Graf 709 SE

[Dave 1]

Open for review.

[D3nZ 0]

Product: Graf 709 SE w/ t'blades (Size 9 ½, Regular Widht)

Reviewers Specs: 6'3, 185 lbs, normal footbeds and a bit large at the foot toes seperation

Intro: I have seen those skates about a year ago when Gary Robert had them and fell in love with them look wise. They are my first pair of Grafs and the first time I have worn t'blades. For the 575$ price tag, I was hopping I would get my money’s worth.

Blade/Holder: My skates came with factory installed t'blades and since it was my first time skating with t'blades I was scared that they woudn’t fit my style of skating and boy was I wrong to never had worn them before. They are probably the best holders I have ever had, I like everything about them, the softness, the sound, the sharp turns, the look, everything is just great about them. I didn’t have a large adapting time with them. When I got on the ice and after the stretching I started skating like crazy and felt comfortable with them right away. The plastic didn’t touch the ice at all, wich was one of my biggest fears. I highly recommend getting t'blades on your next skates. Only thing is that they do look a little cheap made. I hope they hold up. 9 out of 10 points.

Fit: Out of the box, the fit was probably the best skates comfort wise. I still had them baked at my LHS and that still improved the fit although that was almost impossible. When I started to play everything was fine. I played 3 hours straight of hockey with them and only got a little pain at the back of my foot but no biggy. With them I wore Under Armor sock, if anyone wants to know about that socks, let me tell you that they work super and highly recommend them. 9 out of 10 points.

Protection: Since they are probably some of the stiffest Graf skates they have a lot of protection. I got hit a couple of times on the foot and didn’t feel pain at all. Great all around protection even the tongue had great protection. 10 out of 10 points.

Weight: Coming from some Nike Ignite 3s, my new skates are extremely light, especially with the t'blades. They could have been a little lighter since the new CCM and Bauer models weight a lot less, but I personally like skates that are a little heavy but not too much. 9 out of 10 points.

Durability: I have skated only 3 hours with them but played intense hockey and they still feel like when I took them out of the box. They have no puck marks, no cuts and nothing broken yet, maybe after a little while they will certainly get some but nothing for now. 10 out of 10 points.

Conclusion: Great all around skates and I am very pleased with them. I love everything about them, especially the t'blades. I am really happy to finally have a pair of skates I trully wanted and that will probably last me a long time. A lot of guys were very impressed with my skates and were happy to see t'blades for the first time and some want to try them out on their next skates. For the price I think I got extremely good skates and am very happy with the kind of skates that I bought for the price that I paid.

Overall evaluation: 9 out of 10 points.

[Eazy_b97 1]

Product: Custom Graf 709: Great White, varying sizes/widths, Teclite outsole, LS2 holder

Reviewers Specs: 5'11, 210lbs, flat, wide feet

Intro: I've been looking at different skates most of my life trying to find a good fit. After having the 609's for 2 years I decided to step up and invest in custom 709's because the fit was good and performance has been excellent

Blade/Holder: I tried T'blades with my old skates, but put LS1's on because I was able to sharpen myself. These have LS1's, with LS2 "bolts and steel" so it is essentially an LS2 holder. Everything has been excellent, a little "clicking", but it did not effect performance. I have to drill holes into the soles to access the bolts, but it isn't a big issue and your LHS can do it for you. Steel seems to hold an edge well. 9/10

Fit: The 609's were great, so it was just tweaking from there. These have been perfect. I had a bit of an issue with rubbing because I am normally a barefoot guy, but since switching to Addidas dry-fit socks the problems have gone away. 10/10

Protection: After 2 months of usage, I haven't had any protection issues. The skate is extremely stiff and durable. 9/10

Weight: Not heavy, but not light either. I am not big on weight, so it doesn't really come into play for me, but I understand others are lighter. 7/10

Durability: Still stiff, no complaints of anything at all. A loose stitch or two, but it doesn't appear they are anything yet. WILL UPDATE AT A LATER TIME. 10/10 FOR NOW

Conclusion: These skates have been everything I expected, I couldn't ask for anything more. They are comfortable and meeting my expectations of durability and performance. There are always area's to improve on, weight being one, maybe a slightly tighter fit, so the skates won't get a perfect rating, but they have been great to me thus far.

