Easton Mako Skates

[kyleo29 58]

So ive had my makos for about 4 skates now. First two were just stick and puck, pretty chill 2 on 2 half ice games. My next two were faster leauge games and anytime i got going pretty fast i got a bad skate wobble. Not ankle wobble. Not sure if im still learning my edges in these skates or if i have a misaligned holder. Anyone else have this when switching to makos?

[Stewie 721]

8 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

It wasn't clear to me, so I'm glad it was pointed out by @flip12

Yes you are right about the price drops but there is definitely a number of people stockpiling them, who wouldn't be doing so if there was anything new on the horizon that would be a similar fit. 

there are a number of people on this board that are doing so, but lets face it, the vast majority of skate buyers aren't even aware of how the mako works etc, or even what is or whats not on the horizon, they just see that sticker price. sorry about sounding like a dick the first part of my comment, running on short sleep due to shift change and used a poor wording.

5 hours ago, mnpucker said:

So i have been waiting for my kid to grow out of his Mako 2's he grew 3" in about 3 months so I got me some brand new Mako 2s.  Pretty jazzed to try them out, my only apprehension was the protective level.

I play D so I take a lot of pucks in the boots.  My former One95's were amazing in all aspects but one in particular was protective level.  I could take a lot in those things.  

First 2 weeks I loved the skate, I could definitely feel the agility the skate offers.  I was having problem with Heel lock but thought a quick remake would take care of that.  I lace one eye short too, just what I am used too, I went 2 short on my one 95's.  

So Tuesday my 3rd skate I took a firm saucer pass from the wide board that was intended to go cross ice crease.  Great I blocked it right? killed the opportunity right?  Frikin' KILLED Like I took a Chara blast to the ankle. If you are like me and do some blocking I suggest you get some shot blockers cut these skates have Zero protection.

that part is a huge reason why I'm probably just using the m8s I purchased for inline (or if I don't like the conversion, selling them).  I use my foot a lot, and my 50k are the best shot blocking skates ive owned to date. I'm not big on shot blockers personally so id prefer to avoid those. the makos seem very lacking in protection although I haven't even worn mine as I'm awaiting conversion and bake.

[flip12 714]

I was curious what Grant Cruikshank would wear this year. He's still got his Mako II's. Warning, huge photo. Good thing though, you get a clear shot of his skipping the top eyelet and lace locks on the third eyelets from the top.

[n3gkiwi 1]

Had to pull the trigger - just got a great deal on a pair of these.  Coming from Bauer Vapor APX's, what can I expect? In store the eyelets/flex seems much lower

[mnpucker 33]

Spend some your savings on shot blockers.

[Neal 41]

Has anybody has issues with the tongue on their M8s?  On my pair the very edge on the inside of the tongue sometimes folds over.  It isn't very noticeable at first but after some skating time it irritates the top of my foot.  Any suggestions on how I can make sure that portion of the tongue lays flat?

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

I pulled the laces and tongue out and cut some excess tongue off. It's a bit of an extreme fix but it worked for me

[Hat_Trick_Hokie 49]

15 hours ago, Buzz_LightBeer said:

I pulled the laces and tongue out and cut some excess tongue off. It's a bit of an extreme fix but it worked for me

A buddy on my team did the same to get a bit more volume

[ccarrigan 2]

Going to get some shot blockers, but the toe is bad too. Anyone know of a way to better protect the toe?!

[qmechanic 17]

Has anyone tried using Bauer Speed Plates with the Easton Mako skates?  I'm curious if they can make your skates even better. 

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

35 minutes ago, qmechanic said:

Has anyone tried using Bauer Speed Plates with the Easton Mako skates?  I'm curious if they can make your skates even better. 

I did. It was awful. The hard edges of the speed plates dig into your feet and all responsiveness and feel between the holder and your foot is gone. 

[2nhockey 21]

My daughter has Speed Plates in her Mako 2's and says there isn't enough of an improvement over stock insoles to warrant the effort. She likes them well enough to keep them in, though.

[z1ggy 81]

On 4/16/2013 at 10:14 PM, superchad said:

Looks really clean dude. I did a slightly less clean job which I will post a pic of later, but I just blacked mine out last night. I actually left the heel alone but I love the carbon fiber look, but I blacked out all the orange and silver. I did leave the quarter alone, but I might plasti dip it black like you did later on. I want to see how it holds up for now in games. I have a game tonight so I'll get a feel for what the results will be.

 

Edit: Here's mine. Bit of glare due to the lighting. Also shrunk the original because they were huge and that would annoy you all. 

