MLX Skates Now Available

[Shark#81 0]

just keepin' it simple. i was going to apply a factor but by christmas should have a real number.

quicker = all other things being equal.

steel is heavy. we use the SS t-nuts and bolts and it adds up. alum rivets are light but a bit of a pain for precise blade holder adjustment and fastening. the steel runner is the biggest culprit. still I managed to attain mid 900's on my skate sz 12.

I wonder if the new Bauer runners fit in the holders i have (clear LS2's)?

[rjmurp01 0]

I also pulled the trigger on a pair. I was in the market for skates, and with the 50% coupon, I picked these up for $399, which is much less than any other top-line skate. Long story short, I have weird feet and have been disappointed with other manufacturers performance and quality as of late. I don't know how these will turn out, but I figured they would be worth a shot. I will give feedback when they arrive.

In the meantime, does anyone know what their specific recommendations are on adjusting the holder/blade? I've always felt this was a problem for me. My feet pronate, and even though I use arch support, I've always felt that I would benefit from moving the blade medially. Their videos talk about the ability to move the blade, but they don't really give any specific guidelines, or ways to test if you are properly centered. Is this done only through trial and error after skating/adjusting, or are there any things that can be done on dryland to try to get a good setup before you take them out on the ice?

[adam14 182]

It worries me when people think that hardware on skates is adding excess weight...

[malcb33 97]

I don't find the weight of the skate a problem at all. The skates fit so well and feel light on the ice, so the slight added weight doesn't matter to me.

[ironslave 2]

Just put Lightspeeds on them if you are worried about the weight. That's what a lot of the pros that wore them did.

[IniNew 53]

Just put Lightspeeds on them if you are worried about the weight. That's what a lot of the pros that wore them did.

Part of the lore of these skates is the adjustable holders etc. Why would you take them off?

[HattrickSwayze 3]

In the meantime, does anyone know what their specific recommendations are on adjusting the holder/blade? I've always felt this was a problem for me. My feet pronate, and even though I use arch support, I've always felt that I would benefit from moving the blade medially. Their videos talk about the ability to move the blade, but they don't really give any specific guidelines, or ways to test if you are properly centered. Is this done only through trial and error after skating/adjusting, or are there any things that can be done on dryland to try to get a good setup before you take them out on the ice?

They were supposed to be putting a video up on YouTube that talked about how to adjust the blades, but I haven't seen it yet. This was a week or two ago when they told me, so hopefully it will be up soon.

[ironslave 2]

Part of the lore of these skates is the adjustable holders etc. Why would you take them off?

You're right, but for those complaining about the weight.

[Chadd 916]

Part of the lore of these skates is the adjustable holders etc. Why would you take them off?

Set up any holder for you in the first place and you shouldn't ever have to adjust them. More people are going to cause problems than fix them with this feature. Very few shop people know what they're doing with moving holders, let alone the general public. Though, I'm sure everyone will quickly become an expert after watching three minutes of video on youtube.

[Frankie Spankie 0]

I didn't see this throughout the topic (or maybe I skimmed right past it), but I have a couple quick questions:

1 - How good are the insoles exactly? I have Superfeet insoles in my current pair of skates, should I just keep those or stick with the MLX inserts?

2 - The blades themselves aren't any different from regular blades are they? I'm just wondering if I'm going to have a problem replacing the blades in the future. There's only one place around my house that does a good sharpen but he bears down too much on the front of the blade making the blades go quicker than normal.

[danno25nh 3]

I didn't see this throughout the topic (or maybe I skimmed right past it), but I have a couple quick questions:

1 - How good are the insoles exactly? I have Superfeet insoles in my current pair of skates, should I just keep those or stick with the MLX inserts?

2 - The blades themselves aren't any different from regular blades are they? I'm just wondering if I'm going to have a problem replacing the blades in the future. There's only one place around my house that does a good sharpen but he bears down too much on the front of the blade making the blades go quicker than normal.

I like the insoles. I use orthotics in my shoes. I find these to be a little smaller in the arch than what I wear in my shoes, but still good.

You can buy replacement blades for $30 or so from MLX.

[adam14 182]

what is the tongue like?

[$m0k3 0]

I didn't see this throughout the topic (or maybe I skimmed right past it), but I have a couple quick questions:

1 - How good are the insoles exactly? I have Superfeet insoles in my current pair of skates, should I just keep those or stick with the MLX inserts?

2 - The blades themselves aren't any different from regular blades are they? I'm just wondering if I'm going to have a problem replacing the blades in the future. There's only one place around my house that does a good sharpen but he bears down too much on the front of the blade making the blades go quicker than normal.

The rep said you can use either, they said they have alot of players using superfeet. Supposably the MLX insoles are pretty good though, ill probably give them a shot first.

[malcb33 97]

2 - The blades themselves aren't any different from regular blades are they? I'm just wondering if I'm going to have a problem replacing the blades in the future. There's only one place around my house that does a good sharpen but he bears down too much on the front of the blade making the blades go quicker than normal.

Whats a normal blade? All companies use different steel, so MLX is really no different. The only thing is you'll have to order them online, but I am sure you can get overnighted.

what is the tongue like?

The tongue is a lot like a KOR tongue. It moulds well to your foot and is quite protective, but I find them fairly stiff.

[Frankie Spankie 0]

Whats a normal blade? All companies use different steel, so MLX is really no different. The only thing is you'll have to order them online, but I am sure you can get overnighted.

Not exactly the best words to use, I'm just not good with hockey equipment terminology. What I was trying to ask was if I'll have to order directly from them to replace blades or if I could just bring them to some local hockey store and they'd have a replacement that would fit. You did basically answer my question though, thanks.

