KOR Skate Baking

[althoma1 575]

Ok, first off I have read all the threads on the KOR skate and did search for baking ect. I also have the baking instructions and fitting instruction documents which I received directly from Vince at KOR. I gather from the previous baking posts that it's risky to bake skates using a conventional oven, but it works for some people. I have no intention of using a conventional oven to bake the KORS, however; I'm going to my parents tomorrow for Christmas and they have a convection oven.

I won the skates on an ebay auction and ended up paying around $400 Canadian for them including shipping. I'm in Toronto and locally Toronto Hockey Repair wants $799 plus tax for them - I tried them on at Fraser sports in Montreal when I was there a few weeks ago before I bid on them. The staff there was very helpful and if they could've come close on the price I would've bought there, but they were $649 plus tax there. Anyway, the skates arrived in the mail yesterday and I haven't had them baked or sharpened yet.

I used my old skates for my game last night as I didn't have time to bake them and wait 24 hours, plus I want to at least take them out to open skating sessions and hopefully a pick up game before using them in an actual game. My next game is next Thursday and I'd like to get them baked and sharpened so that I can take them out to a public skating session at minimum before next Thursday. Now I could take them to a local store in the Greater Toronto Area to get them baked or I could bake them in my parents convection oven tomorrow.

If I take them to a local store in the next few days (when they're open) my concern is the staff will be so busy they won't set the stove to the right temp, may take the skates out too early or too late ect, and hell if I can avoid a fee for baking that's a bonus. Should they be sharpened before baking, right after or at leat 24 hours after or does it even matter?

Oh, and if I do bake the skates in the Convection oven at my parents I just set the temp (200F) preheat, put the skates on a damp cloth on a cookie sheet and then put them in for 10 minutes and then take them out and follow the rest of the KOR instructions? Or is there something else I should be doing as well to ensure no damage is done and everything goes well?

[Keith 0]

Could you pm me the baking instructions? Interested in seeing them.

[althoma1 575]

Could you pm me the baking instructions? Interested in seeing them.

I'll just post them in case others want to see the same thing. I don't think they're top secret ;):

Thermo-Forming Instructions for KOR skates

Preheat the in-store thermoforming oven to 200˚ Fahrenheit.

1. Prepare the foot the same way you would for skating (i.e., put on appropriate socks).

2. Place skates in the oven for a Minimum of 8 minutes and a Maximum of 10 minutes.

3. Remove the skate from the oven. Use caution when handling the skate, especially in the area of the metal lacing eyelets, to prevent burning your hands.

4. While sitting in chair, put on the skates, kick the boot back to ensure heel lock and lace them the same as you would for skating. Do not over tighten the laces.

5. Position the knees over the toes while sitting; Keep the hip, knee, and foot in line.

6. Stand and apply pressure immediately after lacing the skate to form it to your foot.

7. Flex forward slightly in skating position. Ensure proper vertical alignment during the cooling process. Do not walk in the skates for the first 8 minutes of the molding process.

8. Keep the skate on for at least 15 minutes, or until it is thoroughly cooled.

9. Do not use the skates for 8 hours after the thermo-forming process to allow them to cool completely.

Notes:

•To achieve a proper fit, the thermo-forming process may be repeated up to a maximum of 5 times.

•To adjust small pressure point areas, a heat gun may be used along with a skate boot punch. Use caution to avoid burning the skate upper. An authorized Kor Hockey dealer should only complete this task.

[althoma1 575]

Oh, and Vince Maillet of KOR who emailed those instructions said the following in his email:

Remember to use a convection style oven or a skate oven. If the retail store has an old Bauer style oven or a Blademaster oven, then keep the skates in for 12 to 15 min.

Otherwise follow the instructions to a tee.

This leads me to believe that a convection style oven like my parents should be fine, but I thought I'd double check with the knowledgeable members of this board as well. By the way, Vince/KOR responded very quickly to my request for the baking instructions - I had an email back only minutes after sending the request. This was a pleasant surprise as you have to wait for a long time to hear back from some companies and I was impressed by the quick response.

