Easton Mako Skates

[Buzz_LightBeer 984]

I use stock footbeds with extra toe lifts (PP). With the flexibility of the heated boot, I wouldn't imagine your need too heavy duty of a footbed, it was described to me that the boot can mold and "act as its own orthotic" in some regards. Maybe it's in my head but the thin foodbed combined with the thin boot sole has a certain responsiveness to it on the ice.

[Krev 86]

Has anyone that owns them put in a different footbed? If so, which one and your thoughts.

Yes. Yellow superfeet; didn't work as well as I thought, went back to stock.

I use stock footbeds with extra toe lifts (PP). With the flexibility of the heated boot, I wouldn't imagine your need too heavy duty of a footbed, it was described to me that the boot can mold and "act as its own orthotic" in some regards. Maybe it's in my head but the thin foodbed combined with the thin boot sole has a certain responsiveness to it on the ice.

I agree with this 100%.

[salibandy 21]

I certainly hope some of this tech trickles down into mid-ranges skates...

[Cvwolves 0]

Any one tried or have experience with the mako skate in a junior size? Is it the same material as the adult size?

[jimmy 194]

Any one tried or have experience with the mako skate in a junior size? Is it the same material as the adult size?

At the training I went to last Thurs, Dave specifically mentioned that the stiffness level decreased in accordance with sizing, so while the juniors are made of same material, their stiffness will not be the same as the seniors.

[danno25nh 3]

3rd game on mine today. They felt really dialed in. Then a screw on tendon guard pulled loose. I taped it up and finished the game, but the female threads will need to be replaced.

Same size screw as MLX in the same spot, but much shorter. I'd recommend to Easton to put more than 4 threads into the female piece. There's a good bit of torque there.

Also for you MLX guys, I'd grab the torx driver that came with your skates. The ones that came with Mako don't fit the tendon guard screws. The ones that came with MLX do fit.

I tightened the rest though I expect I'll be sending the skates in for replacement.

I've never warrantee replaced skates before and the LHS is 4 hours drive away. Any tips?

[IPv6Freely 2100]

Call first to make sure they have a replacement pair for you. :)

[JSK81 400]

I have to admit I gave in and got myself a pair too.

First of all, everything people have said about the excellent heat moldability is true. I was very sceptical at first - especially when I tried them on unbaked - but after baking they opened up a lot and fit my feet like nothing else. I went with size 7D, the same size I wear on NXG's and I'm happy I didn't size up even when they initially felt really tight.

After first skate I had no discomfort whatsoever, they really feel like you're wearing comfortable shoes. Actually, the feeling reminds me of wearing a pair of high end snowboard boots. My arches are very high but I didn't get the feeling I needed my custom footbeds at least for now, so I'm not surprised flat footed people have had problems with the arches.

Skating with them was extremely easy and natural for me, even with the lower quarters there was no feeling of any support missing and they were very, very agile. It also felt like I could skate faster than with the NXG's. With that said, I still think you need to have some skating technique to get the most out of them; beginner skaters will likely not benefit that much from the features. The forward pitch on these skates is very noticeable, and I would guess people with straight posture and very little knee bend might have trouble adjusting to these.

I heartily suggest you let someone who really knows their thing contour these. I didn't get them sharpened at the shop I bought them from, but instead took them to a shop which offers FBV and the guy pointed out that with the pitched runner he's afraid a lot of shops with uneducated sharpeners will ruin the shape when people ask for different radiuses.

The only thing that can ruin them for me now is the durability. Time will tell how they hold up, and if Easton has defeated the durability issues I can imagine these skates will be a hugely important product for them.

[LobstaLOL 0]

irst of all, everything people have said about the excellent heat moldability is true. I was very sceptical at first - especially when I tried them on unbaked - but after baking they opened up a lot and fit my feet like nothing else. I went with size 7D, the same size I wear on NXG's and I'm happy I didn't size up even when they initially felt really tight.

After first skate I had no discomfort whatsoever, they really feel like you're wearing comfortable shoes. Actually, the feeling reminds me of wearing a pair of high end snowboard boots. My arches are very high but I didn't get the feeling I needed my custom footbeds at least for now, so I'm not surprised flat footed people have had problems with the arches.

