Should I try a different skate?

[Jarick 5]

I have no idea what to search for, haven't come up with much, so if you've got a good thread to point me towards please do so and lock.

I've been using Vapor XIX's for the last year or so. The weight is great, fit is decent, and I really like the pitch of the holders, but I'm wondering if I should try a different boot.

I don't lace the top eyelet and feel like they might be a bit high cut for me. The tongues seem to inhibit my forward flex as they're very stiff. And lately I've been having the skates come untied on the ice as I seem to be lacing them looser and looser, although it could be that they seem to be a bit narrow for my feet.

The other thing is that I've been getting blisters on my little toes, so the toecap might be too narrow. And I've been lacing the boots pretty loose over the arch to avoid lacebite but cranking the laces on the last two eyelets.

Would it be worthwhile to try and find a used pair of another skates to give them a shot before selling mine? Or is there something else I can try with my current skates? What skates would you recommend that have a wider toebox and a bit more forward flex or lower cut?

[chippa13 1844]

For the tongues, you could use a heat gun to soften them up a bit. Tying your skates too loose is probably what is causing the blister problem to crop up. Your foot is most likely moving inside the boot.

[GoHawks 0]

I've got a pair of XIVs, and I don't like the tongue at all. This heat-gun method, will it make the tongue softer permanently, or just while it's hot? I'd like to soften them up, or get some felt type tongues for them. How do you go about with the heating? just get them hot and flex them a bit? Sorry to jack the thread... Jarick, how's the volume of the boot for you? Have you done the pencil test? I tried it, and apparently the boot is a bit too shallow for me (high arches), but they're pretty comfortable, and I have no money for skates. Thanks guys!

[Jordan 13]

For the forward flex, try skipping the second last eyelet from the top. This method gives you the lateral stability of lacing all of the way up but forward flexibility closer not using the top eyelet.

[Jarick 5]

For the tongues, you could use a heat gun to soften them up a bit. Tying your skates too loose is probably what is causing the blister problem to crop up. Your foot is most likely moving inside the boot.

It's a weird thing, I can only play in really thin dress socks. In regular socks, my foot cramps up really bad, and I tried a couple times with no socks, but the friction was MUCH worse.

I'll give the heat gun idea a shot, sounds like it could help.

Jarick, how's the volume of the boot for you? Have you done the pencil test? I tried it, and apparently the boot is a bit too shallow for me (high arches), but they're pretty comfortable, and I have no money for skates. Thanks guys!

No clue what the pencil test is...I'll do some research and give it a shot.

When I first got the skates, they fit great, but over time it started to have lacebite and blister issues. Very strange that didn't come up in the first six months. I didn't gain or lose weight or anything.

For the forward flex, try skipping the second last eyelet from the top. This method gives you the lateral stability of lacing all of the way up but forward flexibility closer not using the top eyelet.

Would I lace the top eyelet then? I'm using all eyelets except the top. I was thinking about skipping the top two sometime this week before the next game...

[Hooah4 12]

Pencil test link:

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index...=35455&st=0

[GoHawks 0]

same with me, it's much more comfortable playing in really thin socks. Unlace your boot, and put your foot in. Put a pencil across the boot at the 3rd or 4th eyelet from the top i believe (not 100% sure on this, but it should be where the eyelets are curving?), if the pencil touches your foot before it touches both sides of the boot, then you have volume issues (at least that's how I remember it). I'm sure one of the more experienced guys will correct me if i'm wrong. I tried that, and the pencil won't quite touch the boot, and if I wear thick socks I get cramps too. I thought the stiff tongue was making things worse, I'll have to try the heat gun thing.

[forbs02 20]

The tongues on the vapor series are really stiff. You can break them down just by working them with your hands. Its kind of hard to explain, but bend it forward where the pad starts at the bottom and kind of roll the fold all the way up through the top. Keep doing that and it will get softer. Also you can work it vertically. It won't take more than a few minutes to make it significantly more flexible.

[Jarick 5]

Just tried the pencil test, the pencil was just touching the foot at the 3rd, was on it just a bit on the 4th (it curves right around there), didn't seem too bad. I do have some Dr Scholl's liners in there (made for sports, they're not much thicker than the stock ones) that I put in there because the standard liners slid around when I put my foot in there. Without those liners, the foot is just under the pencil.

The tongues are somewhat broken in, kind of flexible at the top, stiff above the ankle though. I'll try heating them up a bit and working them around some more.

