I have only about 4 hours on these skates now, but they are definitely the most comfortable "new" skates Ive ever worn. I have a long but narrow, low volume foot. I wear a size 14 shoe and ordered a size 12 skate. Fit is good, I probably could've gone down at least 1/2 size more given the mold-ability of these skates but stuck with the 12. Fit is very "hard" and awkward prior to baking the skate. The baking process is easy though as is relieving any individual hot spots after a preliminary bake. The skate gives such a good wrap around the foot after its baked it almost feels like you dont have to tie it. This wrap and solid heel lock can also make it difficult to slide your foot in and out of the skate. Thats a small price to pay for the solid and secure fit while on the ice though. Transitioning to the skates forward pitch was not difficult though the different stance was noticeable. It feels unusual while thinking about it during warm up, but once the puck drops you dont notice. I feel like I can turn much harder and tighter on these skate than my last pair. I would imagine a lot of that is due to being able to dial in a precise fit and not having the sloppy extra space found in most skates. As for being able to skate any faster...maybe slightly, but no extreme difference. Bottom line...I would definitely buy these again. The comfortable fit alone is worth it. There was zero break in time, and I no longer suffer from foot pain during and after games. Many people question the durability of these skates. I have no reason to believe they wont hold up (I do take care of my equipment though unlike a lot of others). They are priced high but no higher then other top tier skates and less then the APX2's that just dropped. I plan to use these skates for many years getting my money out of them.