althoma1

I think 8.5EE would be too long in the current Bauer and CCM lines (as well as the discontinued Easton Makos) if your feet are 27cm in length. My feet are 26.7cm long barefoot and I'm in 8EE Makos and feel like I could actually go down to a 7.75EE if that were an option (with the 7.5EE my feet are pressed right against the cap). I could see why you'd think 8.5 would be the way to go since you were wearing 9 Grafs and most people drop a half size down from Graf to other brands, but I'd trust your foot measurement. The Grafs could be a half size long and feel like the right size because they're narrower than you need and are elongating your foot - you should unlace the Grafs, push your foot all the way forward until it's against the cap and then see how much room you have behind the heel using a standard pencil (if you can fit the pencil width all the way down then they're likely a half size long). I also have wide feet, a bit wider than yours with an approximately 12cm forefoot width, but have an average arch. The 8EE Mako line works well for me, but it's discontinued and the arch may be a bit high for you. The D width Nexus skates are based on a EE last. I wouldn't go all the way to EE if you go the Nexus route as I have tried on a D Nexus (7.5D) and that was plenty wide for my forefoot - it was just too wide for my heel as I have a narrower heel. The Nexus is certainly a deep and wide boot. The 7.5D felt long enough for me in the Nexus line, but this was an older Nexus 800 from several years ago. Take that with a grain of salt, but I do think the D width Nexus is still wide enough in the forefoot for most people and EE would be sloppy wide for anyone that doesn't have EXTREMELY wide feet. Tacks in an 8EE might work for you - they were a bit too narrow for me in the forefoot, but your feet aren't quite as wide as mine. The heel lock was good in the Tacks. I have not tried the new Ribcore skates, but the Ribcore line has been known for being good for flat feet in the past. I also know that it was a fairly shallow fit though; I don't know if that has changed with the latest model. I agree with Jamaraquan, if you're going to spend high end money then just go the True Custom route. Trace and measure your feet and let them know you have flat arches and they'll build a custom skate based on that that will cost you around the same amount as a top end Bauer or CCM stock skate.

If the computer told you to try Supremes then you could just move to Mission skates. The Mission skates are built using the Supreme last. The Mission skates also use a Hi Lo chassis though; so if you prefer the Hummer 2 or another chassis then of course converting would make sense. I'll let others answer the shim question as I haven't used them myself.

I see there are new Pro Clip visors for 2017. It seems the shape of the straight visor is slightly tweaked, they've improved the scratch resistance on the outside and the fog resistance on the inside and perhaps tweaked the clip mechanism vs. the HDO Pro Clip. I've used the HDO Pro Clip for a couple years to ref and haven't had fogging issues, but improved scratch resistance is welcome as it'll potentially mean less frequent lens replacement. What I'm wondering is, are the new Pro Clip lenses compatible with the HDO Pro Clips and vice versa?

Thanks for coming out Steve. I tried the 3/4" fire ring. I was impressed that the machine did it's job so quietly and with no dust. When the skates came out the finish was great and I had even edges. The blades were not hot to the touch (I've had sharpeners overheat the CXN and before that the Mission Pitch steel because it's harder and they don't take their time. This leads to hot steel and usually burnt heels) and I comfortably handled them. I'd brought a second set of steel freshly sharpened to 90/50 FBV, the hollow I've now been using for years, just in case I didn't like the feel of the fire ring sharpening. The last regular hollow I'd used before converting to FBV was 7/8", but I gradually went shallower from 5/8" to 3/4" to 7/8"; so I have experience with all of those hollows. I didn't end up switching out the blades and skated on the 3/4" Fire Ring sharpening for the entire 2 hours on Saturday and then used the same sharpening to ref 4 games on Sunday night. The edges were even and I had good glide, but I'd say it felt like there was a bit less bite than a freshly sharpened 90/50 FBV cut. At the end of the day, the Fire Ring is a bit different than the FBV cut I was used to, but I had no problems skating on it and wouldn't hesitate to get my skates sharpened with a Sparx machine in the future. My steel was not burnt, the finish was good, I had edges and it was shallow enough for me that I didn't catch any edges when transitioning or chatter when stopping (if I ask for a shallow cut and the sharpener puts on something deeper, I know right away as I feel the edges when pivoting and get chatter when I stop - I can't stand skating on a deep hollow). A consistent sharpening without fear of your profile getting ruined or the steel getting burnt/overheated is definitely a great thing.

