Kor Shift 2

[Chadd 916]

First Impressions:

Having worn Shift1 skates in the past, I already had a pretty good idea what to expect from the shift 2 (see shift 1 review). While I'm still not a huge fan of the appearance of the Kor skates, I don't have any problems with them either.

Fit:

They are wider than the shift 1, considerably deeper too. I did not have the forefoot problems withthe shift 2 that I experienced with the shift 1. This was a huge improvement for me. The first pair I tried on was so large that I could put them on the opposite feet without any problems before baking. The sizing is the same as the shift 1, but I did find that the Kor sizing "device" they used at the Vegas show was not accurate. As much as with any other skate, you really need to try them on.

After baking the fit was much improved over the unbaked skate, as expected. The heel did cause me some problems, as you can see here. I had to bake the skates again and used the included foam wedge next to my heel to bump out the skate a bit. That resulted in a massive improvement and no more problems in that area for a couple weeks. I did have some problems again tonight, though not nearly as bad as the original blister. I believe that something like a thin layer of memory foam in certain areas would prevent problems like this.

Protection:

Again, this is one of Kors strengths. I have blocked some pretty heavy shots and have never felt anything. I could go on and on, but it would just be repeating the fact that these things are tanks. If you block a lot of shots or have had foot injuries, You should seriously consider picking up a pair of Kors.

Performance:

Always a nebulous concept, I haven't had any problems with the skates on the ice. More than anything, a product shouldn't hinder you in any way or even make you think about it on the ice. I don't think about these skates at all during a game, blister games aside. I never have to worry if the shot coming at me is going to hurt, never have to consider if I can hold a turn at speed and most importantly, never once have I thought that I could have gotten to a loose puck or piece of open ice if only I had been wearing my old skates. Skate performance is allowing you to perform to the best of your abilities, these skates do that for me.