smcgreg

Did you (or anyone else for that matter) actually do this? I want to pursue this option, but would like to hear from those who have had success, or lack thereof.

As Anko just posted and I have previously in this thread, the difference between a Mako and stock Supreme should be about +4 in Pitch (+3 combined from steel and holder on Mako and -1 on Supreme), so, you still have a way to go. I agree about heel lifts. I did that with my son in his Supremes to get him more pitch and it worked nicely. I definitely wouldn't shave the toe. I've done that on purpose in the past and inadvertently through a plethora of sharpenings and it causes trouble.

When I pushed out the back at that spot you're referring to, I actually did use c-clamps and make shift metal punch. Definitely more complicated than the side, but it did work. I believe I heated it and left it in the c-clamps over night as opposed to going to the freezer. Good luck.

Actually, as Syinx states, you can change the shape of the boot like that. For example, in my case, I used a heat gun to heat the area below the inside ankle and simply pushed in a bit with my gloved hands. Didn't take much at all and it really changed the shape of the boot. Once I had the shape I thought I wanted after 5 min, I threw them in the freezer and voila! Granted, at the end of the day I didn't get the performance effect I was looking for, but I was able to mold exactly the way I wanted with minimal effort. For spot types of applications though, as it sounds like you're trying, a heat gun will probably work better than a general bake. When I originally posted, I didnt' realize you had already baked twice. So, I have another anecdote that is likely applicable (I have a bunch of them for Makos). The story I cited above was with my new Mako IIs. In my original Makos, when I baked them, I leaned forward too much and the tendon guard/boot upper junction cut in too much. It was so bad, at one point I couldn't stand up in the skates. So, I took my handy dandy heat gun and heated that area and pushed it out. It's a trickier area than the part inside, below the ankle though that I addressed in my Mako IIs, so, it was more work, but I was able to do it. Sounds like that's the area that's bothering you too? Back of the skate where the tendon guard joins the boot? It sounds like Syinx hit it on the head. Watch the video (Mako or MLX) and they pinch the heel on both the outside and inside for better heal lock and the effect should be to change the shape around the tendon, I expect.

I've had a similar issue on my right skate because I've "punched in" the inside of the heel a bit (below the ankle bone) to push my foot farther outside (long story). Anyway, when I did this, my heel didn't "sit in the pocket as well" (for lack of better phrasing). Also, that seemed to great more space around the top of the boot at the top two eyelets. The end result was pretty much the same thing you described. So, I rebaked to open the heel back up (get rid of the punch in) and get the heel to sit better in the pocket. As a result, both of the problems were solved both in the lower part of boot, below the ankle and at the top around the top eyelet. Make sense?

Maybe try rebaking that one. You may need it to open up more lower, or wrap a bit better up top. Worth a try.

I'm sure one of the gurus generally knowledgable about such things will chime in and correct me, but that was my understanding, negative pitch for total ones.

I went from Total Ones to Mako.... big difference. The Total Ones are a "negative 1" pitch I believe and the Makos are a "plus 3 pitch". (in quotes, because the industry varies on the nomenclature). That's about as extreme a difference as I think you can go in over the counter skates. It took quite a while for me to get used to, but I'm old (47 yr), so, that might have been part of it. I'm still toying with the idea dialing it back a bit and going to a "plus 2 pitch" just because, although pretty much adapted skating, I still feel like in board battles and while standing and not skating, that I'm somewhat off balance. In other words, it doesn't bother me when skating and I actually like it, but there are lots of times in a game that I'm not actually skating and don't have momentum and at those times, I feel pitched forward a tad too much. Really, the only way for you to know though, it to try them. All the aforementioned being said, I will never, ever go back to Total ONes (or NXG or whatever the latest model is), I've done it a couple times and it's like wearing a friggin brick on my feet. As well, I know several younger guys who have made the switch and adapted quite quickly. I had my I's warrantied in Aug and replaced with II's. It was my impression there were no more I's available. The II is a nicer skate to be sure. Probably worth a try, but I can understand your frustration if you get I's again.

No worries, glad to help. My son actually had his first game Thur after I had them profiled and it was incredible. I don't think he fell once. Granted, he dives to block shots a lot, but much more stable and his game was better all around. Noticeably faster as well, winning several puck races and going on two breakaways out of his own zone. So noticeable that other parents asked me what I did that changed his performance. I hope it solves your problem as well.

Yes, a heat gun. Really only held for a couple of minutes. I didn't need too much and didn't want to overdo it. I've spot heated other parts of the boot the same way, used a heat gun like in the MLX videos and only held for a couple minutes.

Ironically, just got back from my first skate after doing this last night. Yes, it gave additional heel lock. I did it a bit lower than the ankles though.

