Stiff vs. soft

[jjtt99 0]

Hi folks.

My skate boots are starting to breakdown. In terms of stiffness they were pretty consistent for quite some time, but now they're noticeably soft.

Contrary to many here I'm not excited about getting new skates, which leads to my question:

What are the pros and cons of stiff vs. soft boots?

[domileafs28 0]

what skates are you in now??

a stiffer boot lets you skate better i think. it provides better protection and allows you to put more power into the ice. i can't keep bragging on my z-air comp's they are great. the new synergys are actually softer compared to the z-airs. if you take hard strides, you will tear a soft pair of skates right up... example my ccm 292's which i tore up in two months.

if you skate backwards a lot, then flexibility might be more of an issue. if the boots are fitted right, the top set of eyelets will be about even with where your ankle bends forward, so you will only be flexing the tongue, so the stiffness should not affect your ability to lean forward.

it also depends on your foot type. if your feet are prone to blistering, you may do better with a softer pair of boots that will not kill you during the break-in. my z-airs had no break-in period, despite their stiffness. if you can find a pair still, i highly recommend them.

[kovalchuk71 212]

what skates are you in now??

a stiffer boot lets you skate better i think.

Uhhhh...No

Its a lot of PP IMO

[Chadd 916]

To me the most important factor is that the sides don't give out around the foot when I turn or skate hard (as rare as that is). When they get sloppy like that, it's time to get new boots.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

For me, it's when I am tightening the laces more than usual.

[jjtt99 0]

Domile, the skates are 852 Tacks, but I don't think that matters at it would apply to any model (I think).

Pro: The softer the boot gets, the more agile I feel as I really have a lot of motion around my ankles making my turns really tight.

Con: I think I'm losing speed though as I can feel the boot fold forward when I'm doing a quick start.

I'll keep an eye on it, but I'm noticing a lot more creases around the sides of the tendon guard plus there is evidence of buckling around the eyelets. Those were never there before.

By the way, skates are two seasons old, playing 2-3 times per week. I'm a 165 pound lightweight who can skate okay.

[Cavs019 710]

softer is better........go graf

stiffness and support are not the same thing.

[cobrAA 0]

for me stiffness doesn't matter it all about forward flexion which is IMO due to a low,medium or high cut boot.

Would you rate a ccm tack skate med cut??I'm also looking for new skates and didn't like my Nike Flexlite because of the higher cut boot,any advice please!??

[fultonreed 1]

stiff boot at moderate ( GRAF ) cut boot not a big deal. Higher cut boot and stiffness, will require more effort than normal in order to get used to it.

What you are coming out of and what you are going into....

[hockeysew 0]

where would you guys rate a Bauer 7000 on boot height? I think they are from the last production year of the 7000

They seem to be a higher boot than my old 3000's

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

The last production year 7000 was lower than the first one. What 3000 are we talking about here? Supreme Custom or Supreme 3000?

[willy0314 0]

I went from a pretty soft and worn pair of skates in my SBX pro's to a pair of easton 1500's. At first I thought I was going to end up selling the 1500's, but after about 2 months of skating in them 2-3 times a week, (with 2 weeks in there where I didn't skate because I had mono) I am really starting to like the skates. Maybe its because they are breaking in more, but there is alot of fredom to bend your ankles forward and the boot isn't too stiff like my first impressions thought they would be. They are a pretty solid skate so far.....

[jjtt99 0]

A tip I picked up here is to transition to new skates. In other words, in my case I would get a new pair of wheels now, but only use them for stick and puck and things like that while I continue to play in my current skates. Then when it's time to switch the new ones are broken in and ready to go!