Need New Skates!

[d10 0]

I'm looking for new skates for next season which will be my first in Junior A and need some insight into which skates would be best for me.

I'm comming out of reebok 9k's and generally liked them very much with the exception of the durability of them(havent had them for more than 6 months and are totally breaking down) and the e-pro holders that came on them bent within the first two weeks i wore them(i switched to tuuk ls2's and while they worked well the extra holes drilled in the boot form the switch actually cracked the bottom of the boot and so the rivets are alwas popping out).

I need good skates that will last me as I am pretty big at 6'4'' 210lb and ofcourse perform well.

I would also like to know how to get around drilling new holes for blade holders(want to put tuuks on again) as to not weaken the boot.

Thanks

[IniNew 53]

I'm looking for new skates for next season which will be my first in Junior A and need some insight into which skates would be best for me.

I'm comming out of reebok 9k's and generally liked them very much with the exception of the durability of them(havent had them for more than 6 months and are totally breaking down) and the e-pro holders that came on them bent within the first two weeks i wore them(i switched to tuuk ls2's and while they worked well the extra holes drilled in the boot form the switch actually cracked the bottom of the boot and so the rivets are alwas popping out).

I need good skates that will last me as I am pretty big at 6'4'' 210lb and ofcourse perform well.

I would also like to know how to get around drilling new holes for blade holders(want to put tuuks on again) as to not weaken the boot.

Thanks

How about custom Bauers with extra stiffness?

[sebseb 0]

Get customs :) , you can ask for just the boot without the holes and the holder, from what I know

[d10 0]

How would i go about getting customs and how much more durable do you think they would be?

[Chadd 916]

Why do people always insist on going custom?

If the RBK boots aren't working for you I would look into the new Bauer skates. The One95 is a very stiff boot and may hold up better for you if it fits.

[IniNew 53]

Why do people always insist on going custom?

If the RBK boots aren't working for you I would look into the new Bauer skates. The One95 is a very stiff boot and may hold up better for you if it fits.

He claimed he wanted something stiffer, more durable. You can't get more stiff than custom's with +4.

[Chadd 916]

Why do people always insist on going custom?

If the RBK boots aren't working for you I would look into the new Bauer skates. The One95 is a very stiff boot and may hold up better for you if it fits.

He claimed he wanted something stiffer, more durable. You can't get more stiff than custom's with +4.

A retail one95 is much stiffer than a retail 9k, no need to go straight to an absurd level of stiffness when there are several intermediate steps.

[sarmalidu 1]

One95 fit is also different from the 9K in my experience. It's certainly an option if it fits your feet nicely, but when you consider how expensive retail One95s are, going custom definitely isn't an unreasonable option. I think again the answer has to be to try a bunch of stuff and find what fits best. Once you have that down you can look into custom options and possibly switching holders. I am not sure if you can get custom 9Ks without holders. Does anybody here know about that? If you can, that may be the best if the 9Ks work well.

[epstud74 24]

I'm just surprised that a Junior A player from Toronto didnt know his options.

[stuie7 6]

You often read on here about people having Grafs that have lasted like 5 years, if durability is a massive factor to you then theres your choice. There is no way you're going to get that kind of life span out of any of the other manufacturers. Seems like going custom for the LS2's and possibly a higher stiffness would be a good idea.

[duch 0]

I agree with stuie7. If your looking for durability Grafs are the way to go. You have several different models and fits to choose from and mounting LS2's isn't a big deal. Most of the guys I know have dumped the Cobra holder for the Lightspeed or Custom Tuuk holder. If your spending $500 plus on new skates anyway you may as well go with something that lasts a while. I really like the Bauer line of skates,( both the Supreme and Vapor models) but the durability factor is still a bit up in the air because they are still fairly new on the market. Graf has a proven track record and I have seen for myself they outlast a lot of the newer performance skates on the market today.

[d10 0]

I looked at the xxxx's today as they're on sale but they didn't look deep enough for my liking.

I'll be sure to check out some Grafs soon (its not a problem to throw ls2's on Grafs.... correct?)

[dumbpolak9 1]

mission xp's !!! i love them

[epstud74 24]

I looked at the xxxx's today as they're on sale but they didn't look deep enough for my liking.

I'll be sure to check out some Grafs soon (its not a problem to throw ls2's on Grafs.... correct?)

Did you try them on? Thats what you probably need to do first and foremost. You'd be surprised. As for Tuuks on Grafs, I'm sure it is far from a problem. I had some thrown on my 502s awhile back.

[stuie7 6]

Yes, LS2's would be fine.

Theres the Graf sizing chart, just so you know what to look for based on your foot type :)