Jordan

Stick shortages too. Apparently the manufacturers are having trouble getting raw materials.

@smu you should discuss this with old trainer guy. He does a lot of custom work and he is also a VH fitting center.

My son has had VH skates for about 6 months now, so I thought that I would write a quick review. Background: He is a prep school player on the ice 5 or 6 times per week year 'round. He is about 6 feet tall and 170 pounds. Skating ability: Excellent skater with great edge work . Previous skates: Bauer MX3 Set-up: Lightspeed 2 holders with Stepsteel Initial impressions: He immediately found the skates to be the most responsive skates he had ever tried. Instantly comfortable. He first skated on them on a Wednesday, then after one more time on them he used them in a tournament where he played 6 games. No blisters or discomfort, just smiles. Durability : The outside plastic decal separated from the boot. The company fixed them quickly (1 week) and the fitting center lent my son a pair of their demo skates to use while his pair went back to the factory. They came back as good as new. It does seem they lose rivets regularly, though OTG fixes any missing or loose ones when we get them sharpened. Bottom line: these skates seem to have an unbelievable combination of comfort and performance. It would be hard to imagine using anything else.

100/50 FBV is more like a 1" ROH.... 1/2" ROH is more like 95/75

Boys, if you have trouble finding them in your local hockey shop, try the figure skating store in your area...they almost always have a huge variety of these things.

I can vouch for OTG...he fixed my sons blades recently. He noticed a problem and got things dialed in immediately. Go see him! http://proskatecorner.ca/

Thought that it would be a good time to give an update. My son (13 year old Minor Bantam AAA) has had them since they first came out. He has played a lot of tournament hockey this spring, playing in roughly 30 games, a bunch of powerskating sessions, practices and tryouts etc. Performance: For him this is the "magic skate".I believe because these skates fit his skinny ankles better than any previous skate, they are just perfect for him...YMMV My son says that "you can just feel everthing better". He is definitely skating the best that he ever has. These blades also hold an edge very well. One thing that was mentioned earler, the steel is very hard, you have to make sure that they are completely sharpened when you get them done. Once, the guy probably did about his usual number of passes, and they came out almost unsharpend. These do need a few extra passes than most other steel. Ultimately, these rate a 10/10 on performance. Comfort: They fit like slippers. Comfort is a definite 10/10 ! Durability: So far so good! The skates look essentially new except for the gouges and scrapes in the toe cap and the holders that comes from playing. 10/10 Protection: Seems ok. My son is a frequent shot blocker nd has taken quite a few hard shots without any lasting damage. Then again, it's not my feet that are taking those shots. unrated. Overall: The way that this skate molds, makes these skates very unique and able to fit in a way that is much more "custom" than any other skate. If they suit your foot, I would say grab a pair. As for the pitch, which many people have commented on.My son adapted quickly to them, and now loves the stance and as I said earlier, his skating has never been better. It may be that this stance just happens to suit him and wouldn't work as well for others. You would have to find out for yourself. I should mention, that while he is on what is basically the stock profile, OTG saw what he called a "hump" in the blades, and he smoothed that out for us. How different that made the skates, I don't know. OTG did say that the blade doesn't sit all the way down into the holders in the middle part of the blade. That apparently will make it somewhat more of a challenge to profile (as you measure down from the holder etc). Not that it can't be done, just make sure that you get someone who knows what they are doing. I highly recommend these skates if the price doesn't send you running.

A good LHS will be able to tell if baking is going to do the trick or not for fitting a client's feet. It doesn't mean that they bake for anyone who just wants to try one on. If the customer is actually there to buy skates, and the fitter is confident that baking will demonstrate a great fit, the store is not taking that big of a risk...most of the time those skates will be sold. That's why good stores with good fitters are not that worried about baking...big chains are a very different story.

***His foot may have settled back into the heel pocket after baking which made him think they got deeper. *** Nope. I am talking about the vamping (where the mesh is) getting taller or stretching. Not so much that it will fix the fit for a foot that won't go in the skate properly. That said, if you are borderline it may be enough of a difference once baked.

Got these for my son a few days ago. He has been on them three times so far. Background: 13 year old AAA hockey player. He stands about 5'6", weighs about 120lbs. Very strong, very technical skater. He has very skinny feet and bony ankles. Previous skates were Vapor APX. Fitting process: His skinny feet seemed to be just right for the D width in the Makos. Fit seemed ideal prior to baking. The shop really got these things hot and soft. When the laces were tightened it was really quite amazing. The mesh on the sides and around the ankles drew inward. It literally formed visibly around his bony ankles. Even more amazing, the skate actually got a bit deeper due to the expansion of the mesh material expanding as the skates were laced. This is unlike other skates where that would mean that the skate got bigger. In this case, the material got tighter around the foot and created more wrap. The fitter was telling me that Dave Cruikshank explained it that you don't judge the fit/lacing pattern of this skate like you would other skates. You can achieve more wrap than you would on traditional skates and in this case that is a good thing. First skate: My son felt comfortable within a minute or two. Within about ten minutes he was skating better than ever. My take is that even with a narrow skate like the APX he probably didn't get as exact a fit as he got with the Mako. He described it as feeling as though a blade was attached directly to his foot. No sore spots. He has fairly flat feet and pronates. In his previous skates he has always worn a custom insole. Not only did the arch form such that it didnt hurt, his probation is gone in this skate- probably due to a better fit around his ankle. Huge grin on his face. Subsequent skates: It only got better. Perfect comfort and his stride is unreal. Notes: we have the Mako standard footbed in place. The way this boot forms and the way the arch is constructed, as well as the fact that the arch actually molds makes the need for a custom insole obsolete. He previously skated on a CAG profile of 25/50. We haven't profiled these skates, they were just sharpened with his usual 90/75 FBV. We were going to try the stock profile and adjust from there, but he doesn't want to change anything. This is unusual, he is really finicky about his skates and can feel any change to his blades. In this case, he is in love. These skates are truly amazing. Easton has taken the concept of eliminating negative space to a whole new level. While these skates may not be for everybody, they are definitely worth consideration if you are looking to buy a high end skate. There has been a lot of talk about the price of these skates, and how expensive they are. I have a daughter that figure skates competitively and she recently needed new skates also. All I can say is, is that the Makos are way more advanced technologically and are significantly less expensive. At the end of the day, my boy is one happy hockey player.

Vet88...they may not have worked for you but they do work for many people, including my daughter. In fact I know of olympic level figure skaters using orthotics. They won't necessarily be the answer for everybody but they shouldn't be ignored as a possible solution.

Law... sounds like it's time to buy your own X-01 or X-02.

My kid has used it since it first came out and has always loved it. He liked the feeling of better glide without sacrificing bite. He started in novice, so he was well under 100 pounds at the time, probably around 60 pounds back then. He is now a minor peewee skating on 100/50. It's worth a try...see if he likes it. Have him try an FBV profile, then fine tune depending on his comments (ie too sharp, too slippery etc.) What is he on now?

Could try a custom molded insole such as the Graf/Sidas or Footbalance.

Sorry about that, OTG! Correct, that OTG can help you out. I should have mentioned him. For those that don't know, that OTG runs the hockey portion of National Sports, and has worked with several NHLers on their skates. He has helped me out several times. He is also one of the most knowledgeable guys in the business. As Maxwell Smart would say, "Sorry about that Chief"!!