KOR Shift 1 and 2

[nicu2001 0]

I found the baking instructions .pdf and went to have the skates baked. I ordered a size 10 regular as Bauer 9.5 is my perfect size. The Kor Shift 2s seemed VERY wide so I checked the box and they were 10 D and the skate itself had 10 regular. I baked them but they feel way too big for me and a big part of that seems to be the width -- the front half of my foot does not seem secure like in my bauers. With my foot slammed back in the heel, my right big toe is almost touching the front but is a hair less... which seems like the right fit lengthwise. I tied them up very tight and went on the ice and they felt too big -- my foot seemed to lift out of them a little bit and they felt like ski boots. Is there anything I can do? I compared the foot beds in the Kors to my old Bauer Comps and the Kors are definitely 1/2 cm bigger so I am confused. Is there anything I can do other than try to sell these on ebay and find 9.5 Ds? Bake them again? Buy another footbed to put on top? Any advice would be great, thanks!

[Moto 1]

Ok, so I got the Shift 2's. I've had my Shift 1's for 3 years now and absolutely love the 1's. I baked the new skates and got to skate for the 1st time last night in the 2's. To me they felt very different than the 1's. Once I figured out that they had to be tied a lot tighter than my 1's that helped a bit. But, I don't feel like my heel locked in quite as good as the did in my 1's. Not sure what I can do to fix this. I wouldn't mind them being a little tighter in the heel. The odd thing is that they are a little loose in the heel but just tight enough where my toes start.

Also, I have the pitch set to +1 just like my 1's were, but they just seem very different. Is there something different with the 2's where the +1 setting actually is a little more towards neutral than the +1 feel I had with the 1's?

Other than that I like them, but I'm just not blown away like I was with the 1's. Hopefully that changes with a couple more skates.

I felt the same way. Loved my 1's...in fact I still remember my first skate in them and how they felt like 2 little Porsche 911's on my feet....super responsive coming from Pro-Tacks. The 2's just seem different somehow...I don't dislike them but I am not in love with them like I was my 1's. On my second pair of 2's and will prob. try a different brand on the next pair....

[irbenaid 0]

Thanks Ogie and Moto for the replies. What a disappointment these skates are so far. I have a game tomorrow night and I'm going back to my Shift 1's because I'm just not confident enough in these yet. I'll get to try the 2's again on the weekend. I even have a nice little cut and briuese on the back of my ankle from these.

Well, at worst I could use them for spare parts for my Shift 1's. After 3 years I really didn't need new skates, but didn't want to pass up a $159 deal on skates I knew would be gone soon. Maybe next time I'll feel better about them.

I'm not sure what they were thinking with these skates. They had a perfect skate with the Shift 1's. If they wanted hight cut they should have done that and that's it.

[johnpace2 0]

If you're already in +1, trying have the blade profiled a little bit more forward.

I was a using neutral in Shift 1 and when I switched to the Shift 2 I felt like I couldn't accelerate. Popped them into +1 and the problem was solved.

These skates are a little wider and deeper than the Shift 1's though, you may have to re-bake and do the best you can to mold them around your foot.

[irbenaid 0]

If you're already in +1, trying have the blade profiled a little bit more forward.

I was a using neutral in Shift 1 and when I switched to the Shift 2 I felt like I couldn't accelerate. Popped them into +1 and the problem was solved.

These skates are a little wider and deeper than the Shift 1's though, you may have to re-bake and do the best you can to mold them around your foot.

Thanks John, yes profiling is a good idea. Does anyone have any idea what I should be telling the shop to make them match up with my Shift 1's? They definitely need to be profiled more forward.

[johnpace2 0]

Can you take both pairs of skates in and let them take a look? I could be wrong, but I think I was told that they made the Shift 2 boot design more neutral, that's why even with the same setup it feels different.

Maybe your shop can tell by comparing the two? If not, many people use one of the board members for sharpeing and profiling and he is very familiar with Kors and could give you what you need. You have to PM me for his name or else the posts get deleted.

[irbenaid 0]

Can you take both pairs of skates in and let them take a look? I could be wrong, but I think I was told that they made the Shift 2 boot design more neutral, that's why even with the same setup it feels different.

Maybe your shop can tell by comparing the two? If not, many people use one of the board members for sharpeing and profiling and he is very familiar with Kors and could give you what you need. You have to PM me for his name or else the posts get deleted.

