durability and performance of graf 503?

[Lemieux 58]

first off, i play rec hockey about 1-2 times a week. i am 5'7 and weigh 180 lbs. i am looking to make an investment in decent-quality, well-fitting skates that are durable.

i went to my LHS to try on new skates and really liked the comfort of the graf 503. it's a medium stiffness boot, which i think works for my level of play.

i wanted to read up on the skate before i purchase them but i haven't found anything on MSH. i've read the descriptions of various retailers and something that concerns me is how it repeatedly says that "this and this" will result in a quicker break in and "this and that" will result in a quicker break-in. could it be the medium stiff boot or poor materials?

i know that some people are feeling leery about graf's quality after djinferno's situation :( , but does anyone have any comments or opinions about the 503's?

[Chadd 916]

They're a decent mid line skate but I think better options are generally available for the price.

[lee92 2]

my brother went through a pair of them a couples years ago. they were great to him, just the plasticy siding ripped on one boot. other than that, they held up until he outgrew them

[Lemieux 58]

They're a decent mid line skate but I think better options are generally available for the price.

would you care to elaborate on those "better options"?

fyi, from the boots i've tried, it seems like my (fat!) feet fit graf and bauer boots better than they do easton and ccm. i was told that missions would be too narrow for my foot type. any comments?

[Chadd 916]

How much are the 503s? Around here they used to be not much cheaper than the 700 series.

[lee92 2]

when my brother got his, he just finished tearing apart two pairs of 502's in about the first 3 months or so of his season, then in a tournie in PEI he found a pair of 503's on discount for $200 cdn, and got them, and they managed to pull through for the rest of the year

[Brandonov22 0]

If you're talking $200 cnd or roughly $140-150 USD, the 503's are good. BUt from what I've seen there isn't much durability in the boot. The skates that I've seen have been torn apart and have lost their stiffness. For around $250 USD you could get a pair of Bauer 6000's in a EE width. That skate is durable and actually has some technology in it. I'm sorry if I come off bashing Graf, but I've had so many problems with them that I think you can find better ways to spend on skates. Just my two cents though.

[Lemieux 58]

Thanks for the comments so far!

The more I think about the 503's, the more I feel uneasy about the durability.

BTW, I'm going to purchase my skates from my LHS: United Cycle's skate line-up. I decided that I could probably invest a bit more money into my skates so I tried the Supreme 6000's and the Graf 609's. (In both cases, they are $40 CND than the 503's.) The 6000's felt a bit tight around my forefoot whereas the 609's fit a lot better. It turns out that my feet have a lot of volume and the person who fitted me said that the 609's would be my best bet since they are one of the deepest fitting boots.

So, at the risk of contradicting the title of the post, are there any comments about the 609's? Any suggestions for deep fitting skates?

[echi24 1]

If your in toronto, national has ALOT of skates on sale, V12s, Easton Z-Air and Airs - those are doorcrashers so if you cant find those in your size they have bauer 6000s for 220 cdn i think and bauer 4000s for under 200....they dont carry graf though

i played a year of minor bantam AA hockey with 503s, never had a problem, but im not too hard on my skates, im around you size too, just a bit taller and skinner ;o

[asdfa 0]

wow, that's a great deal for the 6000's, i definately recommend them for a try. they're around $400 cdn at my LHS, so 220 cdn is definately a good deal, and they're very nice skates, tho not top of the line

[Lemieux 58]

If your in toronto, national has ALOT of skates on sale

Thanks for the suggestion, echi24, but I'm not in Toronto! I'm in Edmonton.

Does anyone have comments about the 609's?

[kosydar 0]

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/index.php?showtopic=371

[echi24 1]

i believe national is having the sale canada wide? or is national only in ontario?

[Lemieux 58]

Nice catch, kosydar! I only remembered high-end skates in the Review section...whoops! :o

echi24, I think National is only in Ontario: I have not heard of it around Edmonton.

[flaming_june 2]

man i got the bauer 6000 and i don't like them at all

[Lemieux 58]

man i got the bauer 6000 and i don't like them at all

Would you care to elaborate on why you don't like them?