Graf 609

[Eazy_b97 1]

Product: Graf 609 w/ t'blades (size: 7W)

Reviewer specs: 5’11, 190 lbs., flat insteps and arches, mid- wide heel, wide mid and forefoot.

Intro

I bought these skates seven months ago. It wasn’t an easy transition at first. This was the first time I had tried t’blades and graf skates. I was coming from one year of Mission Amp Fly’s and years of top of the line CCM tacks.

Fit

These skates fit my foot incredible, the soles of my feet had almost no break in time. I have had a lot of issues with the sides, because of the deep fit. It caused a lot of pain in my ankles, but it is a fit that I love, now that I’ve gotten used to. I love the forward flex of the skate, I feel it provides me with great maneuverability. Overall I liked the fit of my previous skates, but feel it will be hard to switch from the graf line now because the feel so comfortable and provide e with great support. 9 out of 10 points (would’ve been 10, but took a while for my ankle pain to go away)

Blade/HolderThe skates did not come with T’blades. I had the Cobra holder replaced, because I got a good deal, and have been overly pleased I made the switch. I will try normal holders again, but doubt that I will continue to use anything, but T’blades. I am unbelievably surprised in their performance. I had never really noticed a difference in holders until I started with the T’blades, but I was also not on any boards with indepth information on these either. Awesome glide, hard bite, constant edges. I had issues with the rivots they used to attatch the holders, and still am having a little bit of difficulties, but that’s the shop not so much the holder. I’ve always had a bit of problems with holders staying in. My LHS is great, they just aren’t used to handling T’blades, but they have done everything possible to help me out. The runners are staying sharp forever, and I couldn't be more pleased with the length a pair will last me. 8 out of 10 points ( Deducted point for difficulties)

Protection

I’m not playing at as high a level as I’m used to, but it has protected me excellently so far. I’ve blocked a few shots with minimal pain, and the tongue does a great job as well. 8 out of 10 points

Weight

I’ve never really took weight into consideration when buying a skate. The T’blades help, it’s not a top of the line skate, so I don’t expect a lot. 7 out of 10 points (I’m more than willing to sacrifice a little weight to gain durability)

Durability

I switched to Tacks for the extra support on the sides, I found Bauers to cave in. Missions held up great, and the Grafs look basically brand new. I feel no difference from my first skate to now, seven months later. I couldn’t be happier with how they are holding up. The T'blades have held up great, I find that they cost me less than normal holders would've9out of 10 points

Conclusion

I now wish I had gone with the 709 model, because I feel it would’ve been an Improvement, only because I feel it’ll last longer in the end. I went with the lower model because I had never worn Graf and didn’t want to waste the money a top end model would cost. I found these to be a great trial pair. The feel and comfort were at least on par with the best skates I’ve ever worn. I love the T’blades, insoles and forward flex. I’m giving it to markings. One on a mid-range skate level, because I’m aware that other top end models would’ve been better overall skates, but I’m marking this compared to other skates in it's price range so people have a little to compare with. I will also add an overall review considering in all models I've been lucky enough to try. My only concern is that the performance of the T’blades have too much of an impact on my feelings towards the skates and may cause the rating to be too high, but I guess they are also part of the skate.

Overall 9 out of 10 points (for a Mid-range skate)

Overall 7.5 out of 10 points (for a Top-end model)

[bulletproof_funk 0]

Graf Supra 609 Skates Review

Player Specific

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Skate Size: 7 Regular (Graf sizing)

Shoe Size: 8 - 8.5 US

Player Background: 5'8", 145 lb. rec./pickup player, 2-3 times a week

Foot Shape: duck-shaped w/true flat feet (not fallen arches), narrow heel, regular width forefoot

Other: skinny ankles

Product Details: stock Cobra NT-3000 holders and steel (263 mm)

Usage Period: 3 months @ 3-5 hours per week

Skate Adjustments: 9' radius, neutral lie, added cork heel lifts

Intro: I never had anywhere near the optimum fit from my previous skates, it was always a compromise. They were at least a half size too big, had heel lift, or squeezed my forefoot uncomfortably when trying to fit snuggly. This is because of my unusual foot shape and skinny ankles no doubt. When my last skates wore out, I decided that I finally wanted to find a skate to solve all these problems.

Break-in: About 8-10 outtings was required for the skates to adjust to my feet and skating. It was not a painful period at all as I only experienced one small blister and no foot pains.

