Vet88

The length will improve, it's all the padding in the heel area and once it compresses a little and your heel settles into the pocket your toes will move back from the toe box. It sounds as if 7.5 is the right length. As to the rest of your foot, try this, put the skates on, don't tie them up. Do they hurt 15 minutes later? If not then it's a width issue, they are still to narrow for you when tied up. Not all is lost, you can do a couple of things. Wait till the shop opens then ask them to stretch the boot for width. Or bake them again, either at home or at the shop but this time pad the sides of your foot with something like 3mm neoprene rubber strips or gel pad strips. this will force the boot a little wider at bake time, then you remove the strips and the fit will be looser in those areas.

Have you looked into ESWT? There are a number of studies out over the last couple of years that show it's effectiveness in the right circumstances. Whether or not it is suitable for you I don't know but ESWT versus cortisone studies in hip injuries such as gluteal or hamstring tendinopathy have shown ESWT to be more effective.

For those that use aftermarket steels, do you want to comment on their durability? I've had 3 sets of step blacksteel crack on me after playing a puck off the steel, I can't say if it was the temperature (eg middle of winter) or the force of the puck (nothing comes to mind for this other than it was a solid pass) or I was just sol but it was disappointing. For those that have used Tydan, Massive etc had anything similar happen?

I have tried them all (Bauer and CCM best across all lines) and I always end up back with Rbk 10k's, 11k's, 8k pro etc. I made a decision a few years ago to not change what I thought was a near on perfect guard so I purchased spares and with an understanding tailor I hopefully will never have to change. They still appear now and again for sale eg if you wore a 15" I'd buy these in a heartbeat https://www.ebay.com/itm/Reebok-11K-NHL-Jofa-15-shin-guards-Sr-senior-ice-hockey/274226538385?hash=item3fd92ce791:g:wpAAAOSwafJeLGRr.

If anyone is interested, 2 indepth break downs on cost and break evens based on the NA market (the OP provides a link to the 2nd break down at the bottom of his post).

Where in the front of the foot is it too tight? On the big toe? On the little toe? Across the forefoot? You can get the skate punched to alleviate most issues, especially since you indicated the boot fits you well everywhere else. You can wear any sock you want but if the skate is a tight fit I'd want to wear thin socks.

This is like trying to compare apples and oranges, a sparx unit versus a traditional sharpening unit both have strengths and weaknesses. Your running costs with a traditional unit will always be cheaper but it requires a lot more skill to get a good sharpening. A sparx is plug and push, no skill needed as long as the alignment is correct. You got 25 sharpenings, let's say you charged 10 euro a sharpening, if I was running a shop I would not be comfortable with that return. However as a home user at 3.2 euro per sharpening versus a LHS charge??? What is there to not like about that cost other than we always want it cheaper? If you are unhappy then maybe charge a per pass cost? Then if they turn up with massively damaged blades you get a higher return for your sharpening (if a financial return is a key driver of what you are trying to do).

I wouldn't hack the unit, I'd focus on the ring. Lots of different ways to do this and it's easy once you have the gear (a read / write unit).

😲😲😲 the price of a sparx unit from ms europe, wtf.....

Have you considered using a reshipper like myus? For example it's around $15 for 2kgs to Europe and with a US drop box you can now shop at US local prices.

Clamp the steel in the vice then push firmlyish on the side of the skate. You are looking for the holder to move from an upright position and deviate to the side. If it is loose enough you will clearly see the holder go on a lean.

Theory is not my strong point, I'd start with weighing your boot then multiplying the kgs by 9.8, that will give you the newton force of the boot in a sideways jig (yes, I included the steel in the jig). If gravity is moving it then this force in a vertical jig should move it. And my apologies to the flare thread, this is my last post on this particular matter.

Why not? What forces are going thru the inside edge when you accelerate from a standing start? Foot pronating into the push, your whole body weight on one foot driving thru the toe. 100kgs then or you pushing on it in a jig?

I don't have access to prosharp, sparx or elite sharpeners (they are the ones I know of that use a vertical mount). But do I really have to explain how, if you can't move it by hand, it's not going to show up in a vertical mount that has very little sideways deflection occurring on the boot? You stick the boot in the machine and you press the button, it's not going to move sideways unless you are actually testing it and then it's up to the quality of the clamping unit. If you really want to test it in a vertical mount I'd suggest a bench mounted vice clamp would be a better proposition.

I have, if you search earlier threads about this issue I posted pics of my sons skates, neither I, the sharpener I was going to at the time or my son could move the blade by hand yet put his MX3's in the jig and the flop was very noticeable. Fixed it with Teflon tape but eventually they should have been replaced, I didn't as he moved on to other skates shortly after this.

Bit of both and if they don't really notice it they aren't willing to pay for it. Remember that it doesn't suddenly let go, it happens over time and you are adapting to it every time you skate. I'm not saying every edge holder has this issue but it is more significant in edge than any other brand.

And so I have heard the same from just about every other skater I point it out to, I can't make it move as they try to shift it by hand. Leverage, as Archimedes said. Put it in a holder....

No, you don't notice. In general, at least in my experience without a great deal of force and effort, you wont actually notice the blade moving if you are trying to do so by hand. It's not until the boot gets put in the jig to get sharpened that it becomes noticeable, and this requires a sideways mounted jig, a sparx or any other vertical mounted boot holder will tell you sweet fa. As to sample bias? I sharpen skates. I don't have any bias other than the fact it's an edge holder that predominately flops. Everyone needs skates sharpened, regardless of skate brand. I see every type of brand and edge holders are the worst. Admittedly I don't do hundreds of skate a week, I live in a small town where ice sports are a niche market but I'm only echoing what other high volume, quality professional sharpeners have seen every day, @oldtrainerguy28.

Then it sounds like you haven't worked in a shop sharpening skates. It's an issue I see daily, put the steel in the clamp and watch the boot flop. Most players don't care because they don't want to pay for the repairs and for a beer league competition it just doesn't make things that much better. Talk to anyone who cares about their equipment and it's impact on performance (at least in my experience) and then it's a different matter.

xtraice / revolution / cheap chinese brands x 3 are the ones I have skated on. Xtraice was the best by a fair way. Also our local rink owners have been reviewing different types and they agreed xtraice was one of the best they had seen and tried. If you are putting them outdoors you need to take extra care in keeping them clean. Regardless of what brand you choose, dirt is the number 1 enemy.

It really depends on what has caused the lace bite, sometimes a thinner tongue will work - no degradation in the tongue because of lace pressure and the thinner tongue means more volume in the boot, this may be just enough to relieve / shift the pressure on the tendon.

It's possibly an ongoing sign that your foot is rolling in the boot ie pronation. A perfect fitting boot doesn't fix pronation, it only hides it until the boot starts to give way against the relentless pressure from the foot. I know of pros playing in Europe who go thru 3 - 4 pairs a year of customs (all brands) because the skate opens up. Rebaking will close it up again but each time they open up faster. If you pronate it can be addressed but it takes time and effort.

I don't have access to that anymore and our Bauer in country ordering is done out of Europe. Hopefully someone local to you will read this and be able to guide you to a US or Canada online source.

There are 2 widths you can get in a skate, the forefoot width and the heel width. Retail skates have a set heel width which is why the sizing is only D or E, customs can be ordered with a separate forefoot width and heel width (or should be able to eg Bauer custom ordering process where you specify the heel width you want).

It was for FT2 customs.