Vet88

I must admit the eyelet issue is one that has made me hold off on getting a pair so far. I sweat buckets when playing and have had many skates (ice and inline) fail on me because I destroy the eyelets. Paying significant $'s for a custom skate and having them fail on me after a couple of months is something I'm not prepared to do yet. Yes, you can get eyelets replaced but there is the additional cost, time, hassle and if your LHS has purchased eyelets that aren't properly coated or are made from a poor material then you are in the same boat a couple of months later, been there and done that..... Best eyelets that I have found (aside from the injected lacing version on my MX3's) are the ones Alkali use on their inline range, these are indestructible. I'd happily pay a few extra bucks to get a quality eyelet put in as opposed to what they use now.

It's a great way to cut bolts / threaded rods etc, and haven't broken a blade since....

It may be worth it to to buy some "ball of foot" gel pads (like these http://www.amazon.com/PediFix-Pedi-gel-Ball-of-foot-Pad-2-Count/dp/B004G8G4V6)and insert them under your footbed. This will raise the front part of your foot by about 1mm, not enough to cause any volume issues in that area but enough to change the pressure on your arch.

If you are looking for boots that you can adjust the holder in (and not going the custom route with someone like VH) then look at Grafs. The way the Cobra holder is designed and the manner in which Graf mounts it on the boot means you can easily move it inwards by up to 2mm. If you have a little bit of handyman skills and a drill or rat tail file you can easily do it yourself. If you want any more info send me a pm. Because of how the holder is designed and mounted on most other brands (Bauer, Easton, CCM etc) moving the holder is not really possible. If you want to stay in the boot then you need to consider changing the holder for another brand like the Cobra 5000 and then redrilling the boot.

I don't think this will work for you. The Makos that I have had fit 1/2 to 1 size down than other skates. For example, guy fits size 9 Easton skates (S10, S17, RS), Mako size 9 are nearly 1 size to large for him. Another guy fits Bauer TotalOne, NXG size 9 1/2 really tight, size 10 just a fraction to big, size 9 Makos fit him perfectly. So if you are in a size 3 1/2 Bauer one95 then I'd say you need to be around a size 3 in a Mako. If they don't make this size then you are out of luck, thick socks don't make up for a centimeter or so of extra length.

Either previously in this topic or in another thread, someone has converted CA7/9 to HiLo's. You only need to do a very minor file to the mounting holes to get the frame to fit. If you use an ice boot you are going to have to drill new mounting holes.

Alkali CA9 size 6.5 – 10 months old, I'm in them on average 15 hours a week so that's around 600 hours of usage so far.. Reviewer intro/specs/previous skates used: 5’11” 185lbs, ok skater. Narrow heel and forefoot, slight pronation both feet. Alkali CA9, Reebok 10k, Bauer RX60, Reebok 9k (Crimsion shadow), Mission Boss SE, CCM V10, Mission Boss. Fit: Narrow heel, widish forefoot, med volume. Formability of the skates is one of the big drawcards, after one or two bakes these skates should fit any foot shape out there. Chassis/Wheels/Bearings: Magnesium alloy chassis running 80mm White Addiction wheels, Swiss bearings. Chassis is strong and durable, been hit / kicked plenty of pucks and no issues. 10/10 Wheels have great grip out of the box but durability was very poor, chunked them out on a plastic tiled sports court after 3 weeks of use. 2 other players in my area also have CA9's and suffered the same problems so it's not just me or a bad wheel batch, wished they put harder wheels like orange addictions on. 3/10 Bearings are fast and durable and still going. I clean them regularly and have measured them against Swiss ceramics and they perform close to these. 10/10 Weight/Protection: weight is slightly heavier than other top end skates, not by much but noticable when holding one against an RX60 or APXR. Protection is mid range, have taken pucks against the toe and sides and some of them really hurt. If protection is what you are after you would get some APXR's, otherwise the protection is similar to other top end skates. 8/10 Durability: This is one area where the boot excels above all other skates I have had. Wet from sweat for about 5 hours every day for the last 10 months, eyelets still solid, tongue hasn't fallen apart, outside and inside still all in good condition, stitching holding together very well. The shiny outer layer on the boot has a couple of cracks / splits in it but that's to be expected from pucks, falls, scrapes along the boards. I am really hard on my skates having killed my last pair (Rbk 10k's) inside of 3 months so for these to still be going strong after 10 months of really hard use is a testament to their build quality. 10/10 Looks: No issues here and they receive a lot of compliments. 10/10 Comfort: Whilst the fit and modability is excellent, with high use there are some definite niggles that come with these skates. Tongue - Not great, after a few weeks use I had to resort to a lace bite pad to keep skating in them. Toe box - Myself, along with a host of other players I know from pro to starter, get blisters on their little toes. I wish they would line the toe box with something like impact gel or make it a fraction wider. Also on the inside of the boot where the end of the toe box sits behind the skate liner, a hard ridge develops as the skate liner begins to compress after a lot of use. Tape and cotton wool keep me going but it is a hassle. Flex Zone - Between the 2nd and 3rd eyelet is a flex zone. Just behind the flex zone, mine decided to crease inwards after 6 months of use creating a 1/4 inch long ridge on the inside of the boot that gave me wicked tendon inflammation around the ankle. When it happened, the next day I couldn't even do the skate up on my foot. Heating the area, popping the ridge out and then punching the area was easy enough but it's something I always check now after every skate. Despite the niggles, the fit and comfort is still very good. 8/10 Conclusion: Whilst the all 80 setup took a little while to get used to, once you get there they are a very very good skate that have, so far, stood the test time. Because of the wheels and tongue I would give these an overall 8/10, as the RPD looks to have addressed some of these issues I can't see any reason why future versions of this skate wouldn't get a 10/10 (and I will definitely be buying them again). Additional comment - These are one of the "wettest" skates I have ever used. I thought they were constantly wet because they were not drying properly during winter but we are now into our summer season and they are still soaking wet after each game / practice and take a long time to dry out. The moisture wicking / absorption capability of the boot seems weird, the laces get ultra wet, to the point that when you undo them they "spray" water as they are pulled thru the eyelets. Admittedly it is after 2 - 3 hours of skating in them but other skates I have owned never got this bad. At first I thought it was just me because I do sweat a lot but talking to other CA9 owners, they have the same problem. I have resorted to putting soakers (chamois cloth cut to shape) under my footbeds so they absorb excess moisture before it leaks out the boot and onto the wheels,

