Graf fit

[tsanga 0]

I have been on a mini mission to try out some Grafs, as some of you undoubtedly read in my recent posts.

I started my search with 705's, since that's the only 7xx model my LHS carries. I'm not ready to buy a new pair from them yet, since my approach was to test some used boots first.

But now you guys have armed me with too much information. After poring through a bunch of old posts, I'm wondering if I should be looking at 703 or 735 instead, and I can't get these from my LHS.

I'm hoping you gurus out there can offer a tip or two. Now, for your viewing pleasure....

Thanks guys!

EDIT:

Foot measurements:

Left: length 11" by tracing with a pen held straight up, width 4"

Right: length 10-3/4" by tracing with a pen held straight up, width 4"

[LkptTiger 1]

Looks to me like you'd be more comfortable in a 703 than you would in a 735. It also looks like you might want to give the "W" width a try.

What skates have you been playing in?

[killthepoodle 0]

Arches look a little low for 703's........at least older ones. My circa 96 pair had a ton of arch in them.

[bobovski 1]

Tsanga, we have similarly shaped feet. You should edit your post with some measurements (length, width at the ball of the foot, width of the ankle, height of the instep) so when you find the skates you like, others can use the hard numbers and the pictures as some sort of reference if they so choose.

[pjf 0]

• 703 for sure. Low instep and narrow heel
  

• Remember that the wider the width you go with, the wider the heel will be. It is very important that the heel width is correct
  

• You have a low arch. THe grafs midsole has a built in arch support, after you have skated on the skates and you feel that the arch is to high then you can cut this out to lower the arch.
  

[tsanga 0]

You guys are the best. Thanks for the quick responses.

What skates have you been playing in?

I'm in Bauer 5090 size 9D. I know, I know, way too deep. But I needed skates in a pinch and these were very cheap at the time. They've served me adequately for 1 1/2 years of beer league now.

Tsanga, we have similarly shaped feet. You should edit your post with some measurements (length, width at the ball of the foot, width of the ankle, height of the instep) so when you find the skates you like, others can use the hard numbers and the pictures as some sort of reference if they so choose.

For sure, I can do that, when I do find the right fit. Might take me a bit of time - I can't get 703's around here, so will have to do some hunting.

I've read varying opinions on whether or not 703's and 705's differ in stiffness, but more to the tune of the 705's being stiffer. True?

[killthepoodle 0]

703's are very soft....not quite 707's, but close.

[tsanga 0]

703's are very soft....not quite 707's, but close.

Hmm...not sure if soft is my style...although the only soft skates I've skated in are cheap rec skates.

[shifter 0]

Isn't 735 fit a moderate mid foot and a narrow heel? I think he would be better off with the pair of 735 W then the 703 (suggestion). If he needs the arch support you can always get superfeet.

[Hockeydog 8]

how wide is a 735 at the forefoot? If it is moderately wide maybe he could go with a 735 reg. Just being devils advocate here.

[tsanga 0]

Thanks for all the good tips, guys.

It's very difficult to find 703 around here. I may have to bite the bullet and buy some used ones without seeing them first.

Having said that, the 705 fit isn't too bad. Although I would not go any wider than a Regular in the 705. Not sure if that translates to 703.

[Buzz_LightBeer 975]

707 (G70) is wide

my feet are wide and flat like yours, and i had no problem with a wide 705

[tsanga 0]

Tsanga, we have similarly shaped feet. You should edit your post with some measurements (length, width at the ball of the foot, width of the ankle, height of the instep) so when you find the skates you like, others can use the hard numbers and the pictures as some sort of reference if they so choose.

Done, except....

Width of the ankle...how do I measure this? Calipers?

Height of the instep...that depends how much weight is on my foot! I have flat flexible arches that need to be supported with Superfeet.

[sn1per 0]

scarily enough, tsang's feet are almost identical to mine. I'm quite flat footed and the width of my forefoot looks proportionate to his. I do have a pair of 735 in regular width. I found them too narrow and they started to pinch towards the toecap and the heel was narrow so if he was to go with the 735, I'd more likely go with a W.

[bobovski 1]

Tsanga, we have similarly shaped feet. You should edit your post with some measurements (length, width at the ball of the foot, width of the ankle, height of the instep) so when you find the skates you like, others can use the hard numbers and the pictures as some sort of reference if they so choose.

Done, except....

Width of the ankle...how do I measure this? Calipers?

Height of the instep...that depends how much weight is on my foot! I have flat flexible arches that need to be supported with Superfeet.

If you have calipers, I guess that would be the most accurate. With a tape, though, you could measure from each side of the ankle bone around the front of your foot, multiply by 2 and divide by 3.1415.

