New skates lost heel lock after baking

[New skates lost heel lock after baking]

I got new Jetspeed FT370 skates a few weeks back.

The skates felt comfortable before being baked (perhaps too comfy) and the reputable LHS I went to tightened them incredibly tight during the baking process, even using a lace tightener.

The bauer bump I have continues to get aggravated - the very reason I got new skates. At this point, the skates are hilariously lacking in heel lock. These were my first heat moldable skates and had no idea that skates expand this much.

Has anyone experienced this before? Was there an issue during my baking process? Jetspeeds were supposed to be great for heel lock and I now feel out of options. If anyone has had similar issues, what did you do? I absolutely hate wearing bunga pads - they dampen the feel of the ice.

I tried the FT1s again and they do have a tighter heel lock, but lack volume (which may give a false sense of heel lock). I thought all the high end skates fit similarly across price points, but apparently not. I took a ruler and measured the distance from the bottom of the FT1 and FT370 to the middle of their 5th/6th eyelets and noticed nearly a quarter inch difference! I also don't think the heel lock difference was big enough to not experience the same issue after baking.

[Beginning the Skate Search]

3 hours ago, 2nhockey said:

At first I hated the lace locks but over time I got to where I really liked them. 

My current skates were punched at the pinky toe (both skates) before the toe box, so as long as a skate can be punched there I'll try it.

Played our last game of the season last night so new skates have just become a priority for me so they can be broken in for next season.

Going into this I am pretty sure the skates will have to be punched. Almost all my gear and all of the kids' gear is mail ordered so I'm not above ordering from IW but this is one of the times I  feel like I should be purchasing in person.

Thanks for the help and feedback.

Yes, I’d recommend usually for people to try new skates in person, but the issue here is that 1) your LHS is 6 hours away, 2) LHS have extremely limited inventory right now and won’t have the sizes you need (even worse may push you skates they want to get rid off), 3) you seem to know that you have a particular feet that may need EE and most LHS stock D, and 4) you get to try the skates at home and take your time to do all sorts of random tests over and over again (like the pencil test).

You should not go in with the mindset that your new skates will need to be punched. If it feels like it need punching right out of the box, it’s not a right fit.

If you need wide toe caps, try the new RibCor, Tacks, or Nexus in D. If they’re pinching, try the EEs. If your toes don’t feel as snug as the other parts of your foot but there’s no pinching, try EE in Supreme and Jetspeed.

Before you go to the store or purchase online, make sure to read and do the following: https://www.icewarehouse.com/lc/icehockeyskatesizing.html

A final point: do not let a wider forefoot make you feel like you need a longer skate. A lot of people complain about pinching toes in narrow skates like Vapors and think they need bigger skates. This is not true. Measure your feet and be conservative (it’s probably smaller than you think and I’d fit you half size down even from what you measure at home). The width is independent of the length and those skates I recommended above are the ones with wider toes. The right skate should have minimal to no pinching pre-bake and at least one of your foot’s toes should brush the toe box. 

[Beginning the Skate Search]

2 hours ago, 2nhockey said:

No, I don't really have a budget in mind. I kind of assumed I would be spending around $500.

I don't want to order online and then return because of shipping costs.

What is the heel lock like in new Ribcores? I am in a D width now. I can try a Nexus but if they are like a EE in anything else it probably won't work well for me. 

Buy from ice warehouse. Free return shipping if you are a IW member, which is very simple to be part of. Obviously, they are a business, so if you end up trying several skates from them, please either end up buying from them or at least other stuff since we all need to keep them going as a business. You get the benefit of 15% off non-MAP items as well as tax free if shipping outside of CA (but no free sharpening or baking unlike LHS, which means price often evens out).

I would recommend you to go to a local store that has a Bauer 3D Skate lab to get a machine measurement of your foot and a starting recommendation for skates. If the LHS has the exact pair you want, that’s great - get them. If they’re out of sizes (as is common this time of year given low inventory), use that as a guideline to buy similar pairs from IW. You can take your sweet time trying them on without the pressure of a salesperson and make a final decision. 

Edit: just reread and noticed your LHS are super far. Scratch my ideas regarding skate lab. Measure your feet according to IW website guide and err on the side of shorter length and width even if the guide shocks you with smaller skates (skates will only feel roomier overtime and you don’t want to lose heel lock). I can attest the guide is pretty darn accurate. Don’t have an ego over your foot size like most men - it’s the main reason I recommend the skate lab since you can’t cheat it. Get 3-4 skates given your measurement and keep the one that feels best.

[Ribcor 70K Skates]

Here are my thoughts on 70K after recently fitting every model of skates out there. Overall, I would classify all the CCM skates as different variations of medium fits and Bauer skates as accurately advertised in terms of fit. FYI my foot shape is: med forefoot, med mid-foot, med/narrow heel, med instep.

70K: I would not consider the 70K a low volume boot as claimed by retailers. First thing I noticed is that it has a spacious forefoot and toe cap, both in terms of width and height. Heel lock is really comfy - snug given a ton of memory foam to lock in heels, but soft enough to adapt to wider heels.

Medium instep edging very slightly towards the shallower end, but the flexible lacing area and tongue really allows it to accommodate larger insteps. Easy to get knee bends and just incredibly comfortable overall. I do feel the boot will expand over time with regular use everywhere, so wouldn't recommend these as option #1 if you have true medium profile foot. Even if they feel cushy initially, I'd check other skates for a more anatomical, snug, glove-like fit.

Target foot profile: wider forefoot and enjoy more toe space (this is a must), med or med/wide for mid-foot and heel, medium or med/high instep. Jetspeed, Supreme, and Vapor skates all felt like they had less overall space than the 70Ks. Width for 70K comparable to Tacks imo, but very different instep and overall feel especially at the heel.