caseyjones

As a big Graf guy who recently just went modern with Machs this video had me longing for Graf’s again. If I were them, I would stick to the classic models and classic looks and just build them in composite form and some of the newer (sometimes gimmicky) features. I think people are getting tired of the radical color designs on all the new skates (I was never a fan of this) and I think Graf would benefit there. New companies moved to the 3 fit system whereas Graf has been doing this for decades with their different models of skates. I would love a full composite heat moldable 707 with a 703 heel and original graphics.

Nothing scientific but if the holder is the same size you are skating on now you can compare the holder to the bottom of the boot on your skates vs the pictures of the 7000’s. If you are in 7000’s now then it should be very helpful. That’s one of the things I do when a seller doesn’t know the actual size. Get the holder size and see how much room it occupies on the sole of the skate

Yea I was kind of the opposite. Never thought I’d wear a skate in a narrow fit, but some skates definitely allow you to mold them well. I went with the best heel lock and tightest fitting all around to the point where it feels uncomfortable when you first put them on. I found that after sitting with the mach’s tied up for about 10 minutes they’d start to open up a bit. Then the baking and punching process makes them ultimately feel like a glove. I do wonder if there was some kind of defect with my first pair. Size 6 fit 2 was crushing my big toe on my left foot. Two different pairs of size 6 fit 1 and I don’t experience that at all. That first pair almost had me go up a half a size which would’ve been a mistake. there’s not a ton of movement with the speed plate. You can hear it click back and forth. Few mm at most. I had to pry the stock footbeds out with a tool they were so tight. I have a feeling the 1.0’s coming today will fit bette r since they are meant for a 6.5 skate and apparently take up less volume than the 2.0’s, but we’ll see… edit: 1.0’s so much better for me. Size 6.5 fits perfect. Nice and thin. 2.0’s are too bulky for me. Completely changed the volume of the skate. I took out the stock insoles (also very thick) and have been skating on paper thin Bauer form fit insoles that had the tabs on the front of them. Speed plate also are very thin but more rigid. Excited to give these a whirl. Now I have to scour the web for more of these. Can’t find them anywhere in my size

Yea, you helped me a lot in my search. Finally got the perfect fit and now the insoles are off LMAO

Same. I’m down a full skate size from what I’d normally wear. Just annoyed that something that is supposed to fit as an extension of the skate is moving around inside it. Like you said I’m sure it won’t move when I skate, but…. i have a pair of 1.0’s on the way labeled 6.5 and apparently those are thinner than the 2.0’s so hopefully the work out better.

Just ordered 3 pairs of speed plates as they sounded like something I’d really like. Got the first pair today and they are too small for my skates. I have a size 6 fit 1 skate and ordered size 6-6.5. They slide back and forth in the boot when I push my fingers on them. Pretty disappointed. They are also insanely thick taking up way more volume than I’d like. I’m still going to give them a go on the ice and see how it goes, but I can’t believe how off the sizing is.

Not the skate as a whole, but some of its features. Ft690 was my first dip into newer tech skates, coming from Graf 707’s. The stiffness and responsiveness of the skate was very noticeable. More so on the ccms than the mach’s for me. Ccms felt stiffer and more responsive. Idk if that’s a one piece boot vs 2 piece or the fact that the Machs have much more forward flex, maybe it was the holder and steel, maybe the size 6.5(CCMs) were cut a tad higher than size 6 Mach’s?…..idk….but that’s how they felt for me. They felt stiffer. The tongue on the ccms was pretty cool. Very comfortable. The tendon guard has padding on it whereas the Mach’s is just hard plastic. I think the full interior wrap vs the comfort edge was an upgrade. Xs holder with step steel vs tuuk with pulse/fly steel. Ultimately, I like the Mach’s better. They fit me perfectly. But there were some really cool aspects to the CCMs imo.

I went to an open skate recently and dropped the top 3 eyelets (which is close to 4 eyelets on the Machs) and all the stabilizing muscles in my lower limbs were feeling it. You’ll quickly notice if one leg is stronger than the other because that one will likely be on fire at one point. I felt good afterwards and plan to keep on doing this as a skating aid.

I had them, but returned them because ultimately they didn’t fit my foot properly. I thought they were pretty awesome skates though. I skated about 5x in them. I’m in Mach’s now and miss some of the aspects of the 690’s.

Couple quick questions regarding the holder and steel lengths. I’ve been reading through some old threads about dropping down a holder size and stuff. But seeing the picture above of my Mach’s, the holder pretty much fills the entire bottom of the skate. I’m sure I could fit a 263, but the 254 seems to fit that boot well. It mostly feels fine but like I said, I’ve been stumbling at times when I get a little eager to pounce on pucks or trying to get up to top speed quickly. So…. 1. Would they have to shave a lot of steel for me to go to an 11’ profile? I’m assuming I’m skating on a 10’ right now. Just to try to get a little more steel on the ice towards the toe. Maybe even a combo radius. 2. Would keeping the current holders help improve my mechanics? I never stumble on a 263, but being that the 254 fit these boots properly, could that be a sign that my mechanics need improvement?