 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2016 by z1ggy

[krisdrum 233]

Wish I had taken the chance and tried these on a few years ago when I started skating.  The shop I went to had a pair in D width, but I couldn't get my foot in.  They didn't bother to tell me how heat moldable they were or I might get them to fit if we threw them in the oven.  I get it, why mold them if you aren't walking out in them.  This shop primarily deals in Graf.  I ended up in some Vapors in a EE as the Grafs were just too much for my wallet at the time and I came to realize my foot shape needed a narrow heel and wide forefoot.

Fast forward a few years... I've picked up some Graf 535 wides, but they still aren't hitting the mark for me.  I've been regretting parting with my Vapors, despite their shortcomings.  So, I've been reading and searching through here and HM is blowing out their Mako stock, so I took the plunge and ordered some M7 EEs during the 35% off sale.  Luckily for me, I have small feet and can wear junior sizes.  I figured worst case, I'd return them and be out some shipping costs.  Seemed worth the risk.

Got them Monday night.  Tried them on and WOW.  Pre-bake a bit roomy in the heel, but not bad, nothing a bit of massage while warm shouldn't fix.  Liked the arch support, as I typically wear Superfeet and have arches that typically flatten out and cause pain.  A bit long in the length, but compared the insoles to my Grafs and only a 2mm difference, so although I am not quite touching the toe of the boot, I am awfully close.  Contemplated going down another 1/2 size, but was too impatient after my pre-bake try-on to order another pair and wait.  Baked them myself last night.  Will try them on again tonight after work, but feel I was able to narrow/mold the heel and back of ankle enough to take any play out.  The rest of the boot felt really supportive and conforming.  Like they were made for my feet.

Will report back with more tonight, but I am super excited so far with what I am seeing/feeling, as I have struggled to find a skate that works with my weird feet.  Assuming these feel good tonight after a bit of time in them, I can see why folks are stockpiling, and may have to pick up another pair or at least spare parts.  Fingers crossed I have a winner here. 

[althoma1 574]

Most people go a half size down from Grafs to most other skates. If you ordered the same sizes your Grafs then that's likely why they're a bit long. With the prices you can grab the skates for now, you could consider ordering a half size smaller,  keeping the pair that fits better and selling the other. Then after you're sure of the best fit you can stockpile that size.

I tried both the 8EE and 8D myself (only baked the D as I didn't need to skate on them to determine they were too narrow). I might have been able to make 7.5EE work post bake, but my toes were pressed against the cap prebake (also tried that size when they were full price) and in the 8EE I can feather the caps when standing and am only just off them when in a skating position. I think a 7.75EE custom might be ideal performance wise, but I have good heel lock in the 8EE and they are comfortable - at the end of long reffing shifts I can feel the caps even when just standing. Oh, and I managed to sell the 8D pair without losing any money since they were only baked once and unsharpened. 

[krisdrum 233]

Hmm.  I mean the price is cheap enough to just order the 4.5 to try and hold off sharpening the 5 I baked.  Did I mention I had small feet?  I've actually found my Grafs fit shorter than my Vapors.  Same size.  With the Makos, same size fitting just a bit longer than the Vapors.  So, maybe I do have room to go down. 

[althoma1 574]

I don't think the Makos are actually longer than the Vapors in the same size. The Mako is just more responsive to heat than Vapors and has a more anatomical toe cap. So after a bake the Makos would've widened up where needed and the toe cap is already wide. The Vapors may be still narrow for your feet in some areas (especially the toe cap) which elongates your foot and would make the skates feel shorter than the Makos.

Either way, if you undo the top few laces and really loosen the rest and then push your foot to the front so you can feather the cap and then see how much room you have in the heel you can determine if you need to go down a half size. If you can't fit a regular pen down the back then you have the right size (for length anyway), if you can just squeeze a pen down the back then you're on the borderline between sizes and could stay where you are or go down depending on personal preference, and finally, if you can put a pen behind your heel and can move it back and forth a bit then you should definitely get a smaller size. As far as width goes you'd only know if you bake both a D and EE in the same size, but if the EE fits you with little to no negative space then it is probably OK - if you have a lot of room side to side anywhere then you could consider dropping to a D width.

Edited December 1, 2016 by althoma1

[krisdrum 233]

Cool, thanks.  Makes sense.  Agree, my old Vapors had a much narrower non-anatomical toe cap.  So I bet you are right on actual length not being different between the Mako and the Vapor.  Just feels different because of the design. 

I'll try the pen test tonight.  Assuming something like a standard Bic/Papermate or similar is the circumference we are talking about.  About as thick as a standard #2 pencil if it were round.  And I assume I should be going down the inside of the tendon guard at the peak of the heel. 