You are right, I should have tempered my answer with "orthotics / pronation / ice hockey in the main don't work". Yes, if you have a mild case you may get away with orthotics. For medium to severe cases then you will be looking for a different answer, especially if you play ice hockey. BethG - ask the doc if he can recommend you to someone who knows about fitting feet with problems into ice skates. Do consider the Graf range of skates, they are one of the few models around (outside of a custom boot) that have variations in boot shape so you can purchase a skate to match a foot.

Orthotics in skates don't help, in shoes they work because they are sitting flat on the ground but in a skate there is nothing for the orthotic to lever off to straighten the foot. You have to try and find someone who understands the mechanics of a foot in an ice skate and can either realign the holder for you or shim it correctly. However there is another possible option which has worked for me. I have been previously diagnosed with bad pronation in my right foot, medium in my left. Got new Rbk 11k's in December and over the last 5 months I have been skating with loosely tied skates, and as my skating has got used to this (and improved) I have progressively continued to loosen the laces. My ankles have increased in strength and my pronation has reduced drastically to the point I don't worry about it now. I am skating 2 - 3 hours every day which in itself has really helped but I have been really surprised at how my pronation has all but disappeared, in both roller and ice. Admittedly if I do a lot of inside edge work on both skates at the same time I can feel the feet starting to turn in the boot after about 5 minutes so I just have to manage this during training and game time. If you only skate once or twice a week then I doubt this would help you but if you can put in the serious hours then this may help.

Any skate can be stretched but it's the composition of the boot that determines how well the stretch lasts. Buy a bottom end skate and stretching generally damages the structure of the skate. Buy a top end skate and you can stretch it by up to a cm in width and around 1/2 a cm in length and it will last for years. I always buy a D and stretch my boots out to just short of an EE, this way I can get the perfect width for my feet, as good as a custom boot fit. Your LHS should be able to stretch boots for you but if you are the kind who wants to give these things a go then a pair of c clamps, lengths of wood and with lots of time you can get some amazing results.

I have the same problem. I tried the orthotic route and after spending a bucketful of money I found it only slightly helped the problem. Then I read the article to the link you provided and decided to alter the blade alignment. One of the issues you have with this approach is deciding when the alignment is correct. I found the answer here was to impose myself on the speed guys. They have had adjustable blades for years, beg borrow buy a pair of speed skates, keep adjusting the blade until you feel the skate is right. Have someone look at you as you skate off the ice after having done some fast(ish) laps or stop starts. If you are skating upright and feel comfortable then you can use the alignment from the speed skates as a guide to the alignment you need on your boot. The youtube vid is a good one for shims and shims have the advantage of keeping the resale value of your boot (easy to restore to original). However after having had this discussion with many foot experts, the general consensus I got was that moving the blade is the best solution, shimming next and then orthotics (if they work for you).