That might be even a better idea to just send the blades right to him. I know exactly who you're talking about. In fact that's who I bought my Shift 1's from. Between his help and Chadd's too I ended up with the best skates I could have ever hoped for.

Thanks for the help!

[johnpace2 0]

Can you take both pairs of skates in and let them take a look? I could be wrong, but I think I was told that they made the Shift 2 boot design more neutral, that's why even with the same setup it feels different.

Maybe your shop can tell by comparing the two? If not, many people use one of the board members for sharpeing and profiling and he is very familiar with Kors and could give you what you need. You have to PM me for his name or else the posts get deleted.

That might be even a better idea to just send the blades right to him. I know exactly who you're talking about. In fact that's who I bought my Shift 1's from. Between his help and Chadd's too I ended up with the best skates I could have ever hoped for.

Thanks for the help!

No problem. I'm sure you can get this problem taken care of pretty easily.

[irbenaid 0]

Here's an update on my Shift 2's... Based on the advice of the person mentioned above I changed the blades on my new skates to my old blades from my Shift 1's. I had a game last night and the skates were awesome. Everything felt right again. Now the challenge is to get the new blades similar to my old ones. I'll be mailing them to get them profiled and hopefully that solves that issue. Unfortunately nobody around here does profiling.

As far as the comfort issue goes, that's also been resolved. A took a hair dryer to the back of the skate the other night and then really did some squeezing on them to get my heels much tighter. Now they are locked in really good just like my old skates. At least now I can say that I'm as thrilled with these as I was with the Shift 1's!!!!

[BreakingParadigms 0]

Thats great to know irbenaid, your persistance should pay dividends. Remember that KOR skate can be repeately heat molded so the propper fit can be achieved. You can also use a rag to wrap around the skate while hot if you need to reduce the space of the boot.

And special thanks to John, who has always been a great supporter of the skate.

[irbenaid 0]

Well, I went through a lot to get my Shift 1's perfect so I'm pretty patient with them. I got the new pair to lock in my heel really good now. I could actually see the skates flexing inward when I squeezed them then I just squeezed my foot in and they ended up really good.

[johnpace2 0]

Great news, I knew it would work out for you!

Thanks Enrique (I think that's you), I've always loved these skates and the great customer service!

[Bane 1]

Anyone know if the Shift 2 can be stretched? i got the shift 2, in a 9. They are supposed to be sized the same as Missions. I wear a 9.0 EE mission, but the Kor's seem to be about an 1/8th or 16th of an inch too short. Seems like they changed the toe cap shape just enough between the shift 1 and 2 to cause me problems. I have already had them baked, and it doesn't seem to have made any difference. Can these be baked at home, the closest place that bakes charges $40 for a "heat fit" which amounts to sticking them in the oven for you.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,

[irbenaid 0]

Since you said that you already had them baked. I would recommend just using a hair dryer and getting the boot good and hot. Put your foot in and really kick back. Don't forget to stand at times and flex forward. Hopefully just doing that will push your heel back in a bit more.

I've had the best results with a hair dryer with both my Shift 1's and Shift 2's. Baked both but had to tweak both pairs a little bit afterwards.

Good luck and hope it works out for you as it did for me.

[johnpace2 0]

You can bake them at home IF you have a convection oven. I think most newer ovens are convection, but you need to make sure.

Some people just require more bakes than others.

[Bane 1]

You can bake them at home IF you have a convection oven. I think most newer ovens are convection, but you need to make sure.

Some people just require more bakes than others.

I have a convection oven, any idea what temperature I should set it to?

Since you said that you already had them baked. I would recommend just using a hair dryer and getting the boot good and hot. Put your foot in and really kick back. Don't forget to stand at times and flex forward. Hopefully just doing that will push your heel back in a bit more.

I've had the best results with a hair dryer with both my Shift 1's and Shift 2's. Baked both but had to tweak both pairs a little bit afterwards.

Good luck and hope it works out for you as it did for me.

Are you talking about a regular hair dryer or a heat gun like most people use to change stick blades?

Thanks,

[ahbroody 1]

Just wanted to verify the 2s are a wider skate?

I tried the Kor Gear skate which was supposed to be a 2 with cheaper materials I gathered.

That said the boot fit so sloppy it was insane. I was looking into a pair of shift 2's but am worried it will be a waste as they will be to big.

