CCM Vector 10 stiffness for beginner/intermediate

[kancell 0]

Hi folks,

I live in Scotland and began playing recreational ice hockey about 4 months ago. I am a beginner to intermediate skater and am hitting the ice for about 5hours a week for a mix of skating lessons and hockey training. I am 5' 10" and weigh about 180 lb's.

The skates i've been using to learn are ancient Bauer Pro Team 25, in a size too big!!! I therefore recently decided to buy a new pair of skates. Unfortunately between the 3 hockey shops i tried in Scotland, i didnt manage to find a single one that carried any stock in a suitable size! I did however ascertain that a 7D in most brands should fit my fairly average feet.

I decided to take a gamble and buy a pair from the US. It just so happens that i saw a new pair of CCM Vector 10's on clearance for $350 including delivery to the UK, with the seller covering all duty, taxes etc. Normally these skates cost $700 in the UK! I decided to take this great offer and they should be delivered any day!

Since ordering them i have done a bit more research and i am now worried that this skate may be a bit too stiff for my size and ability, although the cost is not an issue. I do expect to get better at skating as i continue training, however i do not want these skates to actually hamper my progress. I must point out that i actually have very weak ankles from football/soccer and have a metal plate and screws in one from a previous break, so i could possibly do with some ankle protection.

Could someone please set my mind at ease as to whether these skates should be suitable or not, purely on a stiffness point of view? Worst case scenario i will sell them on and shouldnt lose any money on the sale.

[ramensandwich 1]

Id go for them. I'm around your size, and I went from really soft CCMs to stiff as hell Z-air Comps when I was about your skill level.

While you probably do not skate hard enough to flex a boot like the V10, the stiffness should help you improve your skating, or at least it dramatically helped me improve almost instantly. At 180lbs you are probably too heavy for an entry-level boot anyway if you are going to be doing anything but public skating in the future.

My friend is around your weight/skill/height level (also 7D by chance) and has had great results with the Vector V6. However if money is not an object why not spring for the 10s? I highly doubt they will impair your progress due to stiffness alone.

[Andoy 5]

You should be fine. However, alot of companies vary in fit so a 7D in Bauer may not necessarily have the same fit as a CCM/RBK 7D as CCM/RBK tend to run a little wider. If it fits then you have yourself a good pair of skates!

[Quintin 16]

You'll get used to the stiffness mate. I went from CCM 2's to Nike Flexlite 10s. Should be fine :)

What team do you play for?

[Beefy 0]

Good to see a some scottish guys on the boards, I play reccy with the Aberdeen Northstars.

I went from CCM 192's to RBK 8Ks.

The most noticeable difference was the stiffness but got used to it very quickly. The increase in overall performance was really obvious as soon as I tried them on the ice for the first time.

Breaking-in over the first few weeks was painfull, even with baking, but a load of public sessions and a few training sessions, they formed to fit my feet and after a season of use are now like slippers.

Best time to buy in the UK is now! Stores are trying hard to get rid of last years stock. I got my 8Ks last summer reduced from £400 to £200

[kancell 0]

Hi guys, it is indeed good to see a few fellow scottish lurkers!

I only recently took up hockey so am just currently playing at a session called 'Hockey For All' in Dundee, with a view to getting into a reccy league once i am better.

I received my skates yesterday, fantastic price of £185 for such a good skate. My only real issue is i'm not sure whether they fit perfectly or not..... but unfortunately i dont really know how they should fit as i have never had new skates!!!!

I am used to playing in well broken in skates that are miles too big for me! However when i put these new ones on i noticed they were considerably tighter and stiffer, and one of the screws in my ankle was digging in! I am also feeling a bit of pressure under my arch but i feel they are plenty wide and long enough. I had my feet measured and i was told i had average width feet and a regular arch height. Before i bought these ones i tried on mission fuel 70 (8E) and rbk 3k (7D), the only stock my LHS had, and they felt a hell of a lot comfier...... but i guess they are only £90 skates so they would probably comfier as they are not built to last years?!

My dilemna now is whether to sell the skates on again and take the money and buy a lesser pair from somewhere in scotland that feel comfier out of the box...... or get them baked and hit the ice to see whether my issues are purely down to them not being broken in yet! Obviously if i bake, sharpen then use them i am affecting the re-sale value. Decisions, decisions.

[Andoy 5]

Hard to say. Obviously you're going to feel alot of pressure and pain because you're going from a broken down incorrect sized low end skate to a stiff high end skate. As previously mentioned the breaking in process may take a while. Baking them might ease the pain but if your skates don't fit in the first place then it won't go away. Good luck!

[kancell 0]

i think i shall get them baked and see if the pain eases at all. if there is light at the end of the tunnel i shall just persevere with breaking them in.... if not i shall sell them on i think!

just out of interest, would you expect a high end stiff skate to actually be a bit painful when laced up standing still?! the rbk 3k and mission 70 certainly werent, but would you also expect these skates to be considerably more comfortable out of the box?