For the instep, depending on how creative you want to be, you could just stand flat and have someone measure from the floor to the "top" of the curve. Alternately, you could take that measurement and divide by the "width" of the instep (measured on the floor from where the bottom of the foot rests on the floor to the point directly under the top of the arch). That would give some sort of instep "slope".

Don't forget to measure the width of the heel as well, I guess.

scarily enough, tsang's feet are almost identical to mine. I'm quite flat footed and the width of my forefoot looks proportionate to his. I do have a pair of 735 in regular width. I found them too narrow and they started to pinch towards the toecap and the heel was narrow so if he was to go with the 735, I'd more likely go with a W.

Yeah, from the pictures I was going to say that mine were pretty much the same. But, it looks like mine are much wider and that I have a steeper arch (not by much).

[tsanga 0]

scarily enough, tsang's feet are almost identical to mine. I'm quite flat footed and the width of my forefoot looks proportionate to his. I do have a pair of 735 in regular width. I found them too narrow and they started to pinch towards the toecap and the heel was narrow so if he was to go with the 735, I'd more likely go with a W.

I will have to figure out by trial and error. As I said before, a 705 regular is about as wide as I'd ever consider. So if the 735 has the same depth and width in the front as 705, then W wouldn't work for me.

[TheBert 0]

I have a similar foot shape to tsang's. What models outside of Graf would be a good fit?

[tsanga 0]

Isn't 735 fit a moderate mid foot and a narrow heel? I think he would be better off with the pair of 735 W then the 703 (suggestion). If he needs the arch support you can always get superfeet.

How does the depth of 5090/8090 compare with 705/735? Is the Bauer more like 709, or more like 705?

[hapamatt122 0]

i've had 705s and 8090s, personally I felt the 8090 was deeper.

[cbart 1]

8090=709

[epstud74 24]

Thanks for all the good tips, guys.

It's very difficult to find 703 around here. I may have to bite the bullet and buy some used ones without seeing them first.

Having said that, the 705 fit isn't too bad. Although I would not go any wider than a Regular in the 705. Not sure if that translates to 703.

General Sports in Edina on 50th and France had em last time I checked. It seems that Westwood Sports carries only the Ultra lines now and the 301s for the beer league guy. There is a small hockey shop in Eden Prairie next to Kowalski's Market inside the strip mall that carries a ton of Graf skates too.

i've had 705s and 8090s, personally I felt the 8090 was deeper.

The 8090s fit a bit similar to the Daoust skates I have.

[tsanga 0]

General Sports in Edina on 50th and France had em last time I checked. It seems that Westwood Sports carries only the Ultra lines now and the 301s for the beer league guy. There is a small hockey shop in Eden Prairie next to Kowalski's Market inside the strip mall that carries a ton of Graf skates too.

Thanks for the tips. Apparently I'm leaving some stones unturned. I see a lot of 705's since that's the "70% of all feet" skates.

The place in Eden Prairie is probably Sportsworld USA. I've heard they do great work on skates, but I've never been there.

[epstud74 24]

General Sports in Edina on 50th and France had em last time I checked. It seems that Westwood Sports carries only the Ultra lines now and the 301s for the beer league guy. There is a small hockey shop in Eden Prairie next to Kowalski's Market inside the strip mall that carries a ton of Graf skates too.

Thanks for the tips. Apparently I'm leaving some stones unturned. I see a lot of 705's since that's the "70% of all feet" skates.

The place in Eden Prairie is probably Sportsworld USA. I've heard they do great work on skates, but I've never been there.

Yep..It is Sportsworld USA. You cannot see it from the outside, but if you go into the strip mall area just west of Kowalski's Market, you should run into it. They have a pretty nice selection of upper end skates.

[tsanga 0]

Yep..It is Sportsworld USA. You cannot see it from the outside, but if you go into the strip mall area just west of Kowalski's Market, you should run into it. They have a pretty nice selection of upper end skates.

Sports World carries G3, but no 735 or 703. General Sports in Edina is all about 705's and 707's.

Graf landscape still pretty bleak around here.

[epstud74 24]

Yep..It is Sportsworld USA. You cannot see it from the outside, but if you go into the strip mall area just west of Kowalski's Market, you should run into it. They have a pretty nice selection of upper end skates.

Sports World carries G3, but no 735 or 703. General Sports in Edina is all about 705's and 707's.

Graf landscape still pretty bleak around here.

When was the last time you were at Sports World USA? I was at General Sports not too long ago and they had about 3-4 different Graf models..The same goes for Westwood Sports in Bloomington, not sure about the Apple Valley store though..I'm sure one of the board members could pipe in with that.