In the market for new high end skates

[tonguesOUT4life 17]

Hey fellas, ive tried on the new x:60's and im quite impressed with how they feel out of the box after spending 7+ years on graf. Very stiff skates wich is what i need grafs tend to soften up overtime and the gseries duribility issues can get out of control. My lhs manager will give me free 3mm lifts if i buy theese skates just to maintain that forward pitch. Im worried about the transition from graf to bauer my other option is sticking with graf but im getting tired of skates that go soft and end up replacing them every year. My question should i jump ship?

[DVX 0]

ive gone through a couple pairs of grafs back in the day, most recently 5-6 years ago with the 502 se's and i had the 703's before that. Didnt like either skate. After the 502's i went to easton synergy 1300's those broke, couldnt get a replacement in time for my next game so i went with vapor XXX's. Now im back in eastons, more specifically the s15 and ive yet to wear a better skate. It does have it durability issues, but as long as you go with the 2nd gen s15's youll be fine, i tore through the 1st gens in less than 6 months.

EDIT: Just realised that this didnt help that much.

BUT! With Bauer skates you wont have to be replacing them as often as graf because theyre built tough and the stiffness lasts a hell of a long time, ive had my XXX's for 4 years and they look like theyre barely used(mind you i was off the ive for a year) and are still stiff, cant say the same about the grafs.

[Jordan 13]

I went from Graf 705s to XXXXs.

I had to have the XXXXs profiled to help with the pitch, after that the transition was instant. Very responsive boot, has held up great after a year and a half. Better steel, better holder, lighter weight.

If the boot fits...wear it!

[greech 4]

Try on skates, and if the boot fits, there you go. Just remember with a skate like the x:60, it is the first generation of a new concept...be patient, there might be issues at first (a la one90).

[Too Old 1]

I thought the X:60's had a more forward pitch to them similar to the Grafs?

[aal 3]

I just switched from graf to 60's. The pitch felt foward on the grafs and neutral on the 60's. I prefer the pitch of the 60's.

[Leafsrule16 5]

I made the switch from g9's to vapor 40's and i really liked it. I got the heel lifts and they felt fine, a lot lighter skate thats for sure. The grafs are heavy, not a big fan and they get even heavier when wet, i also dont like the toe caps. Get the heel lift and get used to the radius of the ls2 and you will love them. I heard somewhere though that bauer was using a 11 foot on the new lightspeeds on the 60, any confirmation on that?

[duch 0]

MY advice is like the previous poster. Get the skate that fits the best and go with them. Sounds like you've pretty well made up your mind that Bauer is what you prefer to go with. If that's the case ,go there! Bauer is the most popular brand in the NHL if not the world so there seems to be overwheming evidence that Bauer skates fit more foot types than most other brands. Like I've posted before Graf makes a nice skate but their not for everyone and it sounds like your done with them. The heel lifts will definitely help you to adjust easier because going from the forward profile of a Graf to the back on your heels profile of the Bauer LS2 is a very a difficult transition for many hockey players. I do believe though, that Bauer has gone to a slightly more forward profile in the past couple of years as opposed to what they once where. Anyway good luck and let us know how you are doing. The new Vapor X60 is an ominous new skate and if I needed a new pair, it's probably what I'd go with.

[bigsnake76 2]

What's wrong with a pair of Bauer Turbo's?

[sarmalidu 1]

MY advice is like the previous poster. Get the skate that fits the best and go with them. Sounds like you've pretty well made up your mind that Bauer is what you prefer to go with. If that's the case ,go there! Bauer is the most popular brand in the NHL if not the world so there seems to be overwheming evidence that Bauer skates fit more foot types than most other brands. Like I've posted before Graf makes a nice skate but their not for everyone and it sounds like your done with them. The heel lifts will definitely help you to adjust easier because going from the forward profile of a Graf to the back on your heels profile of the Bauer LS2 is a very a difficult transition for many hockey players. I do believe though, that Bauer has gone to a slightly more forward profile in the past couple of years as opposed to what they once where. Anyway good luck and let us know how you are doing. The new Vapor X60 is an ominous new skate and if I needed a new pair, it's probably what I'd go with.

That, or people are just suckers for styling, branding, marketing, and what they think is hip. Perception goes a long way. That's not to say they don't make a good quality product, I just don't think it is fair to say that because they are the most popular that they necessarily fit more people. That might be true, but it's pretty tough to substantiate. Anyhow I digress...

[Leafsrule16 5]

All the high end skates are relatively similar except for differences in fit and appearance, try on all of them and see what suits you best is the only real option. Its to the point where the only real difference besides colors is 5 or 6 grams here or there, id defiantly stay away from the older easton composites though ive heard nothing but bad things about them.