(8/10)

Fit: I finally have proper sized skates. The 609 fits my lower foot very well. My narrow heel fits the boot without any lateral shifting. After tightly lacing up, my forefoot doesn't shift and was well supported without compression pains. For me, the absense of arch pain is awesome. The good fit is a pleasant surprise for a boot that normally fits a high arch and wider overall foot. The heel pockets do a great job of keeping the heels from lifting, even though I added thin cork inserts to fine-tune it. My skinny ankles required the addition of foam inserts behind the upper tongue to fill up excess boot volume. Ankle support improved with good lateral and forward stability without sacrificing forward flex. I would like a bit more lateral ankle support even though what I have now isn't bad. Not perfect, but the best compromise I've had in a skate so far.

(9/10)

A note about the heel pocket: designed to keep the heel from lifting, the pocket has been known to cause some discomfort that might lead to bone bumps developing. I had one bump develop on the left heel to the left of the achilles tendon, but thankfully the store was able to adjust the skate to alleviate the pain while retaining the heel lock.

Blades/Holders: The Cobra NT-3000 holders and stainless steel seem fine to me. Feel of the ice is adequate. The steel holds its edge about as long as other steel I've used on other skates. The big screw that holds the blade into the holder could use a narrower gap for better screwdriver fit (it's rather wide for its diameter). There is occassional clicking in one skate caused by gap holding the blade being a hair too wide.

(7/10)

Weight: The 609 is an upper-mid range skate and the weight of the skate seems appropriately average in its class and above average overall. The Cobra's non-perforated steel undoubtedly adds to the weight. It's not in the same weight class as the new generation of lightweight skates however. I find the overall medium feeling weight satisfactory for my skating technique.

(7/10)

Skating/Performance: A reasonable amount of forward flex and support that works well for my medium skating posture. I would have liked more toe snap that the stiff back seems to limit. The 609's give me the right amount of ankle support and flex during push-offs. I feel very stable during stops and tight turns, especially when stopping on only the inside foot thanks to the firmly planted heel and ankle support. My crossovers are more symmetrical as well with the weaker foot about as good as the stronger foot. Even with a limited toe snap, my overall skating has still improved in the little yet important areas where it matters most to me.

(8.5/10)

Quality/Construction: The materials used look to be of good quality. I'm surprised to have found my the inside liner doesn't get very wet after a game (indoors in Canadian winter). The Cobra holders seemed to be aligned well. The double stitching is even and fairly consistent where it matters most. The plastic outter sole attaches to the boot cleanly for the most part.

Now for the nitpicking... Attention to detail could be improved for the stitching precision as well as the sole-to-boot gluing and eyelet pressing. The stitching runs to the edge of the second "leather" layering in spots on the boot near the outter forefoot. There are gaps in the gluing at the heel on one skate and outter forefoot on the other. A few eyelets on both boots came with sharp edges that cut the laces a bit each time I laced up. A file easily rounded the edges, but I expected better.

The general construction is still good. The small oversights generally don't concern me with respect to longevity except for maybe the gluing gaps in the sole to boot. Time will tell.

1-yr. update: Even after playing summer hockey regularly, the boot has not come unglued from the outsole. I would have prefered the 7 series tongue with the reinforced plastic add-ons to prevent the laces from digging into the front of my ankles though.

(8/10)

Protection: I have been fortunate enough to not have taken any pucks off the skate so far. The material seems fairly pliable and not very thick or stiff. I can only guess the protection isn't very good, but time will tell.

1-yr. update: I have taken maybe a couple pucks off the foot, one near the back that stung a little on a not-so hard shot/pass. I have taken one or two pucks off the toe without feeling it. Fortunately I haven't taken too hard of shots off my skates, so I can't fairly rate the 609's protection.

(inconclusive)

Durability: The boots and holders looks barely used (I do play only pickup hockey after all). More to be discovered as time goes on.

1-yr. update: The boots show almost no signs of wear or damage after playing winter and summer pickup. The holder and outsole have the normal markings of regular wear and tear through play, nothing unusual. The inside liner is fine as well.

Intangibles: Being allowed to choose between several different fitting foot shapes for each level of skate is something that only Graf offers. This alone makes it easier for strange-footed people like myself to choose a skate to fit.

(9/10)

Conclusion: The Graf Supra 609 is an upper-mid range skate with medium stiffness/support and is designed for a wider, high arched foot. Despite the boot shape, they still comfortably fit my unusually shaped, flat feet very well with no arch pains or heel lift. The 609's provide me with the perfect platform from which to make minor fit adjustments as needed. They offer me the a comfortable amount of support as I am not a heavyweight or a very powerful skater and do not want/need the stiffest skates available. The 609's also took a relatively short time to break in, nor was it painful to do so. The skate quality is decent though the construction could use some more attention to detail. Unless one is preferential, the Cobra holders and steel are of sufficient quality and performance. Also, toe snap could be improved. Overall, the 609's are a very good skate that have allowed me to further refine and improve my skating ability.

Overall:(9/10, not an average)

Edited November 27, 2004 by bulletproof_funk