mid-level skate questions?

[gavin 0]

I'm not familiar with the L-series of skates, my understanding it that either you love them or you hate them, depends on wether they fit or not. If you can, try them on. If your situation doesn't allow for that, you might be up a crik. I was just thinking about jumping at a skate that had the Pitch3, that would allow you do send your blades off in an envolope AND experiment with your pitch.

Are Kors out of your price range? You're almost guaranteed they would fit.

[tbintexas 0]

I'm not familiar with the L-series of skates, my understanding it that either you love them or you hate them, depends on wether they fit or not. If you can, try them on. If your situation doesn't allow for that, you might be up a crik. I was just thinking about jumping at a skate that had the Pitch3, that would allow you do send your blades off in an envolope AND experiment with your pitch.

Are Kors out of your price range? You're almost guaranteed they would fit.

Kor's out of my range? Since I'm looking at $100 skates, then yup :D It's not like the HAVE to be $100, but I was looking at a bunch of them and figured there should be something decent for me considering the way I play.

I do like the idea of the Pitch holder though, but also really like my F1's - they feel great on my feet. I may just have to find someone on here that I can send my F1's out to, to get the heels lifted? Any recommendations?

[gavin 0]

Just a thought, you could put the Pitch holders on the F1's. I've heard Salming makes a great boot.

Also, have you thought about putting in lifts yourself? I was looking at my t'blades a couple minutes ago, and I think that you'd have to cut the silicone they've put in there with a knife, but I think it would be possible. Both pairs have the same thing, so I'm assuming yours would as well.

[SyracuseBulldogs04 0]

If I were in your shoes I'd see if someone could put the lifts in, but if not like gavin said see if you could put a conventional holder on there like pitch 3 or some kind of holder with a more forward lean.

[tbintexas 0]

now we're talking...! sort of.

I thought about different holders and blades for my boots, but they will most-likely run me $90-$100, and that was the reason I just figured to get new complete skates instead.

I'm all for doing it myself however, but have little knowledge on the rivets, and how to get them out and new ones in. I've searched on line and found a place which has the equipment - we'll see what they say! Sure would be a lot easier than shipping them off and waiting for them to be shipped back.

[gavin 0]

I'm a gear whore so I would buy a second pair of skates. My dorm room is full of skates.

Get a good deal on a pair of skates with the Pitch3 holder on 'em. You'll end up spending the same amount of money in the end. And I figure if you have 2 skates, the more the merrier.

[donkey87 0]

Badkitty - It sounds like youre going to get them online.. I would recommend not doing that - I hear you about not getting them online, but I don't really have a choice. Like I mentioned, the only LHS here (in Houston=4.5 million people) just shut down. The pro shop has a very limited selection.

You should think about driving up to the DFW area on a weekend. You could try Perani's, Players Bench, and the Hockey Shop. That way you would be able to try on multiple styles of skate before buying. Plus, you could stock up on anything else you might need. I know its long drive from Houston just for hockey gear, but it beats buying online and having to send stiff back because it doesn't fit.

[duch 0]

My advice is as follows. You have a wide foot so first things first. Don't get Mission, Bauer or Grafs because they are traditionally a narrower skate. The 705 is a slightly wider and deeper skate but your foot will probably be snug in them regardless. My advice is go with CCM "E" width or an Easton "EE" width, in that order. A CCM skate will have a wider fit and a wide toe box which translates into comfort for you. The Easton will be a wide skate with a slightly narrower toe box and it may suffice. Both skates have realatively the same fit and your not sitting back on your heels like you would be on a Bauer/Nike skate. The CCM has a neutral profile while the Easton tends to lean slightly forward from a neutral profile. If you see a pair of Reeboks 5K's or Vector 6's on sale somewhere you may want to try them in a "EE" size because they are essentially the same fit because their also made by CCM.

I was going to also recommend Nike skates because they have the widest toe box in the industry however they tend to be all over the place in fit from year to year. The V series isn't too bad ( V-9 , V-10, V-12) but again they carry the Tuuk Lightspeed holder and you'd be back on your heels a bit. You'd probably be able to get them a decent price now that the Flexlite series are out. You could get them and get a recontour done on the blade or do a heel lift to take care of the sitting back on your heels problem. ;)

[carloseb 0]

This might be a dumb idea but maybe you could contact the AHL/ECHL teams in Houston or nearby. If they can't help you directly with putting in the lifts I bet they could get you in touch with someone in the area who could. Worth a shot right? It's just a phone call or an email... what's the worst that could happen?

[tbintexas 0]

great suggestions guys!

[Sticks of Fury 0]

Maybe you can put an insole that is thicker in the heel part. I put that in my skates once and my toes were bruised from having too much of a forward pitch.

[domileafs28 0]

you can get pro stock z-air comp se's for around 160. i promise they will improve your skating, they are the stiffest skate ever made.

[Chadd 916]

you can get pro stock z-air comp se's for around 160. i promise they will improve your skating, they are the stiffest skate ever made.

Stiffer doesn't mean better. If that was the case we would all be in ski boots with steel on them.