dante_p

ha My bad. I must have missed that and was just replying to Vet88's comment. Thank you, as always, for continuing to drop product knowledge.

That is a fascinating document, @Vet88. Thank you for posting it. I'm sure most of it is common knowledge for people in the industry, but it's really interesting to see different aspects of the skate spoken about in plain - rather than marketing - terms.

That is an excellent description. Thank you for taking the time to write it up. It sounds like there's a lot of feel involved, developed from experience, but just knowing that the boot will move is very helpful. Your mention of training skates is interesting. I might go out and find a destroyed skate, somewhere, to screw around with. Thank you, again.

Hello. I'm a long-time lurker, so I don't think this question has been answered. I apologize if it has. I doubly apologize if it's an unanswerable question. I had a hard time even articulating it. Would it be possible for any of the experienced skate fitters / tinkerers to post some video or pictorial examples of what a top of the line, current retail skate looks or feels like when the composite material has been heated to the point of maximum "malleability" or "softness"? I know that's a difficult thing to capture on film, so even a really clear, explicit verbal description of how to judge the limits of a particular skate (e.g., AS1, 2017 1X, 70K, etc.) would be incredibly appreciated. Some of the True videos (not directly comparable to CCM and Bauer) show quick squeezes, etc. of the boot. Especially the eyelet adjustment vids. I haven't been able to find anything like that for other current skates. I've skated in both Mako IIs and Trues, which are obviously VERY malleable. I don't expect that from CCM and Bauer, but I've seen comments that describe a level of malleability in their top skates that I have not yet experienced. When someone describes heat-gunning under the ankle and having someone stand on the side of the boot while you wear it to reduce negative space, my heart tells me to leave work immediately and dig out my heat gun. My head, however, tells me that I have never felt my AS1s or 1Xs soft enough to mold under any pressure, let alone my tiny wife's body weight. Bummer! I've certainly felt the interior foam mold, but I've yet to feel the shape of the boot ever do much. When someone says that the AS1 boot is startlingly soft when hot - to the point of leaving dimples when pressed firmly - it makes me wonder if my LHS is being too conservative with the bake. I've cooked the sh-- out of my Mako IIs in my home oven and repeatedly heat-gunned my Trues, but those companies actively encourage that. CCM and Bauer, however, write the instructions in such a way that makes it sound like the skates will burst into flames if they're in the oven for a second longer than 2 or 3 minutes. Obviously they won't, since this forum keeps giving me tantalizing glimpses into a world of extra-long bakes and aggressive heat-gunning, but I totally understand why a less experienced LHS employee might be uncomfortable pushing the envelope. I sure as hell am! The problem for me (and possibly my LHS) is that I don't have anything to compare to. I don't have something I can look at and say, "Oh, THAT is what everyone means when they say the AS1s/1Xs/70Ks are soft when hot." Being able to see that would help a ton, especially if I am expecting too much. I don't want to try to achieve an unrealistic level of malleability and ruin the skates. Any reference at all would be much appreciated. Thank you.