Any other ideas with the laces? Should I try skipping another set of eyelets? I noticed the eyelets start curving between the 3rd and 4th at the red line in this picture:

I'm hoping to get out on the ponds a couple times this week and adjust the skates some more.

Thanks for the ideas!

[Jordan 13]

Would I lace the top eyelet then? I'm using all eyelets except the top.

Yes. Try skipping the second from the top, and then putting the laces through the top eyelets.

[Jarick 5]

Bumping here, with update:

I got the Superfeet (grey), which helped with the depth a bit. And had them punched at the outside of the little toe. And have been skipping the second eyelets as recommended above.

The blisters on the outside of the small toe have gone away, but I've been getting pretty bad foot cramps (along the outside of the arch) after skating, unless I leave the skates looser. And it still feels a bit like the heel isn't locked.

Here's some pictures:

I'm planning on trying on some skates today and tomorrow, but considering last time they seemed to put me in the wrong size (8D), any ideas what skates I should check out?

[Jarick 5]

Wow, nobody has anything in stock.

Vapor XIX (8D) - my current skate. A bit too much room in the heel, had to punch it out as it was too narrow across the forefroot, foot cramps up after skating as they're too narrow, heel feels like it's moving around a bit too.

Here's what I tried so far:

RBK 7k (7D) - actually not too bad, a 7.5D might be what I'm looking for. The heel is a bit wide, even with the pump, but it was a used skate, so I have no idea what the new ones feel like.

Vector 6.0 (8D) - fit great, except for the fact that I could fit 2 fingers in the heel easily. Too long, and not stiff enough for my tastes.

Vapor XXXX (8EE) - a bit wide, and still almost a half size too big. Fit 2 fingers in the heel again. And going to be too stiff and too much skate.

Stealth S11 (8D) - toebox was too short, not wide enough, kind of a strange fit, didn't really feel good at all.

Unfortunately, couldn't find any Missions near my size.

I liked the lace lock of the RBK / Vectors. My laces always come untied right there, so it would be a nice feature. And the pump would help the heel lock...so I'm going to keep looking for a pair to try on.

[srv2miker 0]

Bumping here, with update:

I got the Superfeet (grey), which helped with the depth a bit. And had them punched at the outside of the little toe. And have been skipping the second eyelets as recommended above.

The blisters on the outside of the small toe have gone away, but I've been getting pretty bad foot cramps (along the outside of the arch) after skating, unless I leave the skates looser. And it still feels a bit like the heel isn't locked.

Here's some pictures:

I'm planning on trying on some skates today and tomorrow, but considering last time they seemed to put me in the wrong size (8D), any ideas what skates I should check out?

As Jordan said, try the eyelet skipping technique, it did wonders for me in my XXVs. Your eyelets (from the side) will look like this:

X

O

X

X

So you skip the 2nd highest eyelet, and then knot the top eyelet. Let me know how it works out for you.

Mike

[Jarick 5]

X

O

X

X

So you skip the 2nd highest eyelet, and then knot the top eyelet. Let me know how it works out for you.

Mike

That's how I've been doing it the last month or so, it works pretty well.

Tried a few more skates:

Mission 95 AG (7.5D) - Fit my foot well but a bit small. I think the softer boot helps with my wide feet, but it's tough to gauge how a bigger or wider boot would fit. They had nothing in stock for AG's.

Mission 95 XP (8EE) - Feels a lot like my current Vapors: a bit long and too narrow. I think Mission and my feet don't get along well at all, which is a shame since their quality looks so much better than my Bauers.

RBK 5k (7.5D) - Felt pretty good but the heel is still too wide. I'd have to pump the hell out of it just to get the heel to not shift up. And it's a bit small overall.

Vector 4.0 (8E) - Felt VERY good, a bit long though. And since it's such a low end skate, I have no clue how the stiffer skates would feel. Felt like there's a ton of padding on the top. But I love that lace lock feature, every skate should have that.

Vapor XXV (7.5EE) - If I like the overall fit of my current skate, but it's a bit long and narrow, why not try it in a wider, shorter skate? Fit was also very good, better than my current skate, just a hair narrow where I had my current skates punched. And since I had bad blood blisters and cramps before punching and now just cramps, maybe these would work. It feels like my toes are just a hair cramped, but I'd probably get over that in game. And they look really nice too. BUT, my current Vapors have cracked outsoles and the tendon guard wore through the liner, and I could already see on the brand new skate the tendon guard would do the same thing. Makes me nervous.

