JV23

Thanks. With Labour Day sale prices, I got the 9090s all in for sub $175 CAD, so if they don’t work out, it’s not the end of the world.

Hi all. A while ago, I had posted about my son’s feet and their high volume making skate fitting a bit difficult. He ended in a size 2 jr 9080 which he loves and fits well. With Labour Day sales in play, I am able to pick up some 1/2 and full sizes bigger (eyeballing the size 3), where I have the choice between the 9080 and 9090. Am I right in thinking at Jr 3, the 9090 (same frame as the AS1 I believe) would be insanely stiff for an 11 year old? It’s a great deal financially but not so much if it impacts skating. He’s already skating one eyelet down in his size 2 9080’s and loving the knee bend. Figuring if I can get skates that fit now, I won’t be stressing later if these go and he can’t wear the newer model. Thanks for any wisdom…

Thanks @evilpepe, good to know for a bit later. As an update, I got one of my LHS owners to take a look - tons of knowledge about fitting across multiple generations of boots, but tough hours to get to. Based on his feedback, it looks like he was ready for a move to a size 2. I had taken him to a big box hockey store (only because we were driving by and it was really bugging me) and got measured there with the Bauer blue stick, but I didn't believe it. He got measured again using the old fashioned metal foot thingy, and it said essentially the same thing. I guess that goes to show the scanner is iffy. He had tried on a Supreme 3S EE in a size 2 and he said it felt good. I really didn't like the feel of the skate though - felt pretty flimsy given he'd be skating in it at minimum 5 days up to 7 days per week for multiple hours, and the tongue didn't seem to offer much in the way of lace bite protection or anything. Didn't get to try on the 3SPro due to lack of availability in his size. Probably a good thing. He tried on a Tacks 9070 and 9080 in 2 at the LHS's recommendation, which fit him really well. What I was told was that they were the old Tacks fit before the 93XX series came in and shallowed things up a bit. Being a bit of a sceptic, I had him try on a 9370 in 2D as well, and the instep bump out was back, compared to gone in the 9080. The 9080s were even better once baked and pressure fitted. Issue solved...for now! I may have to go on the hunt for other sizes (like a 3) until he gets into the fit system, since I don't think the problem's going away any time soon. With the 9080s on clearance, should be able to find at a good enough price to merit it/risk it.

I like the Ribcor, he was in the youth 70k because it was so versatile (the legs seemed very against tacks at the time). Different store put him in tacks for the 1s. Last weekend I tried the ribcor on him and it was lower volume. I didn’t think the Vapor made sense, to be honest, unless the EE cut was more width AND more depth. I think it was elsewhere on here that mentioned the Supreme EE fit like a Nexus D, so I was willing to try that (and as a nod to @Mojo122, the D as well. He tried on the neighbour’s Mission FZ5 2E rollers this AM to check depth (length way too much) and he was bulging out of those, though not as much. I figure to try the Supremes if I can find stock and then leave it. I’m not hearing a ton of “gasp, the horror, he’ll break his foot”, which was my primary concern. I’ve done a few finger tests and it seems like he’s all the way back in the skate. Is there any way to really check that, or is it worth a rebake to bang the heel back in the skate a bit if it is possible?

@Vet88. He’s going into Minor Peewee playing AA in a strong hockey center (big pool of players to draw from). Skating has always been a strength on his evals with his coaches and private coaches, but I take the point very well that he doesn’t know everything and good technique takes years with good specialized coaching to develop. He’s nearing the end of the 1’s (a couple of millimeters max on the footbed), and I always go half sizes to avoid boot slop. My comment on lacing methodology was really to avoid what I have been interpreting as lace bite over that instep, then one eyelet to lock the ankle, and loose the top two.. Once the COVID lockdown is over, I will try the one eyelet down thing. @BenBreeg not sure if there is a problem or not, to be honest. I imagine taking a shot off the instep would hurt more than if there was more depth, but it isn’t like I want to do an experiment! I’d love to keep him in CCM’s because I have extra runners, but safety comes before saving (sigh) if there really is a problem. thanks to all for comments so far. I tend to fall into overthink mode on this stuff (don’t get me started on what flex a 4’7” 80 lbs kid should be using…it hurts when I think about it)

I need to be really careful tying the skates or he complains (a lot) about pain at the top. If I go super loose then tighten at the three eyelets down, he’s fine. Also wondering is his foot safe like that? As another data point, he has access to a pair of size 2E last gen Missions…would they be Supreme-fit?

