jsykes

It depends on the brand for us. If they're looking at Bauers, then no bake before buying. However, Graf, CCM and Easton say their skates can handle multiple bakes without issue and encourage us to do it before buying so the customer gets the best feel for the skate. We charge $35 for a bake on skates not purchased with us and $15 for a first sharpening for skates not purchased with us. Both are free if you buy from us.

Any shop that wont bake them should be avoided. Easton encourages shops to bake them before trying on.

Have them bake the skates before trying them on, they must be baked to get a true idea of fit. If the shop will not do this, find another shop. They should fit you well, they mold extremely well will wrap narrow feet and ankles well. Another option is that the Total One is available in a C width. TOs are built on a larger last, so the D width ones you're wearing are actually more like an E. If you like the TO, you could get the C width which should be a vast improvement if you have a narrow foot/ankle.

Since so much of the skate is moldable and they bake longer than other skates, I'd wait the 24 hours to be safe. No sense taking the chance of damaging something. I realize during some of the demos they bake and skate immediately, but those are also not skates that people are going to need to live with for the long term and they're considered basically disposable. I'd wait. What's one more day just to make sure?

I've had a large number of the people that bought them from me have the problem. I have three employees in them and all have had the problem, one bad enough that it actually got infected and he had to be off skates for weeks. Gel sleeves have helped everyone that had the issues. And I've sold more than a few pairs, I've had to restock several times and its by far the best selling top end skate we've had (better than both versions of the TO and APX). Its more than just a "fit" issue. I actually find it hard to believe that no one you sold them to have had the issue (maybe they just havent come back to tell you). Its well known enough that the first thing my rep said to me when showing me the II's is that they redesigned the top of the boot to fix the ankle rubbing problem.

June 20th is what I was told for Mako II.

Right now Easton is low on stock on the Mako and is out of them in several sizes. They are not planning to restock until the Mako II comes out, which is still quite a ways away at this point, so its quite possible that many stores dont have your size because they're sold out and cant get them. It makes it really tough right now. We've sold a ton of Makos (having 3 of my 5 hockey playing employees in them doesnt hurt) and I'm turning people away right now because I cant get certain sizes from Easton. Unfortunately, the Mako II release is not planned for some time at this point.

Yes, there are several people that no longer work at Graf. Lets just say its not necessarily the quality of the product, but has to do with acquiring the materials.

According to Easton's online dealer ordering page, there are CXN runners in stock right now available for order. Not tons, but some of most sizes other than 11 and 12.

Thats the entire point of the tendon guard, that it doesnt restrict any movement and its only there as a GUARD for the tendon. That part of the boot serves no skating purpose other than to protect the tendon.

Thats the entire point of the tendon guard, that it doesnt restrict any movement and its only there as a GUARD for the tendon. That part of the boot serves no skating purpose other than to protect the tendon.

Yeah, but they werent worried about the longevity of those skates as demos. If they're your personal skates I'd wait a bit longer just to be sure as you're paying out of pocket and it would suck if they were falling apart 6 months down the road just so you didnt have to wait a few more hours to skate in them.

He's saying that the study used Blademasters BFD which is a progression from a regular ROH and that when Blackstone tried that shape they found no beneficial difference, which is what the Brock study is also saying. Since Blackstone found no benefit, they continued to refine their shape till they came up with the FBV.

Shop should bake them for you. These are a skate that can be baked multiple times and really needs to be baked in order for the customer to feel what they're really like. You should ask them to, at least, partially bake them for you so you have an idea of the post bake feel. If they wont, find another shop.

I spoke with the trainer from Caps one day when he was hanging out at our rink for his son's hockey game and I specifically asked him how many guys on the Caps were using FBV and the only person on the Caps is Jason Chimera. I wonder how many pros are actually using and have stuck with it. I know the Caps are a small sample group, but I'm surprised only one actually likes FBV. Of course Chimera's main thing is his skating so I guess it makes sense.