The width is spot on.  The EE is definitely the right choice there.  Nice wrap, minimal negative space along the entire length of the foot up into the toebox, pretty consistent and sufficient distance eyelet to eyelet once tied.  The only question is length. 

[althoma1 574]

Yes, a standard bic or papermate pen or #2 pencil. No thick oversized pens. With your toes brushing the cap, lean your leg forward and then place the pen behind your heel - it'll be below the tendon guard area.

It's great that you're sure about the width - that eliminates one key variable.

[ccarrigan 2]

7 hours ago, krisdrum said:

Cool, thanks.  Makes sense.  Agree, my old Vapors had a much narrower non-anatomical toe cap.  So I bet you are right on actual length not being different between the Mako and the Vapor.  Just feels different because of the design. 

I'll try the pen test tonight.  Assuming something like a standard Bic/Papermate or similar is the circumference we are talking about.  About as thick as a standard #2 pencil if it were round.  And I assume I should be going down the inside of the tendon guard at the peak of the heel. 

The width is spot on.  The EE is definitely the right choice there.  Nice wrap, minimal negative space along the entire length of the foot up into the toebox, pretty consistent and sufficient distance eyelet to eyelet once tied.  The only question is length. 

Let me know if you figure out the heel. I have problems in that area with too much room and would love a solution. Maybe a heat gun and some massaging?

[krisdrum 233]

1 hour ago, althoma1 said:

Yes, a standard bic or papermate pen or #2 pencil. No thick oversized pens. With your toes brushing the cap, lean your leg forward and then place the pen behind your heel - it'll be below the tendon guard area.

It's great that you're sure about the width - that eliminates one key variable.

Pen/pencil test done.  Able to get the pen all the way down, but with some effort and it was held there with slightly uncomfortable pressure.  No play front to back except the flex of the pen shaft itself.  Came back out with a bit of effort.  And that was with toes firmly against the front of the boot.  Paid a bit more attention to feathering the toe cap once laced up tonight, and standing straight, I am just barely touching.  Bend knees and it pulls me right back.  

Overall width is good, wore them for about 30 minutes around the house, standing and move with no real discomfort.  

Heel is a bit too wide, and the pocket is a bit too high, so will give it a bit of heat gun and massage tomorrow to see if I can narrow it a bit.  Even with that, the heel is pretty well locked in, so I don't think it will take much to sure that up a bit more.  I don't want to jump to conclusions, but things are continuing to look positive.  

A/Bed them with my Grafs and those feel like boats by comparison.  Big and clunky and excessive.  The Grafs have amazing heel lock, but that is their MO and I've worked with them a bit to get them there.  The rest of the boot is not nearly as comfortable or form fitting and feels less supportive, especially up around the ankle.

[althoma1 574]

Sounds like they fit like mine.  A half size down might be a bit too tight. If you spot heat the heel you should be able to get a better lock - you can use a tensor bandage and/or clamp to help after spot heating the area. I used a big plastic clamp to help with heel lock. It looks like a bigger version of this:

 Here's an old VH speed skate video where they use a tensor bandage:

 

[krisdrum 233]

Yeah, agree.  My assessment last night was going 1/2 size down would be too tight. 

Thanks for the video.  Have never done that method, so will give it a look.  I've used clamps PLENTY to help narrow things.  I have a super narrow heel and wide forefoot for the length of my foot, so it is pretty normal for me to need to either stretch the forefoot or clamp the heel as NO ONE makes a last that matches up exactly with my foot. 

I plan to spot heat the heels with a heat gun tonight.  Hope to not use a clamp as I've seen it do damage.  Hoping with how moldable these get with heat, I can get away with some good palm pressure or simple pinching.  We shall see how realistic that is.  Fingers crossed.

[althoma1 574]

I also have a narrow heel and super wide forefeet and when I wanted to tighten up the heels I didn't have any compression bandaids around so I spot heated carefully with a heat gun, tied around some compression socks and then used the clamp over the socks. It worked and no damage was done to my skates, but if you can do it just with a compression bandaid/and or your hands that's likely the safer way to go.

[krisdrum 233]

4 minutes ago, althoma1 said:

I also have a narrow heel and super wide forefeet and when I wanted to tighten up the heels I didn't have any compression bandaids around so I spot heated carefully with a heat gun, tied around some compression socks and then used the clamp over the socks. It worked and no damage was done to my skates, but if you can do it just with a compression bandaid/and or your hands that's likely the safer way to go.

Good to know.  I'm going to try it first just hands and see where that takes me.  Appreciate all the sage advice.