Custom Skate Fitting within 4 hours of Pittsburgh?

[Bravada 442 0]

I'm tired of fighting through to find a comfortable skate on my right foot. The sizing on that foot is just never really right. I get the feeling that I just need a custom fitted pair of skates to really be happy.

Anyways, is there anyone within a 4 hour drive of Pittsburgh that would be trusted by the majority to do this job?

[CAmmon 2]

If I recall correctly, the closest person from the boards would be Darkstar50 in North Jersey. But I am pretty sure that is an 7ish hour drive.

[Demangone 0]

If I recall correctly, the closest person from the boards would be Darkstar50 in North Jersey. But I am pretty sure that is an 7ish hour drive.

If that's the case, you could probably just get a cheap jet blue or southwest flight to NYC and take a train down. It would be a lot quicker and possibly cheaper than driving. I've seen flights as cheap as $29 one way.

[lerxst 0]

I'm tired of fighting through to find a comfortable skate on my right foot. The sizing on that foot is just never really right. I get the feeling that I just need a custom fitted pair of skates to really be happy.

Anyways, is there anyone within a 4 hour drive of Pittsburgh that would be trusted by the majority to do this job?

KoSports in Canonsburg couldn't help you out? If they can't, I'd head north to Buffalo / Toronto, I would think there would be someone up there to help you.

[Bravada 442 0]

I'm tired of fighting through to find a comfortable skate on my right foot. The sizing on that foot is just never really right. I get the feeling that I just need a custom fitted pair of skates to really be happy.

Anyways, is there anyone within a 4 hour drive of Pittsburgh that would be trusted by the majority to do this job?

KoSports in Canonsburg couldn't help you out? If they can't, I'd head north to Buffalo / Toronto, I would think there would be someone up there to help you.

Not super happy with their customer service in the past. I won't really get into why because I don't want to completely bash them, but for something like a custom skate fitting I want to feel like more than a number that is walking in the door.

[lerxst 0]

Not super happy with their customer service in the past. I won't really get into why because I don't want to completely bash them, but for something like a custom skate fitting I want to feel like more than a number that is walking in the door.

I'd call the owner and explain your situation and get his buy in before you spend 3.5 hours driving to Buff or 5 to Toronto.... I bet he'd be reasonable...

[Chadd 916]

Not super happy with their customer service in the past. I won't really get into why because I don't want to completely bash them, but for something like a custom skate fitting I want to feel like more than a number that is walking in the door.

I'd call the owner and explain your situation and get his buy in before you spend 3.5 hours driving to Buff or 5 to Toronto.... I bet he'd be reasonable...

That owner jerked me around badly a number of years ago. Customer service isn't their strong point.

[lerxst 0]

That owner jerked me around badly a number of years ago. Customer service isn't their strong point.

Then I stand corrected. Contact Bauer to see where they have the next closest shops that do custom and start calling them. They'll probably do the other brands as well.

I just found another store in the PITT area from another post on here, but not sure if he does custom skates. He has an indoor artificial training facility though...

http://hockeynat.com/index.html

[Bravada 442 0]

That owner jerked me around badly a number of years ago. Customer service isn't their strong point.

You're not the first person I've heard that from. That's why I'm hesitant. Anyone up your way in the middle of the state that does a good job?

Then I stand corrected. Contact Bauer to see where they have the next closest shops that do custom and start calling them. They'll probably do the other brands as well.

I just found another store in the PITT area from another post on here, but not sure if he does custom skates. He has an indoor artificial training facility though...

http://hockeynat.com/index.html

Great guy, only guy that does FBV in the area that I'm aware of. But I'd HIGHLY doubt he's going to have the experience to do custom skate stuff yet. He's right down the street from my work so I'll stop down and ask but I highly doubt it.

I'm really thinking of maybe taking the g/f to NYC for a weekend trip and using that as an excuse to go visit Darkstar50's shop and get taken care of. I'd really like to populate the good guys of this board and give them the business they deserve to get.

[Chadd 916]

That owner jerked me around badly a number of years ago. Customer service isn't their strong point.

