Search the Community

After having been in various Graf's for 20 years, my last pair (G75's, favorite skate of all time FWIW) was starting to wear out and I'd been on the lookout for a new pair of skates. A friend from a few hours away called me and let me know that a LHS was going out of business, and the last day it was open had an 80% off lowest marked price on EVERYTHING. These were the skates that were the most likely to fit me that they had, so it is what he got for me. This is probably not the boot that I would have ended up in had I been shopping, and spending real money, but it is not bad and for the price, I could not beat pass it up. I believe they were $350 initially, but after all the discounts I paid $60. I think these are a 2017 model - but don't quote me on that. It is a SMU, with the following features: CCM Jetspeed Xtra Pro Senior Hockey Skates Features Base Model: FT370 Boot: Rocket Frame Composite Core: Speedcore Comfort Pads Outsole: TPU Outsole with Exhaust Tongue: 7mm Black Felt with Embossed LB Tongue Liner: TotalDri Liner with Abrasion Resistant Zones Eyelets: Brass Eyelets Runner: SpeedBlade Stainless +2mm Runner Fit - N/A Like I mentioned above, this is not the boot I would have ended up in had I been spending serious money. I always feel like this is an odd criteria to be rating things on anyways; all feet are different and different models are different. CCM describes it as "medium-volume skate for players with average toe, forefoot, instep, and heel dimensions. Tight at the heel and more narrow at the forefoot. I'd agree with this - they certainly aren't as roomy as I'd like, and I wish they were slightly wider at the forefoot. However, they're comfortable enough to wear for 3 hours at a time. Very stiff, which negatively impacts comfort a slight amount, but if I were a player going an hour at a time and not a referee, I don't think I'd notice that negative impact at all. I also have not noticed any lacebite, whether that is due to the guard on the tongue or the volume being accurate is hard to say. Insole - 1/10 I'm not including this in the total score, but the Insole was the one real negative I had with this. First of all, it isn't so much of an insole as it is a rivet cover. Second of all, it was falling apart brand new! I tried to get a replacement from CCM, but they didn't have any in the size. Uhh.... OK. They offered to send me an orthotic one if I had the purchase receipt, but as my friend picked these up for me I did not and he'd already thrown the receipt away. Blade/Holder - 10/10 SpeedBlade +4.0 with SpeedBlade Stainless +2mm Runner. Coming out of Grafs/Cobras, there wasn't quite as much forward pitch with these as I'd like. A profile later, and I was in good shape. JR would recommend a shim installed, but I didn't have time to ship them out to him and none of the shops around me would install one. No complaints whatsoever. The runners may not be premier runners, but I've had no issues with them and they're holding an edge very well - I have about 50 hours on them too (yes, really - I get my skates sharpened twice a year whether they need it or not!) Weight/Protection - 8/10 Weight is excellent. Super light, at least to me. Protection.... is pretty good, but I took a shot from a moron with his head down and it left me with a good bruise. It was a good shot, but I was still surprised how much it hurt. Durability - 9/10 Some wear and tear, but not a ton. Most of it is on the holder. I'll update as time goes on, but so far I expect to get a few years out of them. Intangibles - 9/10 I like them. The only thing I really don't like, other than the fit which cannot be held against them, is the look. I want a black skate. Call me boring, whatever, but there is a little too much going on for my liking in these. Also, I mentioned the insole issue above. While I was disappointed with CCM for not having the stock insole to replace it, and I was disappointed in myself for not having a receipt, their offer to replace it with one of their orthotic insoles was more than fair. Break in was not bad - not as quick as my Grafs, but not bad at all. Maybe 6 hours. I did bake them as well. Conclusion - 36/40 Writing 36/40 seems low, to be honest, but I just added up all of the above scores. If you asked me to rate these out of 40, I'd probably say 38 or 39 - only when adding up the individuals do I get the "low" score. I'm happy with these, and expect to be for quite a while. The fit isn't quite right, but it is close enough and as mentioned above should not be taken into account for the rating, just information to be an informed buyer. It is a damn good skate, and at the price - even at $350, I can't see paying more for a skate when you can get something this good for that price.