[Chadd 916]

Vince is a good guy and the Kors are a good skate. You should be ok with the convection oven, just make sure you don't burn the skates.

[althoma1 575]

How do I ensure I don't burn the skates in the oven? My plan was to preheat to 200F, put the skates on a cookie sheet covered in a damp cloth and put them in for 10 minutes with the oven still on to 200F. If I put them in the middle of the oven and make sure not to leave them for longer than 10 minutes is there any way I could end up burning them?

[Chadd 916]

How do I ensure I don't burn the skates in the oven? My plan was to preheat to 200F, put the skates on a cookie sheet covered in a damp cloth and put them in for 10 minutes with the oven still on to 200F. If I put them in the middle of the oven and make sure not to leave them for longer than 10 minutes is there any way I could end up burning them?

Should be fine

[althoma1 575]

Great. Thanks for the confirmation. I appreciate it.

[jimmy 194]

Not to get in another thread on scaming LHS's, but why did you even try the skate on at Frasier Sports if it was out of your price range? Oh, I know, you wanted to size it before you bid on ebay. Curious, did you pay a sizing fee at Frasier Sports?If you di, then I have no hard feelings.

However, I will no longer give any help on this board to folks looking for sizing help, baking, etc. The other LHS owners/workers should not either. These folks are stealing from us, we should not promote it or help them. Sorry, no more sizing info from me.

[pantherfan 0]

does anybody know what gas mark is that?

[althoma1 575]

I didn't pay a sizing fee. It wasn't busy when I went in and I tried 3 pairs of skates on - an 8, 8.5 and a 9. It only took about 10 minutes total as I only walked around in each skate for a minute or two (I know it should be longer, but I was in a hurry and also didn't want to waste too much of the guys time with the skates) and the skates were all in a pile right at the front of the stock room. I did go there to size the skates before bidding on ebay or buying the skates right there if the price was close enough - I would pay up to $100 more to support the people that helped my in store and for convenience sake, but not almost double (it would've been about $350 more to buy them in store). I also had the intention of buying some new Nike V14 shin pads while I was there, but unfortunately they didn't have my size in stock so I simply thanked the sales person for his time.

I don't only purchase online - I have found a couple good deals online on skates, my current helmet and elbow pads, but of my current equipment I bought the shin pads, pants, cage, jock, hockey bag, shoulder pads and sticks and shafts (with the exception of a few blades) in store. So I've purchased more than half of my current equipment in store. I usually only buy hockey equipment online if I find something for at least 40% less than I could find it for in store or if it's something I want, but can't find it in the store (like the Carbster helmet I have).

Basically I liked what I heard about the Kor hockey skates and I wanted to get them at the best price possible. Like I do with most products from Cars to TVs, DVD players ect. I shop around and try to get the best deal for the product I want. If the skate wasn't almost double the price in the stores (after taxes) I would've bought it there. Even if I pay to have them baked at the store and pay extra for the first sharpening and that costs me over $50 that's still a $300 difference in price. I was still spending a significant amount of money though so I of course felt it was wise to check the sizing in store (although it only confirmed what I'd read on these boards regarding the sizing of Kors - I could've ordered the 8.5 without trying them on in store). If there were boxes of skates lying around that I could've opened and tried on without assistance for anyone I wouldn't have even asked for help from a sales person, but the skates were in the stock room.

[Gongshow11 1]

frasers sports has possibly the nicest staff at any lhs ive ever been too, and they dont really mind helping a customer in need. i remember back in the day when i bought vapor 10s, i went to rousseau to try them on, guys were french and dicks and was going to pay the 50$ extra they charged, but after i saw how they would leave for a while and allow me to try on the skate for myself and not help me out at all, i said im only going to size it here, and then im going to buy them at frasers which is what i did.

i do remember tho at frasers when the vapor xxs came out they were 799 cdn plus tax, and i ended up getting my skates at another lhs in the US for 450 cdn. i had them baked there but didnt wear them for a while cuz i brought them back to frasers to get them contoured and radiused.