high end skates too stiff downunder?

[chrisalchin 1]

Hey guys from Sydney Australia.

I've been reading a lot of posts on here and thought I would throw a question at you that's been a sore spot for awhile now.

Ok so basically I have a really wide fore foot, EEEEEE, to be exact, a normal arch and high instep. The problem is, the pain from wear EE skates is holding back my skating something chronic.

Im currently in a pair of graf 709's wide with a plus wide to cap, and they still arnt wide enough, I have to lace my skates loose to the point my feet move around in them or they cramp up.

Now when I was a bantam/midget, I was a huge kid (5'11 200lbs @ age 15) my parents would only ever by me low budget skates, always name brands, but the bottom of the line stuff. I once had a pair of mission proto v skates (for inline) that lasted me 4 years, there was literally no support left in them, but there was enough give in the fore foot that even in a EE I never got any cramping.

Once I started buying my own skates at age 18 I started having pain, BIG pain. Most of my peers went on to play junior hockey in North America and Europe, whereas my skating went backwards.

I took a few years off and came back at age 23 and am now playing senior A grade hockey with a group of top level juniors and ex pat canadians, and my feet are soarer then ever.

I have had skates from all the top makers, bauer, easton, mission and so on, my question is, could it be feesible for someone my size (im now 5'11 210lbs) to play in a low end pair of skates.

Im thinking of puchasing a set of bauer supreme one20 or one40's, I have tried some on and the EE whilst alittle too snug for comphat, might have enough give in them so my EEEEEE wide feet don't cramp up. I did once have a set of one90's when they first came out and the fit was ok, I found the toe box sensational, but over all the skate was too stiff for me.

Is it possible that todays skates are just too damn stiff??? I mean, never in my life, wearing low end skates with no support, did i ever feel any cramping (i had to odd blister/bunyin or so on) that inhibbitied my skating?

thanks guys any light you could shed would be great.

Chris

[ZombieAttack27 1]

High end skates are always stiffer than low end skates - all over the world - because the companies assume that the high end skates are being worn by higher level players who skate more frequently. Skates all naturally break down at different rates depending on how frequently they are used. Therefore manufacturers anticipate this wear and compensate for it by making the skate stiffer out of the box. Every skate will eventually "break in", but the higher end skates will take longer. Especially if you don't skate that often. Lower end skates will break in faster but will be too flexible by the end of their life - meaning that energy will be lost during your strides due to the flex of the now floppy boot.

If I were you, playing in a mens league (I'm assuming that you don't have practice five times a week), I would go for a mid range boot that is built to last but doesn't have the stiffness of a high end skate. Try the bauer 5.0 or another brand's equivalent... I would go with RBK/CCM because their skates traditionally fit wider than most other brands. Although, I've heard that the fit of their skates has changed with recent models. You can probably get a sweet deal on some old pro tacks or 852's. I had really wide feet as a kid and those skates broke in REALLY quick, fit my feet well, and stood up to years of heavy abuse.

Good luck finding something that works for you, and always buy from your LHS. Don't make them do all the work of fitting you, and then buy online.

[chrisalchin 1]

Yeah I've got a pretty good understanding of boot construction and so on I've been involved with hockey for over 20 years and I'm on the ice every day. My question is more about weather it's possible for a full sized male to play in skates with very little support. I mean back in the 50"s and 60"s skates were more like figure skates. Is it essential that you need a stiff boot for hockey? 2 years ago I was playing with a Swedish 1st grade player whI was in vapor 20"s and he could almost pull the skates off his feet fully laced and tied up! He only laced half way up the boot and left the top 3-4 eyelets empty and he was one of the best skaters I've ever played with

[nickyb13 9]

Well Im 5'9 and weigh roughly 230lbs and I've been skating the last year using Bauer flexlite 3.0 and they are ok I'd prefere a little more support on cross overs but besides that they are fine for me.

[Cavs019 710]

Not sure if the width would work, but Graf 727s are awesome top of the line, yet softer boots. Grafs in general are going to have more give than other manufacturers for while maintaining a comparable level of craftsmanship (not without exceptions as some members will point out given the quality of some of the newer models).

[chrisalchin 1]

Yeah I'm not nessesxaryly after a less supportive skate, just something with alot more give in the sidewalls near the balls of my feet so opposed to my feet getting squashed sideways the boot flexes outwards more, hence why I'm lookIng at cheap boots like the one20"s

[phunky_monkey 6]

I too can vouch for the 727's. They are very flexible, wide in the forefoot, and are deep. I had no volume issues in them at all and I have high arches.

The downside of them for me was that the toe box is quite tight, they were actually too big for me, and they also didn't offer a lot of protection. As a defenseman I was always wary of this as the spot near the 'G' was super soft and taking a shot off of it was extremely painful. The heel lock was also no where near as good as my current NME Nine-1's either.

If you were able to find some of these they may actually be well suited to what you're after, the only concern being the toe box width. If you could get a european toe box put on then it may be ideal, though I'm sure some others can provide some further advice.

[fatwabbit 93]

IF you can try out some Graf 707, then it might work for you. I know a good friend of mine who was able to get some skate sfrom Graf Europe, and they would even produce older models for you if you wanted.

The 707 did have the more flexible ankle ... You might be able to get them to make a softer lower boot as well. In terms of protection, there's always a chance to use thos elastic ankle protectors.

[chrisalchin 1]

Actually I gotta say the toe box on my 709's as actually a big problem, mine have the extra wide toe box and it still pressures my toes, the Bauer supreme toe boxes are sensational though. Again my graf 709's lack protection

[fatwabbit 93]

Lack protection in which part. You might be able to use some ankle protectors

[chrisalchin 1]

mainly around the toe and forefoot area mate. Took one off the foot on wednesday night drop in and it was like I wasnt wearing skates at all. Big time pain. The toe box just doesnt seem to absorb the impact.

[Davetronz 109]

mainly around the toe and forefoot area mate. Took one off the foot on wednesday night drop in and it was like I wasnt wearing skates at all. Big time pain. The toe box just doesnt seem to absorb the impact.

I noticed the exact same thing with my G75s. No protection in that area (near the Graf logo).

[Vet88 674]

my son has very wide feet and I had to stretch the boots on his X60's. A couple of c clamps and some time does the trick. I have to get a cm of extra width across the forefoot so that they are comfortable on him.

Alternatively you could go to a shop that has a boot stretch machine but I found that if you are after an aggressive stretch of the boot it is better to do it yourself in small increments.

[chrisalchin 1]

my son has very wide feet and I had to stretch the boots on his X60's. A couple of c clamps and some time does the trick. I have to get a cm of extra width across the forefoot so that they are comfortable on him.

Alternatively you could go to a shop that has a boot stretch machine but I found that if you are after an aggressive stretch of the boot it is better to do it yourself in small increments.

Mate Ive always found the vapor line to be a narrow fitting skate, even the wide fittings are narrow, no chance ill ever get my feet close to that.

[phunky_monkey 6]

Have you ever tried on a Bauer Flexlite? I've not myself, but have read on here that they are very wide so may be suitable.

Again, I've got no experience with them so it's only hearsay.

[chrisalchin 1]

Yep i have had a set, but they were too small, maybe I should try another set in the correct size,,,,