Overall evaluation: 9 out of 10 points (not an average).

[vexXed 0]

Product: Canadian made Graf 709's, 8.5, R.

Reviewer's specs: 6'1, 177lbs, high instep and arch, widish forefoot.

Intro: Been looking for skates that actually fit my feet after skating in oversized CCM Externo E40's and CCM Pro Tacks for the last 5 years. CCM's are made for low arches and low insteps so they never fitted me right. Never knew that skates all fit differently until I did a little research on here and from 'puckmuggers' skate buying on epinions -

http://www99.epinions.com/content_3832651908

I had to buy mine online as no one sells Graf here in Hong Kong. I know people always advise to try before you buy, and I agree with that, but I had no choice. I took measurements of my feet with photos and sent them to hockeymonkey for their opinion and they suggested the Graf 709's at 8.5. I was a little skeptical at their suggestion of size as my CCM's were 9.5, but then again they were too big for me anyway so I left my trust with hockeymonkey's staff.

This review will be updated over time as I play more often.

Appearance: As I opened the box and looked at them, they seemed less flashy compared to other skates on the market today. I kinda wish I had gotten the great white model, but I am not that big on looks anyway and feel that fit is the most important issue. They certainly aren't ugly and have this look of simplistic quality about them. I was intrigued as I have always heard good things about Graf skates (but not their customer service) especially since an old teammate said he wouldn't skate in anything else.

7.5/10

Fit: As I prepared to put my foot in to the skate for the first time, I had mixed feelings of excitement (as they would fit me perfectly) and dread (they would be too small). They were perfect :) When laced up I can touch the ends with my toes if I stretch them. The extra padding in the area at the back of the skate for your ankle helps to provide a more snug fit, something the CCM's don't have. My instep and arch are accomodated well, so that the eyelets are aligned all the way up to the top and my ankles don't cave in unlike my previous skates. There is no movement in the boot except my heel is getting a little sore and there are blisters from breaking them in. I am sure this won't be a problem after some time. Actually, besides the heel pain there is nothing else that hurts which is strange for a 1st skate - very comfortable.

I will use the old cliche that when I skate I feel like they are 'part of my feet' or an 'extension of my feet' unlike the CCM's which felt like ski's.

10/10

Blade/Holder: I had tried the Graf 727's before and thought that the forward pitch of the Cobra holders was insane. It took me an effort to just stay up and the balls of my feet were hurting after a short while - however they weren't molded to my feet. I was prepared to accept this forward pitch for the sake of skating properly for the first time ever, but it seems the 709's aren't as aggressively angled. I am still on the toes of my feet but it isn't excessive by any means and I am more stable and agile on the ice. I notice a lot of people change the Cobra holders to TUUKs, but I think I will keep them.

Update: The Cobra holder has been holding up very well, very stiff and durable. One guy with a rocket of a shot blasted one off the holder and I thought there must have been some damage but there was only a black mark from the puck and nothing more. Steel has been holding it's edge for quite a while and there are no problems with rust at all, then again I do wipe the blades dry with a cloth each time I finish skating. When making tight turns, there is no plastic touching the ice and I feel more manoeuvrable.

9/10

Protection: I noticed that the top part of the quarters nearer to the eyelets and front part of the quarters under the 'G' logo seemed to be less stiff than my Pro Tacks, and thought a slap shot to those areas would cause me some pain. I will update later when I take one off the foot. (Should be soon, I play D.) The rest of the skate is like a tank - absolutely solid ankle support, toe cap, heel and tendon guard. The tongue is very thick too which I'm sure helps a little bit.

Update: I have had a fair few shots off the skate and in certain parts I feel nothing, but in other parts I have had some pain. The parts I was talking about before in particular hurt more.

7.5 / 10

Weight: Not the lightest but certainly not the heaviest. I'm not fussed either way. If you pick one up and throw it about you realise that it's not that bad at all. Before, I was looking in to the 709's with the graphite outsole to cut back on the weight a little bit but hockeymonkey said they didn't do them. Afterwards, I read some comments on how they keep seperating from the boot and holders so I'm glad I didn't get them in the end.