[mgoblue 0]

i think i shall get them baked and see if the pain eases at all. if there is light at the end of the tunnel i shall just persevere with breaking them in.... if not i shall sell them on i think!

just out of interest, would you expect a high end stiff skate to actually be a bit painful when laced up standing still?! the rbk 3k and mission 70 certainly werent, but would you also expect these skates to be considerably more comfortable out of the box?

It's hard to say, as I can't really put myself in your shoes (skates - HA!); when I try on stiff skates, it's with the pre-existing notion that they'll likely not be too comfortable right off the bat. You've obviously not been able to form such a notion given your lack of experience trying on skates.

I suggest lacing them up, putting on some skate guards, and taking a stroll around your house - then see how they feel. First impressions can be deceiving. I recently bought a pair of one75s that felt great when I tried them on at the LHS, were very painful when I wore them around my house, and were similarly painful on the ice. When I returned them for Vapor XXXX, they didn't feel quite right in the LHS - but now they're my favorite pair of skates I've ever owned.

If you feel optimistic after that little in-house trial run, get them baked and hit the ice. If they're painful, get off the ice after about 30 minutes (If they're excruciating, time to sell them off). Repeat a few times, and if they're ever going to feel right, they'll feel right by the third 30-minute session. A couple blisters are nothing to be worried about.

In time, they should further break in until you've got yourself a well-fitting boot.

[Andoy 5]

It depends...the only high end skate that was good for me out of the box (well after baking) are my one90s. When I broke in my XX the first few ice times I couldn't stand up after i took them off but it was also one of my more comfier skates.

Are your toes scrunched up when standing up in the vectors? They should be just about or barely touching the toecap when standing up.

[kancell 0]

they are actually quite roomy in the toe box, and my toes don't feel scrunched up at all. however at the widest part of my foot, just before my toes, the sides of my foot feel a little wedged in. with regards to length, my toes don't actually reach the ends, but they are very close. the worst problem i am feeling after baking is that the ankle padding is still extremely stiff and sore on my metalwork, plus the heel feels a bit narrow and i get pressure on my arches when standing up. perhaps i am not such an average width and arch as my LHS told me!

I'm not sure i should be feeling so many different pains just sitting an standing, so i guess they just don't fit! i made the mistake of thinking these skates would be similar in dimensions to the rbk 3k i tried on and liked the fit. i think the rbk had a wider heel and overall width.

[Fredrik 0]

they are actually quite roomy in the toe box, and my toes don't feel scrunched up at all. however at the widest part of my foot, just before my toes, the sides of my foot feel a little wedged in. with regards to length, my toes don't actually reach the ends, but they are very close. the worst problem i am feeling after baking is that the ankle padding is still extremely stiff and sore on my metalwork, plus the heel feels a bit narrow and i get pressure on my arches when standing up. perhaps i am not such an average width and arch as my LHS told me!

I'm not sure i should be feeling so many different pains just sitting an standing, so i guess they just don't fit! i made the mistake of thinking these skates would be similar in dimensions to the rbk 3k i tried on and liked the fit. i think the rbk had a wider heel and overall width.

Correct!

[kancell 0]

fredrik, in 20 days my friends and i are visiting gothenburg for the weekend, again!!!! anyway, what are the chances of me picking up a good and cheap skate whilst there? do you know if are there many skate shops in gothenburg?

i've phoned up all the hockey shops in scotland this morning, and still none are carrying any stock in my size, other than the very cheapest of each range. how do easton synergy 700 compare in fit and quality to the vector 10's? i've seen a place in england selling them on closeout for $200, might be worth another gamble as they have a returns policy

[Fredrik 0]

As far as pure hockey shops in Gothenburg, I really couldn't tell. I live in the Stockholm area which is about 5 hours away from Gothenburg. You could allways try the lager retail stores such as "Stadium" or "Intersport". They have a pretty damn good selection of CCM/RBK, NBH and Easton skates.

[kancell 0]

ah yes, i was in intersport last time i was in gothenburg, i'll have a look there in a few weeks. is there any swedish hockey websites like hockeymonkey or hockey giant so i can compare prices? for example is it as cheap as buying skates in north america or would you think it is more on a par with UK?

[swede 52]

ah yes, i was in intersport last time i was in gothenburg, i'll have a look there in a few weeks. is there any swedish hockey websites like hockeymonkey or hockey giant so i can compare prices? for example is it as cheap as buying skates in north america or would you think it is more on a par with UK?

greatskate.se or eaglesports.se is two of the larger hockey stores in Sweden who also has a store on the web.. The Swedish hockeymonkey store in Sodertalje (30min from stockholm with car) does have a website, however they do not have a webshop..

There is 1 quite big hockey store in Gothenburg which i am familiar with. Pro Hockey Shop. prohockeyshop.se.. Not a webstore, but..

The prices in Sweden cannot be compared with US prices. For example, the CCM U+ skate cost 529.99$ at hockeymonkey, the same skate cost 790$ at greatskate.se.