KosstleHockey

The pitch thing makes a ton of sense, and TBH he doesnt need a ton of support. I am a proponent of bare feet or compression socks for foot health reasons, I hate squishy bulky cotton gym socks.

I did NOT feel like they were plenty flexible for my 7yo who is 45lbs. There's a ton of padding, gel, a robust tongue and the boot stiffness is quite a bit. Plus coming from a s140, it just seemed like it made more sense to take flex over all the other bells an whistles that were R&D'd for professional players.

Yeah ... this post at the end of the day is a fun/funny way to simply say: You don't have to [and in my opinion SHOULDN'T] buy a top tier skate, and probably even a mid tier in Junior boots. In Youth, you can probably buy a mid-tier, I havent checked the new ones out, but having the kid been in the s140s, I think he was in need of a slightly stiffer boot because of skating ability. Theoretically the s140 turned into the s25, but the s25 junior is a bit stiffer. Steel: I wish you could more easily switch steel out because I have my doubts if the cost/effort are worth the benefits at this age. It's honestly something that I dont have enough knowledge or experience to evaluate well.

He's been skating a while. I didnt put him in organized hockey until he was 6. So He would be that kid, sans squats ... although I do trick him into running stairs and doing speed/explosive drills to get video game time. He laughs because he knows I am tricking him ... but he loves it. As for the skates ... a kid on the team who started last season at 6 as one of the top skaters, at Christmas he got a pair of Bauer 1S and his skating plateaued a bit. He is still one of the better players and skaters, but I have to think it has something to do with it.

Long time reader first time poster. I am a researcher/analysis kinda guy --- I am a systems thinker... so sometimes I OVER THINK, but in reality I enjoy the cerebral exercise of decision making and trying to make a good decision when purchasing things ... sooooo .... Did I make the right a good and well reasoned/researched decision on the skate I purchased for my 8u Mite --- (it's easy to sit and dispense advice to parents on the team and to folks on the internet but when it's your kid, how the doubt and over-thinking flood in!) New Skate: Bauer Supreme s25 Junior (sz 1) -- [**Would you make any modifications? (New tongue? Replace cheap etc...)] My planned upgrades: Superfeet Insert (the stock Bauer one is ... a piece of cloth?) Profile the blades ... not a direct mod per se, but when compared to a 2S with some yahoo on the grind wheel... 🙂 Might throw them in an old skate convection oven after the first couple of skates just after a skate to keep them breaking in quickly. Could be convinced: New Tongue --- honestly I dont think this adds to the performance much ... so probably not since this one isnt HORRIBLE unless lace bite pops up. New Runners --- This is addressed in my concern. Since the holder is not an edge, doing this would be ... EXPENSIVE, and might blow the S25 experiment out of the water. Skater profile: 7yo, 45lbs, above average skater, has most of his edges, constantly moving -- lots of starts and stops. Previous skate: Bauer Supreme 140 Why the s25: Went with the s25 after reading lots of posts here and my personal philosophy of skating for kids. The purchase was about finding a skate he said felt good, that the fitter and myself agreed fit well, and that was a good skate for a kid, i.e. somewhat flexible and lower volume padding. Had him try everything and even the s27 seemed way to stiff for him. I believe that many kids are pushed into skates that are WAY too stiff for them and that the flagship models in the lines (e.g. the Bauer 2s) are just too bulky for kids --- this is a minor point compared to the flex. I do have a little bit of "dad remorse" because as I am buying these entry level skates BECAUSE I believe I am smarter than the sales folks and the skate company ... I see tons of other parents not blinking and buying their 7yos s29s, 2Ss, [insert top model line skates here]. So while I trust my instinct ... I still have a few doubts. Ultimately, I didn't want him to go from a SQUISHY 140, to a super stiff s29 or even s27. I also won't belabor this but, I don't think kids under about 100lbs and 11/12 years should ever be in a flagship model. Note on the tongue: I am actually surprised at the construction. Foam is thick, 30z, two piece, and has a metatarsal pad and lace bite feature. My biggest doubts/concerns are: The runners that come in an entry level skate are... well ... a concern. This kid likes his skates as sharp as possible. I could probably do them every 2 skates and he'd love it. He is fairly careful but he chewed up his last blades on the 140. Luckily I don't have to pay for EVERY sharpen as I can do them at the rink with his coach. To me, I would want a better steel to keep an edge better (not necessarily longer, although those are essentially the same thing) ... perform a bit better (HE IS 7 ... so there is a limited return here). The issue is there is no cheap or easy way to alleviate this problem so I dont think fixing this is WORTH it in any sense of the word. While he said he liked this skate feel the best of anything he tried on ... he liked the s27 second. The 27 was quite a bit stiffer but probably is a better constructed boot overall... so should I have sacrificed a bit of flex for cushioning/interior, a better tongue, and the LS Edge holder with quick release and answer both these concerns? A final note: MY KID is 7. Seven. He is still afraid of the basement. So I know that this detailed of a post is CRAZY TOWN, but it's fun for me, and my wife is sick of me gaming this out with her because HE IS 7 🙂 So I know that this is overkill decision making for a 7 year old ... but again this is for SCIENCE and so I can tell the rest of the parents on my team who will come to me asking if they should drop $179 - $399 on skates. So let's have it ... indulge me with your skate knowledge geekiness and love of this sort of mental exercise. [NB: I do have a thought at the end of all of this, which is sort of my punch line, but I want to see where folks come in on this.]