Easton Mako Skates

[z1ggy 81]

Agreed 100%. However, I'd be more liable to think the reason they might not stretch at all/very well is having a non traditional design, ie not a dedicated outsole. My Vapors with a carbon fiber outsole stretched okay, then again, it's a totally different skate and design.

Why not just call up Easton and ask? Jimmy or JR might not respond to this thread right away unless notified.

[iammerson 19]

Agreed 100%. However, I'd be more liable to think the reason they might not stretch at all/very well is having a non traditional design, ie not a dedicated outsole. My Vapors with a carbon fiber outsole stretched okay, then again, it's a totally different skate and design.

Why not just call up Easton and ask? Jimmy or JR might not respond to this thread right away unless notified.

Hey ziggy I can just tell you from my experience as not only working at a proshop but also a happy owner of the mako 2 that you shoul go the half size up where they feel a little bigger. That's what I did and it was the correct choice. A friend of mine also got these skates and did not opt for that extra half size and needless to say he is not enjoying the skates the way I am and has switched back to his old wheels

[leafs88 1]

Thanks for all the responses. I guess what I was getting at was I tried on a Mako M8 in a 6.5D and it felt the same as an original Mako in a 7D. Has anyone moved from the old skates to the new and found that the sizing was a bit bigger?

With the 6D in the original Mako I actually could not feel the front once I bent my knees a bit into a skating position. My toe was touching more than I am used to though when standing, but I guess the actual skating position would be more important

[z1ggy 81]

@iammerson - I own them as well. My 2nd toe hits the toe cap (it's long) and for me, I am fine with that. I have a pair of roller hockey skates where none of my toes really touch, and it drives me nuts. For me, I like having a little bit of contact with the front... It's all personal preference. It's impossible for us to tell the OP which size is right for him. Only he can figure that out. My advice was just simply that if the skate can indeed be stretched as a normal skate can, than if I was between a 6 and 6.5, I'd go with the 6 and stretch it. But that is just what I would personally do.

And OP I have never tried on original Makos, but I tried on M8's and M II's, and they fit exactly the same (to me).

Edited February 26, 2015 by z1ggy

[smcgreg 81]

Thanks for all the responses. I guess what I was getting at was I tried on a Mako M8 in a 6.5D and it felt the same as an original Mako in a 7D. Has anyone moved from the old skates to the new and found that the sizing was a bit bigger?

With the 6D in the original Mako I actually could not feel the front once I bent my knees a bit into a skating position. My toe was touching more than I am used to though when standing, but I guess the actual skating position would be more important

I had 6.5D in the original and got a 6.5 D in warranty replacement. They fit exactly the same.

[AfftonDad 88]

Thanks for all the responses. I guess what I was getting at was I tried on a Mako M8 in a 6.5D and it felt the same as an original Mako in a 7D. Has anyone moved from the old skates to the new and found that the sizing was a bit bigger?

I tried on two different pairs in the SAME size of Mako 2 and one pair felt bigger than the other. I suspect that one of them had already been baked and the other hadn't.

[hergs 7]

anyone know what the holder size is on a 10.5d on the MAKO 1's? is it 288mm?

[gogovs 10]

anyone know what the holder size is on a 10.5d on the MAKO 1's? is it 288mm?

It should be.

[louierev07 31]

@smcgreg ....could you please post some pics of the t-nut's'n screws itself and mounted on the holder/skate !! thx

to anyone who is interested, here is how I do the t-nut and bolt system:

[ulf 5]

has anybody stretched their mako's to make them 1/2 size larger?

can this even be done?

[sticktime 12]

Out of the box are the Mako 2's a 9 or 10 ft. radius?

If I want the same feel as my supreme 190's that have a +2 pitch any suggestions on how to get blade profiled? Or put the Tuuk and +2 blade on the Mako?

[louierev07 31]

Out of the box are the Mako 2's a 9 or 10 ft. radius?

If I want the same feel as my supreme 190's that have a +2 pitch any suggestions on how to get blade profiled? Or put the Tuuk and +2 blade on the Mako?

I think ive said it before on here, but if you want the exact same feel as your bauer's, just switch the cxn out for a tuuk. Even after profiling your not guaranteed the same, as the shape of the heel/toe, height, and whatever else might be different.

Its not gonna cost that much more and I think theres a much better chance of you liking it.

[sticktime 12]

As for fit my issues were -

Right foot second toe was hitting end of boot causing some tenderness that wouldn't subside. Could deall with it though.

Left foot outside of little toe developed a bump. Had them punched out and it alleviated it a little bit.

Left inside ankle bone was bruising when doing crossovers to left. The hard section right behind the eyelet was pressing on ankle bone. Had them punched out here and again it helped a little but still an issue.

So, due to these issues I switched to Supreme 190's.

Always missed the fit around the entire foot, you guys know what I'm talking about. The Supremes just have too much negative space in comparison.

So now my experiment is switching out the footbed in the Mako with those basically paper thin insoles you can buy at any supermarket or pharmacy. Haven't skated yet but laced up walking around my gameroom they definitely gave me the feeling of slightly more room for the toe issues.

