Leaderboard

Just to follow up, I went with a sherwood Code V girdle, the thigh pads are adjustable by up to 5" .

Why not try a longer profile before you start drilling holes in a new pair of skates??? I know if done right it's not a problem. If done poorly it can permanently damage the skate and or alter it's life.

Mini update. Got on the ice for practice today (in-house, big group, many coaches) and one of the guys in charge calls me over. He had walked by during my parent discussion but didn’t have time to stop. He asked me what happened and I told him and he said he figured and had mentioned it to the other guy who runs things. At the end he just said he wanted me to know that they have all the coaches’ backs. Nice to know.

Maybe we should give out pool noodles to duel to resolve these existential disagreements....

Grafs are the historical choice for referees because they were primarily black and looked professional. It doesn't mean they're the most comfortable skate for you or your feet. It doesn't hurt to try them on, but you shouldn't fixate on Grafs and should try on and consider as many brands and models as possible if you do have to buy new skates. The other solutions mentioned like profiling and using gel pads may allow you to keep using the same skates. Quite a few refs in my area that skate a lot have moved to True skates; even some of the older officials who came up using Grafs. Some have gone the custom route and others have bought barely used pairs that are a close enough fit and then have them baked to fit their feet. The ones who used to have pain issues say they're much more comfortable after switching to True skates. Obviously the ones who went the custom route should have comfortable skates as they were built for their feet, but even the ones who bought "close enough" barely used models have been happy. That's likely due to how malleable they are after a proper bake. COVID was upon us before the retail Trues came out so I don't know any refs who have switched to those, but I have tried them on and the TF9s flip12 mentioned felt pretty good even without baking, but fit a half to a full size longer than other brands in the same size (so you might have to go down to a 9 in those if they fit your feet well). Icewarehouse offers free return shipping on skates for the lower 48 states in the US, plus True is offering a 30 day satisfaction guarantee for purchases made before Jan 31 at participating retailers (IW is participating). So you could potentially order TF9s to try with little risk (even a few pairs to dial in the sizing without having to make a long road trip). If they're the wrong size, you just send them back with the prepaid label without sharpening or using them. If they're the right size and you bake them, sharpen them and try them and they don't solve the pain then you could still return them for a refund within 30 days. https://www.icewarehouse.com/True_TF9/descpage-TF9SK.html. They do make a cheaper option with the TF7s that you could also try if the TF9s are more than your budget allows right now. I might have taken advantage of the TF9 30 day trial myself, but there's no hockey going on and only 45 minute pleasure skating outdoors booked online in advance allowed; so it wouldn't be a great time to test them and I wouldn't have been able to make extra money officiating to pay for them if they worked well. Plus, I still have two pairs of Mako II's waiting in my closet. Once my Mako II stockpile is depleted, I'll try on everything I can, but right now I'd lean toward the TF9s. If something fits me better at the time, I'm certainly open to it though.

I'm not entirely sure how the pricing compares, and I know price can be a sensitive issue, but for the amount of skating it sounds you do, you would be best to invest in a higher end boot. Definitely finding the right fit will help, whether it's Graf or another brand, but I would avoid the lower end Graf boots, as my experience is they have had issues with drastic quality drop off below the top of the line. As it sounds like your foot is a bit deeper than ideal for the PeakSpeed line, you might want to look elsewhere. The RibCor line has similar plush fit qualities and even though they're represented as CCM's low profile boot a lot of people experience them to be very deep. That might be worth a shot. True TF9s (about the same price as Graf 755s from a quick online search) might not be deep enough, but with their wrap and support, you might be able to fit into them comfortably. Their toe box is very anatomical, which sounds like it could be a start in relieving some of the comfort issues you've had in the past. I'm not 100% sure about the new True TF shells, but the fully custom ones were moldable on the arch as well as the quarters, so if your arch is an issue, you could potentially address that. The most important point here, I think, is how unique everyone's feet are. Just because I have a historical penchant for Graf and now True skates, doesn't mean they're necessarily right for you, or anyone at random for that matter. Grafs used to be go to skates for refs, but other companies have learned a lot of the tricks that put Graf ahead in the 90's and Graf hasn't done the same quick enough in keeping up with market trends. As much as you use your skates and you probably make some income even on your time spent on the ice, I would definitely prioritize a boot that's the right fit and going to withstand the intense use you're subjecting them to. One way to get around being so far from many shops could be to get your feet scanned, so you have an idea of how they compare to what fits are offered at retail currently. Then maybe order several skates that best fit that description and return the ones that don't work. It's best to start fresh, with an open mind, as it sounds like you're still hunting for your go to skate make and model. Don't limit yourself by what you think you might need, as you might easily miss a much better solution if you're too keen on something before giving the search a proper go.

Digital it's thinner with better feel. Mustang is very comfortable, but digi has a better feel imo. Pearl is thicker than yellow mustang in my experience, even though Pittard's, the company that produces both, lists them both at .8mm thickness, I have always found pearl to be thicker than both yellow and black mustang (which eagle offers). The advantage to pearl is less grippy and maybe slightly more durable If thin and best feel is your priority, digital it's the way to go.

The silver Easton 110 flex Aluminum shaft I tried to use when I was 13. That thing would be too stiff for me now; it was crazy stiff at that age. I also had a 100 flex gold Easton; it wasn't quite as bad, but still too stiff. I knew nothing about flex, skate hollows and all the great things I learned from this site at that time. I did stumble upon some sticks and shafts with more appropriate flex ratings, but that was basically because they were on sale and I got lucky and not because I knew what I needed. Also, the Nike 004 helmet. It looked great, but was too narrow for me at the temples and gave me headaches. I moved on to helmets that aren't really known for their style, but fit me comfortably.

Saw these on eBay (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bauer-Pro-Series-Pro-Stock-Hockey-Shoulder-Pads-Senior-Medium-/114507386071?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292 - not my auction). Looks like they might be a black version of the above? Expensive option though.

The red heel on the prototype Vapor looks awesome. Just the right amount of pop and identifiable from a distance/on TV while still being a classy looking black boot. I’m sure it will end up like the Ultrasonic with some horrible bright yellow racing stripes but here’s to hoping.

This whole thing is really bizarre. I shipped a box of gloves from Phoenix to Long Beach CA and it took over two weeks to get there. Then I sold a pair of skates on sideline to be shipped to San Diego. When I looked for it I couldn't find it and realized that I left it in my parents basement in NY so I asked my dad to ship them out. Used the prepaid label from sideline that was from Arizona to San Diego, but he shipped then from NY. Shipped them Monday, they arrived Wednesday midday. It took two weeks to get a package from Phoenix to Long Beach and two days to get a package from NY to SD...? Huh?

Wow, you know a Bauer rep. I'm impressed...

Purely cosmetic

No, changes to the toecap didn't occur until the Ultrasonic. I didn't notice a volume difference, just that the 1S fit bigger.

You're going to have different opinions on this. Without knowing whether they're were any changes made to the last (and I don't see why they would have) the fit should be relatively the same. I went down a half size when going from the MX3 to the 1S. I attributed this to the extremely thin MX3 tongue and the more traditional 52 ounce tongue on the 1S.