Can you describe how tight they were and where for you? I've tried these skates 3/4 times and trying to get a feeling of choosing between the D and EE. The D pinches on the SIDES (more so the Navicular part) of my feet while walking around the store, so much it kinda hurts. Everything else other than that fits like a glove.

The EE on the other hand alleviates the pressure a lot, but leaves a bit more room in the rest of the skates that I like.

So what I'm trying to gauge is the fit before hand (pressure-wise) and how much they opened up with regards to that.

Thanks!

[beerleaguecaptain 1004]

I tried them on Monday afternoon. Very different feel then what I am used to. Much less volume and zero negative space. Tried them on barefoot because i didn't have socks and they fit fit perfectly. With socks, which I prefer, would be a problem. I can see how many guys would love them but not for me.

[JSK81 400]

They were uncomfortably tight before baking both lenght and width wise, my toes were pretty cramped. Tightest spots were in the the forefoot. After baking they fit very well without pressure points nor negative space and my toes now only lightly touch the cap.

Can you describe how tight they were and where for you? I've tried these skates 3/4 times and trying to get a feeling of choosing between the D and EE. The D pinches on the SIDES (more so the Navicular part) of my feet while walking around the store, so much it kinda hurts. Everything else other than that fits like a glove.

The EE on the other hand alleviates the pressure a lot, but leaves a bit more room in the rest of the skates that I like.

So what I'm trying to gauge is the fit before hand (pressure-wise) and how much they opened up with regards to that.

Thanks!

[tpang25 0]

tried them on at a local shop and they felt amazing because I have super narrow feet and its the perfect skate for foot. hopefully can get a pair soon. Also when I was trying on the skates I saw the tool for the skate but didnt know what it was used for. can someone answer that?

[JSK81 400]

The tool is used for the runner screws.

tried them on at a local shop and they felt amazing because I have super narrow feet and its the perfect skate for foot. hopefully can get a pair soon. Also when I was trying on the skates I saw the tool for the skate but didnt know what it was used for. can someone answer that?

[flip12 735]

I tried them on Monday afternoon. Very different feel then what I am used to. Much less volume and zero negative space. Tried them on barefoot because i didn't have socks and they fit fit perfectly. With socks, which I prefer, would be a problem. I can see how many guys would love them but not for me.

How thick are your usual skating socks? I've never liked anything but the thinnest I can get. It seems like the formability of the skate should be able to accomodate added thickness--unless there's something about the fit/feeling/materials of the skate that makes you think it wouldn't suit a sock...did you bake them when you tried them on barefoot?

[Chadd 916]

I tried them on Monday afternoon. Very different feel then what I am used to. Much less volume and zero negative space. Tried them on barefoot because i didn't have socks and they fit fit perfectly. With socks, which I prefer, would be a problem. I can see how many guys would love them but not for me.

Once you bake them, they feel completely different.

[beerleaguecaptain 1004]

How thick are your usual skating socks? I've never liked anything but the thinnest I can get. It seems like the formability of the skate should be able to accomodate added thickness--unless there's something about the fit/feeling/materials of the skate that makes you think it wouldn't suit a sock...did you bake them when you tried them on barefoot?

I use either CCM Oxy Socks or Recovery Socks. Both are pretty thin. The fit was pretty snug tho. No baking. I'm not really in the market. Just wanted to check them out while I was in Minnesota for the weekend. Probably won't see them on LI anytime soon.

Once you bake them, they feel completely different.

From reading your LTR I'd imagine they certainly to open up but that'd be quite the risk for me if I were in the market to buy.

[x-axis 44]

tried them on at a local shop and they felt amazing because I have super narrow feet and its the perfect skate for foot. hopefully can get a pair soon. Also when I was trying on the skates I saw the tool for the skate but didnt know what it was used for. can someone answer that?

What skates are you in now? I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it to try these out. I have super narrow feet as well. 703 Narrows.

