New Skate Buying Decision

[IPv6Freely 2100]

Wow, you drove all that way just to go to HG? Should've checked out Hockeymonkey which is about 5-10 minutes south. Ultimate Skate located at Anaheim Ice which is about 5 minutes north of HG. Ultimate skate even has a shop at Westminster Ice which is about 1o minutes west. Those are just the shops within/close to Anaheim. Hopefully when you do get to come back you get to check them out. HM probably has the largest stock of them all in terms of skates.

On another note, I found the lace lock on my former 9K skates to be great. I could keep the lower laces lose and tighten up the top.

Yeah, I read a review where the guy said he ended up liking the lace lock, it was just a matter of getting used to it.

I did, that and Mascarpone's Italian in Anaheim (on Katella). That place is amazing, and highly recommended.

Anyway, I didn't realize Hockeymonkey was in Anaheim/Irvine as well. (In fact, I thought it was online-only.) I'd heard about Ultimate Skate, I just figured since it was at a rink it probably wasn't going to be all that big. Though I think this time I'll go by myself, as the wife gets huffy when I'm looking at hockey equipment, as if she's in some big rush...

Thanks for the advice!

[DolomaticDangles 13]

PureHockey has an amazing return policy. 30 days- you can return the skates USED if they are the wrong size or if they dont fit right. So you actually get to skate on them, and if you dont like them, you arent totally screwed.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

PureHockey has an amazing return policy. 30 days- you can return the skates USED if they are the wrong size or if they dont fit right. So you actually get to skate on them, and if you dont like them, you arent totally screwed.

Wow that's pretty awesome. I've bought from PureHockey before, after their Twitter person (whoever it may be) gave me a coupon code for I think 10% off. I usually go hockeygiant if I'm buying online though due to the next day shipping (since they ship out of San Diego county, which is where I live...). Their online selection tends to be lacking, though.

I think what I'm going to do is if I don't have plans to get back up to anaheim any time soon to get to HG or HM, I'll just buy both the 8k 9.5D and the 9.5E, and return one of them once I've tried them on at home. (I do that all the time with Zappos, since they have free shipping both ways. Spend $500 on shoes, try them all on, and then send $400 worth of it back to them right away, before my credit card statement is generated)

[mack 44]

I bet you take from the penny tray at the checkout counters. Jesus Christ.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

I bet you take from the penny tray at the checkout counters. Jesus Christ.

If I'm short a couple pennies, sure do. What else is it there for?

Sure makes sense to me to try on shoes before I buy them... call me crazy, though!

[IPv6Freely 2100]

So I drove down to Hockeymonkey (I'm at a client site in Burbank all week, so it was an hour south instead of two hours north), and I just had to share my experience.

First, it took me more like 2 hours to drive down, because I left at about 5pm and believe me... I-5 is NOT where you want to be at 5pm, but I wanted to hit HM. So once I get there, I ask for some help with skate fitting. I have a guy help me who seemed to know what he was doing. He came out with not only a 9.5D and a 9.5E RBK 8k, but he also brought out a 9E, as well as some Bauers just to try out. So far so good, unlike hockey giant, they actually had skates in stock.

After sizing, it was actually determined that I was a 9, not a 9.5! And to think I'm currently wearing sz 10 Easton SE2s... no wonder they fit so poorly! So I finish getting them sized, and while they're in the oven, I ask what time they close. "We're already closed", was his reply. "But no worries, we're short-staffed tonight so it will take a bit longer to clean the store than usual. No rush, man." Wow. I suppose they're not going to make a fuss about it, considering I'm buying something.

After they're baked and nicely shaped to my feet, he sharpens them, and sends me to the front counter with the box. On the way up I grab a new pair of RBK Edge Toronto socks in white (I already have blue, but needed a white pair to go with my white jersey), some skate guards (love the terry cloth reebok ones), and a pack of elite laces in black.

Once at the counter, the manager rings it all up, and lets me know he took 10% off the skates. Awesome!

I just want to mention that if you're in the anaheim area, skip hockeygiant completely. If anything, the fact that the merchandise at hockeymonkey actually has PRICES on it is enough to prefer going there, let alone the much MUCH better selection. It's also nice that the stuff like laces and mouthguards arent hidden behind the counter like they are at hockeygiant. I will absolutely be back!

So, without further adieu... my new RBK 8k's with black laces!

[coffeebreak 0]

Great to see good customer service from a superstore! Hope the skates work out well :)

[IPv6Freely 2100]

Great to see good customer service from a superstore! Hope the skates work out well :)

Is this not the norm? Unfortunately there's not much of a choice here... the only local pro shops (there's very few of them in SoCal) carry very little in the way of skates, let alone the right sizes.

