How do I narrow the heel of skate?

[fvecc 0]

Hey guys, anyone know how to help with a skate that's a little loose in the heel? I bought a pair of Graf 709s. They fit pretty well except they're a little roomy in the heel area. My heel doesn't appear to be lifting off the foot bed yet but it just would like the lock to be a little tighter. Anyone have any advice? I've heard that some people bake the skates and then squeeze the Achilles area to narrow. Has anyone tried this and how did it work out?

Just to clear up the original post above, I tried on several different brands of skates at my LHS as well as several different models of Grafs. The gentleman who assisted me indicated that I had a wide foot with a deep instep and an average sized & fairly straight heel. The only model therefore that could accomodate my foot shape were the 709s. The 705s in Wide width felt ok in the heel and forefoot but my instep was out of the boot. The 709s in a Regular Width fit my forefoot and instep perfectly. And while the ankle/heel felt a little roomy, overall the skate felt better than any other that I've ever tried on. During during my first skate, I skated in a pickup game for two hours. No pain and no blisters. My heel never lifted off the footbed. So I don't think sizing is the problem and I don't think another model skate would fit any better, unless I purchased a custom skate. I was just wondering what could be done, if anything, to maybe increase the heel lock a little. Thanks to Davetronz and Rubo for the constructive advice.

[Davetronz 109]

Well, yeah, you can bake them, and apply pressure to each side of the outside of the heel, but in my experience that doesn't really do much. Over time the skate returns to its former shape with use.

I hate to say it, but you might be out of luck as far as the skate is concerned - wrong size. You might have had more success in a Graf with a medium heel. Your problem might also be ankle shape - if your ankle is pronounced, you might have better luck with a model with some shape to the ankle.

Aside from getting a properly fitting skate, there's some suggestions to help with the lock. Most of the guys on here don't agree with these methods/products, but I'll list them for you to evaluate on your own. I am not going to endorse any of them - reference only:

- Stable 26 hockey sock with inserts http://www.stable26.com/

- Ezeefit anklebooties http://www.ezeefitsports.com/

- Yellow superfeet http://www.superfeet.com/ (probably won't be too effective with lock - but could help with an overall better fit)

Good luck!

[hockeymass 11]

The best thing to do is return them and make sure your skates fit before leaving the store instead of making them fit later.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

The best thing to do is return them and make sure your skates fit before leaving the store instead of making them fit later.

I didn't think most places would take them back after theyve been baked/sharpened/skated on...

[hockeymass 11]

I didn't think most places would take them back after theyve been baked/sharpened/skated on...

The OP didn't mention that they had.

[theflash0000 0]

A good cobbler can beef up the ankle padding underneath the liner to take up some negative space. Shouldn't be very expensive either.