Vet88

Skatepal pro 3 - I have to sharpen rentals with one of these, first time user of a Pro 3. they say the skate is self centering, I gather this is just self centering to the holder and not the wheel? You still have to adjust the wheel to the skate, this is why the machine has the ability to move the wheel? If you have used these machines, how often did you have to reset the wheel alignment ie did the alignment tend to wander over time? Is the alignment tool worth getting for the machine?

Are you still able to answer questions on prosharp machines or has that ended since the Bauer takeover?

Why? If you are going to make a comment then at least back it up.

A shorter boot and less padding will exacerbate the issue, the bottom line is still your ankle and the amount it is folding inwards as you stride and turn. Regardless of what boot you are in or the height (ie the cut of speed skates), this doesn't happen if your ankle stays straight enough or the boot provides enough support and padding to assist.

For those of you that are getting the boot digging into the outside of your foot above the ankle area, it's not the boot. It's your foot folding inwards which is causing it. Dealing with this is another topic but if you want a quick fix (instead of silicone sleeves) then heat the top of the boot above the ankle area with a heat gun and roll the top of the boot outwards, this will fix the digging in feeling.

I'd be questioning the make of the skates if they are too big thru the heel area, and potentially not enough volume if you are getting lace bite from tying them tight. Imho opinion customs shouldn't come to you with excessive space in the heel area, it is never going to go away. I know of a number of skaters with very narrow heels who have had issues with customs and have gone back for multiple remakes. As to the problem you have, have you tried clamping the skate underneath the ankle bone? The problem with tying your skates tight is it does not change the profile of the skate in this area and the saran wrap method also struggles to pull the skate inwards in this area. A clamp will definitely pull the skate inwards and will result in a much tighter heel fit. If you pronate at all (very common with narrow heels and high insteps) you can also try an alternate method that will be like a custom modification to the boot which will help your pronation (you need someone to help you do this). Instead of clamping the heel area, use a heat gun to heat the boot under and around the ankle area on the inside of the skate only (don't heat anywhere else), then put the skate on, lace it up and lie on the floor and turn your foot so the outside of the boot is lying flat on the floor (the inside of the boot is facing upwards). Use something, like books, so you can rest the blade on them to hold the blade level to the floor, this helps to hold the skate level to the floor and not move around. Have someone, ideally in bare feet or socks, gently stand on the inside of the boot around and under the ankle area. What this does is push the boot into your ankle and heel and forms it around your foot shape, this removes all negative space on the inside of the ankle / heel. Consequently any negative space that was on the outside of the ankle / heel is filled by the foot itself, what you have effectively done is offset the foot outwards from the center line of the boot. This is a similar result to moving the holder inwards to help offset pronation. Also by lying on the floor you help to put the ankle into a neutral alignment position which you then form the boot around it, this makes a significant difference to the support the boot will give your ankle (to hold it straight) versus a sitting / standing position in which you may be pronating. Ironically this method only really works in boots that are too wide for you.

I tried a sync on Tuesday, shot with it for an hour. I found it ok but the guy I borrowed it off had a different opinion. Admittedly, his snap shot is a pro level lethal missile so his view is slightly different. You can't crank the sync as hard as you can other sticks, the blade deforms too much and the shot flutters. You have to really let the stick do a lot of the work. We were also trying out an RX3 and on the speed gun the RX3 shot quicker than the sync.

They look extruded, one could do a lot with a 3D printer in either polymer or metal or a mix....

If they came with a clip / slide on rubber strip for the bottom of the blade so you could wear your skates around the house regardless of what flooring you had (no slipping or marking of the floor) then I think it's a valid product. The ability to wear your skates at home as an off ice exercise to improve your balance and alignment over the blade is something that would benefit a lot of skaters.

Why would you use these over a set of old blunt steel and a rubber mat? I have trained off ice in skates using blunt blades, there is merit in this but it's a hard sell at $139. yikes.

It can only make the pronation worse. The extra leverage of the taller holder and or taller steel exerts additional forces on the bottom of the boot. I suffered this a few years ago, changed out some well worn blacksteel for new blacksteel and it screwed me over for months.

We have seen some limited attempts to do this with advanced materials, Graf and Reebok have embedded forward flexing zones into the boot. I hope we see more research and advancement into this especially when the manufacturers finally to move to fully 3D printed boots.