[Buzz_LightBeer 974]

The guys at HockeyGiant, Bloomington MN are awful, i perused their store for over an hour without so much as a "Hello, can i help you find anything."

[IPv6Freely 2100]

The guys at HockeyGiant, Bloomington MN are awful, i perused their store for over an hour without so much as a "Hello, can i help you find anything."

That's where I got my Eastons. I was at a client in Eden Prairie. I agree, you'd think they'd offer to help more considering the way there store is set up (for those of you who havent been there, they basically just throw all their equipment in bins, with a price sheet at the end of each row.. making for a whole lot of walking back and forth trying to figure out prices. Very frustrating. Then again, I guess any store that does something that ridiculous clearly doesn't care about helping their customers anyway.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

Humph. Tried actually skating in the new skates... ouch. The toebox is CRAMPED. The heel feels good, the length feels better than the Eastons, but i find my toes can always touch the inside of the toecap unless im really bending my knees (is that bad?), but both my big toe and my baby toe on my right foot (and only my right) rub on the sides and it hurts. I'm going to take them and try to get them stretched, but I'm worried that my brand new skates aren't ever going to fit right...

[fiimb 1]

you'll get a bit more room out of the skates as they break in. normally with a proper fitting skate your toes should graze the toe cap and pull back when you bend your knees. if it hurts at any point, however, then that's not a proper fit, and something needs to be adjusted.

you can get the toe caps punched out. also, what kind of socks are you wearing? you should be wearing thin socks that don't scrunch up.

After sizing, it was actually determined that I was a 9, not a 9.5! And to think I'm currently wearing sz 10 Easton SE2s... no wonder they fit so poorly!

i wear size 9 runners, and size 6.5D bauers. I'd wear size 6.25 if i had the money for customs.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

you'll get a bit more room out of the skates as they break in. normally with a proper fitting skate your toes should graze the toe cap and pull back when you bend your knees. if it hurts at any point, however, then that's not a proper fit, and something needs to be adjusted.

you can get the toe caps punched out. also, what kind of socks are you wearing? you should be wearing thin socks that don't scrunch up.

i wear size 9 runners, and size 6.5D bauers. I'd wear size 6.25 if i had the money for customs.

It only hurts because of the lack of width in the toe cap. The heel and forefoot feel fine (making me think a 9E is correct), but my big toe and baby toe feel a bit crowded.

I took them in today to be stretched in the toe cap area. I'm wearing ccm oxysocks.

My shoes are a 10.5 to 11 depending on the type of shoe.

[Canuck 0]

Unfortunately there's not much of a choice here... the only local pro shops (there's very few of them in SoCal) carry very little in the way of skates, let alone the right sizes.

If you factor in rink shops there are quite a bit. Anaheim Ice has Ultimate Skate and just across the street is another shop. Hockey monkey and Giant are local. KHS ice arena has a shop(although small) and then westminster ice has another Ultimate Skate shop. Jake's Custom shop is now also open so that is a great option in the southbay near the Kings Toyota center. A more central california shop would be Icewarehouse which I use even though HM and HG are 10 minutes from my house. Since there shipping and prices are great with a discount membership.

Seriously, I think we had more pro shops close together here than in Vancouver. If you don't count general sport stores like Sportchek and Canadian Tire in the mix that sell hockey gear.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

If you factor in rink shops there are quite a bit. Anaheim Ice has Ultimate Skate and just across the street is another shop. Hockey monkey and Giant are local. KHS ice arena has a shop(although small) and then westminster ice has another Ultimate Skate shop. Jake's Custom shop is now also open so that is a great option in the southbay near the Kings Toyota center. A more central california shop would be Icewarehouse which I use even though HM and HG are 10 minutes from my house. Since there shipping and prices are great with a discount membership.

Seriously, I think we had more pro shops close together here than in Vancouver. If you don't count general sport stores like Sportchek and Canadian Tire in the mix that sell hockey gear.

I know about all those. Still not much selection. Rink shops are usually limited in selection and horribly overpriced, giant sucks, monkey is decent, and the rest i havent been to because theyre so far away.

[jimmy 194]

One small point too something you said. The reason laces and small items are hidden behind the counter is because people steal them if they are not. Sad, but true.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

One small point too something you said. The reason laces and small items are hidden behind the counter is because people steal them if they are not. Sad, but true.

I'm sure it's true, which does suck... since I don't want to have to ask for help just to be looking at 5 or 6 different products and having the guy stand there while I try to make up my mind on which to buy. When that happens, I just end up putting it back and leaving.