Product Update

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Hi Guys;

Just giving you an update on my new Graf 735's after a good ten sessions on the ice.

Positives:

Fit: As with most Graf skates intially the fit was tight around the foot and ankle heel area but now after a few games they've loosened up and are moulding well to the shape of my foot. ( I did not bake these puppies, I like them to break in gradually because I'm a bit old school anal on that.) No real hot spots but did intially have concerns about the heel/tendon area pinching slightly but that goes away after about five to ten minutes on the ice and is getting less noticable each session.

Performance;

Well what can I say. Unbelievable for manoevering and explosive forward starts because of the agressive forward pitch which Graf is so famous for. You get incredible balance being on the balls of your feet and I'm definitely able to react quicker and cut inside or out sharper than on a neutral or backward contoured blade. Skating backwards however is a little more tedious and I'm just getting abjusted now to the different feel of the forward pitch. I'm still fairly moeuverable, only my crossover feeling a bit strange but that will come as I adjust.

Durability;

Been playing some pretty spirited sessions, lot of bumping and grinding close to the boards and around the net. One or two scuffs on the bottom toe area on the boot but no show of any wear otherwise. Still too early to say how these will hold up long term but given Grafs rep for durability I'd say these puppies are going to last a while.

Negatives;

Lacing:

Graf cuts their skates differently near the top of the skate than a lot of other brands. They have a more gradual rise on them than say CCM or Bauer skate. It makes for a nicer fit but lacing the top two or three eyelets is almost a painful experience at times. Probably one of the reasons I ditched my old 703's a few years back and went back to Bauer. Although its something I don't enjoy it's just one of the drawbacks I'll face with these skates but I'm determined to stick with them this time and I'll just have to suck it up.

Tendon Guard;

About the only other negative is the top part of the tendon guard. It tapers out slightly as it gets to the top and I find it is very stiff. With CCM/RBK and Nike/Bauer skates the tendon guard is nicely contoured to form around the leg at the bottom of the calf area and is fairly well padded. With these skates there is very little padding at the top and almost no flex. The result is the tendon guard would dig into the back of your leg slightly on the forward stroke of your stride when accelerating forward. I found it to be a bit of a nuisance for the first five to six games and ended up with some chaffing and red spots at the top of the tendon and lower calf area after a game. It seems however either the skin in that area has toughed up or the tendon guard has worn in slightly in the last few sesssions and it is not longer a concern.

Summary; The 735 has been an excellent buy to date. The fit gets better with use and there has been very little in the way of pressure points, hot spots or lace bite to be concerned with. Performance is phenominal and durability doesn't appear to becoming a issue. Very little in the the way of negatives with this skate. 9.5/10 rating.