You're not the first person I've heard that from. That's why I'm hesitant. Anyone up your way in the middle of the state that does a good job?

I don't think anyone around here has done anything other than custom options. There is one guy I would trust enough to do that, but the shop doesn't have access to Easton or Bauer. They only sell CCM/RBK and Graf.

[Bravada 442 0]

That owner jerked me around badly a number of years ago. Customer service isn't their strong point.

You're not the first person I've heard that from. That's why I'm hesitant. Anyone up your way in the middle of the state that does a good job?

I don't think anyone around here has done anything other than custom options. There is one guy I would trust enough to do that, but the shop doesn't have access to Easton or Bauer. They only sell CCM/RBK and Graf.

I have depth issues with my current skates as well (9k) so as I do more research I'm thinking that a Graf skate may be a way I have to go. I don't really care about looks or anything, I'd wear something that looks like a brick if I can just get something that fits me the way I need so I can skate without pain.

Thanks for the reply, I might get back to you about custom options on a Graf skate. I'm thinking it might be Graf or Flexlite in my future.

[WSjo22 1]

Ko's is good if you know what you need and can fill out the form and hand it to them knowing that what you wrote is right and won't need translated to the guys at Bauer or whatever company you go through..... Trust me from experience of getting mine through them as I'm fortunate enough to know what I needed exactly and what was available to me to get done, but the next time I get a pair done I'm hoppin in the car or on a plane to go see Darkstar cuz when you're payin that much money for skates a customer shouldn't be telling an owner what can and can't be done on a pair of customs

[ChiefHockey13 0]

My LHS is delval hockey supply and I'm pretty positive that they do custom skates. I go to the one in Bristol, PA but there is a location in Pittsburgh, give them a call and see if they'll do it:

http://www.delvalhockey.com/locations.htm

[Demangone 0]

My LHS is delval hockey supply and I'm pretty positive that they do custom skates. I go to the one in Bristol, PA but there is a location in Pittsburgh, give them a call and see if they'll do it:

http://www.delvalhockey.com/locations.htm

I haven't been there yet but I've heard good things. They're about a mile from the Ice Castle.

[lerxst 0]

You would think this would drive Bauer / CCM to come up with a good way to order from home... Especially with Bauer and the myBauer for the sticks. There has to be a simple method to ship a package of "stuff" that would allow you to take an easy mold of your feet and then ship back with the options.

The real shame of it is, the lack of knowledgeable experts in the LHS... Anyone ordering something online needs to think twice about it before you hit submit. I buy clearance OPS at crazy blow out prices, but other than that I prefer support a LHS owner that really is providing a service.

[JR Boucicaut 3810]

There's a reason why custom isn't offered by every store in this category. You need to know what you are doing.

Almost all of the guys who are doing custom don't account for things - it shouldn't be an a-la-carte purchase "I just want a tongue I can flop and double-stitching.)

When I did it, I only did it if there was a problem with the person's foot. In most cases, you can make a retail skate work.

[Chadd 916]

Exactly, aesthetic stuff is the wrong reason to be buying custom skates.

[JR Boucicaut 3810]

There is a certain perception with custom skates - that they will fit absolutely perfect and stars will shoot out of them when you put them on your feet.

As a fitter, you better nail it to a point in which you just have to do a tweak here and there. I've always been very open to what each feature is going to do, and why I am including it. And I never take no for an answer - you're paying for my expertise (even though I wasn't making anything, but you get the point.) They have all thanked me later.

So, to that, don't write checks your ass can't cash.

[DarkStar50 680]

Over sized toe caps are a great feature that solve a lot of problems. Getting a Supreme felt tongue is a great add on when it's something you had on your skates 10 years ago and the modern skate tongue is creating problems, not solving them. "Do I really need the state of the art skate tongue to reduce a few ounces when that 3/8" felt feels so good?" Is a #3 stiffness with reinforced eye rows and eyelets worth it? When I have seen the same player consistently destroy skates with this feature, I shudder to think how quickly he would shred retail #2. FWIW, he tops out at 5'6", 165 but can maim any boot he has ever skated in. And I have done custom for him three times with a 10 month life expectancy at best. Custom skates never meant perfect skates but they can solve a lot of problems that retail skates out of the box were not built to handle. At the end of the day, experience goes a long way to solving these situations.

