Mission L7 Fit

[greech 4]

Hey guys,

I'm currently in the market for new skates. I have Vapor 19s that aren't overly broken down or too small, but I have had a lot of problems with my ankles 'locking in' to the boot. They move around and I figured with the problems I've had and the fact that there are some insane deals going on I am very interested in a pair of L7s. Would they ft my heel better (are they narrower?) or would I be better off going with another skate. I wont really be able to try them on as my LHS is crap; any advice from those familiar with the skate would be great.

Thanks,

Mateo

[M-Cohen 0]

They seem to me to have a wider heel and narrow forefoot. Also, they seem to be extremley stiff out of the box so if you get pain in them at all make sure you bake them, otherwise problems will arise. I say this from expierence, other than that there a great skate.

[Chadd 916]

I thought the heels were really narrow, it may be the only skate that ever caused intense pain just to put my foot into.

[althoma1 575]

I know I'm resurrecting a really old thread here, but I recently picked up a pair of L7s cheaply and have a couple questions. They were sharpened, baked and worn once and the owner decided they weren't the right skate for him. I'm very happy with my KOR Shift 1 ice hockey skates and I'm not about to switch from those any time soon as they fit and feel great, but I need a good solid boot to mount a pair Sprung chassis on, the current KORs aren't an option - the new KORs might be, but while I spend a bit more on ice I usually cheap out a bit on roller since I play way more ice so I was looking for something good, but cheap.

Anyway, the L7s are size 8.5EE. I took out the footbed and my feet go right to the end so I believe the length is perfect. When I put them on they feel fine in the heel and mid-foot area, but they feel quite tight in the forefoot area. My KORs (size 8.5D) felt tight in that area too before baking (the L7s feel a bit tighter I think), but now feel perfect, however; I know baking the KORs allows for a more customized fit than most skates. Last year I used Nike V-Force boots (size 8D) with the rocker chassis roller and the fit is pretty good with the normal ankle and the wide forefoot, but I probably could've used a boot that was a half size smaller and while the boot is comfortable overall a few times the boot rubbed the outside of my left ankle raw after so I am planning on using those as a backup/outdoor pair and using the L7s with Sprungs as my primary pair.

My questions are (I know, finally!): 1. Should I bake the L7s to my feet or try to break them in through use to feel more comfortable? They've already been baked once so my concern is that baking them too many times will affect the durability. 2. If I do bake the boots do you think they will expand in the forefoot area at all or should I just take them to a shop and get them punched? 3. Is this just the wrong skate for my foot? I'm hoping the answer to this one is know as they are light, stiff, seem to be good quality skates and once I have the roller chassis mounted I'll have a backup set of Pitch Holders and steel for my KORs since the holders are the same size as the ones on my KORs.

To give you an idea of my foot type I'd say I have a narrow to average heel, wide midfoot, average arch and based on my shoe wear I'd say I have a bit of suppination as my outer heel appears to wear a bit more that anywhere else. My baked KOR Shift 1s 8.5Ds fit perfect - I've had no problems at all with the KORs. I was wearing 8.5 Vectors over a year ago and found out those were the wrong size and my correct size in Vectors would be 7.5E because the forefoot in D Vectors was too tight in a size 8D or 7.5D (perhaps I could've used a 7.5D and had it stretched or puched). I have tried on Bauer Vapors before and 8EE feels fine - I did not feel the tightness I feel with the L7s in the forefoot area. I had read that the Vapors were narrow skates so I thought if the Vapors in EE fit fine with no pain (just trying them on - I did not skate in them) then the L7s in EE would be fine, but they seem to be narrower in the forefoot that the Vapor EEs...about the same as the Vector D. I took measurements of my feet before and I believe they were around 10.5 inches long and over 4.5 inches wide at the widest point of the forefoot - I wear 10.5 running shoes, 10 sandals, and 10E dress shoes. Sorry for the rant...just trying to give enough information for useful responses. Any advice would be appreciated - I'm not in a rush to do anything as I'm not currently playing roller indoors, have skates for outdoors and ice skates I'm already very happy with, but before I do anything I'd like to get some educated opinions from the knowledgeable members of this board. If my epic ramblings left out any necessary information just let me know - thanks in advance.

[althoma1 575]

I'm now more confident I can get these to work as I just tried them on without socks and they're still a bit tight in the forefoot area (in the area right before the toe box - about 2.5 inches on either side), but it's not nearly as bad. So I think I can either get some liner socks for the skates for now and break them in with those as the Salming skate socks I usually use aren't really thick, but they are thicker than liner socks or bare feet. Or if I bake them they may widen just enough in that area so they aren't painful. So the question now is really do I bake them or just try to break them in the old fashioned way and hope they get a little wider in the forefoot area just before the toe cap through use?

[DamnLocust 0]

I got L7s about a month ago and they were a bit tight in the forefoot (I have a deep foot) After 3 or 4 skates, they had begun to fit without pain. They're still a touch snugger in the forefoot than I'd like, but they're doing the trick. I never baked them.

I'm not 100% sure if missions are this way, but most skates can be baked up to 3 times.

[althoma1 575]

Thanks DamnLocust...it's good to hear that they loosen up a bit in the forefoot.

[jon93 0]

will the mission L7 fit close to a easton ultra lite pro