Length was fine just a touch wide and to much boot space. Dont have this issue with other skates

[irbenaid 0]

175 then turn the oven off and bake for 7 or 8 minutes. Make sure the top of the skate is pliable and then they should be ready.. No, not a heat gun. You could actually use a heat gun, but that's a little too much heat too fast. Just a regular hair dryer will do the trick.

As far as the other question goes about the skates being wider. I found that the heel is wider on the Shift 2, but for some reason the area right where my toes start is tighter in these than my Shift 1's. As far as the heel being wider it I was able to use a hair dryer and then squeeze the heel area tighter with my hands to the point where I actually saw the boot change shape. I slipped my feet in and the boot formed nicely to the heel.

Hope that helps.

[Bane 1]

175 then turn the oven off and bake for 7 or 8 minutes. Make sure the top of the skate is pliable and then they should be ready.. No, not a heat gun. You could actually use a heat gun, but that's a little too much heat too fast. Just a regular hair dryer will do the trick.

As far as the other question goes about the skates being wider. I found that the heel is wider on the Shift 2, but for some reason the area right where my toes start is tighter in these than my Shift 1's. As far as the heel being wider it I was able to use a hair dryer and then squeeze the heel area tighter with my hands to the point where I actually saw the boot change shape. I slipped my feet in and the boot formed nicely to the heel.

Hope that helps.

I'm confused, what do you mean by "175 then turn the oven off and bake for 7 or 8 minutes"? This statement is not making sense to me. Do you mean, heat the oven to 175 then turn it off and let the skates sit in the oven for 8 minutes? Or, bake the skates at 175 for 7 to 8 minutes?

Thanks,

[fatwabbit 93]

Bane, I think what irbenaid means is:

Heat the oven to 175deg F, then turn the oven off. Put the skates in and leave them in the oven for 7-8 min with the heat OFF.

Dont put them in with the heat still on... they get really messed up when you do that (trust me, done the stupid mistake before).

[Bane 1]

Bane, I think what irbenaid means is:

Heat the oven to 175deg F, then turn the oven off. Put the skates in and leave them in the oven for 7-8 min with the heat OFF.

Dont put them in with the heat still on... they get really messed up when you do that (trust me, done the stupid mistake before).

I found a couple of other posts on the subject, and they say the same thing. I makes a bit more sense now.

Thanks,

[irbenaid 0]

Bane, I think what irbenaid means is:

Heat the oven to 175deg F, then turn the oven off. Put the skates in and leave them in the oven for 7-8 min with the heat OFF.

Dont put them in with the heat still on... they get really messed up when you do that (trust me, done the stupid mistake before).

I found a couple of other posts on the subject, and they say the same thing. I makes a bit more sense now.

Thanks,

Yep, that's exactly what I meant. The posts on this were a few pages back I think. I know I also read somewhere to put some cardboard down for the skates to lay on. You don't want them to look like a piece of steak when you're done. LOL!!!

[fatwabbit 93]

For home bakes, i've actually used a pizza tray (without the wife knowing)...

put a damp cloth over the tray, skates on top of the cloth... then whatever access cloth just wrap it over the top of the skates.

At that temp and time, cloth should be almost dry when you remove from the oven... check to see that your skates are nicely done, not brown-ed. Should be flexible enough to mould with your hands. Place on feet and tie to taste, pepper and salt not needed. Sit in front of tv and enjoy...

oh... clean up the pizza tray before wife gets home... most important thing. If she asks whether you had pizza, just say you used it to toast some bread (assuming you dont have a toaster)

[Chadd 916]

I forgot my skates and left them in the oven, with it turned on, for almost 20 minutes and there haven't been any problems. I do suggest putting a towel between them and the tray though.

[Sprungster 5]

I forgot my skates and left them in the oven, with it turned on, for almost 20 minutes and there haven't been any problems. I do suggest putting a towel between them and the tray though.

The best thing to put under skates is cardboard, like a fedex or usps shipping box, still flat. They need insulation from all metal. That's two sheets under them, and it works great. Also, always have your laces loose enough so you don't have to pull on the tendon guard, at all, cause it will just about (done that) come off in your hand. I cooked my Shift2's three times in the oven, adjusting different areas each time, and it worked great. I had to make room right below my ankles because my heels sank back in so deep. Just right.