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JR Boucicaut

KOR Shift2

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KOR Shift2

size 11.5

previous skates Graf G9

Playing currently for U of M Dearborn (ACHA Div 1)

JR gave me these to test out

Heated them up in the oven for 10 mins. Put them on and form fit them. This is a very comfortable skate right out of the box. The liner is very soft and comfortable. The skates are definitely lighter, stiffer, and lower cut than I am used to, but are very nice right out of the box. I walked around in them after they were baked. I took them off, then relaced and walked a little more. Very comfortable except for the part where the tendon guard meets the boot in the back. There was a little pressure, nothing painful though. The boot is very supportive, and does not feel as low cut as it appears. You could feel the outsole stretching to the fit of your foot during the fitting process. One thing I did like about the boot was that there was much more forward flex than other skates offer. I have tried the vapor XXX and XXXX and did not like the fact that you couldn't flex your ankle and foot forward. This boot offers support/stiffness on the sides with good forward flex. Overall, I am pleased with them. Will update after tomorrow's skate.

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I wore them in practice this morning. I went out about a half hour early just to get a feel for them. I definitely need to adjust the pitch holder from neutral to put me more up on my toes, but other than that the skate was great. I had no pain whatsoever, which is a huge plus coming from two pairs of Grafs, both which killed after baking them twice and skating a few times on them. Great fit and comfort right out of the box (after one bake). The extra stiffness allowed me to cut more sharply, and I definitely noticed that I got more out of each stride. I wore sox, which is something I never do, and there was no issue with the section where the tendon guard meets the boot like I had initially last night. There seemed to be a lot of room in the top part of the toe cap above my toes, which is also something I am not used to, which was nice. My toes weren't jammed inside a tiny toe cap and frozen.

I believe that the best feature that this skate offers is the forward flex it allows for. I have tried other "stiff" skates such as the vapor XXX and XXXX which did not allow your ankles to flex forward. This skate does. Not as much as the Graf softboots, obviously, but enough to give you a more agressive stride easier. The tongue is also very comfortable. The superfeet footbeds are nice, too, because they are so anatomical and contour to the foot. I have very flat feet and the arch support in the superfeet helped me out, too.

So far, these are great skates. They are comfortable, supportive, and perform extremely well.

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I just got done skating for three hours in them. Today's practice was much more intense than yesterday's, so I really got a chance to see how the skates performed. I still really like the forward flex that the skate allows for, but today I noticed how stiff the boot and composite outsole really are. I did some red line to blue line stops and starts and my speed was noticably faster. I also skated circles. I liked that the stiff boot supports your ankles while doing crossovers, but the tongue really lets you flex forward and get a powerful stride. I realized just how much energy is wasted and speed is lost when I wear my Grafs due to the boot just bending and being unsupportive. I felt more comfortable taking tight turns at higer speeds because I knew that the support was there.

I did not adjust the pitch on the holders, but that was not a problem at all today. I felt much more comfortable on them today and plan on wearing them in our games this weekend.

I really like how the whole boot wraps around the front of your ankle, also. It adds more support during crossovers, but is not too restrictive when skating forward. I still haven't had much of a chance to do any backwards skating or trasitioning in them, but plan on finding out this weekend.

I am still surprised at the fact that I put on a pair of brand new skates and there was and still is no pain or discomfort at all. So far, I really am pleased with the skates. I will post again after my game tomorrow night or saturday morning.

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I wore them in their first game today. I was very pleased with the performance of the skates, but I do have two problems with them now.

First, the top eyelet on the inside of the right skate came out as I was unlacing them after the game. I was able to pop it back in for now, but i will definitely have to have a new one put in once we get back.

Second, I have a little bit of lace bite on my left foot. It's nothing major, but it definitely is sore.

Overall, I was pleased with the performance of the skates. They are much more responsive than I am used to in the Grafs, but I like it. I noticed a difference in my skating, and I am pleased. There was no problem transitioning or skating backwards. I really like the forward flex in the boot for backwards skating, also. I feel like my crossovers (forwards and back) are much more powerful due to the stiff boot and the comp outsole, both which I have grown to like. The skates are comfortable (except for the lace bite), I am pleased with the performance, but I am concerned about the durability/quality. Three times on the ice and already one eyelet missing?...

I will post again after tomorrow nights game

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I didn't wear them last night. I was putting them on before the game and I had the one eyelet problem, which I noticed on two others, and then I noticed that there was a copper rivet missing from one skate...

Will update next time I wear them...

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I wore them again today. Last night JR fixed the eyelet and the rivet. I really was happy wearing them again today. There was no pain or discomfort again, and I skated really well. I also adjusted the pitch on the holder last night to +1. It worked out really well, seeing that now I don't have to take tons of steel off profiling them. It made a slight difference in my skating, which obviously was what I was hoping for. It now feels like I am not back on my heels as far. I will update thursday after the skate.

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I've been on the skates almost every day for the past three or four weeks. I still love the fit of the skates and the comfort, but since I've gotten very used to them, I really have been benefitting from the performance that the skates offer. My speed has noticably increased, and my tight turns, stopping, starting and crossovers have really improved. I can do all of them easier and quicker than with my grafs because of the stiff boots and the compostie outsoles. The superfeet footbeds that come with the skates are very comfortable and supportive, too. I have still had no pain or discomfort since I've been wearing the KORs. I have taken two shots off the boots since I have had them, one was a hard slapshot. Neither of them hurt, and neither of them damaged the skate, even though both of them hit the composite part of the boot in the back part near the ankle.

The only problem that I have with the skates is the eyelets. I have replaced the same eyelet twice, and two more need to be fixed. Other than that, no major problems.

I'll try to update a little sooner next time.

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I've still been on the ice almost every day in them. I do have a few updates though. The tendon guards are becoming "weak." They seem to be able to move. They are not broken, but they feel loose, you can move them. I don't pull my socks over the tendon guards, I don't wrap my laces around my ankles, and I don't pull on the tendon guards when I take my skates off, so I don't know what it could be that is causing them to break down on me. Overall, I love the skates. They fit me perfectly and cause no pain or discomfort while I am in them. I did bend the steel about a month ago, but JR the King helped me out and got me a new pair. I haven't had any more trouble with the eyelets coming out, but 3 of the 4 factory copper rivets have rusted and fallen out and been replaced.

As far as performance goes in the KORs I am extremely happy. The boots have really made a difference in my skating. I really like the amount of forward flex that the boot gives you combined with the ankle support. I also like how the boot 'wraps' around the sides/top of my foot. I have no problems skating forward, backward, or doing crossovers and transitions. I am very pleased with the Shift 2.

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