I've read about the cracking problem with the original Makos, but haven't experienced that. My first converted for roller pair of OG Makos got really soft after a year of playing, has rips in the liner and the padding is compressed - I now only use those to ref recreational games on cement and have a newer conversion for playing. I've had Mako II's that I've used to ref hundreds of games over a year and have no padding or liner issues and they feel as stiff as when I got them. For me the durability on the Mako II's has been much better than the originals and I now have a small stockpile of them in my size. With that said, when my stockpile runs out I'll definitely be looking to True first. The concept is similar and they feel much stiffer than the retail Mako II's. I have one pair of pro stock Mako II's with extra stiffness that I haven't used yet, but feel similar in stiffness to the VH/True skates on display. I asked the rep if the skates on display were extra stiff or something, but he said it they were not and did not have the stiffness of the extra shot blockers built in.

Were you in Makos before? At SummerJam it looked like you were in 1x skates and skating quite well in them. Did the Makos just wear out and you couldn't find another set in your size so you grabbed the Vapors?

It'll be great to have you there and I'll be glad to try out a sharpening and check out the machine. If you can bring the fire ring that's the closest to 90/50 FBV that'd be greatly appreciated.

I completely agree with adams. I don't have VH/TRUE skates, but if I ever go that route I'd definitely go to one of the fit centers. If you have a fit centre with the VH/TRUE scanner anywhere near you and want to order custom VH/TRUE skates then it's a no brainer to go through them as there's no extra cost and you're more likely to get better results. The scan just gives them more data to work with and you also have access to a professional fitter.

My car was misfiring at low speeds and the issue was a bad ignition coil. I had all the coils and spark plugs replaced and the problem went away. I probably only needed to have 1 done, but the manifold had to be removed to get to the bottom three; so it made more sense to have them do all of them at once than to do one and then have to come back to get another one done a few months later. I also had one leaking gasket that they sealed up for me - I bought the parts and the labour cost was around $700 or so if I recall correctly.

That's a good point JR. The plastic holder would be hollow and the carbon holder may have to be built with thicker walls to withstand impact. So if that's the case, the only potential advantages of the one piece option is it may feel more responsive (no rivets ect) and it looks cool (subjective). Everything else points to the two piece option being the better choice.

Yes, the one piece looks nicer and would likely be a bit lighter, however; from a practical standpoint being able to easily replace a holder or blade is more practical long term. So if you have money to burn and don't mind just buying new skates if a non-replaceable part like the holder breaks or cracks outside of the warranty period then go with the one piece, but otherwise the two piece makes more sense.

I don't know if the holes lineup and haven't been able to find the answer, but reread the thread here on the holders and they allow for a quick change of steel without the steel becoming loose in the channel (this can happen with the Edge holders over time): So while I don't like the front and back dimples they seem to be well designed holders with excellent steel. You may just want to stick with them, ignore the aesthetics (how many people are really staring at your holders during play?) and save the cost of having new holders put on.

I believe you can just buy them undrilled without holders and steel and then have the holders of your choice mounted on them. So the holders aren't a big deal - hell, they may be great holders and it's likely great steel since it's step, but they do look a little clunky.

Overall, I like the look of the boot, footbed and liner, however; I'm still not a fan of the plastic heel cup (although maybe a good explanation of the functional reasons for that change would sway me) or the aesthetics of the holder (too many partial cut outs).