[jimmy 194]

The forward pitch on these skates is very noticeable, and I would guess people with straight posture and very little knee bend might have trouble adjusting to these.

I heartily suggest you let someone who really knows their thing contour these. I didn't get them sharpened at the shop I bought them from, but instead took them to a shop which offers FBV and the guy pointed out that with the pitched runner he's afraid a lot of shops with uneducated sharpeners will ruin the shape when people ask for different radiuses.

You are absolutely correct. A perfect example is just today I received a pair in the mail with a radius order and the customer selected an aggressive pitch. Not sure if he knew these already had an aggressive pitch on them (when combined with the rear tower), but I can imagine if I radiused them with more pitch, the skater would likely be having significant problems. I emailed him and am waiting to hear back.

Edited March 27, 2013 by jimmy

[IniNew 53]

They're suppose to arrive tomorrow.

[jsykes 35]

I use either CCM Oxy Socks or Recovery Socks. Both are pretty thin. The fit was pretty snug tho. No baking. I'm not really in the market. Just wanted to check them out while I was in Minnesota for the weekend. Probably won't see them on LI anytime soon.

From reading your LTR I'd imagine they certainly to open up but that'd be quite the risk for me if I were in the market to buy.

Shop should bake them for you. These are a skate that can be baked multiple times and really needs to be baked in order for the customer to feel what they're really like. You should ask them to, at least, partially bake them for you so you have an idea of the post bake feel. If they wont, find another shop.

[beerleaguecaptain 1004]

Shop should bake them for you. These are a skate that can be baked multiple times and really needs to be baked in order for the customer to feel what they're really like. You should ask them to, at least, partially bake them for you so you have an idea of the post bake feel. If they wont, find another shop.

No worries... just wanted to try them on. Good with my Bauer's...

[flyers10 57]

Any LHS owners know about availability of buying extra tendon guards and has stock of the replacement holder and steel come in?

[All Flash 49]

See below....

Edited March 31, 2013 by All Flash

[All Flash 49]

So after 10 days and 7 games demoing the new Mako skates,

These are my thoughts;

Boot- Molding properties to gain fit is better than any other skates currently out there. It is also 2 eyelets lower cut then my current EQ50's which gives very poor energy return.

More so than my EQ50's which are not very stiff compared to most top end skates. I also have found myself more tired than I usually do after games recently with my legs also being more fatigued than per my norm. Not mention protection coverage because of said low cut skate which I found out in my third game. Got a puck right at top edge of skate just above my inside left ankle bone which for just over the last week is still affecting my entire foot. Yes, I understand it is suppose to be that low for range of motion but a skate can be higher cut and not affect ROM if it is the proper stiffness for that skater.

Holder & Steel - Leave something to be desired as the steel felt weird compared to STEP or LS2. Also whenever I checked my steel the holder was pushed up in the middle making it seemed warped or not fitting. A little pressure seem to always fix it back to normal though.

As for pitch which was suppose to be quite noticeable on these, my experience was balance seem to be in the middle of my foot with stock insoles and perfect for my stance once I put in my custom pro Graf footbeds putting me forward. In saying that though whenever bent forward to really bear down and go the curve of the toe of the steel put me on my face several times.

Intangibles - Tongue was fine when skating but took me some time to get it on right and in position because of how close the boot fit when tying my skates. Which I would be easily willing to give up for fit.

Tendon Guard - As I said before the tendon area at the back of the boot annoyingly dug into my achilles but once I was playing it was a forgotten issue.

Again would like to see tendon guards of different stiffness's for those who might be a little bigger and found it a lil' flimsy. Also a tool for the tendon guard should come with the skates, not a tool for the holders which is a standard Robertson bit.(#2 I believe)

Final conclusion - The Mako skates could definitely help with skating technique when used but true advantage over other top end skates comes down to energy return and protection IMHO.

Hope this helped.

Edited March 31, 2013 by All Flash

[jimmy 194]

Any LHS owners know about availability of buying extra tendon guards and has stock of the replacement holder and steel come in?

Not avail yet. I only have a few sizes that I traded for when doing goalie conversions. Should be soon though, within a month.