When you say "stumbling", is it falling forward/backward? How many tiimes have they been sharpened? My son (Squirt) has heel lifts in his vapors to pitch him forward. Recently, he's been falling down more, but I wasn't sure if it was by design (diving to make plays) or the skates. I took a look at the blades though and it was clear, the original 9 ft radius was probably more like a 5 or 6 ft after the 30-40 + sharpenings. I took them to TH and had my guy put a 13 ft radius back on them and voila.... stable as a clam (not sure if that's a saying...). What made me think of it was when I was on my Mako Is and they had been sharpened a bunch of times, I started falling too much. New steel... fixed. Anyway, if yours is on junior steel, and they get sharpened regularly, I'd bet the heel and toe are probably shaved and the radius is shorter than when he started. Just a thought because it's a familiar story.

Well, if you have ankle issues, the Mako may not be the skate for you. It is pretty easy to cut off the circulation with these skates because of the excellent wrap. So, the key is to tie them looser. Since you seem to want to tie tight for ankle stability, you should tie the lower eyelets loose, then tighten the top two. I just got a new pair of Mako IIs to replace my originals and with the new bake, the first time I wore them, my feet went numb in about 10 min. I loosened them up on the bench and it was better. The next time I went looser and they were fine. They'll likely open up a bit over time so that it will be less of an issue, but the Makos are definitely more finicky to get right (at least for me) and that's what's great about them. You can fine tune them to perfection. Just need to be able to remember how you got it right. Still, the ankle is low on the Mako and they may just not work for you.

Well, I'm getting them from the shipment that's coming to my LHS and last week they said it would be 2-3 weeks. So, 1-2 weeks from now. It depends on size though, because I know some sizes are already in some LHSs in the area.

I'm having my Makos warranty replaced with Mako IIs in the US.

So, does that mean you're not getting VH, or do you still need to throw your money at something ? ;)

Actually, since they will likely open up a fair bit after baking, the fit very likely will get worse. For example, in the store, the Bauer Brannock indicated I should be in a 7.5. So, I tried those, but they felt sloppy. Then I tried the 7. Before baking they were ok. After baking they were better, but I still felt like I could go smaller, so, I told the guy that I wanted to try a 6.5 with baking. He said ok. I could not get my foot in the boot at all before baking, no way, no how. After baking..... like a glove. If I had gotten the 7, they probably would have fit "ok", but not as good as the 6.5 and so, wouldn't perform as well. I will reiterate what Optimus said, you MUST bake before trying on. You could be sorely disappointed. Heck, you might not be that disappointed, but you also may not know what you're missing.

Have you skated on Makos before? Regardless of the timeframe after baking, I'd hesitate to skate on them the first time in a game unless you have already been accustomed to them. If you're coming from something like a Supreme, but difference. If you've already skated on Makos... nevermind.

Yes, I was so happy to get one more skate in youth for him. I was prepared to have to go to Jr this last time. I am dreading the day having to buy SR skates for him. OTOH, he's defense and some size would be a nice thing. Sa lavie. This is crazy, but you 10 yr old will be wearing the same size Mako as I do. Anyway, to your point. Of any skate, to go a 1/2 size bigger to allow for some growth, I would think the Mako would be the best. As you point out, the moldability will make it the closest fit of any 1/2 size big skate. Further, the old MLXs (precursor to the Mako) only came in full sizes. I almost got my hand on one of the last pairs of MLXs in size 7, and they came with an insert for the toe cap to fill the space for people that should have a 6.5. So, with a bit of growth ahead of him, he should be good.

Your 10 yr old will get a size 6.5??? Holy crap. My 9 yr old is still in youth. Yours must be a giant. Congrats!

Looks like these guys have what you need. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23869

Yeah, that was the original idea, but then.. you know.... forget to swap them out and the next thing you know, 9 months have gone by. It was an interesting lesson to the effects of sharpening on profile even from sharpeners I trust for the most part.

Unfortunately, I'm only a theorist. I know that facts and the theory behind what was done to my skates, but the practical details are another matter. JR put shims in my son's skates and I believe it was HDPE. Not sure of the source, but I think he's provided it on here before. I'm with you though regarding the profiling. JR is the only guy I trust to profile my skates now after the previous debacles I've gone through. So, if you don't have confidence in your local profilers, shims are probably the way to go. On a related note, I got new ES4 steel for my Makos about 9 months ago. I broke one of them on Tue in a drop in game, so, I had to throw a relatively new set I had as back up in for my game Wed. Even though they were both ES4 steel in Makos and had initially been profiled exactly the same, by the same person at the same time, 9 months of sharpening once a week or two had made them different enough to feel like different skates. Good luck on you quest.

The total pitch (combined holder and stock ES4 profile) is 3/32. I'm not sure what the APx2s would be, but maybe somebody else can give you that one. I'm guessing a 2/32 (1/16) shim would likely do the trick.

I did essentially the same thing, but since I was in a hurry and wanted it pronto (needed to play and didnt' want it to get worse), I picked up these at my local Dick's http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=32590566