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So true.... I have found this to be not helpful at all.

This is a pretty broad brush statement, but most people who haven’t had a good, quality fitting at some point are probably in skates that are too big. If you were never taught, and/or sized wrong, you buy skates a size too big to compensate for wide feet, or that boot shape didn’t fit your foot. Or too big because your are used to the proper “tight” fit of a new skate. You might buy to big because you sized them standing up straight, rather than in hockey stance. Or, the store doesn’t have your exact size and model in stock, and the underpaid and overworked person doing the fitting does their best to get you in the next closest thing. New too big skates skates feel like a comfortable sneaker. New correct size skates feel like a sneaker that’s probably too small. When they break in, the too big skate will get even roomier, but you may not notice it, and the correct skate feels great when broken in, but you have to go through the first few skating session of adapting to a new boot with interiors that are conforming to your foot. You see the same with snowboarding boots and skiing boots, and I assume any performance footwear. We apply the model for fitting street shoes to any footwear, because that’s all the knowledge we have. A half size isn’t off isn’t the end of the world, but you can get a bump in performance if you get that fit dialed in for your foot.

Thanks! So, after one 'free skate', a 'sticks & pucks' session, an 'open hockey' session, and my first game in them last night, the tight heel went from horrible pain, to only slight discomfort. That's with about 4 hours of skate time in them. Considering how they felt at the end of my beer league game last night, I'm confident that these skates are going to break in very nicely! The pinching around my Achilles was so bad at first, I didn't think that the material would/could break in enough. Now, I'm convinced that it will.

I ended up gluing velcro on each surface with super glue. Seems to be fine and I like that I can remove/reposition.

I have not found a way to fix it. I have an almost new pair of FT1's sitting in my basement that I can't wear because of this issue.

I just don't get this. This area can be punched but it takes time and care and I suspect this is the real reason why they don't want to do it. In a later post you say the sore area is just behind the pinky toe, this area isn't hard to punch especially as you only need to move the side of the boot by a mm or 2 to give you the relief you are after. Maybe call round other shops in your area and see if they will do it? Or try a rebake but this time you put a 4mm - 5mm thick pad on your foot where the sore area is so it helps to push the boot out in that area. Or try to punch it yourself at home, for the cost of a c clamp and some other basic materials you can do it yourself and take the time and care needed to do it.

It will open up back there and if that's your only issue they should be pretty comfy. Part of Graf's amazing heel lock is that pocket design, but it does take time to get to that perfect feel

When I used to heat Grafs, I would place the Achilles guard on the ground, blade perpendicular to the ground, and a little light pressure on the toe and side panel will open the throat of the skate and allow your heel to sink back deeper in the boot. This should make a noticeable difference in what you’re experiencing. a shop with a good boot press can soften the ankle padding as wel with a reheat. it’s a positive and a negative of those skates, it’ll be a bit of a process to get them broken in but there’s a reason guys still have their Grafs 10/15/20 years later.

755 and 735 skates should be equivalent "tier" skates with slightly different fit. Graf's number system indicates the boot dimensions and the level (tier) of the skate itself. If your G5s are based on the 705 last, the 755 will fit differently. That might not be a bad thing, but only you can determine that.

It's been a long time since I've worn Grafs, but my recollection is that they took a while to break-in. My last pair were 705s that I got about twenty years ago. Once they were broken in, they were very comfortable (one of my all-time favorite skates), but it took a while to get there....

Sure. Will post in this thread.

I gain nourishment and energy from eating the souls of my enemies. Really, I’ll eat a good protein and carb source 3 or 4 hours before a game. Then in the dressing room I’ll sip on BioSteel. I guess I never experimented from the energy standpoint- I’m a healthy eater by nature. My game day concerns are to avoid heartburn or a serious shit cramp erupting in the second period.

Great strategy 🍻 !!! Are you boys drafting this season ?