Yea I’m familiar with it. Skated today and mostly felt pretty good. Definitely like the step steel better than the fly steel. Still tripped a few times, but I think it’s from the profile/runners. The runners on the ccm felt and looked “chunkier”. I was surprised I didn’t feel much difference on the ccms from dropping down a runner size, but on the Mach’s I feel it. I guess I’ll just have to get used to it. I’m fine when I’m thinking about it, but sometimes when I react on the ice is when I get a little too far on my toes. Only 3 skates in on these so, I’ll probably need another 3-5 and assuming I’ll adjust. If not, then maybe an 11ft profile or what I didn’t want to have to do which would be to put a larger holder on, but we’ll see

No I just lace the Mach‘s normal. I compared the Mach’s to my 707’s and the top lace on the Bauer’s actually sits higher than on my Grafs but I used to tape my ankles a little bit on the Grafs. I’m going to assume the cut of the boot was a tad higher on the CCMs. Skating again tonight with step steel although, I don’t think that’s going to change anything since the profile was identical. I like to feel resistance in my forward stride but not a limitation. Idk if that’s confusing but idk how else to describe it. I think it’s a combination of forward flex and perhaps less steel at the toe which is throwing me off. But I probably just have to get used to it

I don’t think I’d be able to take a video. I’m pretty used to forward flex. On the CCMs I was skipping the 2nd to top eyelet, going through the top and then coming back to the 2nd from the top. I would do that on my makos as well. Idk if the boot is cut a little lower since I dropped down another half size. It’s kind of hard to tell when comparing with my other skates. Just feeling where the tension is from the top lace, it does feel lower than my other skates. I think the steel has the same 10’ profile. And I just got step steel and matched it with my fly steel and it’s identical. Unless the ccm step had an 11’ profile which could be the case.

2nd skate didn’t go so great. I don’t know if going to a size 6 vs a 6.5 changes anything with the boot or if this is just something Mach specific but the forward flex has been an adjustment. I’ve never ever been able to crank laces all the way up to the top and not have any restriction at all in forward flex. I’m tripping over my toes on occasion and I feel much less power in my stride compared to the CCMs. These fit great but performance wise so far, the CCMs felt like I was getting more benefits from a much stiffer and more responsive skate than I am used to. The Mach’s almost feel like my Makos did if I skipped the top eyelet.

This skate was my first skate on the Mach’s. Only tried hyperlites on in the store, but I own the Mach’s. The fit is pretty great. Like you said, it’s just getting used to them now and getting some things dialed in. I started playing with tongues out and quickly switched to tongues under shins. I also ordered step steel so I’ll probably skate on that next time opposed to the fly steel and compare there. I’m fairly happy though and I’m not sure I could’ve gotten a better fit. I feel more comfortable with them being slightly too small if anything opposed to slightly too big and I’m sure I can add a tiny extra space to that left skate if eventually needed. Thanks for all your feedback during this process. It’s been quite the journey but I’m not really 2nd guessing anything at this point in time.

Skated last night and the overall fit felt really good. Toes def hit the toe cap when my legs are straight and I’m gliding but it wasn’t painful or anyThing so it wasn’t really something that bothered me at all. The skates themselves were interesting. This is the only skate I’ve laced up tightly all the way to the top and has zero restriction in forward flex. I had a little trouble finding my edges on crossovers. The steel was interesting too. The sound it made was different and it seemed to cut through the ice like butter. Idk if I like it or not though. Felt more agile in the Mach’s but more powerful and energy transfer from the Jetspeeds. I’m not really sure if that’s a product of the skate or the steel and holder. CCMs had step steel with more bulk in the toe plus the steel was the taller steel. I also liked the ccm tongue better than the traditional felt on the Mach’s.

I wound up baking them last night and I used the shrink wrap technique. I baked them longer and at a higher temperature than recommended. I kept a close eye on them. The recommended times and temperature I saw was like 175 for 3 minutes or something like that. The whole skates weren’t even warm with that. But the bake worked out perfectly. I put the skates on this morning and immediately called another pure hockey to see if they had a different size in stock. But once the skates warm up from my foot being in them, they start to fit. My right skate now feels perfect even with a sock on. Just working on the forefoot now a little on the left skate and we’ll see what happens in terms of length. Kinda hard for me to do that on my own. I’m skating tonight though so we’ll see how it goes.

I went back to pure yesterday. Tried on vapor 6.5 fit 1 and it felt pretty comfortable, but I worry about something feeling too comfortable the first time you put your foot into it without baking and I weirdly didn’t have as good of a heel lock as I do with the machs. I think the “anatomical fit” of the ankle on the Machs suits me although the guy at ourehockey suggested otherwise. I think ultimately, my best best might be a 6.5 fit 1 opposed to my 6 fit 2, but of course there are no pure hockeys who carry this size. I tried it on in the M5. I had a 6.5 fit 1 M5 on my left foot (this slightly longer foot) and a 6 fit 2 Mach on my right and they felt pretty much the same. So I wound up leaving with the skates I already had (the Mach size 6 fit 2). I was also trying these skates on with basically no socks on. It seems like that’s the difference I’m looking at here. Without socks they feel pretty good, with socks they’re pretty tight. I think I’m going to order a pair of thinnies and see what that does for me. But otherwise it’s baking, punching and stretching and breaking in and hoping that sweet spot eventually comes

