duhfool

Thank you all for the suggestions on skates as well as the various test methods. I did see the brannock device for the skates (multiple brands) and the arch length measurement was not there at all, confirming my suspicion that for skates, it's purely heel-toe as the basis, since there isn't any flex at the ball joint when skating. We aren't running after all. I tried the Vapor 3X Pro (both in 10 and 10.5) and the Hyperlite in 10. Both in FIT 3. For the Vapors, I stood/walked around the store with them on for about 30 minutes. The Ultrasonic, I did the same at home. I ultimately decided to keep the Bauer Ultrasonics. 10 FIT 3 Overall, the Ultrasonic fit the best without baking and I figure if I start at the point of the least discomfort, baking/breaking it in will only have fit go better. I was unable to find a CCM or a True in the right width, so was unable to give them a chance. Luckily, Pure has an unlimited return window as long as the skate is unused (unbaked and unsharpened). I noticed Bauer is about to come out with the 2022 line-up, so I might see how that unfolds in the next couple of months, since if the new skates really have less bling colouring, I'll take it. I'm already dropping $1k on a pair of skates, so I think it's justified to try and get the latest model instead of 'last years' 😄

Finger test question. So I've found just one site that has an image of how this is done, but the view is from the top, so I'm not clear on what exactly I'm supposed to be checking. The site is: https://newtohockey.com/hockey-skate-fitting-guide/ It mentions "Now reach back to the heel of the skate and see how much of a gap there is between your heel and the skate. If you can slide more than one finger between your heel and the skate (not the tendon and skate) then the skate is not locking your ankle / heel into place and the fit is not suitable for you." From the photo, the fingers are knuckles towards the back of the skate, so I can't imagine how two fingers make a difference, since it would just be the thickness of the finger (distance between top of fingernail and your fingerpad (where the fingerprint is). I also think that if any adult can slide a finger *much less two) between the heel and the back of the skate (area of Heel counter), then it would be obvious that it's too large. Is there a better diagram that explains the finger test? Am I checking gap where the green arrow is pointing or where the orange arrow is pointing? I tried on a pair of Bauer Vapor 3X Pro 10.5 and it feels good after lacing it up. No tightness around the ball joint. Toe does not feather, but doesn't feel too loose either. Definitely a little looser around the top part of the ankle than I'm used to, but then again, I feel like I'm comparing it against a boot that is definitely too small for me, so of course it would feel roomy. It's definitely feeling better than the CCM Ribcor 90K 10 (unbaked). I read that the Bauer Supreme has thicker padding, so if anyone who has tried the two, how loose did the Vapor feel compared to the Supreme? I have yet to find a shop, local or online, that carriers the CCM Tacks in my size 🙁

I noticed that on Bauer's online system, the difference between Pro and Performance fit levels is a half size. Or is that just again a foundation and I should stick with looking for the snuggest fit, regardless of my own skating ability? I understand the boot stiffness should take into account my skating ability, but the size should not? Since I failed to actually ship the skates back, I'll lace them both up and see how it fits, regardless of the depth test. I saw those extenders a long time ago and just thought it was extra protection for shot blocking, since the person wearing it was a defenseman. I'll give these options a try then.

This is the CCM Ribcore 90K 10 Wide. I didn't realize I was leaned forward so much when I took the photo. I already sealed the box up though. My question however is. If the depth of the boot is correct, should the white sides of the tongue not be visible when I lace the skate up? I went to my LHS and I had a similar depth issue with the Bauer Vapor 3X Pro 10 FIT 3, only I would say it was a little deeper. Salesperson said thee 10.5 should address the depth issue, but they didn't have the 10.5 FIT 3 in any model for me to try on. I was just wondering if: A. Their statement is true B. If true, would it also apply to the CCM Ribcore? They said CCM would always have less depth than the Bauer FIT 3. I did try a TF9 boot D width. It was already obvious the boot was too shallow by a lot and was told that the wide boot would not solve the depth issue. So the True's are out of the running.