[Wagsgr8 0]

Regardless, although your skate design and the MLX skate design may work for many, including myself, clearly some skaters are happy in a super soft skate, as evidenced by the market (albeit small) for something like the Graf 707. I have played with two excellent skaters that use soft skates, and they are able to use their ankle flex to do maneuvers in the corners that make me hurt to watch. Imagine a tight pivot, but with the inside skate on an "inside" edge. Ouch, yet they dance around me every time!

This is a market where I believe the MLX concept will dominate. This is because although the skate ends up being rigid after preparation, you the skater can make this skate what you want it to be through the heat molding process. I have my MLX skates molded perfectly to my ankle shape. This allows me to loosely tie my skates which allows that "soft" feel to some degree. I skated Friday night on my skates leaving every lace cross barely pulled together. SUPER LOOSE, now I personally wanted a little more out of them, so after about an hour I tightened them some, but I had that option. This is because the boot is locked around my ankle and laces are not what keep them on, they merely offer infinite levels of flex / no flex adjustment.

[Chadd 916]

This is a market where I believe the MLX concept will dominate. This is because although the skate ends up being rigid after preparation, you the skater can make this skate what you want it to be through the heat molding process. I have my MLX skates molded perfectly to my ankle shape. This allows me to loosely tie my skates which allows that "soft" feel to some degree. I skated Friday night on my skates leaving every lace cross barely pulled together. SUPER LOOSE, now I personally wanted a little more out of them, so after about an hour I tightened them some, but I had that option. This is because the boot is locked around my ankle and laces are not what keep them on, they merely offer infinite levels of flex / no flex adjustment.

You contradict yourself. You can't have an ankle "locked in" and retain any lateral flexibility.

[Wagsgr8 0]

Couple of other notes about skates:

A carbon toe (as in the MLX) is kinda useless and costly.

That whole reduction in negative space thing that Bauer has going is balls. You need space between the outer shell and foot for protection. Take away all that and it's puck to bone. what are they thinkin?

???? You serious ????? The carbon toe IS the protection. I took two shots to the foot with my MLXs and never felt a twinge. My skates are 8s and I am exactly an 8 so I have no inserts in them. My feet are just off the carbon. If you want negative space buy the skates a size bigger and use the shims - BUT you will not need that. I think that is just a sound good concept. With the carbon you do not need to take such measures.

You contradict yourself. You can't have an ankle "locked in" and retain any lateral flexibility.

That "lock" I speak of is near the ball of the ankle. It is locked in by molding, but has limit impedence on the movement of the ankle. Now is it like being barefoot - of course not, but it is a far better than having to tie up the skates to get a lock. The molding is doing that part for you.

[kerr 1]

^ I think you're talking about heel lock. But if your heel is locked, your ankle isn't moving anywhere while being able to flex.

[Shark#81 0]

Just wanted to say a few things about blade alignment. It's like a car - Toe adjustment and Camber.

TOE: Most boots are set toe out relative to the blade, by ~ 2 mm. Most people are slightly duck foot. And you can't go too far with that otherwise it screws up the stride. But if you are too far inward - hips, knees hurt and the skate doesn't track properly.

CAMBER- as i call it- aligns the boot with lower leg. For me I like the blade shifted to the inside cause I am a bender (bow legs). Getting the "camber" tweaked gives you more power in cross overs and turns. it feels great. This latest pair of skates i built i have it dialed can roast anyone in a turn now. I'll bet that Crosby is set similar.(Mike) Fisher's skates seem to be on it too.

FIT: Feet are so different so a fully 3D heat mold to me is the optimal solution. Very difficult to build a boot with "0" negative space and have that fit properly for different feet/ankles. Ample space filled with heat moldable closed cell EVA foam - cells are like compressed air bubbles, sort of a pump concept but in miniature.

[IniNew 53]

So first 0-Neg space is bad because of protection. Now it's bad because of fit? That's why different skate lines are offered.

[RichardsIsTheMan 0]

???? You serious ????? The carbon toe IS the protection. I took two shots to the foot with my MLXs and never felt a twinge. My skates are 8s and I am exactly an 8 so I have no inserts in them. My feet are just off the carbon. If you want negative space buy the skates a size bigger and use the shims - BUT you will not need that. I think that is just a sound good concept. With the carbon you do not need to take such measures.

That "lock" I speak of is near the ball of the ankle. It is locked in by molding, but has limit impedence on the movement of the ankle. Now is it like being barefoot - of course not, but it is a far better than having to tie up the skates to get a lock. The molding is doing that part for you.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I personally don't want to feel anything when taking shots off to my foot like I did with my grafs.

[rjmurp01 0]

I just want to add to what someone said earlier in the thread. So far customer service has been outstanding. I had a question about sizing, so I emailed customer service and received a reply within half a day. I placed my order on a Thursday night (after COB), and I could not believe it when the skates were delivered on Monday. Two business days from Winnipeg to the midwest US. Pretty sweet. They did require a signature for delivery, so if you don't want to have to wait another day, or go to the Fedex holding facility, make sure someone is home.

Also FYI, it looks like my order was #599. Not sure if that's an exact indicator of sales, but not bad considering the length of time on the market and lack of advertising/promotion.

I'm looking forward to getting home tonight and trying these on. Will report back soon.

[Sidorov96 0]

just placed an order for a pair! i got them in size 8, my foot measurement was 26.5cm's and wasnt sure which size to get, either a 7 or 8 but then I saw their video on the custom fit inserts so i decided to go with a size 8.

[SCUBASTEVE 0]

sid did you use teh 50% off code? if not i would make it ahppen some how. i just got mine last week an used teh code for october an it worked.. oct1250 is the code