I believe he's saying he has a large pair of Franchise Pro Stock pants, those are too big and he believes the correct size for him in Franchise Pro pants would be medium. The size he picked up in the Super Tacks girdle isn't mentioned in the post.

Good pictures. I definitely prefer the flat platform to be molded into the carbon fibre itself than to have what appears to be a plastic heel piece added. It not only looks better, but one of the benefits of the one piece boot is supposed to be a more responsive feel because you're eliminating a layer between your feet and the holder/blade.

I wonder if the big black plastic piece above the rear tower on the holder is a heel lift or if that will now be on all the skates.

I would try to stay local as shipping anywhere could more than double the cost. Just ask your local stores about cost; I know my local store charges $30. If your old Vapor boots fit well and are in good shape then I would convert them. For training purposes I would look into the Marsblade, Sprung and Fizix chassis. The Marsblade was designed for off ice training. Sprungs use a suspension system and feel closer to ice than a traditional chassis. Fizix is an evolution of Sprungs made out of aluminum. It isn't out yet and is in the testing phase, but should be out this year. There are huge threads on Sprung and a good one on Marsblade on this site. Fizix has a Facebook page with pictures and some information. Personally I have only used Sprungs and I do like them.

The fit is the same - the M8 just have a different insole (slightly thinner), a wider metatarsal guard and use a 75/25 Carbon to Fibre Glass mix instead of 100% Carbon for the unibase. The weight difference is so minimal that I doubt you'll notice when wearing them. You may notice slightly better forward flex in the Mako II and you'll of course see the slight colour differences, but I don't think it's much of a drop off between the Mako II and M8. I haven't used the M8, but did own a pair briefly - I had to move them before using them because the D width was too narrow (I take an 8EE and thought I'd try an 8D since they were on clearance for a great price, but that didn't work out). I do have the original Mako and the Mako II and I do notice that the Mako II is stiffer, has more comfortable ankle padding and a bit better forward flex. The M8 felt stiffer than the OG Mako, very similar to the Mako II. They also beefed up the ankle padding in the M8 vs. the original Mako. The metatarsal guard in the M8 and the OG Mako seemed to be exactly the same; so you may notice a slight difference in forward flex vs. the Mako II, but it's not a huge difference.

Sprungs use short floating 8mm 608 spacers. The easiest ones to find look like this: http://img.inlinewarehouse.com/watermark/rs.php?path=SFBS-1.jpg&nw=300

The stiffer skates like the Verberos and Nexus 8000 should last longer than lower end Supremes or Vapors. How long depends on a variety of factors: how much you weigh, how you care for them, how often you skate ect. Personally, I play and ref several times a year so usually get around 2 or 3 years out of skates before I want to replace them. I could likely push them longer though.

Most should be fine - go with the boots that fit you the best.

The RS came out right before the original Mako. I have no experience with that skate and do not know if they're sizing is the same as the Mako skates, but Hockey Monkey does have Mako M8 skates on clearance for $234.98 and has 10D and 10.5D in stock. I believe most people used to take .5 size higher in Easton skates than Bauer, but with the Mako a lot of people went to the same size; so you might be a 10D in the M8, but hopefully someone who has used or tried on both the Mako skates and the RS can weigh in on that. I haven't used VH skates, but I've seen, felt and have read a lot about them and that'd be the most similar skate to the Easton Mako currently available. They aren't cheap at $899, however; they're fully custom and are built based on measurements, tracings and pictures of your feet. You could of course buy 4 pairs of the Mako M8 at the clearance price for only $40 more than one VH. There's a big VH skate thread here if you want to read all about those. You can also of course search on this and other forums, craigslist, kijiji, eBay, Sideline Swap and FB groups to see if anyone is selling Mako II or M8s in your size. Keep in mind that a lot of people can't even fit their feet into a properly sized Mako before it's baked and they'll feel very tight and can be uncomfortable if you do get your feet in them. After baking the Makos are very comfortable for most people in the right size. I have used both the Mako II and the original Makos and find the Mako II to be much more durable. The liner is holding up better on the Mako II, there's a bit more ankle padding and it hasn't compressed on me yet after about 8 months of use like the OG Makos did. Many people also had cracking issues with the OG Makos. So I'd stay away from the original Makos with the silver heels unless you can get them for dirt cheap and just want something to tide you over until you can find a Mako II or M8. The Mako II and M8 aren't going to be indestructible, but they're both an improvement over the originals and at the prices you can find them for now you could get 2 or 3 of them instead of one new high end Bauer, CCM or VH skate.

