graf 707's for a beginner

[hockeyphan 1]

whats up guys? new user to the forum here..... i began skating about a month and a half ago.... i had skated before many times ... and played abunch of roller hockey...

fastfoward .... to about 5-6 weeks ago.... I bought a pair of bauer3000 supremes .... on their last legs.... very little blade left.... bought them to just get into "the game".....

i ended up picking up a used pair of Graf 707 supras. for super cheap ... ($50)..... they are in really good shape....

I skated with them today and everything felt pretty good... with more blade on them i was stopping much sharper and turning much better......

Ive read a ton of reviews saying these are "expert" skates.... and not for the "weak ankled" .... did i screw myself over buying these? they feel fine and im skating in them even better than the 3000s (the bauers definately have way more ankle support)

help a newbie from thinking too much and let me know I made a good move grabbing these cheap???

thanks

[nyr33 0]

i dont think getting a higher end skate that doesnt match your skill level will hurt anything but your wallet. Since you got them cheap, they seem to fit i woldnt worry about it. The only reason people say high end skates arent for beginners is because they are very stiff and it takes a strong skater to get all of the benefits out of them

[hockeyphan 1]

yeah i see that point. I originally was going to buy either the CCM U+06s or bauer supreme one60s.

i wasnt planning on doing anything really with them per to say .... I bought them so im sort of stuck with them. but i just wanted peoples insight if it was just a idiotic thing to try to do. id like to stick them out till the summer time and ill buy a new moldable skate when the funds are alittle more friendly

[nyr386 0]

If you like them then dont worry about it. I have been wearing 707s for over 10 years now, in my opinion they are an amazing skate. Nice and stiff lower with unlimited ankle flexion, I dont even lace them up all the way, thats how much I like the flexibility. They will teach you how to skate properly with a good knee bend over time. As long as you can get used to the lack of ankle support then keep wearing them, who's to say you cant wear them because they're an "expert" skate. Good luck.

Btw, when you do go to purchase a newer style skate, none of them will feel half as comfortable after wearing a pair of broken in Grafs. Everything else feels like a ski boot.

[hockeyphan 1]

yeah these are in realy good shape .. and first thing i thought when i slipped them on was ... wow these are comfterable ! im wondering... are you able to bake these ??? they seem broken in.... im thinking about putting a new set of graf footbeds in them actually . they came with no footbeds... ? but i put the footbeds out of my 3000s in them and they felt fine even though they look very worn.

[wetwilly17 6]

they can be baked, but why bake them if they already feel good?

[cooperalls 4]

The 707 tends to be love-them-or-hate-them skates. Some people love the mobility when they flex forward, others hate it. If they fit your foot, you like the mobility and you got a good deal on them, there's nothing wrong with using them no matter what your skating ability is. You definitely want some kind of footbed in them. The stock Graf footbeds aren't significantly different from the bauer ones, I would only suggest getting new ones if you are having comfort issues, in which case you could look atupgrading to the Graf step-in inserts or to Superfeet.