big toe is blue- not from impact

[Hockeydog 8]

In my struggles to find a good skate for me I hit the jackpot with a Synergy 800c except : Size 8R gives a snug fit with the big toe on left foot ( longer than right by almost but not quite a half size) touching toecap until I am laced with knees bent. Left toenail got blue and sock has a hole over toe after 1 skate. Baked and laced tight with Graf waxed laces, same issue. Toe doesn't go numb but after skating a while I do feel a tiny bit of numbness. I don't feel the sesation of my toe hitting the cap while skating, but then I'm concentrating on something else! I liked the skate so much I bought a pair of Synergy 800c in a 8.5 regular. In this skate I can sqeeze a pencil behind the heel when I put my foot in the skate totally unlaced, where I could not in the 8R. Socks still wearing a hole after one skate and still getting some numbness in the toe. With both sizes laced tightly if I tap the tip of the skate on the carpet at home, I feel my toe hitting the end, nuch less on the 8.5 but still there. I would think that is okay yet the skate is somehow crunching my big toe.

My questions are these

1) is it just that my toe needs to toughen up?

2) is this an issue with the low profile toecap on this model skate

3) even though both sizes have been baked, will I still gain more room as I skate in them.

4) Should I be tightening the laces in a certain way

5) move on to another skate?

I have a pair of Synergy 500's 8.5R. Dfferent toecap, slighty bigger fit, no preblems. The 800c is a better skate but if I can'ty get them to work I'll just end my long skate search with the 500's

Thanks for indulging my long post ! Any advice would be appreciated

I must end this skate maddness so I can get used to a skate and make my wife happy.

[TBLfan 25]

Take a knife and cut the toe off. -Ronnie Lott

[twister18 1]

get it punched? not sure if you can even do that with the 800c's toebox, but may be worth a shot....

maybe even try to trim your toenail down a bit? could be that the nail is a little long, and is pushing into the toebox( i have to do that on my 800c's for my right foot, i cut the nail way back and actually file it down a little, too, found that eliminated my fit problems with the skate..)

[Hockeydog 8]

Ronnie Lott was hard core !! I lived in that area in his hayday and he was fun to watch.

My toenail is trimed as much as I can without bleeding.

[VakarLajos 5]

Ronnie Lott was hard core !! I lived in that area in his hayday and he was fun to watch.

My toenail is trimed as much as I can without bleeding.

He was at my football camp when i was 10. He demonstrated how intimidation does not come from your body, but from your eyes. To do this he took me out of the line and went into his stance and stared at me while yelling, "YOU SCARED??!?! HUH?!?! ARE YOU SCARED?!?!?!" I was 4' tall and 10. He was 6'4", 250. The demonstration was a success.

To the toe question, it may be a problem with the toe-box profile. The toe-box on Easton skates is very narrow top to bottom, so it may be squishing your toes. I have not ever attempted to punch the toe-box out on a Synergy. I don't think it would work because of the material it's made from, but I could be wrong.

[GekigangarIII 0]

Sounds like maybe the seam between the toe box and the forefoot of the skate are cutting the circulation off to your toe. I think the toebox is just too narrow (vertically) for your foot. You won't be able to punch the toebox because it's made of plastic (or maybe some composite in the easton case). Probably will have to look for another skate if it doesn't lessen as you break in the skate. :(

[Hockeydog 8]

Thanks for the replies !!

[Jim A 4]

if you had to skate in that skate I would say take the following steps

1. change footbeds - either to something much thinner or a 2/3 that stops before the toes so you have a little more volume

2. go with a flat footbed, most arch's on them are purely cosmetic anyway you can trim it flat and see if it gives you the room needed...

[Hockeydog 8]

I use a pretty thin Graf footbed- the Graf black "anatomical" - that is pretty thin at the fore foot, on the size 8.5 skates. On the size 8's I tried a cheap Oder eater insole that was very flat. I'll try those in the 8.5's tonight. I do agree that at least for me archs on footbeds are useless. I might even try a slightly thicker sock ( using easton's hockey sock- grey now) and no footbed. Might be hard on the sole of my foot but I'll deal.

Is it normal for a foot to move forward in a skate when the skate is the right size and tied tightly?