Protection through the Graf Line-up

[MEhockey 0]

I have been skating on 703s for a couple years and really like the fit and feel of the skate.....except....they seem a bit lacking in protection. Last week I was skating back covering a two-on-one, the pass across to the other forward hit the outside of my foot and later that day I could barely walk.

So my questions are: do different Graf model have different levels of protection? Is the G3 more or less protective than the 703. Can the following be ranked by protection 707, G35, 735, 703, G3.

Lastly, my skates are 6Rs. They are quite snug (perfectly snug, unless I eat salami and pretzels exclusively before skating) I know I can skate in the 6.5s as well. Would going up a half size and wearing thicker socks offer an increase in protection.

Thanks