Anybody move from Grafs to another brand ?

[noupf 42]

Hey guys,

Just curious if anybody who has owned any recent model graf skates, but decided to move to another brand. If so, 1) what model graf did you have 2) model brand and model skate did you move to and why?

Here is the reason why i ask. i am waiting to hear back from graf about a problem I have with their skates. Tonight, i put on my old pair of mission ice skates, which dont fit the greatest ( they are about a size too big and an E width, but i really am a D width ), but the profile ( or fowrad lean angle ) felt like it was much easier to skate, almost like I had a better stride......and easier to accelerate. I always thought that my grafs fit great, but my stride was not the greatest for acceleration ever since I started using them. I really only have my old missions to compare them too, so i really dont know much otherwise.

I am in Graf Supra 735's.........Thoughts?

Thanks guys !!

[MyBoxersSayJoe 134]

I went from 703's to Vapor X60's to Vapor APX's. The reason I switched was because I wanted to try out some lighter skates and something with some more arch support for me, but also had a forward pitch to their boot construction. I absolutely loved that about my Grafs. I'd bought a pair of mission amp flyweights years ago, hated them because they were more neutral, gave them to a friend and went back to my 703's. I'm guessing you like a more neutral stance?

[Chadd 916]

I owned 727s and 705s and wasn't in love with either pair, though I did like the fit of the 727s. I have been in Missions or Kor pretty much ever since and couldn't be happier.

[goaliemanshark 6]

Had 709s switched to Easton's. Didn't like the pitch or steel of the Grafs. But they weren't stiff enough for me and weighed a lot. Eastons have been better for me.

[S'land9.16.7 6]

Used Graf all my life (502's, 703's and G3's) until I switched to TotalONEs when they came out. I loved my G3's until the end when I started getting some pains, so I decided to try on some other skates just for fun and boy am I happy I did that. The TotalONEs just felt so much nicer then my Grafs did. The pitch took a little getting used to but now i don't notice it at all.

[Haggerty 144]

Went from 705's to s17 to x60's (which didn't last as they didnt fit right) to EQ5's.. EQ5's fit similar not exact to the 705's also wear a size smaller in the EQ5's

[sundin13 1]

I had a pair of 703s and didn't like the toebox. Moved to Vapor XXVs and now x50s. I find the Vapors perform much better.

[acollette49 0]

had 735s and switched to s17s. the grafs weren't stiff enough or deep enough.

[raoul_duke2k 0]

I had 703s a few years ago, then switched to 9ks and it was a world of difference. The performance of modern skates just can't be beat in my opinion.

[n3gkiwi 1]

You'll likely get posts more from people that have switched from people that haven't...

I have 705's and I can't find anything wrong with them so to me they're the best skates but then again I have not used or tried on any skates in the last 3-4 years... My theory if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Maybe I'm missing out on performance like some people said above.

[krwwc6 0]

I've always had fitting issues. . . . I previously wore missions but continued to have ankle pain. I found a used pair of 707's several years ago and decided to try them out, all my pains went away in the ankle. I ended up ordering a custom pair of 707's about three years ago and haven't looked back. I absolutely love my grafs and will continue to wear them, every other skate i've worn has caused ankle swelling and severe pain.

I've got several friends that went from graf's to other skates. . . some of them liked the change, some didn't. I have two guys on my team right now wearing bauer one100's with cobra holders because they didn't like the neutral feel of tuuks

[strosedefence34 179]

i went from 301's to one 70's. I was getting lace bite and ankle pain in my grafs to the point where i couldn't skate no LHS carries grafs up here tried on some skates and the one 70's just fit. Could not be happier

[chippa13 1844]

To the OP, rather than switch skates, try tinkering with the profile and/or heel lifts to see if that gets you the lean that you want on your Grafs.

[noupf 42]

To the OP, rather than switch skates, try tinkering with the profile and/or heel lifts to see if that gets you the lean that you want on your Grafs.

I'm not really sure which type of profile my back up pair of missions have, but by what you guys are saying it is a more of "foward" profile on my grafs? Whats the bennefit of a foward vs. a neutral profile? Is it really more of a personal preference thing? I usually play D and skate a little more upright.

I skated in my missions last night in an out door pick up game just to get used to them again ( ice was very soft, so i couldnt get a great handle on the performance of the skates, but it felt easier to stride and accelerate.......but who knows ). I have a game friday and will be playhing in my back up missions too, i guess i'll have to see how I skate in that game to figure out what profile fits my skating style and stide best.

[AfftonDad 88]

I switched my son from Graf 735s (he had worn 735s through 3 size changes) to CCM Crazy Lights. I originally had him in the Grafs because he has overly flexible joints (including ankles) and I was told that the grafs would help with his over pronation. I noticed almost immediate improvement when he switched to the CCM U+CLs. I'm not trying to say that Grafs aren't great skates. I think that the CLs were just better for his particular situation (maybe they just fit better). I think I probably just stumbled onto a better overall "fit" (in the macro sense) for him.

