althoma1

It happens. Not a big deal. Congrats on the new grandchild. If the new development is big it makes sense to wait, but even if it isn't I think it makes sense to wait if you don't need the skates right away because then the start of your warranty will be later that way (plus you can be earning interest in the cash in the meantime). I'd order in the late summer/early fall if you're not going to start using them until the fall/winter season.

Oh, and I highly doubt VH would stop selling to the general public. They're making money selling the skates so why would they shut that off? If there are changes coming over the summer and you don't need skates until the Fall then I'd definitely wait to order them if I was in your position.

You quoted the answer...otg said WED morning. Today is Tuesday.

I know Bauer patented the Edge holders and hasn't officially let anyone produce replacement blades, but I'm not so sure about the cages/helmets. I know the Re-akt cage I bought from you works well on an Easton E700 helmet (ironically it didn't fit as well on a Bauer IMS 7.0/Cascade M11). Maybe their new cages don't fit on all helmets, but I can't see them specifically designing them to only fit Bauer helmets.

The old Warrior Smyth curve (W06) and the Gionta curve (W10) (the Sherwood PP01 Smith was almost an exact clone of the Gionta as well) would be two I'd be interested in.

If you hos the images somewhere else and then post the link they'll show up. You just can't load any images directly to the site.

That looks cosmetic. It doesn't look like it's a structural issue. I wouldn't worry about that.

Yes, even after a good bake and undoing the top two eyelets completely I still have to twist my feet a bit to get them in the skates. It takes a little more work getting them on and off than a traditionally built skate, but the fit, comfort and performance makes the slight extra work worthwhile.

The Gionta (and Sherwood PP01 Smith) and Smyth are my two all time favourite curves, but they're definitely niche curves and were obviously discontinued for a reason. There definitely are a lot of toe curves out there, but all of them I can think of that are readily available are open toed curves (the Kreps style). It'd certainly be nice to have a toe curve that's more closed like the Gionta. A current curve that feels similar to the old Smyth is the CCM P46, but there doesn't seem to be a clone of that one in the other companies. I have no idea how successful that curve is from a sales perspective though. It's obvious the most common curves are the P92 and P88 as everyone has clones of those and now the new "it" curve is the P28 Kreps style curve.

I don't think the Makos would get hot enough for a proper bake if you turned the oven off. It doesn't sound like they did. When mine came out of my convection oven (which I left on the entire time at 200 on the convection setting) they felt very pliable - almost like Play-Doh. If you have a convection oven, I'd bake them again at 200 F with the cookie sheet. If you only have a regular oven then get yourself to a store. Some stores actually bake for free - I know Sport Chek does in Canada and Total Hockey does in the US. If you don't have a convection oven or one of those stores near you then I'd still make the 45 minute drive and pay the $30 - you'll hopefully use these for 100s of hours on the ice; so that 45 minute drive and $30 will be worth it to have skates that are designed to be baked, baked properly. I also don't think a blow dryer would get hot enough for effective spot heating. You want a heat gun (the kind you'd use to heat up a shaft to insert or remove an extension or blade...or some people use for non-hockey related things like stripping wallpaper) for that. The sizing looks fine based on that one picture - if you can brush your toes on the end of the box with them laced up then you probably have the right size. The Makos feel aggressively forward pitched to me, but if you want to use superfeet with them then make sure to put those in right after baking. Keep in mind that you'll loose a bit of depth with the super feet as they'll take up some volume due to the plastic heel on them. Put in whatever insole you plan to skate with right after you take them out of the oven.

Gummer is on the money with the modern ovens. With the older ones that look like the Blademaster you just ask them to set it to 200 degrees F. Ideally you'll find an oven at a store and do it there - if you end up doing it at home then definitely don't use a conventional oven as it won't properly distribute the heat. If you have an oven with a convection oven (a fan inside that moves the warm air around) then it's possible to do it carefully at home, but it has it's risks and will void the warranty. With a convection oven you place one rack in the middle rung (or perhaps one lower - you want enough room that the skates will not touch any part of the oven or other racks) and remove the other racks. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F on the convection mode. Put a damp tea towel on a flat cookie sheet or a pizza tray and then put the skates on that after you've loosened the laces (so you can slide the insole and then your feet in easily after taking them out of the oven) and removed the insoles. At the half way point (5 minutes if you're leaving them in for a total of 10 minutes...I went with a 16 minute total as that's what was on the original boxes) flip them over so that both sides are heated evenly. If you have someone with you then you can grab one skate out when the total time is completed and turn the oven off (leaving the other skate in the warm oven) and go sit down and tie that up. Once you have the first skate tied you can have the other person bring you the second skate (it shouldn't be more than a minute or so). I had my current Mako ice skates baked at the store I purchased them from for 10 minutes. I picked up a pair of barely used Makos to convert to roller and baked those at home with a convection oven for a total of 16 minutes (flipped at the 8 minute mark) because there would be no warranty anyway since they were being converted and were already used. The ones I use for roller actually feel a little more comfortable, but that's probably down to the longer bake time. I could rebake the ones I use for ice, but haven't as they're still quite comfortable - I only spot heated one area carefully with a heat gun and pushed it out with my thumb. When I was wearing KOR skates I had a few baked at stores and some baked at home and the results were very similar, but the ones I baked at home were all done after the company was out of business and no warranty would apply. So it's definitely possible to bake at home if you have a convection oven and are careful, but there's more risk and any warranty will be voided. I would recommend baking your skates at a shop if possible since you're using them as ice skates and there's still a company to support the Easton warranty since Bauer purchased Easton.