[Bravada 442 0]

There is a certain perception with custom skates - that they will fit absolutely perfect and stars will shoot out of them when you put them on your feet.

As a fitter, you better nail it to a point in which you just have to do a tweak here and there. I've always been very open to what each feature is going to do, and why I am including it. And I never take no for an answer - you're paying for my expertise (even though I wasn't making anything, but you get the point.) They have all thanked me later.

So, to that, don't write checks your ass can't cash.

I'm in the service/installation business. I know exactly where you are coming from. People have certain aspects of their home that will absolutely FORBID certain products from working right, but they read about it on the internet or get information from some idiot that doesn't know the difference between gas and electricity and think they know everything.

I wish it was a very infrequent situation when I walk out of a customers home, but I've done it more than once. It is my goal to 1) make the customer as comfortable as possible 2) install the equipment that makes that happen and gets as close to the customers budget as possible and 3) make my shop money. If all three of those can't be obtained, then sometimes its just better to walk.

Once again, like I said I think I may be able to work a retail Flexlite or 9 series Graf, but I haven't had a chance to get to a shop that carries both in the last two days.

[Bravada 442 0]

Did a measurement of my feet tonight based on some tutorials I've found on the internet, and here is what I found. Just curious if this seems like I'd be a smart candidate for a custom skate.

1) My right foot is 11 1/6" inch long while my left foot is only 10 13/16" long. My right foot therefore should fit a US size 11 shoe while my left foot fits somewhere between a US size 10 and US size 10.5 (the information I'm using is from http://shoes.about.com/od/fitcomfort/a/men_inches.htm)

2) The width of my feet doesn't seem to be bad. Came in at 3 15/16" which is a little less than what the standard size is for my feet (standard or D width is about 4.1" while the C or narrow width comes in somewhere around 3.8 to 3.9") I got this information from http://shoes.about.com/od/mens_size_charts/a/men_width.htm

3) I was trying to find some information about arch height but I couldn't find a definitive source as far as how to measure it. It was more like "here are a couple drawings of low, medium, and high, take a look and see how close you look" but that's tough to do on your own foot.

4) The calluses on the outsides of both my big toes are slightly wider than what my actual widest part of my foot is. Would I benefit from a wider toebox?

5) I failed the pencil test in RBK 9k, Vector 08's, Vapor XXV's

I just don't want to waste my time or anyone elses time by going after something that isn't going to something that is going to help me.

Thanks guys.

[english15x 3]

Did a measurement of my feet tonight based on some tutorials I've found on the internet, and here is what I found. Just curious if this seems like I'd be a smart candidate for a custom skate.

1) My right foot is 11 1/6" inch long while my left foot is only 10 13/16" long. My right foot therefore should fit a US size 11 shoe while my left foot fits somewhere between a US size 10 and US size 10.5 (the information I'm using is from http://shoes.about.com/od/fitcomfort/a/men_inches.htm)

2) The width of my feet doesn't seem to be bad. Came in at 3 15/16" which is a little less than what the standard size is for my feet (standard or D width is about 4.1" while the C or narrow width comes in somewhere around 3.8 to 3.9") I got this information from http://shoes.about.com/od/mens_size_charts/a/men_width.htm

3) I was trying to find some information about arch height but I couldn't find a definitive source as far as how to measure it. It was more like "here are a couple drawings of low, medium, and high, take a look and see how close you look" but that's tough to do on your own foot.

4) The calluses on the outsides of both my big toes are slightly wider than what my actual widest part of my foot is. Would I benefit from a wider toebox?

5) I failed the pencil test in RBK 9k, Vector 08's, Vapor XXV's

I just don't want to waste my time or anyone elses time by going after something that isn't going to something that is going to help me.

Thanks guys.

i think I have seen before... 1) get the bottom of your foot slightly damp 2) gently place it on a piece of paper or construction paper, whatever will show up better. 3) that should show your arches, or at least I would think so.