althoma1

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.

Fair enough. I haven't worn them, but did handle and try them on. The Super Tacks didn't fit as well as the Makos in the toe area, but the heel lock was good. I don't think they would wrap as well and I think I would miss the flexible tendon guard, but I do think they would be more protective. That's only speculation though. Hopefully someone who has used them can answer your question.

If you love the fit and performance of the Makos, but don't like the protection then getting shot blockers for your Makos would seem to make more sense than buying new skates that may or may not work for you as well.

I have both Mako I and II skates in the same size and actually find that the Mako II feels slightly longer in the toe area (I can feel the cap/tongue more with my toes on the Mako 1's - both pairs I've converted to inline and the 1 pair I have for ice). Technically they should feel the same as the sizing wasn't changed from model to model, but there are variables at play like bake times, if you knocked your heel back in both skates and of course if the workers making your skates glued the tongues at exactly the same location in the toe cap.

I thought Leia looked great and realistic, but Tarkin looked like he came straight out of a video game. A game with good graphics, but very obviously animated.

Pets are part of the family and it's always difficult to see them pass on. You were missed at Winterfest, but I'd also want to be with my pets in that situation.

If you're referring to my post - I spot heated the skate carefully with my foot out of the skate, then put my foot in and wrapped the sock around and put the clamp on and let it cool.

I also have a narrow heel and super wide forefeet and when I wanted to tighten up the heels I didn't have any compression bandaids around so I spot heated carefully with a heat gun, tied around some compression socks and then used the clamp over the socks. It worked and no damage was done to my skates, but if you can do it just with a compression bandaid/and or your hands that's likely the safer way to go.

Sounds like they fit like mine. A half size down might be a bit too tight. If you spot heat the heel you should be able to get a better lock - you can use a tensor bandage and/or clamp to help after spot heating the area. I used a big plastic clamp to help with heel lock. It looks like a bigger version of this: Here's an old VH speed skate video where they use a tensor bandage:

Yes, a standard bic or papermate pen or #2 pencil. No thick oversized pens. With your toes brushing the cap, lean your leg forward and then place the pen behind your heel - it'll be below the tendon guard area. It's great that you're sure about the width - that eliminates one key variable.

I can do that, but I'm sure I'm not the only one curious about that comparison. You may want to post in the VH and/or Supertacks threads about it. I don't have a dire need to know as I have a stockpile of Makos that will last a while and the Supertacks and VH skates aren't in my current plans, however; I think it's unlikely I'll be going back to a boot with a separate outsole after using KORs and then Makos for the last decade or so and it's nice to keep tabs on other skates without separate outsoles. I know when another member, mc88, did a comparison of the Mako II and VH skates it was very interesting reading. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.

I don't think the Makos are actually longer than the Vapors in the same size. The Mako is just more responsive to heat than Vapors and has a more anatomical toe cap. So after a bake the Makos would've widened up where needed and the toe cap is already wide. The Vapors may be still narrow for your feet in some areas (especially the toe cap) which elongates your foot and would make the skates feel shorter than the Makos. Either way, if you undo the top few laces and really loosen the rest and then push your foot to the front so you can feather the cap and then see how much room you have in the heel you can determine if you need to go down a half size. If you can't fit a regular pen down the back then you have the right size (for length anyway), if you can just squeeze a pen down the back then you're on the borderline between sizes and could stay where you are or go down depending on personal preference, and finally, if you can put a pen behind your heel and can move it back and forth a bit then you should definitely get a smaller size. As far as width goes you'd only know if you bake both a D and EE in the same size, but if the EE fits you with little to no negative space then it is probably OK - if you have a lot of room side to side anywhere then you could consider dropping to a D width.

If I recall correctly, you also have VH skates. It'd be interesting to hear how these compare after you've skated in them for a few weeks.