Advice for new skates

[The_Mystical_Mag 0]

Hi,

I am in the market for new skates, as the genius title of this thread might suggest.

I currently have a pair of '07 Mission Soldiers. They are rubbish. They took me about a year to break in even after getting them baked and have now ripped through the material at the top of the eyelet. Prior to that I had a pair of Mission MRX which were brilliant which is why I went for another pair of Missions but it seems the quality has seriously dropped and I can't be dealing with another massive break in period.

I'm inclined towards Tours but can be easily convinced to get CCM's or Bauer's with a budget of around £175 (GBP).

I don't have any extensive knowledge of what's on offer at the moment so any advice or guidance would be most appreciated.

Thank you in anticipation.

[Vet88 674]

Sadly with skates you get what you pay for and the Soldiers were rubbish (and nothing much has improved since for bottom of the line skates). As you know the size of your soldiers, you can check your foot fitting in them (no socks, laces out, foot in boot until toes touch the toe cap, how much space between your ankle and the back of the boot - if 1mm - 2mm then they are a perfect fit) and then look for a good pair of top endish, lightly used skates off eBay. Ask here for any size references as skate sizes are subtly different. With your budget you should be looking at, in recent boot skate ranges, Mission Commandeers or T8's, Bauer RX25's, Rbk 9ks, 10ks or 11ks (depending on year of model), Tour Cobalt Q's, Tour Tabus. What size are you (tell me your Soldier size and how much room there is between your ankle and the back of the boot) as I know some people selling skates that I could send your way?

[The_Mystical_Mag 0]

Thanks for your response.

My soldiers are US 10 (Euro 44). I'm confused a little by how much room there is between my ankle and the back of the boot. I'v unlaced them, pushed my toes to the cap and I have more like 2cm rather than 1-2mm, and this varies depending on the angle between my foot and shin.

[Vet88 674]

Wow, even taking into account you may be doing something not quite right, these skates are way to big for you.

After you have poked your foot into the boot, bend your ankle forward and then look down into the back of the boot (it is much easier if you get someone to help here and look for you). The bending forward is so it exposes the gap between the heel / boot and you can see it clearly. If you are someone who is growing and you can slip a pencil or pen down the back of the heel comfortably but without a lot of wiggle room then these skates are an ideal fit to grow into. The 1mm - 2mm is for someone who has stopped growing and is looking for a good fit.

So if you have a 2cm gap then these skates a 2 sizes too big for you (roughly 1cm = 1 size) and you desperately need to go down between 11/2 to 2 sizes, depending on your age and if you are still growing or not.

If you don't want to use your local lhs as a sizing store then ask your team mates what size boot they wear and try a 7 or 8 on for size, repeating the same exercise (using thin socks of course!). A soldier US10 will be a Bauer or new Mission sizing of 8.5 so you need to be in the 7 to 7.5 range (Mission sizing in these boots were different to everyone else and the new Mission sizings used today).

[The_Mystical_Mag 0]

The more I try to figure out what I'm doing wrong the more I'm feeling I was horribly misinformed when I bought these skates. I was set on Missions, thought I had an idea what size wanted, grabbed a pair, they felt good so went for 'em.

I'd say the gap is about 1.5cm.

I've looked about a bit and the sizing charts I've seen suggest a 8.5 (going off the fact I normally take a UK 9) yet what you say suggest that that will give the same size skate I have now. Would this be right?

Thanks again for your help.

[Vet88 674]

Yep, the ability of some sales people to correctly size you in skates is really bad. About the only thing they care to ask is "does it feel ok"????

Yes, you are right about the sizing. A little explanation will help as it will give you a guide if you hunt for skates off places like eBay.

Prior to 2010, Mission made their skates with a different sizing to everyone else. As a general rule the sizings were supposedly equal to your shoe size but this was at odds to everyone else whom generally made skates that you had to buy 1.5 sizes smaller than your shoe size. Bauer then purchased the company and immediately changed the sizing to be inline with other manufacturers. The last range of skates Mission made with the old sizings was the Mission Black range (in 2009). The SE range (in 2010) and now the current Axiom range (thru 2011) are all in the "new" sizings (or the old sizings as used by other manufacturers).

A 07 Mission Soldier size 10 (made prior to 2010) is equal to a new Mission skate 8.5 (made 2010 and after). This applies to Reebok, CCM, and Bauer also. The exception to this are the Bauer RX and replacement XR range, these need to be purchased 1/2 a size bigger (and don't get me started on why a manufacture chooses to make different ranges in different sizes of skates, effn crazy).

So if your current skates have a 1.5cm gap at the back of the heel then they are around 1.5 sizes to big for you. In today's skates you would be looking for a size 7 to 7.5. In a Mission skate made prior to 2010 you would be looking for a size 8.5 to size 9. If you are not able to try any skates on and you want to buy off a place like eBay then you can go for either size. The upper size will always fit but may be up to 1/2 a size too big. If you can find a top of the range boot then these can stretched by up to 1/2cm (width and length) to give you an almost perfect custom fit (which I had to do for my son's RX60's that we purchased off eBay as they were 1/2 a size to small). With your budget I'd be looking for a high end boot and accepting the fact that a little stretch "might" be needed to give you a perfect fit, it all comes down to mm's in the end.

Downside is that these type of boots in the size you want often take a while to appear, start of the season and around Dec / Jan is a good time to find them.

As to costs, for example I know someone who is selling some Mission Wicked 1's, one of the best skates Mission made in the old range, size 9. Used for 2 seasons but in excellent condition and still really stiff. He wants US$70 plus shipping. I know of another person selling Axiom T8's size 8 for US$200. These are the kind of skates your budget can get you.

ps there is a simple way to confirm this. Put a piece of A4 paper against a wall. In bare feet, put you heel against the wall and then mark where your big toe ends. Measure the length of your foot. Post it here and I can confirm the size you need based on the measurements I have.

[The_Mystical_Mag 0]

I measured my foot on paper at about 263mm.

I'll have to ask around the locker room this weekend to see what some of the boys have got and how the fit compare.

Can you tell me more about those Axiom's? I'd probably be willing to take a gamble on that size for that price.

[Vet88 674]

For a great fit you are

Size 7.5 in Rbk, CCM, Mission 2010+, Bauer (except Bauer RX and XR ranges in which you would go for a size 8).

Size 9 in Mission pre 2010

You could definitely get away with size 8's, at the very least they will be a much better fit than your current soldiers ever were. Send me a message here with your contact details (or on the inline ice warehouse forum, I use the same handle) and I'll put you in touch with the guy who is selling the T8's (the seller has a foot length of 270mm and can "just" squeeze into these but they are tight fit and he likes his skates a little loose so wears 8.5). I can help you with shipping / customs into the UK if needed.

The T8 is still a current skate from Mission, you can find plenty of details about it at places like inline warehouse. whilst it doesn't have the magnesium chassis, it is still a very good boot with quality components that will last you a long time.

[The_Mystical_Mag 0]

Got a message regarding the skates. Thanks for all your help man.