Over the last 5 years or so I've tried everything known to deal with pronation and historical injuries / surgery (achilles tendon) of the right ankle that caused hyper mobility. This is what I have tried - external shimming, internal posting, internal wedging, holder movement (grafs which secured the NT3000 / 5000 holders with screws were really good for this), custom orthotics (what a waste of money), lateral modification of the boot (clamp the inner quarter inwards to force the heel to the outside of the center line), pronation specific exercises, 4 years of laces undone skating and since last year the ankle straighten drill. Nothing even comes close to the impact the ankle straighten drill has made, it has fixed my pronation on ice and almost totally eliminated the hyper mobility I have in the right ankle. Your mileage may vary for the results of holder movement but I repeat my earlier experience doing this, it helps for a straight line glide but as soon as you try to get on an edge your problems come back. So imho you will get some limited success to improve your stopping on an outside edge but not by much.

Shimming is more common for hockey because of the boot and holder design, there isn't the space on the sole to move the holder significantly. Shimming moves the holder under the foot by creating an offset, the blade leans inwards so that the contact point with the ice is moved inwards from the center line of the foot. The part I don't like about shimiing is it offsets the blade onto a slant and this forever screws with your edges. Moving the holder achieves the same result without putting the blade on an incline. However I personally disagree with either. They do work but, and it's a HUGE but.... Shimming and or holder movement will help to correct your pronation but only for a straight line glide. As soon as you get deep onto an edge or exert forces onto the edge, your pronation WILL happen, it happens because you have done nothing about your bio mechanical issues, they are still there just waiting to happen. Unless you take specific steps to address your pronation, the only thing that really helps for skaters is to buy the stiffest best fitting skate you can possibly afford and lace it up as tight as you can. The boot now helps to hold the ankle straight (it's actually the heel bone you are trying to hold straight) but what you have to realise is your foot is still trying to pronate in the boot. This causes the foot to constantly lever against the inside rear quarter of the skate and this leads to a rapid breakdown of the boot. If you understand this and are prepared to buy new boots on a very regular basis then this is a perfectly acceptable way of dealing with pronation (eg PK Suban goes thru skates every 6 weeks or so). Or you fix your pronation with on and off ice exercises and muscle training, here is my post on this -

Backing up what @crispy92 said, why do you want to drill holes in the bottom of a inline boot? If you don't sweat at all then you might get away with it but if you are like just about everyone else on the planet and sweat something when exercising then holes in the bottom of the boot are a recipe for disaster. Moisture dripping thru the holes onto the chassis, bearings (they go rusty) and your wheels (you now have no grip) is nasty. And wait till everyone else playing sees the slippery snail like trails you leave everywhere and kick you off the rink.

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Lol, I've changed my focus for this year and am consistently lacing the bottom 5 eyelets for training and games, I only go lace free when I coach. I did lace the Hyperlites fully up when I had them, hated the feel and the forward flex restriction and the lurking sensation of lace bite after about 5 games.

I got them as a brand new 2nd hand, worn once, 1/4 of the price deal. So it doesn't hurt as much as full retail price to see them sitting on the shelf but it still irks me. The main complaint I have with them is the heel pocket, it's a fraction to wide (D). I've made a mold of my foot using thermo moldable plastic and I'm going to have a go at trying to heat form the heel around the mold.

I didn't feel any real difference when I went from apx2's to Ultrasonics or AS3 pros. I didn't like the injected setup on the Hyperlites. So saying I'm still in my apx2's, I just can't find a compelling enough reason to shift from a near perfect fitting really stiff boot, to the point where I've kind of given up on new boots and will just get the holders replaced to give the apx2's a new lease of life (the sad life of a always searching gear head, I have Ultrasonics and AS3 pros sitting on the shelf).

Bend and clamp, you have to hold the shape as the wood heats and cools, look up some boat building examples of putting the hull together if you want some ideas.

For anyone who is interested, here is the table listing the profiles Bauer use on their Pulse Ti power blades:

Either in conjunction with the extenders or on their own, try panther teeth. You will need 2, tie tight before the teeth, loose thru the lace bite section and then as tight as you like above it. https://pantherteeth.com/ Or do as I have done for the last 4 years or so, lace up till just below the lace bite section. For me this is 5 eyelets down.

I go - compression shorts (with box), girdle, shins, socks, shell, skates. I agree that a wrap is more convenient until you get used to a dressing process that works for you with the 9k. My biggest hassle is, even after years of wearing a tight fitting 9k, I often forget to tighten the belt in the girdle and in my first shift I'm having to haul it up lol.

Nothing, if you can hold it firm and level enough to see any drop.

I have the AS3 pro, have tried on the AS3. Going from memory here - AS3 pro is:- stiffer (210 versus the 190 AS3), has XS black steel (which wasn't that bad imho), more padding in the ankle area, is 30g? lighter, the liner is different with more abrasive high wear areas, upgraded tongue (metatonic tongue is meant to give better wrap around the foot and improve forward flex), outsole is full carbon. These are the main points I remember, there may be others. I thought the differences were significant.