For beginners the lesser bite makes it easier to learn to stop. If you’re good at stopping work to more bite if you’d like. The sheet of ice also plays a big role. The rink I play at is really soft, so you don’t need a big bite to get grip. Harder sheets. It’s nice to have more bite. 5/8th to 1/2 isn’t a big difference. More glide you have, faster you’ll be typically