All other things being equal, can you help me choose a skate

[Hooah4 12]

OK, I'm taking a 3 hour lunch and going for full fitting and purchase today.

Thanks for the advice folks.

Have to say though, people are not as excited as I think they should be. Alarm went off this morning at 5.45am (same as every morning), my wife was noth at all giddy to hear it was "new skate wednesday"

Good luck smoke. Keep us informed. Nothing like new skates to make it a brighter day....yes I am an enabler.

[Ray 0]

I just wanted to add a couple of thinks regarding the 5k and the pump. Like Chadd said make sure they fit you well prior to pumping them up. Mine fit really well and were very comfortable and stable without any air in the bladders. The added benefit of the pump, for me, was that it made the skates a bit more snug and helped improve my ankles lateral stability. Its a nice feature because you can tighten the skates as tight as you want then fill any gaps with the pump. And after reading around regarding the pump, its generally recommended to do 8-15 pumps per skate, not that the bladder would burst, but if you need too much more than that the fit might not be right. Also, if you do end up getting them, make sure the bladder is empty prior to baking them. I had read that the bladder is heat sealed so if there is any air in them when baking it will put some stress on the seals. Good luck!

Yeah I can wear my 5K's (last year's) without pumping if I want to. I still love mine and they haven't broken down or softened on me (255 lbs) in the year and a half that I've owned them. The only grip I have is that I started getting lace bite on one foot so I had my LHS add in some padding on the tongue. That being said, I jumped on a pair of 7K (this year, blemished, but new) from a link that someone here posted...thanks. I couldn't pass up the deal and I really want to have a similar boot for ice and roller. So my 5K's will get my roller chassis once my 7K's arrive.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

OK 3 hours later (and almost a pair of xxxx later!!!!) I'm back, new skates in hand.

Here is what I tried on, and what I thought

RBK 5K - My Ankle didn't fit this skate at all, when laced and tightened. With or without the pump, it was just not a match. They were also a little shallow volume wise

Bauer Flexlite 4.0 - Nice in the ankle, great width, good length, but the volume again, was not a match, a very very nice looking skate in person by the way

Easton S12 - Just a terrible fit for me. Pressure on my ankle in a couple of points, little toe felts jammed in, just a bad fit for my foot

NikeBauer One55 - Nice skate, not as wide as I would have liked, heel was ok, just ok.

NikeBauer Vapor XXXX - 9.5 EE - Sweet holy mother and the donkey too these things are nice. But just too small for me. Width, volume, heel all very nice, but it was 2 pairs of last years stock that he was blowing out (otherwise these are not in my price range) for $350.

Graf - My mother said, if I can't say anything nice about a skate, don't say anything at all. We were not meant to be, that is all

And the winner is.....

Easton SE 10 - At first, I thought the boot was cut a little low for me (I only stopped taping my ankles for support about 6 months ago, and these seem lower cut than the UltraLites I'm in), however, after wearing them round the store for 10-15 minutes, they felt pretty good. Volumewise, they were the best of the bunch (along with the XXXX). Length was perfect, standing straight I was just barely feathering the toecap, and I wasn't touching it with my knees bent. Width felt good both in the middle of my foot, where I had problems before, and in the toebox.

Walked around in them for about 10-15 minutes, made sure they were the ones for me, then had them baked, then after they cooled off (about 25 minutes after sitting with them on my feet), walked around a little more in them.

I'm a very happy camper. Price online is $239. My price, after tax $286, but with that, I get the skate baked, and sharpened, and more importantly, leave the shop knowing that I have tried many models, and these are the best ones for me.

WOOOOHOOOOO

[Hockeydog 8]

Bringing this thread back to life rather than starting a new thread as my question relates to Easton skate fit.

I have a pair of Easton Stealth S7 skates that fit well in every area except depth. Do the new S9 Eastons fit deeper? I do buy from my LHS and will test fit but I don't even want to walk in the store unless I have an idea they might work. Currently in a X:40 but the heel lock is not the best and the arch gives me a bit of grief when I crank down the laces to lock the heel. Thanks!!

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Bringing this thread back to life rather than starting a new thread as my question relates to Easton skate fit.

I have a pair of Easton Stealth S7 skates that fit well in every area except depth. Do the new S9 Eastons fit deeper? I do buy from my LHS and will test fit but I don't even want to walk in the store unless I have an idea they might work. Currently in a X:40 but the heel lock is not the best and the arch gives me a bit of grief when I crank down the laces to lock the heel. Thanks!!

I found the SE fit deeper than the S line, but that may be because I found the S11's were narrower, so would not have felt as deep

[Hockeydog 8]

Thanks for the feedback. I had 2 pairs of Synergy 800C skates, one pair the correct size and one pair a half size larger. Both killed my left big toe. Something about the way the toebox is shaped. Do the SE10's have the same toebox or is it a bit roomier? I think for me the length was not the issue, correct size was a perfect fit, but possibly the low profile and shape of the box. Thanks!