7.5/10

Durability: I cringed the entire time I checked for any defects as I knew it would be a huge hassle for me to send them back to get new ones, but they were in great condition. Everything in place as it should be, holders aligned properly, no stich fraying etc. I've read that the liner is bad for retaining water, but after drying them last night all the water is gone. Time will tell if it keeps this way. The skate quarters material is tough stuff and the outsole, although heavier than composite will last longer. I am confident that the skate will hold up well for a long time to come. Holder is very stiff and looks impossible to break. Not sure about the steel as of yet.

Update: Solid. I heard about the durability of the Graf 700 series and it is true so far. I really don't think I will be seeing any problems in this area at all.

10/10

Conclusion: I bought the skates with the issues of fit and durability in mind. So far my first impression of the 709's has been very good and the only thing nagging me is if the heel pain doesn't go, away but it is too early to tell.

Update: The heel pain finally went away with minor reappearences after skating for prolonged periods of time, like over 2 hours. Normally my sessions are 1 and a 1/2 hours and they are fine for that amount of time. As time goes by they will break in even more.

Overall evaluation:

9/10

Edited December 16, 2007 by vexXed

[almack 0]

About me:

6ft 230 defense

on ice 5-10x a week

coaching, 2 teams, adult a and b leagues, and as much drop in I can get

Previous skates:

Vapor xxxx 8.5ee, kor shift 1 9d, bauer supreme 7000 9ee, micron mega air 90's 9ee, easton 1500c 9.5r

I got the plain graf 709 all black, 2009 model with a carbon sole and the aramid liner I believe I have the luxury of being with a shop that carries graf so I got to try on alot of different skates. I was close in the 705 in a 8.5e but went with the 709 in a 9d I have had the skates for 4 mo's

Fit: This is a deep boot, right out of the box fit was great only a slight slippage in the heel mainly due to the liner, locked in great after 10 hours or so on the ice I did not bake the skates. The toe box fit great and did not have all the extra room like the xxxx's, not as comfy as the kors though. 9.5/10

Looks: I love the plain black looks period.

10/10

Performance: This is a very stiff skate but allows alot of forward flex this has proved to be beneficial in my stride, I could feel my toe flick through the end of my stride, which I never could with my bauers unless I left the top eyelet untied. I dont mind the weight however these are no eastons, I believe the weight would be the only thing keeping this score down, however I wouldn't change a thing considering the durablity of the skate. I think grafs of old got very heavy when wet these seem to stay fairly light I believe this is due to the liner.

9/10

Holders steel: I have always kept the stock holders and steel on my skates in the beginning giving them a fair chance, these are very nice but take some getting used to. On a side note as a sharpener and a player I preffered the pitch 3's that came on my 1st pair of kors. The holders have a nice feel to them comparable to a c+ not as stiff as a lightspeed. I like the steel but it does chip easily one thing I noticed with graf is that unlike other companies the quality of the steel does not increase with the quality of the skate, It holds a edge ok not great, this may also be beacuse I stayed with the 11 ft radius that comes stock. I am currently shopping step steel

8.5/10

Durability: Skates have held up better at this point better than any other skate I have had, I knew they would prior to my purchase and considering my current level of play decided to go the route of durability instead of performance. I have been on the ice a decent amount with these and other than puck marks ans some small fraying to the tongues and the silver lettering being rubbed off they look almost new. The double layer tendon guards are square which dosn't look great but do serve a purpose as they are as stiff as when I got them. The toe box shows little to no wear and is a great feature to these skates. These skates are tanks and I am confident I will get a couple years out of these skates this is one thing none of my skates has gave me minus my 7000's. I am confident to say that anyone would be happy with the durability of these skates.

10/10

Protection: I have blocked alot of shots with these both on purpose and accidentally, I havnt had any issues, however I cant really remember having any issues with my other skates either, maybe Im lucky

10/10

Conclusion: Great all around skate, I believe the best features of this skate are the very thick felt tongues, double layered square tendon guards, the toe box, and the sidas which are the stock insoles I cannot say enough good things about these insoles I believe them to be on par with a superfeet insole but they do not take up as much volume. This is a deep fitting skate that will fit a guy without petite feet and still offer great performance. They also come in a w, w+ without changing the heel which will accomodate even the fattest of feet

I love them

57/60

Edited March 28, 2011 by almack