair

   Amazon reference

   B01M5E17P9 (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4019309400165

   • The only listing here that distinguishes straight from curved blades — a real difference between hockey and figure skating
   • States where it is made: Canada
   • No material published, on a hard guard where cold-brittleness is the failure mode

   Best for: A figure blade, whose curve most guards do not mention

   ≈ €15

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6. 

   Sher-wood Pro Kufenstrumpf Senior

   A blade sock with a reinforced strip down the running edge — meant to be pulled on and off, not stored in.

   Fits

   All skate sizes, stated; senior

   Type

   Blade sock with an elastic band and a reinforced running strip

   Adjustable length

   No; elastic

   Material

   Not published

   Absorbs moisture

   Not stated

   Walkable

   Yes — stated for walking a short distance and pulling off to get onto the ice

   Pack

   One pair

   Amazon reference

   B073H32SXZ (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4019309022855

   • A reinforced running strip, so the sock survives being walked in
   • Explicitly designed to go on and come off quickly, which is the rink-side use
   • The Spanish price, 45.35 €, is more than twice the German one

   Best for: The walk from the bench to the ice, repeated all season

   ≈ €20

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7. 

   Rollergard 44374

   The guard that turns a skate into a roller skate — for walking off the ice and for breaking boots in.

   Fits

   All skate sizes, stated; hockey and ice skates

   Type

   Hard guard with four wheels

   Adjustable length

   Not published; one size

   Material

   Not published

   Absorbs moisture

   No

   Walkable

   Yes — it rolls; stated for skating away from the ice

   Pack

   One pair

   Amazon reference

   B004IR705Y (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0094922410597

   • Four wheels, so a skater can move off the ice without taking the skates off
   • Stated for breaking boots in, which is otherwise done painfully on the ice
   • The dearest product on this shelf at 51.80 €, against 6.99 € for a soaker

   Best for: A child breaking in new boots, or a skater who walks a long way to the ice

   ≈ $55 / £65 / €52

   Check price on Amazon