New Blades?

I dropped my skates off to be sharpened today, and took some time to talk with my sharpener ("skate maintenance technician"? :-)) about my blades. It's beginning to look like I might have to stick with these boots a while longer than I'd hoped -- I'd been hoping to get new boots and blades next spring -- so I'm considering just getting new blades in the spring (my current blades are Ultima Mark IVs and they are going to be at the end of their useful life in a few months, probably). He suggested I talk to Anna about it, but also took the time to show me some MK Gold Stars. I asked about the MK Pros and he said they would be fine but maybe not enough blade for me. I think he may have a somewhat exaggerated notion of my current qualifications though :-). He also said some of the mid-priced Ultimas are pretty good. With Rainbo selling Gold Stars for $500 (!) and the MK Pros for $200, I'm thinking MK Pros are more in my future, or maybe the Ultima Protégé like Nerd on Ice has ($130).

He also mentioned that a good approximation of blade size is to measure the boot from toe to heel and subtract 1/4 inch. My current blades are 10 2/3 (!), I've never seen any other blades measured in thirds.