which budget skate do you recommend?

[dadagog 0]

hi there,

i´ve really been enjoying reading through this board for the last week - lots of experience, knowledge and expertise!

the level i´m currently performing rollerhockey at is probably much more low-key than most user´s game on this board -more of a recreational thing.

that´s why i´m looking for a more "wallet-oriented" skate, in fact i´m helping a friend finding one. i´ve been playing in second-hand mission proto VI for the last two years. i found them at ebay for around 30$ and they´re fine for me.

reading through the threads i´m already aware of "PP" as most fundamental criterion when choosing a skate. still, companies seem to have good and bad years (loved the 50 -pages missionthread!). Maybe, companies additionally have different approaches to put emphasis on the lower ends of their product lines and maybe you can give me some advice regarding these skates - even if you personally own the better ones.

the clearance-offers of hockeymonkey, -giant etc are an option. however, the most tempting ones are from the ´05-mission line and their quality was much doubted on the board. living in germany the shipping is also a factor, especially as my friend has only owned a pair of ice skates before - high chance of getting the wrong boot in terms of size, width etc.

currently i´m thinking about ccm´s PF4 and mission´s 1500 model - they are around 150€ (that´s about 180$) in germany and my friend doesn´t want to spend more money.

my friend is around 80-82kg and his feet are more on the wide side, but not that much.

any input would be very much appreciated!

best regards, malte

[sdcopp 1]

PP is of course huge here. The CCM's are good, the Mission's this year are top notch, Tour is good for wide feet and Nike-Bauer fits like their ice boots just as the CCM's do. I have feet that run a bit wide, and am wearing CCM PF10's, but have used the PF4's and PF6's with alot of comfort. I really wish I could comfortably wear Mission's this year as I think they have the strongest line-up, but I'm also partial to Hi-Lo or Tri-Di over the Hummer frame that Tour offers and Mission's skates are too narrow in the mid-foot area for me. Knowing what ice boots he's been in would be helpful, but it still is a stab in the dark without trying some on. If his ice boots are in good shape still, he could always mount an inline chassis too.

[dadagog 0]

unfortunately i can´t recall the brand of his ice skates, but they were really crappy, so mounting isn´t a real option.

i´m not positive, but wasn´t there a post about mission´s D´s not being as narrow as in the past? reading the posts in here i also got hooked by the ´06 missions (i tend to forget that it´s not me getting new ones...) - it seems that they aim to make up for the inconsistencies of the last years and justin, the rep of mission, seemed to feel really confident about the new ones (ok - maybe not the most neutral perspective...). he also stressed that a couple of innovations along with the emphasis on stiffness were put into lower models as well. would love to have your pricing over here - i´d buy myself a pair...

[sdcopp 1]

Mission's lineup this year is not as narrow as the old VSI's and such, but it doesn't quite feel as wide as the last 2 years worth either. I tried on 10K's and 9500's and it felt like I had my foot in a vice along the inner arch area where my foot is a bit wider than most. For a lower end, it might not matter as much as the boot won't be built as stiffly as those two top end skates.

Bauer 30-60 Ebay Germany

something like that might work as well, and it is located over in Germany. I'm not up on my German, so I can't read most of it, but it looks promising for a budget beater type skate.

[Justin 1933 134]

The lower end skate (i.e 1500 and 500) are built on an even wider last than the higher priced models...I think you will have no issues with the 1500...It is plenty wide and extremely well built.....

As for the 10k, 9500, etc. the skates are definitely wider than the skates from the past two-three years....I should know, I spec'd the last....People are just not used to the stiffness of the skates....

[sdcopp 1]

my HE750's never hurt that bad, but it probably was due to stiffness. I have gotten to touch and bend and squeeze the Mission line-up this year, and as stated before I think it's the strongest lineup and definitely best lower end skates, they just don't fit me too well in a few areas.

[dadagog 0]

@sdcopp: good find! i have seen the bauer 30-60 in a german online-shop as well, they were available only in "R", that´s narrow, isn´t it? possibly the same dealer is now offering on ebay. have asked him for the width of the skates.

@Jstin 1933: "extremely well built" - sounds pretty good - at my level durability and support is much more important than weight (we´re slow anyway ;) ). i think my friend just wants a solid skate he can rely on. from what i have read, that´s more the corporate image of ccm, but you´re trying to gain ground in that field, don´t you?

[Justin 1933 134]

In roller, nothing beats Mission..We had a bad year last year, but this year's product speaks for itself....You don't need me to tell you how good our skates are this year, I will let the reviews of the members of this board do the talking....

[dadagog 0]

i agree.

just got the impression that i won´t find a review of the 1500-model on this board - especially when upgrading to the 3500model is only twenty bucks more. over here, it´s fifty.

have you seen any reviews on the 1500 in the web so far?

[steve66 45]

i agree.

just got the impression that i won´t find a review of the 1500-model on this board - especially when upgrading to the 3500model is only twenty bucks more. over here, it´s fifty.

have you seen any reviews on the 1500 in the web so far?

I think with skates you should really look at buying the best skates you can get, more so than any other product. There are occasions when this is not the case, but in this instance, I think if you can spend the extra 50 for the 3500 you'll enjoy your game that much more. Furthermore the 3500 will probably be more durable and thus more cost effective over the long term.

Had a quick scout around for reviews, but not found any yet.

[dadagog 0]

are there any specific differences between those two you could tell me about?

generally you get what you pay for, i know. but keep in mind that it´s low-level rollerhockey and they´re not for me so i can´t decide. thanks for sharing your thoughts though.

edited: which sources do you use for rollerhockey-related reviews? i only know about this page and epinions..

[dadagog 0]

thank you all for sharing your opinions with me.

if anybody likes to "hijack" the thread by contributing further questions related to budget-skates, please feel free to do that.

[Jim A 4]

"R" width is actually more like an E..typically with quite a bit of overall volume (I went from a 10.5EE supreme to a 10R in the 3090)

lots of closeouts around for 180ish US...saw some He750's the other day for 125 even..and the new 5500's for 199 are getting good feedback from the guys I skate with..