krisdrum

Sorry, maybe not being clear, although a mute point. I thought VH offered a full 360 custom fit, by that I mean a custom spec boot and a custom insole (ex. orthotic). Obviously I am mis-remembering/understanding the product, as the video you posted is the one I was thinking of. I thought the yellow/black footbed was molded by VH to fit the contours of your specific foot in the event of a 3D scan fitting. Thinking that through, it doesn't make sense, because then the product would be different for paper/pencil fittings and 3D fittings, which wouldn't be a good a business model. Figments of my imagination. My bad.

Bummer. That was a major selling point for me. Full 360 custom.

I stand corrected. Perhaps that was an old option, as I could swear the videos I've watched on the skates talk about a custom insole.

Don't VH come with a custom molded insole that is based on the profile and shape of your foot? Why would you need an aftermarket generic insole?

Update: Got the left skate most of the way assembled last night while watching the Pens/Caps game. Need to re-drill 1 hole up in the toe and the plastic I cut to shim my heel didn't work out the way I thought, so I need to re-assess and figure out another solution. Might just finish assembly without the shim for now and alter down the line if needed. Should have the pair complete by tonight. Realized after a few bolts in the toe area that I was trying to assemble with too short a bolt, so I adjusted and the rest went much easier and have gone back and switched the shorter ones out. I'm doing a dry assembly at the moment to double check fit. Will go back and add threadlock once I have everything square. Updation Nation: Finished them up last night. Salvaged some thinner shim material from the garage, re-made my shims based on the ones I had already made. I may need to increase the size down the road, but at least I have a starting point to work from. Found a Torx 15 screw driver too, which made assembly alot easier and faster. I was using one of those stupid "flip out" kits the night before and it was a PIA. Only had to re-drill 2 holes. 1 per skate to get proper hole alignment. Not too bad. Assembled dry then backed the screws out and dropped thread lock into the T-nuts from above. Everything seems solid. Laced them up quickly last night and did a lap of the dining room table. Hope to give them a real go on some Ice Court this weekend.

Got it, makes sense. I just looked at the IW fit descriptions of both and I'm not surprised to hear you needed a bit of help in the heel of the CCMs given what you've found with the Makos. U+10: General fit aspects of the CCM boot are medium-high volume, medium ankle area, wide across top of foot and forefoot and medium toe box. Mako: General fit aspects of the Mako boot is low to medium volume with a very contouring fit; offering low-medium volume in the ankle area, heel pocket, across the top of the foot and the toe box

Nice. I am in 535's. Great heel lock, but the pronation is very evident. I had the heel of the holders shimmed, which has helped re-align the balance point, but I am still having issues with my left (weak side) foot. I've started doing exercises to strengthen all those little muscles to help build strength and re-alignment, but who knows how long that will take before I see a change for the better.

Which CCM were you coming from that needed the Stable 26?

Sure. Found this one the most complete and helpful. But there are a few others that were useful or had some unique tips. Basically replacing rivets with t-nuts and bolts.

Yep, size is right. Toes feather. Same length as my old Vapor EEs. Boots are a touch longer than my Graf, which have a slightly tighter fit in the toes. I am almost positive my lack of heel lock is more a function of where my heel is narrow not matching up with where the Makos can be molded. Hence seeing if maybe the D width could provide better heel dimensions. Outside of using an ankle booty, I think I have explored and tried all options. I'd rather not use one if I don't have to. And I don't have to in the Grafs. Of course the Grafs expose my ankle weakness and pronation issues. So neither right now is a silver bullet to make me skate like McDavid. ;)

Thanks. I was looking at bunga pads or the ezeefits. But decided to switch back to my Grafs (much narrower heel, great heel lock). The Grafs fit great, but they have exposed significant weaknesses in my technique and mechanics that stiffer boots minimize. I'm trying to work through that, but progress is slow and frustrating. Maybe that is just what it needs to be. Not sure how I feel about adding a pad to help me get a better fit. Maybe that is silly and short-sighted. But that is why I am asking the question as a last ditch effort. Either I get the heel to lock in these, or they are going on the block. Food for thought I guess. Need to make a decision.

Thanks. No dice. Done that. Still too wide. Ultimately the carbon area is too wide.

Mako peeps. Last ditch effort. Anyone have a well informed answer to the difference in heel width between the D and EE skates? I bought EE as I need the space up front, problem is I have a super narrow heel. The boot fits great everywhere, but the heel is too wide. With how flexible the boots are during the baking process, I'm wondering if it makes sense to try a D to get a narrower heel and hope/assume the boot will accommodate my wider forefoot once baked. Thoughts?

