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+1. I used to skate on Grafs and loved them, but I've read all the accounts of declining quality and, sadly, it's become pretty hard to find them in a lot of shops. So, insight from someone with recent hands-on experience would be great.

I'm glad to hear you have had a good experience with your new Grafs. I bought a pair of unused 703 boots on eBay and I plan to mount some Tuuk Custom+ holders and Step Blacksteel to them as soon as I get a chance. Grafs are just the best.

I saw the QC issues personally about 5-6 years ago, but those days seem long gone. I was concerned that I'd never find another Graf to replace my ancient G70s, but the 7900 is superb. The others styles I tried on like the G755 pros may not have been the right fit for my feet, but their construction was also very good. When I got them shipped to me (local retailer did not have my size in any style) the construction was the first thing I looked at, like defects in workmanship such as bent holders, screws not inserted properly or straight, mismatched layers, etc but everything lined up perfectly. I suggest sifting through the www.grafhockey.com site and picking which skate best fits your foot shape, and then ordering them online or checking with a local dealer to see if they have them in stock. Either way, inspect them and see for yourself how the manufacturing has vastly improved.

I just skated in two open hockey scrimmages in them and will add photos tomorrow. In short, the 7900s are a modern take by Graf as they are built of composite materials, not the leather outer and mesh inside they used for so many years. The fit for me was snug at the heel which was nicely locked in, and looser moving towards the forefoot. The skate is very stiff and supportive despite being a looser fit than I had experienced with my G70s, as again, the heel is locked in. The G70 was a skate for medium-width, pronounced heels, with a wider/roomier forefoot. My toes had room both above and the sides, which is important for me as I have a bunion and a tighter toe box would be uncomfortable. The first few minutes skating with them in the warmups was quite a change from what I was used to, primarily because the blade profile is FAR flatter than the blade I used in my G70s, but the 7900PK holder is compatible with the G70 so I could swap the blade out if I chose. I am much faster with the 7900PK's flatter blade but turning and cutting were a challenge; it could be my skating style, inexperience with the profile, or both. I did get better as the night wore on, so this might be an issue that mitigates with time. By the 2nd scrimmage having skated back-to-back (yes, 3 hours of hockey), the comfort level/familiarity had increased substantially. I had not played in new skates in almost 10 years and had worn the 7900s for about 4-5 hours in my home either sitting on the couch watching TV or standing on carpets to acclimate myself to them, which might have helped. I did not have them baked as I never had my prior Grafs baked, and have always been told that if you buy the correct size skates with the appropriate fit, baking isn't needed. That said, the boot is VERY stiff and the fit is quite different than Grafs of years ago; a looser fit up front and snug heel lock-in. From what I have been told, this is the new fit of other brands as well. I do remember the G70s being very snug all around when new, and the skates needing about a half-dozen skates to mold into your foot - that is not how these modern skates work. The looser fit requires a different skating approach, and having good edges and fundamentals will make their adaptation easier, especially with the flatter profiled blade. I was heavily reliant on the G70 boot to make up for poor technique, and with the 7900s I am not sure if I can do so. My feet have bumps and bunions as mentioned, which were a bit of an issue with the G70s, especially as they started to soften but this is not an issue with the 7900PKs. The other problem I face is my right foot is 27cm long vs 28cm on my left, and about a centimeter or more lower in height which affects the volume. It means that the right skate of any pair I buy will always fit more loosely due to the lower volume, but with the 7900s being looser in general this seems to be less of a problem than it had been with the G70s. Regarding the construction, these are universes past the G70, G75, 9035, 703, 709 and any other Grafs I've tried on. They are literally the best constructed skate I've seen, and the pictures I'll post will confirm the quality. I really believe the Vaughn team has resolved the QC issues that had plagued the brand years ago. I experienced it personally on the G75s I had bought, which had a bent holder. The molding, construction, gluing and binding are all first class. I'm a leather jacket guy who spends months with the manufacturer in Scotland building them, so I am quite experienced in detailed construction/fabrication, etc, and these skates are as well made as any skates I've seen/tried on. I am not sure if we can mention retailers but the one on the West coast ("warehouse" is in their name) I purchased from has a flexible return policy which allowed me to order and try on several models until I found one that worked. I admit to not having done probably the most important thing until AFTER ordering a few pair; READING THE DESCRIPTION. Graf provides a breakdown of what kind of foot each skate style will fit, and I tried to work within the "7" platform/last but learned that even that last has several shapes. Reading the chart below ("Details") before ordering would had spared me from ordering a few styles that I had no chance to fitting into. https://grafhockey.com/skates/ice/player/peakspeed-pk7900/ The skates admittedly took some time tonight to adapt into, which as I said might have had to do more with the blade profile, and when I skated/took them off my feet did not hurt at all, anywhere, which was surprising given how incredibly stiff the boot is. Tapping the outside of the skate feels like concrete...maybe I don't need my skate fenders any more? It has taken me several years to finally find a replacement for the G70s, and I strongly urge everyone who has worn Grafs in the past to revisit them as they are back in a big way. If you prefer to go to a store to try them on, call ahead to see what they have in stock in your size and see if it is a style that will fit your foot. Otherwise, you can order from the online retailer I mentioned (who also happens to offer very good pricing) if the local store doesn't have them in stock. You can also check in with the team at Vaughn hockey for more info: https://vaughnhockey.com/contact/ Please let me know if you have any specific questions.

Lots of assumptions.

@nystromshairstylist Would you do a lengthy review of them? A lot of members on MSH are curious about Graf's recent work, but not many are confident enough to take the plunge. Some pictures of the quality of construction and detailed analysis of why they're great for you would help potential buyers evaluate whether or not a new pair of Grafs might be for them.

Dennis Murphy https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/16/sports/dennis-murphy-dead.html?action=click&module=Features&pgtype=Homepage

So you like them?