Graf Recommendation?

[Garpenlov 0]

(First and foremost, my LHS sucks. I live in Florida. I guess I'd have to drive a couple hours to find a shop that knows about as much as I've learned from reading the forums here at MSH.)

So,... like the title says, I'm considering my next skate purchase and I thought I'd like to try the Graf line. I know they aren't cutting edge and the quality has gone down hill, but I like the "non-traditional" look and well, that's about it I guess,...

Anyways, I was wondering if the community had a recommendation regarding model number and size. My last 2 skates were:

1)CCM Pro Tacks 7.5 D - They felt OK in general, but I didn't like the feel of the pro-lite holders. When I would turn in these things, I felt like a school bus - slow and wide. I had some arch pain (I think I have low to average arches) which caused me to tie the laces a bit loose around the mid foot.

2)Easton Z-Air Comp 7.5 EE - I loved them at first (very responsive) but as they broke down I liked them less. I swapped out the footbed for the grey superfeet and that helped the fit early on. As they broke in, I noticed that my right foot would slide a little inside the boot, but my left foot felt great. Maybe I should have gone with D widths? I did the like the stiffness and lateral support I got in the skates.

Any other skate recomendations would be appreciated. I'm just beer league so I am sure I don't need the A+ top of the line skate, but when I do clinics and games or pick-ups I do skate pretty aggressivly. Oh, and lest I forget I'm 5'8" and about 160 lbs, wide forefoot, narrow to average heel.

[Jason16 0]

The majority of Graf skates are top of the line minus the 502s and 301s which seem sub par to me so either way, you'll be getting some A+ top of the line skates with an A+ top of the line price tag. But you're in the states so maybe they'll be cheaper?

Wide forefoot and narrow/average heel = Graf xx5 or xx9 if the xx5s aren't wide enough. You're probably going to be a half size up from CCMs and Bauers, though.

Another option would be to go back to Tacks. Prolites have been replaced with EPros

Bauer 8090s are great skates that could possibly work for you based on your description. Best part is, they have been discontinued and re-released as Supreme 70s so you may find them on clearance somewhere.

Hope that helps

[Garpenlov 0]

Thanks Jason, that was exactly what I was looking for.

[iceburg19 1]

graf makes one of the better skates in my opinion,the 700 series and up are excellent boots ,each skate is a fit for a different foot shape and skateing style.i love the 705 boot,made for an agressive knee bend style of skateing,very stiff boot but once broken in,its like wearing slippers.

[duch 0]

I agree with iceburg 2, the Graf 700 series would be a good skate for you. If you have slightly narrower feet and like a shallow fit the 703 or 704 ( if you can find a pair, they've been discontinued but there are still some available) would be a good fit. If you like a slightly deeper, wider fit, the 705 is an excellent skate with lots of stiffness for better support. If you'd like to go wider the 709 might do you. Try on some of these puppies at your LHS and you'll probably find the one you like the best. The only problem with Grafs are that they don't give you quite as much toe room as CCM skates do but not uncomfortably so.

[pizzakid13 5]

i have graf 704 and really love them. i tried 709s for the deeper fit and thought they were excellent but preferred the shallower and lighter 704.