Easton S17

[UMWhockey 0]

So between this and the stick reviews, I have some new toys to play with. These S17's are a size 8 and I have skated about 5 games with them so far.

First impression is that the boot is great. It does a great job of locking my heel in the boot and the baking really molded the skate well around my foot for a nice tight fit. One thing I don't like is how thick the tongue on the skate is. The went with the pro felt tongue and for the way the rest of the boot fits I just am not a fan of the thick tongue. I am not one to block shots eaither, so I really don't need the protection.

Before I really get down to the details of what I like and don't though, I am going to need to put some Lightspeeds on these skates as I can't stand the holders and steel that Easton puts on these skates. Once I get the Lightspeeds on there I will have a better base to really review the skates... Til then...

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

See if you can get the standard (non-parabolic) steel from Easton. It actually skates pretty well with that setup.

[UMWhockey 0]

Well as usual I was too lazy to change out the holders, so I went with the stock set-up. After a couple months, here is my review so far of the S17

Intro

I finally couldn't skate on my 8090's anymore as they had completely fallen apart after 5 years and a lot of skating. I use Kor Shift 2 skates for coaching, so these S17's are my playing skates. I use them twice a week in Beer league and whenever I play in tournaments. Even though I am a lazy hockey player now, I still put these skates through some hard skating from time to time, so hopefully this will be a good test for the skates

Fit

I love the fit of the boot. The heel lock is great the after baking the skate fits real close to my foot without pressure points. The boot is a stiff boot as you would expect in a composite skate. One thing I don't like about the skate is how high cut the boot is. Not saying it needs to be a S500 type boot cut or anything, but maybe a slightly lower cut would help. I feel like I struggle with tight turns and crossovers as I can't use my ankle's as much since the book is a little constrictive. Might have to not do up the top 2 eyelets and see if that helps as I already don't do the top one. Only other thing I would change is not have the felt tongue be so thick.

8/10 - would be 10/10 if it was a little lower cut

Blade/Holder

It hasn't been as bad as I first through now that I have been on it for a little. I am not playing super competitive hockey anymore so it's not a huge deal for me. the holder is fairly responsive and a little stiffer then the Tuuk Lightspeed's that I have used in the past. The steel seems to hold the edges well so far. I skate on a 3/4 hollow and still get 6-7 games out of a sharpening.

7/10

Protection

Coming from the 8090 and how much heavier it was then the S17 I was a little worried about protection. I just started playing D on both my adult league teams so wasn't too sure about blocking shots. After taking a couple shots off the foot, I will say I was impressed. Guess that is the advantage of a composite skate. You will feel it, but the sting went away after a minute or two and no problems afterwards.

9/10

Weight

Both skates seem to weigh the same as one of my 8090's, so I would say they are very light. No complaints here

10/10

Durability

This is what I was curious to find out with these skates. There were a lot of complaints about the S15 and them falling apart very quickly. I have had these skates since May and there is no real visible damage to them. All the stitching is still in great shape and the composite shell is in great shape. No cracks and the holder still looks brand new. No complaints so far. Will have to see what it is like in a couple more months.

9/10

Conclusion

I have never skated in Easton before and wasn't too sure about it as I have never seen them as a real good skate company. I kinda wish I had waited until the S17 Black came out as I am not a big fan of all the silver. The only drawback so far is how high cut the boot is, but other then that I love the skates so far. My 8090's were tanks so my big question will be how long these skates will last. Can they be a skate that I am in 4 or 5 years from now?

Hope this was helpful. PM me if you have any other questions.

~Mike

[mojo122 535]

Background - 5'9 180, wide forefoot, solid heel, flat arch.

Recent Skates

CCM Vector U+ and Bauer One 95’s

Fit

Thanks to an MSH Member and Easton I was able to get these skates quarter sized and wider in the forefoot, so the fit is perfect in both length and width. Having the perfect fit only enhances the performance of this top end skate. I was not a fan of the pre-curved tongue that was on the S15 and the white felt tongue on the S17 is very close to the older, traditional, Supreme, felt tongue that I had on my One 95’s. I also liked the fact that it did not have the loop on the top of the tongue that is found on retail models.

10/10

Blade/Holder

I really liked the Tuuk Lightspeed holders and these skates were originally suppose to come without holders and predrilled for the Lightspeeds. The customs department at Easton must not get many requests for Razor Blades as my holders have last year’s graphics and they came with LPS steel and not the newer, elite performance runner. Because of my size, I have not had any issues with the holders or steel and the combination skates well, but my LS 2.1 runners seem to hold an edge longer than the LPS. My preference is for Tuuk Lightspeeds over the Easton holders.

9/10

Weight

These skates are slightly heavier than the retail because they have the second layer of composite on the sides. I do not know if this standard for any non-retail S17 or whether it is considered to be their pro stiffness package, but I am happy that they came this way. Comparing them to my One 95’s they are just as light, maybe slightly lighter.

10/10

Protection

I would like to say that I am quick enough to get out of the way of the puck, but I guess my bad hockey habit is blocking shots and passes. This is an extremely protective skate just as the S15 was.

10/10

Durability

I have had these skates for over 2 months and have skated about 40 times in them so far. No signs of leather separating from the composite boot and the rubber covering over the toecap along with the abrasion guard are showing any signs of wear.

10/10

Conclusion

So I was disappointed with the overall durability of the S15, but thought it was a great performing skate and really liked the on ice performance I felt with the coil technology. I had moved on to custom One 95’s, which is a great skate itself. If anything, I felt that the One 95 was too stiff and did not flex forward as well as the Stealth skates. I lace my skates all the way up and feel the S17 would perform even better if the cut of the boot were a little lower. Easton has come a long way with their skate line and as much as I like the S17, I find myself interested in skating in the new EQ5 skate to see how it performs against the Stealth line. Bottom line is that this is one great performing skate.

Overall Score

9.8/10

[rinkrat94 1]

5'10 210, wide forefoot, average heel, med arch

Recent Skates- S15, One95

Fit

For me the fit of this skate is perfect. They feel like they were made for my foot. My heel really locks in. I have not had one second of discomfort in this skate.

10/10

Blade/Holder

No issues, steel holds its edge for a long time.

9/10

Weight

If you are concerned about weight (I am not) you will be happy with the S17. It is as light as just about any skate on the market.

10/10

Protection

For some reason I tend to take a lot of pucks to the foot. This skate is very protective.

10/10

Durability

I have had these skates for around a year and they are holding up great. A few scuff marks here and there but nothing you would not expect

10/10

Conclusion

I love the way that this skate performs. I loved my S15's i just did not like the way the leather was glued to the skate. Easton has fixed the problems they had with the S15's. I tried the One95's for six months. I did not feel that I had the same responsiveness with the One95 that I have with the S17 or S15. Is that a knock on the 95? not at all. It is a great skate, but not the skate for me . The only thing I would change about the S17 is the liner. That being said, this is the best skate I have ever worn.

Score= 9.8/10