I'm in the same boat, have no intent of playing competitive roller hockey at this point. Just need more stick/puck/skating time. I'm in the midst of a conversion currently. Been doing it on and off for the last week or so. The process has been really easy and straight forward. I watched a few YouTube videos to get a sense of the process. Bought a used pair of inlines off ebay that had the right sized chassis and wheels, boots didn't fit, so separated them and discarded. Chassis is an older HiLo with some decent indoor wheels. Removed the holders from an old pair of beat up skates I had acquired that I knew fit pretty well. Bought all the screws and nuts to re-assemble. Marked up the boot sole, drilled the holes and I'm in the process of assembly. I've invested maybe $70 and my time to get to this point. Should have them done this week.

Check out the last video on page 7 of this thread. Same dude. WAY different!

Hopefully by now you've realized that video is 2 years old and Mr. Mets has progressed significantly in that time.

It is a 2 piece system. Just like his inline chassis. Top part affixes to skate like a traditional holder. Bottom part hold blade (or inline wheels) and has a degree of arch motion to it. Ice holder appears to have a leaf spring, inline chassis uses a rubber bumper to control the motion of the 2 pieces. Idea is that the blade/wheels stay in contact with the surface longer, while boot rotates slightly above. Very similar in theory to a speed skating clap holder and blade.

I watched a few of the videos. It looks great. I was really hoping Pers was going to figure out a modular approach where the inline skates could be converted back to ice, but that doesn't seem to be the case. It looks like a dedicated ice holder and appears different enough to not work with the inline chassis. As a novice I was looking for a way to do both ice and dry land skating without needing 2 pairs of skates. This system had the most promise for that capability.

Mako sizing should be equal to Bauer sizing. I'm in a 5 in both brands. If memory serves, CCM is 1/2 size bigger than Bauer in most skates of equal length. Agree with IP, I'd go down 1/2 a size.

Ask UPS store if they have "ski boxes". Depending on how many sticks you are shipping, it might be a good option. More than likely going to get nailed with an "oversize" upcharge, so might not make a difference if you can find a smaller box.

Mine click now and then as well. I've tightened the steels also. I'd be interested if anyone has any insight as well. As for the difference, I don't recall there being much. M8s have a hard plastic metatarsal guard on the tongue. Oh and I think a full carbon chassis, versus carbon and fibreglass. For me, there wasn't enough of a difference to justify spending more. But I am a beginner, so feel free to take that with a grain of salt.

I've got a Jofa that my brother in law gave me when I first started skating a few years back. Love the way that thing fits. Nothing else I've tried has come close. I've considered throwing a cage on it.

Yep, VH is definitely on my radar, not that I need new skates any time soon, fingers crossed. And I would need to get WAY better before I could justify that expense. Are the Super Tacks and Jetspeed FT1 going to have the same moldability and minimal negative space fit parameters? I have really weird feet that have been a bear to fit in just about anything on the market. So keeping up with this kind of tech in skates will be important to me going forward. I just started skating about 2 years ago, so finding boots that fit has been a long frustrating process on top of learning the balance and mechanics. I tried the current Jetspeeds on (forget which model, mid-bottom of the line probably) and barely got them laced up before I wanted to rip them off my feet. Super uncomfortable.

I'm actually kicking myself for not getting on the bandwagon sooner. By far the best fitting, most comfortable skate I have found in my short skating career. Sad to see them going the way of the Dodo. Hopefully mine hold up for awhile.

Quick update. Still no movement on the hard carbon in the heel. But I was able to further adjust fit in the heel, just above the hard carbon. My left heel is pretty narrow coming up into the Achilles. So I still had more play and less heel lock than I wanted after a few skates in them. Last night, took the heat gun out, took the tendon guard off (key for getting to the area I wanted movement in). and was able to really nicely pinch in the very back of the heel area above the carbon heel cup. Hopefully will skate on them this weekend, but my quick step in post adjustment and cooling is feeling very promising. It may need a bit more tweaking on the sides of my heel, but I am purposefully making small adjustments step by step. So far, unlike the above poster who is breaking up with his Makos, these are the best skates I have found in fit for my wacky feet. Add the incredible thermo-forming abilities and I am one happy camper. After only a few sessions I am feeling way more comfortable and competent in these than I ever did after a year in my Grafs and very close to the same feeling I had after over a year in my Vapors. Granted, I learned alot with those previous skates that I am sure is carrying over to the Makos, but to my delight, the transition has been a real pleasure.