Vet88

Nice to see you improving. As I'm sure your coach says, stick on the ground, both hands on the stick and stick pointing in the direction you want to go. When you hold the stick in the air you can skate similar to how you do without a stick, when you put the stick on the ground in front of you with both hands on the stick it changes your skating stance hence more learning all over again. As you have a vid, vid yourself practising this then watch both, you will see what I mean. Also keep the vids and record yourself every month or 2 over the year then go back and watch them, it gives you a perspective as to how much you improve during the year as it is really hard to self analyse.

Reading his post, he doesn't have VH yet but if he does consider them then circulation is a big concern given the problems he currently has in Mako 2's. I don't think this is the thread to address numbness in the foot, plenty of other threads in the forum for that. But if VH skates are made for your foot AND you don't have any physical problems (such as Raynauds or sever pronation or any other issues) then you should not get numbness in your feet.

Couldn't agree more. Not only the PH balance but the amount you sweat I think is critical. For example 2 of us purchased some Mission Boss black inline skates at the same time, I killed the rivets in 2 months, his held out for 4 years and were still going strong. I sweat buckets, team mate hardly sweats at all. I wipe down and dry my skates (in a shock doctor bag with a blower) after every game to try and slow the process down but to no avail. Sweat eats away at eyelets and rivets and I've even had the magnesium chassis in my inlines start to delaminate because of sweat. But the equipment some manufacturers use is more resistant to sweat than others so it's not just one factor but a combination of personal circumstances and the quality of material / coating the manufacturer is using.

At the end there you are starting to get close, push the right heel outwards a little bit more as the blade slides across the ice and you are nearly at an inside edge stop. Stop skating the length of the rink to practice a stop, you can practice stopping over 10 feet. You tube has lots of videos on how to stop, I won't cover it because you can get the basics from there. What I would recommend you do is practice, practice, practice one foot skating. Inside edges, outside edges, slalom work. Frontwards first then add backward skating as you get better. Learn to balance over the top of your skates, knees bent. You have to teach your foot and leg muscles how to do this, it doesn't come naturally. Shin pads or knee guards really do help as you are learning, as well as elbow pads. Falling is part of learning and getting better. Again, youtube is your friend. Search for things like "ice hockey edge control drills" or "ice hockey stops". The Howtohockey stuff by Jeremy is quite good and I really enjoy the itrain hockey videos, - for balance control - edge control, the bubble c cuts are something you need to start learning now - for backward edges (the first drill is semi advanced) - covers forwards skating, balance and stopping (I really like these series of videos they are doing, long but worth every minute of your time) - for intensive edge control and good explanations (again, I really like these "train the trainers" vids)and for the slalom work, as you start just focus on getting your skates to change direction (turn left then right then left etc) with little weaves as you move down the ice.

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.

If you want to keep the steps then you need to take the 2 blades (Makos and steps) to a sharpener who can reprofile the steps to the mako shape. It doesn't have to be exact but the general profile of the mako blade needs to be followed. The mid point will most likely be a little different and the overall height will be lower (because of the amount of steel that may be ground off the steps) but at least they will be close enough to the mako steels that you will not notice much difference. Or stay with them and keep practicing. If you still don't like them after 20 hours of decent rink time then get them changed or swapped out.

It all depends on you. Some players can adjust quickly to different profiles and setups, others can't. In general I have found that the better the skater you are, the less you worry about the setup and the more tolerance you have for changes. You can get the step blade reprofiled to the original mako blade but, looking at the 2 blades you have, you are going to lose a chunk of steel from the step blade in getting this done. At this point you have nothing to lose. Try a shallower hollow, give it a few weeks of practice and if you still don't like it then either swap back to the originals and sell the steps or get the steps reprofiled.

The shop should take very little off with the 1st sharpening, in theory the edges should be clean, unnicked and relatively true so all they need to do is to grind the hollow deep enough for the edge to set. I agree with MTHockeydad, the difference is very noticeable. The black steel is much flatter thru various sections of the blade, ergo more blade on ice and hence the chatter in the stop and a different feel in turns. I can't comment on the size. I always get them sent unsharpened, this way I can be sure they are new / unused and my own sharpener gets first dibs at them.

I would think it's 2 possible reasons, the edge is sharper / deeper than you had on the stock blades or the profile is different. You can check the latter by comparing them side by side, if you are getting chatter in stopping on a blade swap and the edge is similar it's normally because a different profile is putting more heel (ergo more steel) on the ice as you stop. and yes, I agree about the snow, mine always seem to be covered in ice but I'll happily take that over the stock steel that came with my grafs.

The profile is slightly different between step and LS2 so I'd say the change is having the biggest impact for you.

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.

From a Step CSR: Our radius is a neutral 10 foot.

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.

I've skated in both (still use G3's), the pitch in the boots are too different for just a steel to overcome. You would have to get the steel reprofiled if you want the G3's to feel similar to the 11ks. If you like how the G3's feel then it would be better to get the 11ks shimmed.

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).