Hoping the ankle bone issue will be sorted too. If not I'm going to use either the Bunga Maleolar sleeve with the gel disc they sell separately and stick to my ankle. I think they're the same discs whether in the sleeve or on their own.

I so much miss the fit of these damn boots. I had my Supreme blade profiled to a +2 to give me the pitch of the Makos, but there's nothing like the fit! I'm going to make them work however i can, damn it!

[Chadd 916]

I think ive said it before on here, but if you want the exact same feel as your bauer's, just switch the cxn out for a tuuk. Even after profiling your not guaranteed the same, as the shape of the heel/toe, height, and whatever else might be different.

Its not gonna cost that much more and I think theres a much better chance of you liking it.

I disagree. I think trying the skates out of the box and adapting them from there is a much better idea. The boot is different, using the same specs on the holder is not going to feel the same.

[louierev07 31]

I disagree. I think trying the skates out of the box and adapting them from there is a much better idea. The boot is different, using the same specs on the holder is not going to feel the same.

Well I definitely agree that adapting to the stock pitch (cxn holder/blade) without changing anything is ideal.

But if you want the same pitch/blade shape as your last skates, why not just swap the holder? Less variables to control if you do it that way.

I personally love the mako pitch, and was considering getting my bauers profiled to be pitched forward when I had to use them as backups while my makos were getting warrantied. It was much easier to just swap the holder out that try to get the tuuk to match by profiling - which might have ended up not ideal. This is the same concept but favoring tuuk over cxn.

The only real difference in the boot for me is a better fit and much more mobility because of the tenon guard.

Edited March 14, 2015 by louierev07

[mjpisat 36]

Are these mako bumps? On the outside of both legs a little above the ankle bone I have round sores. It's gotta be the eyelets. It didn't happen in my mako 1's until a few months in. I sold them and bought mako 2's. They were fine at first too but now it's happening. I was under the impression that mako bumps happened further up the leg toward the very top of the boot. This lines up perfectly with one of the eyelets. Is this from the way I skate? Can't figure it out.

[mc88 160]

Just bought a pair of Mako II's! Woot. Can't wait to try them out and see how they stack up against my VHs.

Edited March 19, 2015 by mc88

[mc88 160]

For those that are interested... an honest comparison between custom VH vs. Mako skates (I tried not turning this into a skate review, but more of a "Which is better when compared to each other" spiel)

Fit:

VH over Mako mainly due to the simple fact that it's custom to the foot. I found that the VH boot fits like a sock, while the Mako kind of feels like a soft pillow stuffed in a hard shell (basically eliminating negative spaces with extra padded material). Out of the box, the Mako felt really nice, but I'm having some issues with my right inside ankle bone. It seems like the interior padding has some wavy type pattern that creates an odd rubbing underneath the lateral malleolus. I'm going to try to roll/punch it out and hopefully that'll alleviate the rubbing. Meanwhile, left boot feels great... no problems. I have to admit, the Mako has a pretty damn good fit for a non-custom, retail skate.

Construction & Appearance:

Mako over the VH. The Mako feels stiffer than VH skates. The Mako looks very clean and sleek--clean sewing lines and very little if any sign of glued down parts--with some nice touches, like the fact that they covered the toe with some plastic, versus my bare VH carbon toeboxes. It also has a really, really, nice felt tongue that has some good lace-bite protection and I like that Easton offered coated eyelets to prevent rusting. The biggest downside to the Mako skate is the insole, which I felt lacked basic comfort, support, and insulation (the breathability was great, but perhaps too good... my feet froze!).

When I first got my VHs, I was admittedly bummed out that it looked a little sloppy. From glue streaks across the boot, to unglued down clarino bits, to some shaky sewing lines... I think it just lacked the finesse for a final product. The biggest downside to the VH skate is the Velcro'd tongue. While it's a great idea from VH that offers tons of adjustability and customization (if you don't like the tongue, then you can swap it out, or if you want to dry the boot, take the tongues out...etc), I don't think it was the best design choice for long term usage -- once the Velcro on the tongue is shot, it won't stick nor stay in position. Also, similar the Mako, the VH insole lacks support and comfort. It seems like both boots would benefit from custom insoles.

Feel/Weight:

VH over Easton. Even though the Mako weighs 890 grams versus VH's 930 grams, I think it all comes down to the feel of the holder. The CXN holder feels like a brick underneath my boot: heavy and very sluggish. I think if I swapped out the CXN for the TUUK LS2/Edge holder, the Mako would win hands down.

Pitch:

Equal. Neither VH nor the Mako offered a more aggressive pitch out of the box. In fact, in both skates, I had to skip the top eyelet to achieve a maximum forward stride. When I switched from my VH's to Mako's, they pretty much felt similar, so I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to switch between the two.

Mobility:

Mako over the VH by a slim margin. The way the boot has the asymmetrical design really does allow you to take tight turns without feeling the boot edge digging into your ankle. Also, the super flexible tendon guard allows a much fuller range of motion by not hindering anterior to posterior movement.