I picked up a pair of Ribcor 90K 10W. Fails the pencil test by a bit (4th eyelet). Would baking have any impact on the depth? Do I return the CCM skates to CCM or to the dealer if I decide to give them a try? I got them from IW.

Thank you for the suggestions. I went and grabbed both my old pairs, fully unlaced. I would say the initial thought when I slid my feet in are the toebox. I feel that it's very tight at point where the ball of my big toe starts. I wouldn't really call it pinching yet, but I definitely fail the depth test. Hopefully one of the suggestions above pans out and it feels much better... Though I'm still sticking to my new regular shoe size of 13 🙂

I went to PureHockey in San Jose and not a Brannock device in site. Salesman just went to the Bauer scanner, but maybe it's because I mentioned I used to have Bauers. Unfortunately, they didn't have any Fit 3's in stock, but I'll be in SoCal, so hopefully their other stores will. The only other hockey store in the area went belly up, probably due to COVID, so not many places to try at the moment (not to mention it seems stock isn't that great at online places either).

After the long COVID break, I'm getting ready to start playing again. In the meantime, my kid picked up inline skating this summer so I figured why not get a pair so I can join her and get my legs back in shape. Well... looking into a pair on inline skates drew me into the rabbit hole of skate sizing. As most of the skate sizing articles I saw were focused on hockey skates, I began to wonder if I've been wearing the wrong size. I decided to post in the hockey skate forums since the main goal is to see if I do need to get a new pair of ice skates as well. I finally read up on how to use the brannock device and based on it, I have a heal-toe length of 12/12.5 (depending on how you view it) and an arch length of 13. The arch length is that doohickey on the inside that you align with the ball of your toe. From what I had read, you should use the greater of the two, as the arch length gives you the proper length to take into account where the shoe breaks (bends) when you take a step forward for the back foot. I bought a pair of regular shoes at 13 EE and it feels more comfortable than the 12 D's I've been using, so now I wonder if I've been wearing the wrong size for normal shoes most of my adult life. So now I'm wondering... which length do I base my skate size from? I don't feel like the back foot bends like it does when walking, so is heel-toe better? Though from everything I've read, it seems like there should be no problem for me to start with an 11.5 and then work down, depending on how tight the fit is. I currently wear/have two old skates, both at 10.5 I believe both are standard width (can't find any markings to suggest otherwise, but they probably rubbed off by now) Graf Supra G705 -> my mains Bauer Flexlite 18 For both skates, with laces removed. I cannot fit a pencil behind my heel. My big toe touchs the front of the toe box (I didn't know what 'feathering the toe box' is supposed to mean). When placing the pencil on top of the, it definitely touches my foot instead of balancing on top of the sides. I did the Bauer 3D scan at PureHockey and was surprised at the results. It came back as a Size 10 Fit 3. I can understand FIt 3, but a half size smaller was surprising, given that my big toe already touches the toe box. My main issue with my current skates have always been. A. my toes feel like the toe box is too narrow. B. my feet doesn't feel comfortable initially until probably after the warm-up period before the game (5-10 minutes) *All measurements taken with my larger foot *While I did gain weight during the COVID shut-down, I don't think it changed my shoe size, since I didn't notice any change with my normal shoes. So my question is... Should I go and try an 11.5 first then work down or 10.5 and work up? Trying to avoid bias, really. Is skate sizing much more advanced now, with various skates being offered specifically in different widths, that I could possible be in a size 10? I play beer league, at the higher end of the novice division/lower end of the middle division. Hoping to get that last bit of guidance. I went to my local PureHockey store, but unfortunately, then didn't have any Fit 3 skates for me to try. They also said that the skate I was looking only went up to 10.5, which I found odd. Is a Fit 3 an E or a EE width? I wish the skate industry would just match the shoe industry terminology, to give a common base point.