Honestly sounds like we have somewhat similar feet. Maybe I’ll try on some vapors tomorrow too while im at it. Would you say the vapor toe box is wider than Mach or the same? Mako toe box was the only toe box that was perfect for me. Even after Bauer said they made theirs even wider on the machs, it’s still not as wide as the mako was. Crazy with all these different fits, it’s still hard to find the perfect sweet spot for some. I wanted to try on trues but pure said they only do custom

I think the powerfoot just makes my toes feel cushiony. I hate feeling that extra space above my toes. My toes pull away from the toe cap if I go in a baseball catchers stance on my toes. Walking around in them, they’re pushing into the front. I have a bunch of different footbeds from other skates. I tried a mako footbed which game me a tiny bit of extra room bc the heel cup isn’t as pronounced. Graf sidas gave a tiny bit of extra room too bc of the arch support. I still haven’t baked them or anything bc I don’t want to not be able to return them. im going to try on a 6.5 fit 2 tomorrow and a 6.5 fit 1 in the M5 (I’m assuming that is the same fit). Nobody has a 6 fit 3 in stock by me.

Thanks, I have pinching there too and my toes are pretty jammed up in the toe box, but my heel feels great lol. They didn’t have other sizes so I’m going to try to seek to try a 6.5 fit 1 and a 6 fit 3. I currently have 6 fit 2. Appreciate all your help and continued responses putting these on with shins tucked and wow, these skates have so much forward flex. They almost feel like my 707’s where there’s virtually no resistance. These also look like little baby skates. Toes are hitting the toe cap even when I flex forward, but the power foot makes it feel more comfortable. I also notice the shorter than I’m used to runners on these way more than I did on the CCMs. I know xs is 1mm larger but I can’t imagine that’s the difference. Maybe the taller steel in the CCMs or perhaps a different profile is the reason? still not sure what I’m gonna do as my toes are jammed, but I almost feel like a bake, maybe a stretch?, and playing around with socks and footbeds can hopefully get these where they need to be. My CCMs

So my skate fit journey took a turn and I’m going to be swapping out the ccm’s for Mach’s. The Mach’s locked my heel in probably better than my Grafs and the new wider toe caps are perfect for me. I wound up dropping down another half size as well which is probably why I didn’t notice how good they fit the first time I tried them on. Toe is a little jammed on the left skate but assuming a bake and a few skates should pull my foot back where the fit will be perfect. hopefully my last question for you guys is, which steel should I get? Looks like I’ll be getting step steel eventually (I found some online) but will use Bauer steel in the time being. From what I gathered researching, I’m guessing I should just save $ and go with the regular pulse steel and don’t bother with the ti? I can basically get pulse, pulse ti, fly-x or fly-ti. I have no interest in the carbonlite runners edit: just wound up getting the fly-x runners. Just hoping the bake pulls my toes back a bit

It’s a bit of both. It’s more annoying than anything. I skated for 1.5 hours yesterday. I have blisters and i can feel the hardness of the boot on those small bones below my ankle, but it’s not something that’s necessarily painful where I feel like I want to stop skating. I was able to pull the heel in tighter, but it pulled that hot spot area in as well bc I clamped the heel without my foot being in the boot to try to get it nice and tight. I’m imagining a little spot heat and the paper towel trick can get rid of that hot spot again. It was basically gone before I did the wrap and heel clamp I actually just taped two little felt pads that you put under furniture legs to my ankle bones. They are the perfect size for where the spot is, heated the area up a little bit and tied my skates tight. I have a feeling this might do the trick. I think that is mainly what was bothering me yesterday bc the heel feels pretty tight now even when putting my bare feet in them

Thanks I might give that a try. They didn’t feel too great today. Some rubbing on the inside of the ankles again. This was prob my 5th time on them. So I’ll give it another 5 skates and re-assess. One piece boot, shorter holder, different profile and skating tongues in with these opposed tongues out. There’s a lot going on. Appreciate all of your help

Thanks. I’m just seeing this now so the clamping has already been done. What you are saying though regarding the heel pocket seems to be exactly what I’m experiencing. I have a pair of Graf 704’s with no holders on them and I laced them up last night and walked around like they were sneakers and my heel didn’t budge at all. Looking inside the skate, it seems to be all about how much and where the heel padding is positioned inside the skate. The only thing preventing my heel from lifting is the padding that is above my heel that wraps around my Achilles that doesn’t give the heel anywhere to go in terms of moving upwards. My heel doesn’t move laterally at all in my CCMs. Also like you said, those hotspots did come back a little bit, but the heel does feel much better. Appreciate all the feedback bc I’m wondering if I didn’t properly fit myself into the skates when I purchased them, but if this is a common thing then like you said, I’ll just have to get used to it. The only skates I’ve ever worn where my heel didn’t lift up during a walking motion were my Grafs. I skated most of my life in vapor 10’s (.5 size too big) and supreme 5000’s and my heel was never locked in on those either like my Grafs were and I never felt negative effects when skating