Intangibles:

VH over Mako. What it all comes down is... how does it feel on your feet for hours. I could wear my VH's for hours before I'd feel some pain. Whereas after an hour in Makos, my feet froze, the bottom of my feet felt sore, I got some rubbing on my right big toe and left pinky toe, and my right ankle really, really hurt after about 2 hours! The Makos need more fine tuning, but unfortunately, no matter how many tweaks... I think they just won't fit/feel quite as good as a pair custom VH's .

Either way, the Mako is a great boot that I'd highly recommend to those who want a non-custom, form-fitting boot that, in my opinion, beats anything put out by Bauer, CCM/RBK, and Graf.

Edited March 30, 2015 by mc88

[louierev07 31]

Feel/Weight:

VH over Easton. Even though the Mako weighs 890 grams versus VH's 930 grams, I think it all comes down to the feel of the holder. The CXN holder feels like a brick underneath my boot: heavy and very sluggish. I think if I swapped out the CXN for the TUUK LS2/Edge holder, the Mako would win hands down.

Pitch:

Equal. Neither VH nor the Mako offered a more aggressive pitch out of the box. In fact, in both skates, I had to skip the top eyelet to achieve a maximum forward stride. When I switched from my VH's to Mako's, they pretty much felt similar, so I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to switch between the two.

Im very interested in how the cxn compares to the tuuk. Im my experience since switching to vapor/tuuk to mako/cxn, I thought that the aggressive stance of the cxn is what made me seem faster on the makos, and what made my speed out of the gate faster since I was already in a forward stance. I thought the only real difference bewteen cxn and tuuk was height,pitch, and blade shape, but maybe im wrong.

In the last few months though Ive worried that my skating overall hasnt been as good as it once was. This could definitely be due to the fact that I dont play as much as I once did, but sometimes I wonder.

I tried skating on Bauer/tuuk one time since switch to makos and I felt way back on my heels. Could have just been a fluke, but either way this week I think im gonna try out putting tuuk on my mako to see if I like it any better.

[mc88 160]

Im very interested in how the cxn compares to the tuuk. Im my experience since switching to vapor/tuuk to mako/cxn, I thought that the aggressive stance of the cxn is what made me seem faster on the makos, and what made my speed out of the gate faster since I was already in a forward stance. I thought the only real difference bewteen cxn and tuuk was height,pitch, and blade shape, but maybe im wrong.

In the last few months though Ive worried that my skating overall hasnt been as good as it once was. This could definitely be due to the fact that I dont play as much as I once did, but sometimes I wonder.

I tried skating on Bauer/tuuk one time since switch to makos and I felt way back on my heels. Could have just been a fluke, but either way this week I think im gonna try out putting tuuk on my mako to see if I like it any better.

I should note that the VH has an aggressively forward pitched boot as well as my Step Steel runners are custom profiled for a 8/12" radius and a slight aggressive forward pitch (so, out of the box, the VH would feel a tiny bit more neutral due to the unprofiled steel).

[Cosmic 178]

I always thought VH was lighter than Mako/ Mako II. I recall when VH first launched people were saying something like 680 grams (I cannot recall for which size boot, of course this is crucial when comparing skate weights).

Funny observation about your feet getting cold. I only skated once in a legit rink with my Mako IIs (the IceHouse in Pasadena), and my feet were freezing. I play in SE Asia in rinks that masquerage as zoos, in open malls for all the spectators and passers-by to see the animals (us), so it gets relentlessly hot. My feet and skates somehow stay relatively dry (may be the 37.5 socks too), but the rest of me, especially my upper body, ends up drenched in sweat (even tho I have 37.5 shirt).

Edited March 30, 2015 by Cosmic

[DEATHTRON 19]

That stated weight for the VH was boot only.

Zach

[Larry54 243]

That stated weight for the VH was boot only.

Zach

No, that was for the whole skate with an LS2 holder but it was a size 6.

[syinx 139]

I always thought VH was lighter than Mako/ Mako II. I recall when VH first launched people were saying something like 680 grams (I cannot recall for which size boot, of course this is crucial when comparing skate weights).

Funny observation about your feet getting cold. I only skated once in a legit rink with my Mako IIs (the IceHouse in Pasadena), and my feet were freezing. I play in SE Asia in rinks that masquerage as zoos, in open malls for all the spectators and passers-by to see the animals (us), so it gets relentlessly hot. My feet and skates somehow stay relatively dry (may be the 37.5 socks too), but the rest of me, especially my upper body, ends up drenched in sweat (even tho I have 37.5 shirt).

I noticed the same thing when I wore my Makos/Mako 2s. My feet definitely felt chilly and my skates always came off feeling quite cool.

[mjpisat 36]

My feet are always cold in mako 2's. Can't tell if they are actually cold or its circulation. I don't feel I tie them too tight and I don't get the pins/needles feeling like when circulation is cut off. They just feel cold.