It looks like a 7.75 in practically any skate would be perfect, but since I'm between sizes, where should I go? I thought they would get a bit bigger when baking, but the guy at the store said to go the larger size because your feet expand while skating. Luckily I'm not in a hurry to get the skates, but I'm pretty confused after all this.

[srv2miker 0]

X

O

X

X

So you skip the 2nd highest eyelet, and then knot the top eyelet. Let me know how it works out for you.

Mike

That's how I've been doing it the last month or so, it works pretty well.

Tried a few more skates:

Mission 95 AG (7.5D) - Fit my foot well but a bit small. I think the softer boot helps with my wide feet, but it's tough to gauge how a bigger or wider boot would fit. They had nothing in stock for AG's.

Mission 95 XP (8EE) - Feels a lot like my current Vapors: a bit long and too narrow. I think Mission and my feet don't get along well at all, which is a shame since their quality looks so much better than my Bauers.

RBK 5k (7.5D) - Felt pretty good but the heel is still too wide. I'd have to pump the hell out of it just to get the heel to not shift up. And it's a bit small overall.

Vector 4.0 (8E) - Felt VERY good, a bit long though. And since it's such a low end skate, I have no clue how the stiffer skates would feel. Felt like there's a ton of padding on the top. But I love that lace lock feature, every skate should have that.

Vapor XXV (7.5EE) - If I like the overall fit of my current skate, but it's a bit long and narrow, why not try it in a wider, shorter skate? Fit was also very good, better than my current skate, just a hair narrow where I had my current skates punched. And since I had bad blood blisters and cramps before punching and now just cramps, maybe these would work. It feels like my toes are just a hair cramped, but I'd probably get over that in game. And they look really nice too. BUT, my current Vapors have cracked outsoles and the tendon guard wore through the liner, and I could already see on the brand new skate the tendon guard would do the same thing. Makes me nervous.

It looks like a 7.75 in practically any skate would be perfect, but since I'm between sizes, where should I go? I thought they would get a bit bigger when baking, but the guy at the store said to go the larger size because your feet expand while skating. Luckily I'm not in a hurry to get the skates, but I'm pretty confused after all this.

I bought my XXVs a little smaller, and after a month or so they broke in and fit perfectly. Once the heel packs break in your foot moves away from the front of the skate, and it creates more room at the toes.

[Jarick 5]

Yeah the more I research, the more I think about the Vapor XXV in a 7.5EE. I like the overall shape of the boot, I like the LS2 holder, and I've gotten comfortable with the flex. I think the shorter skate will help my heel movement and the wider skate will help with the cramping. And it sounds like the lace lock of the CCM/RBK isn't very reliable.

[Jarick 5]

Tried more skates, an 8D Graf 705 was WAY too narrow (more out of curiosity than anything), a Mission AG90 9E was too short and narrow somehow, another Easton didn't fit right, and again CCM/RBK stuff wasn't fitting right.

At this point, the Vapor XXV baked and stretched looks like the winner.

[Jarick 5]

Well here's my resolution to the thread:

I bought a pair of Vapor XXV 7.5EE (old skates were Vapor XIX 8D).

Went to a better LHS and had them heat molded and pressure fitted. The fit is a LOT better. The last couple skates I've realized my ankle rolls over inside the skate because it's too big back there, but last night for the first time, I could actually perform smooth crossovers to my left every time (instead of every other time), since I could maintain an edge without the foot sliding around.

My speed was a lot better, turning better, quick stops, everything. I'd say I was at least 20-30% more agile on the ice. I don't know what affect, if any, the shorter runner (264 instead of 272 I believe) had, or maybe the fact that I had a better LHS profile them, but it was an unbelievable difference. Had I known this, I would have gotten these skates a long time ago.

There's definitely a lot more ankle padding in the XXV's, and my heel will NOT slip once it's in. Definitely a great feeling. Also, the foot cramps didn't happen, and I don't have to crank down on the laces for a secure fit anymore. And somehow, the forward flex issue is taken care of.

Moral of the story: go to a reputable LHS and get fitted, because even being a half size off will make a big difference.

[shifter 0]

good choice! You just upgraded from 06 vapors to 07 vapors and from what i can see they are wider and have more padding around the ankle. Enjoy your new skates.