My son is currently in a Tacks 9380 size 1D. Length is good, though he could go to a 1.5 with growing room. Width doesn’t seem to be a problem either. Where he’s having an issue is that is instep is so high that it is bulging out past the eyelets, which is forcing a change. He measures as a Vapor EE on the Bauer scanner, but the LHSs near me don’t have any 1 or 1.5EEs in stock for me to try, and while phoning around, a couple of people said that if a Tacks was too shallow, the Vapors would be as well and I should go for Supremes. I don’t mind driving around to find boots to try on him, but wondering if any of the experts on the board have any views. I know the Supreme foot shape is different from the Vapor as well…so there are a lot of variables at play. thanks in advance.

Sorry…wide. Vs regular fit tacks.

Does anybody in the know have any insight into how much more volume the Wide fit (edited from EE)Ribcor 90ks will have compared to say a Tacks 9380D? Looking at sizes around 2 or 2.5. My son has LEGO feet - super thick wedge feet. He’s in the 9380’s and the sides cover the tongue edges (barely)…so he’s prone to some lace bite and I am eyeballing the D30 tongues to give his foot top a bit more protection. By fall I expect he’ll be in at least a 2, so there should be a bit more selection with the new lines. Thanks for any help

I feel like it’s the latter. Better edges.

I’m not sure it works on a continuum of better/worse. In my opinion, Blacksteel is better than V-Steel. It really sounds as though one of a couple of things may not be right in your setup. 1. When you got the blacksteel, was the profile the same as on your old blades? If no, adjust, unless you like how you feel on the stock step profile (10’? Not sure). Could be you have more blade on the ice, which is increasing bite at a constant hollow. 2. As per above, these blades bite, so if profile is the same, try going more shallow on a sharpen. If you’re normally 1/2 or 5/8, take it up an eighth or two, see if you feel more glide that way. You should see improvement. 3. Sharpening - I’m making an assumption that they are new so maybe the shop you bought them at sharpened them at a house cut different than what you’re used to? This is really 2(b) not 3, but eliminate those variables first. I’m only pushing experimentation because they are really good steel.

Have you tried reducing the hollow with them? I find that when on coated blades they do bite more than normal, so you can go shallower without a worry. For me, it was 5/8 to 3.4 and a temptation to go 7/8…

From what I can tell, if it is your first profile from fresh blades, centre is correct. If you are reprofiling a quad, you need to adjust for the fact that the template kicks the balance point 20mm, which is why they manually adjust. I am guessing here that is what you are asking because of the video you attached, which is only for a reprofile.

All of it comes down to how far you want to go. It’s a much bigger lift to go premium steel on once per week skating. I firmly believe that a peewee, at least at a higher rep level, can tell the difference - though articulating it is a challenge. They’ve been skating long enough (7-9 years), and let’s face it, the kids today can execute skills that we (the older generation) weren’t even aware of when we were their age. You definitely don’t need it to play well, but will the better edges allow you to execute skating skills with better confidence, probably. pros of premium steel added height - last longer, better angle on sharp turns without bottoming out edge retention - less dings, dents, lost edges from board battles and other stuff less sharpening required Cons cost, especially with growing feet Again, your mileage may vary. Maybe my experience was excessively coloured by the steel used in youth skates, but I didn’t need a micrometer to notice an improvement.

Even a non-coated Step, Bladetech or Tydan would be a much better play than the original CCM steel, if you're looking apples to apples.