[phunky_monkey 6]

I moved from 727's to Mission NME Nine-1's, and have found they work better for me. Having said that, I really only attribute that to the stiffness of the protective layer of the boot, and more crucially the correct sizing, including that of the toe box. My Graf's were a size too big for me despite having the perfect depth, and the toe box was too narrow. The NME's could do with a bit more depth, but the fact that my toes just scrape the end of the boot and they offer me a lot more protection as a defenseman and I wouldn't go back to that particular boot.

With that in mind, if a good deal pops up on a G75 I'll grab them as I really did enjoy the forward pitch, and it seems to have addressed the narrow toe box of the earlier series.

[PeteyPOP 0]

I went from CCM U+Pro to Graf 705 and I couldn't get used to them. Pitch was way different,felt like they didn't come up my ankles as high and they were way to soft and didn't provide me with enough support. I went back to CCM's and got U+12's.

As far as pitch, all the guys I play with run Tuuks, and they told me their is a equal Graf skate to compare to a Bauer/CCM/Easton skate.

I really like Graf skates but I'll stick with what works which is CCM.

[Leb_CRX 0]

I went from graf 609's to one95's...a fairly low end pair of graf's, to bauer's top of the line (at the time)

the reasons were mostly the graf's were getting old (about 6 years old), and I was starting to play a lot more hockey (from once a week to 3-4 times a week) so I wanted to invest in a 'high' end pair of skates, and I wanted to see what the fuss about bauer was all about...everyone told me going from the 609's (which fit perfectly), the one95's were NOT going to fit me right, but they fit me perfectly...the only issue I had was a bit of pain at the top of the boot, but that's gone now

with the one95's I had to almost re-learn to skate, due to the pitch most likely, but it took about 4-5 games before I started feeling comfortable in them...after about a month or two of owning the one95's I decided to wear the graf's at a drop in...couldn't skate with them...at all...aside from the pitch, the best analogy I can say is that the graf's felt like a big SUV with a ton of bodyroll, the one95's felt like a formula one car...the difference was mind blowing.

[qmechanic 17]

I used to wear Graf Supra 502 but it was forward pitched when I didn't like. I couldn't skate backwards very well with the aggressive forward pitch. So I switched back to Bauer. First I tried a Bauer Vapor XXV which was a half size too big for me and also too shallow a boot. Nowadays, I'm wearing the Bauer Supreme One70 in a half size smaller which fits better and also the depth is better. I think I like skating on a neutral pitch, espcially right now, I'm learning to play defenseman so I don't want a forward pitch.

[BureKovy 20]

I went from 705 to 9k/MLX, 9k felt alot lighter and just fit my foot better and the MLX fit even better so im really happy staying with them. I don't think I'd go back to graf's and the pitch wasn't hard to get used to with epros or tuuks vs. cobras.

[MyBoxersSayJoe 134]

Pitch is a preference in my opinion. I play defense, but I'm a very low skater, bend my knees a lot.

[Deerok 3]

^{_{I had G35X the most recent model.}}

^{_{The boot itself was great in regards to fit (although I would have preferred clarino lining and more ankle padding). In the end, the stiffness didn't hold up to my liking. They weren't as responsive after a while and I felt like my skating had gone down a notch. To be fair, I was skating five days a week, so that was a lot of wear and tear for the year and change I had them. Also it took me a while to get the holder set up right (came from Vapor XXX's with LS2 holders).}}

^{_{I'm now in CCM U+ CL, and really like the stiffness of the boot (stiffer than stock) and the fit. I skate barefoot and it really felt custom made after baking them. I did order them with Tuuk LS2 holders to avoid any holder issues.}}

[farhanshak 1]

I currently moved from Graf 703's 6.5 R width with tuuk LS2 and 2 mm heel lifts to 2011 CCM U+ CL's with E Pro holders and profiled to 9 feet I believe.

I loved the graf's because of the fit and heel lock it provided for my foot.

I found the CCM U+ CL fit me amazingly once I had them baked, they are a size 6D. They provided amazing fit, no empty spaces and good heel lock as well (once baked). The boot was very stiff which took some time getting used to as well as the holders. I don't really miss the Graf's too much and I think the CCM U+ CL was a great choice.

I also tried a pair of Vapor xxxx skates a few years back and didnt like them at all, but I think its just the way my foot is, nothing against the skate (they just werent meant for me i suppose).

also on a side note, I found the LS2 holders with 2mm heel lifts to be a bit less forward pitched compared to the stock Cobra holders although, I was told that would be the most similar set up.

[MyBoxersSayJoe 134]

Who else was using Grafs before the Cobra holders? Mine came with Tuuks. Probably from 1998 or so.

[ktang 34]

I had a Swiss pair of Graf 703s, with the suede quarters and with Tuuk Custom+ holders. 2000?