Recommend me which skate for a born again player..

[aoes812 0]

Hey guys, first time poster. I've been lurking here for a few months or so though.

Some food for thought before I get your recommendations: I'm almost 18, and haven't played ice hockey since I was a kid. I've just recently started skating again, and I'm seriously considering starting to play again. But first I want to learn how to skate at a decent level, so I'm looking for a decent skate that I can hone my skating skills and use once I start playing pick up.

Right now I have an old pair of my dad's 252 Tacks. Probably somewhere around 10 years old or so, they're worn out, plus they don't fit me well since they're size 10. I'm not sure what width they are, I think D though.

I wear size 11 shoe, and have a fairly wide foot. I've been considering buying either the Bauer Supreme 4000s or CCM E-60s from 1800faceoff.com ( I wish I could buy from my LHS, but their selection isn't very good, plus most of their skates are out of my price range). Both skates are $99 online.

The Bauers I am considering buying are size 9 EE, from what I've read here and other boards is that Bauer skates run narrow, and I have a wide foot, so I thought the only way I could fit into Bauers is if I get an EE skate.

The E-60s are 9 D. I've read that CCM's usually are wider than Bauers and most skates like them, so I figured I could wear these with my wide foot.

Another skate I considered but kinda ruled out because they're slightly out of my price range were the CCM Vector 6.5s. IIRC they're $150 or so. They also have those in E width on 1800faceoff.

If you could tell me the pro and cons of each skate, and add your recommendation I'd appreciate it. If you have another recommendation other than these skates (preferably in the $100-120 range) then feel free to add it.

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to get solid advice and give you an idea of what I need..

Thanks.

[Chadd 916]

It's always a crapshoot when sizing online but the Externos are certainly a better value for the price. They may be a bit heavy but most people I know who have used them seemed to have good experiences.

[aoes812 0]

It's always a crapshoot when sizing online but the Externos are certainly a better value for the price. They may be a bit heavy but most people I know who have used them seemed to have good experiences.

Yeah, that's not the first time I've read that about sizing online. I'm not too worried about them fitting perfectly, just as long as they're serviceable, because $99 isn't that big of an investment. These skates are just to get me going, since my dad's old skates aren't gonna cut it.

I've also read that abunch of people have loved their E-60s just from searching the board, so I don't really doubt the quality of the skates. I am a little worried about the D width though, but I guess if I baked them once I got them, it wouldn't be that much of a problem.

I couldn't really find anything on the Supremes I'm looking at or the Supreme series of skates, and I'm just looking for feedback from those owners.

[Chadd 916]

It's always a crapshoot when sizing online but the Externos are certainly a better value for the price. They may be a bit heavy but most people I know who have used them seemed to have good experiences.

Yeah, that's not the first time I've read that about sizing online. I'm not too worried about them fitting perfectly, just as long as they're serviceable, because $99 isn't that big of an investment. These skates are just to get me going, since my dad's old skates aren't gonna cut it.

I've also read that abunch of people have loved their E-60s just from searching the board, so I don't really doubt the quality of the skates. I am a little worried about the D width though, but I guess if I baked them once I got them, it wouldn't be that much of a problem.

I couldn't really find anything on the Supremes I'm looking at or the Supreme series of skates, and I'm just looking for feedback from those owners.

Once the Vapors came out, Supreme sales slumped big time. I don't know anyone who bought the 4000 or 6000 and only a couple who tried the 8000.

The part about sizing is just part of my normal disclaimer.

[aoes812 0]

What about the 5090's? I'm amazed I just found these on hockeygiant for $99 because I've looked at about 20 different sites for the best deals, they even have abunch of different sizes.. which is weird since most of the "bargain" skates I've found only have a few different sizes to choose from. Anyway, from what I've read on some boards (not sure if it was this one) is that people loved their 8090s.. Aren't the 5090s a step down from the 8090s?

[Chadd 916]

Yes, the 5090 is a step down from the 8090 and pretty wide as well.

[aoes812 0]

So would the 5090s fit as wide as the 8090s? How wide are the X090 D's compared to CCM's D and E widths? Would X090 EE skates be really wide? I wanna know because I don't want to get skates that are TOO wide.

Thanks.

[mew1838 0]

Why won't you get yourself fitted? Or the worst thing is that you lose your shipping money for an exchange. We would not know how wide your feet are and even if I tell you that the supremes are really wide, would you be sure its too wide for you?

[aoes812 0]

Why won't you get yourself fitted? Or the worst thing is that you lose your shipping money for an exchange. We would not know how wide your feet are and even if I tell you that the supremes are really wide, would you be sure its too wide for you?

I would, but for some reason my LHS only carries high end skates. I mean, I hate to say it, but their store sucks.

[mew1838 0]

If there is no other way, try ordering several different pairs, 2-3 and try them on, keep the one that fits you best and return the rest. ( make sure they do not have restocking fees) good luck bro.

[Johnny Mo 0]

I was in this same situation a few years ago (got back into playing since my son started). When I looked at the Externos my LHS told me they were cut more narrow than the Tacks line of CCM's - to better compete with the Bauer Supreme lineup. I actually wound up in a pair of GRAF 703's and I love them. As for the pricing on 1800faceoff (I'm pretty sure they are the same as Peranis.com - their inventories are identical online), they are a good online retailer - good customer service in my experience. Also checkout hockeygiant.com, hockeymonkey is okay, but I hate the slightly lower pricing that usually gets negated by the "and handling" charge.

I'm new here too and been lurking for a few weeks...this place is great.

[hockeysew 0]

The advice of going to your LHS is sage advice-Why not consider a little higher end skate?

Arent you going to be better off spending a bit more now and have a good quality, longer lasting skate.

If you were a decent player when you were younger it will come back really fast and you may quickly find yourself wanting to upgrade skates.

Buy the best you can afford and you will never be disappointed

I went through this a few years ago when I started back up and thought I would lowball it on skates-picked up a pair of Bauer 1000's and within 4 months I was looking for new skates because the 1000's started breaking down-I hate spending money twice

You will get the service end at the LHS which can speak volumes in its own.

If you are that worried about your foot size you should be able to send most any reputable online or LHS a tracing of your feet and they should be able to hook you up

[TBLfan 25]

hockeymonkey has some closeout deals on skates. I just picked up some '02 CCM 952s for $120

[stickfixchaska 0]

The best thing you could do is go and get fitted at the LHS. TELL THEM WHAT YOU"RE PLANNING TO DO. If they charge you for a fitting, $20 - $30 is better spent on that than shipping for exchanges. Besides, you never know, they may want your business enough to negotiate on a price.

Have your foot measured in BOTH CCM and BAUER sizing tools. That will at least give you an idea of what will fit in each brand.

[bwear 0]

I wear a size 11 shoe and have a wide foot, as well. I just bought a pair of Bauer Vapor VI's for $99 about a month ago from HockeyGiant. I had the same issue with my LHS... the cheapest skate they wanted to sell me was $320, which I couldn't afford.

I got a 9.5 EE and the skates fit great and perform much better than an old pair of CCM Champion 90's that I started in. I'm a newbie, so take that for what it's worth, but I am really enjoying these skates and am skating much better with them.