I have not baked or used the Super Tacks, but have tried them on and I own Mako II's. I use 8EE Mako II skates and tried on 8EE Super Tacks. I have wide forefeet and the Mako II in EE works well for them, but still locks in my narrow heel very well. The Super Tacks in the same size also locked in my heels very well, but I felt pressure in the toe box area...it was tolerable, but not comfortable. As I said, I did not bake or use the skates; so perhaps they would've been OK after a good bake and breaking them in, but generally a plastic toe cap doesn't change much after baking. I also briefly owned and baked, but did not use, a pair of Mako M8 in size 8D. Even after baking the Makos in D width were not wide enough for my forefeet. So if you're wearing D Makos and are having some toe box issues then the EE Super Tacks might be OK, but if you have EE Makos and there are toe box issues then I think the EE Super Tacks would be too narrow in the toe box and the only way to get a pair to fit would be to order a custom pair with a bigger toe box.

I own the original Makos, Mako II and bought a pair of M7's (haven't worn those yet). I also briefly owned M8's, but they were D width which turned out to be too narrow even after baking so I sold them before even wearing them. Here are the key differences between the M7, M8 and Mako II: M7 - EC50 Carbon Fiber Matrix (50% Fibre glass and 50% Carbon) with adaptive HDPE thermoplastic quarter. White felt tongue with an injected TPU metatarsal guard. Very thin ortholite footbed. M8 - EC80 (20% Fibre Glass) with adaptive RX thermoplastic quarter panel. White felt tongue with an injected-plastic metatarsal guard (the metatarsal guard looks exactly the same as the one that was on the original Mako). Multi-Density ortholite footbed (slightly thicker than the footbed that comes with the M7). Mako II - EC100 (100% Carbon) with adaptive RX thermoplastic quarter panel. White felt tongue with dual-density foam with a streamlined injected-plastic metatarsal guard (streamlined to allow for better forward flex). Multi-Density ortholite footbed (thicker than the one that comes with the M8). So you can see that the M7 has the highest fibre glass content - that means they'll be slightly heavier and you'll lose a bit of energy transfer, but on the plus side Fibre glass can be less prone to cracking from hard shots than carbon; so they may be a little more durable. The HDPE thermoplastic may also be less responsive to heat than the adaptive RX (Easton called this an exclusive thermoplastic material) found in the M8 and Mako II. I have not baked the M7's I have yet; so I can't be certain that is the case. The metatarsal guard isn't as hard in the M7 as it is in the M8 and it's not streamlined like it is in the Mako II. The footbed is very thin in the M7, but it was also quite thin in the original Mako. The M8 footbed is a bit thicker and the Mako II is the thickest of all the footbeds. They all have the extendon guard, are one piece boots and use the same holders and steel. The main difference is the fibre glass content as many others mentioned, but that's not the only difference. They all use wicking micro fibre liners, but the Mako II liner does seem like it'd probably be a bit more durable than the one found in the M7. I've used the Mako II since the summer (and that liner has shown better durability than the micro fibre liner used in the original Makos - I've had no issues with the Mako II liners, but had some noticeable wear with the originals after having used them for about the same amount of time), but haven't used the M7 at all; so I can't really say for sure.