Did you move on from Makos or are you using Bauer holders on Mako skates? If you moved on, what did you pick up and do they fit and feel as good as the Makos? The mislabelled steel is a shame, but at least one of the two sets looks good and I'm sure they'll rectify the problem with the other set.

I have had several conversions done and have never plugged the holes or had issues with that. You're more likely to have wet spots from where people fall or if people spill drinks on the bench. Unless you're a very heavy sweater I highly doubt you'll have issues with a few old rivet holes.

If they're only a bit tight with some mild pressure then the D width should be fine after a bake as the Makos are very responsive to heat. If they feel like your foot is being squeezed by a vice then you might want to go with the wider size. I have them in EE myself, but have a very wide forefoot and need EE in most brands. If you usually wear a D in most skates then you'll likely need a D in Makos as well.

Yes, most skates use a U shaped toe box. The Makos toe box is the most anatomical and best fitting toe box I've ever had the pleasure of using. The only other skates I've owned that came close to being as comfortable for me as the Makos were the KOR Shift 1's and the Torspo Surge 221's. They both fall short of the Mako though because neither used an anatomical toe box. The built in heat responsive footbeds in the Shift 1's were a nice touch, but a Bauer speedplate in the Makos could potentially replicate that.

Side to side in the toe box or above your toes? If it's the latter then you could try using powerfoot inserts as they're meant to fill up that space. My KOR Shift 2's were squeezing my foot were the cap met the boot and causing a blister between my two smallest toes. Moving to a EE Mako definitely solved that problem as the toe cap is wider and more ergonomic. It certainly doesn't feel sloppy to me though, but I have a wide forefoot.

It depends where you're located. If you're in Canada then Dylan at Just Hockey in Toronto has done a great job on a few conversions I've had done there over the years. If you're in another country then you're probably better off finding someone skilled at mounting in that country to save on shipping costs.

Based on the other threads I gather there is a Mako replacement that will have a different name. Based on Buzz's comment I'm guessing that this new replacement may not be ready for the 2016 booking season. If that's the case it may be delayed and not come out in the spring when most other new skates launch perhaps it'll be released later in the year or pushed back into 2017. I have no personal knowledge of this - just reading between the lines and forming my own hypothesis.

I think you're asking what hollow you should use rather than radius. Radius is the contour of the blade from front to back (CXN holders have a 9' radius stock). I think if you want to try FBV then 90/75 would probably be a good starting point.

I'm hoping the paint jobs aren't the only thing you can customize and custom curves like the previous customizer are available. I was enjoying the P46 on the CCM stick at Winterfest, but the Smyth and Gionta are still my two all time favourite curves. I've tried to love the E/W/P 28 style curves and they're OK, but I really prefer a more closed mid-toe or toe like the Smyth and Gionta.

If you really can't get to a store to try anything on and your old skates are too big then before you order you may want to measure your feet and post the results. Take a plain piece of computer paper and put it against the wall. Put your foot against the wall on the paper with your heel touching the wall and trace your foot. Do this with both feet (either bare foot or with very thin socks - don't do it with thick socks on) and then measure the longest point and widest point of both feet. If you post those you'll likely get more accurate advice as shoe sizes vary based on preference (some people wear them tighter than others).

The Mako 2, M8 and M7 fit exactly the same as the original Makos. You should be able to find those in a store to try on. The Mako box suggests going 1.5 sizes down from shoe size - eg. my 8EE Makos say they're for someone with a 9.5 shoe, however; I usually wear a 10 wide dress shoe, 10 sandals and a 10 or 10.5 running shoe depending on the fit. If you're a 10.5 or 11 shoe size, are you sure the 10.5 S17s aren't too big? Most people usually drop down 1.5 to 2 sizes for skates vs. shoe size. Do your toes brush the caps? When you unlace the skates and push your foot all the way forward, how much room do you have at the back? (I'd use a pencil to test this). Based on shoe size only I'm guessing you'd probably need around a 9 Mako (give or take a half size either way); I'd go to a store that carries any line of Makos and try on an 8.5, 9, 9.5 in both D and EE widths. Keep in mind that the skates are very responsive to heat and any minor tight spots will loosen up once they're baked.

I was using a 7/8" hollow (close to 1") before switching to FBV and have been quite happy with the 90/50 cut in FBV. 90/75 was too deep for my tastes. Those are the only two cuts I've tried, but I've had no reason to try anything other than 90/50 FBV. With the 90/50 FBV cut I feel I get even more glide than with the 90/75 and, more noticeably, it's easier to switch from forward and to backward skating (less prominent edges). Stops also have no chatter for me with a properly done 90/50 cut, but get some with 90/75. I'm not a small guy at 6'2" and over 200lbs though and have always preferred a shallower hollow since I discovered hollows over 10 years ago when I joined the MSH site. Growing up I'd just get the standard cut once or twice a season - I now sharpen then every month or two since I'm getting a suitable hollow put on.

A D width Nexus is like a EE in most other models. Try the EE width Makos in 7.5 and 8 and see how they feel.

We'll probably start seeing details sometime between mid-December and February and the skate will likely be released in May or June of 2016. That's not based on any hard facts, only previous skate releases. I've demoed the Supreme skates - they're good skates, but they don't have the same wrap and running shoe like feel of the Makos. I'm always open to demoing other skates, but unless I'm really blown away I could never see going back to a non-speed skate based skate like the Makos or VH. If your Makos 1's are wearing out I'd either try to hunt down a clearance pair in your size or wait until the Mako 2's drop in price sometime next year. If money is no object then you could also consider the custom VH route.