Easton Mako Skates

[chippa13 1844]

I am a firm believer in profiling new steel to guarantee they are well matched, even if I'm not having the radius or pitch changed.

[mojo122 535]

The Mako comes with a 9' radius. Chippa is right in that profiling them will assure that you have matched runners in terms of radius. Also, not everyone is skating on a 9' radius.

[smcgreg 81]

The Mako comes with a 9' radius. Chippa is right in that profiling them will assure that you have matched runners in terms of radius. Also, not everyone is skating on a 9' radius.

Thanks for that info. My Tones are a 10.5 ft radius, So, that's another factor to consider. I had thought about going to a smaller radius anyway, so, we'll see how it goes. I hadn't considered making sure they are matched though. I would hope they would be, but I know that's an assumption that isn't always justifiable.

Thanks

[slapshotz44 0]

I tried out a pair of demos from the store I work at for games a few nights in a row. AMAZING skates!!! I've owned 2 pairs of APXs, 11Ks, one95s, X60's, and others and the Mako skates blow them all right out of the rink IMO. Before molding there were a few hot spots, but after molding it felt more comfortable than any skate I've ever tried on or worn on the ice. I was adjusted after a 5 minute warm up and though some of my teammates were skeptical about trying some new skates in the beer league playoffs , they were glad I did! They are as advertised and live up to the hype. I could feel my leg muscles working a ton more, hence "natural movement" and I was generating a ton more power especially when turning. My own pair won't be here for another week so until then I'm going to keep wheeling the demo skates. Try them out first if you can, but wow..Easton and Cruikshank have really done a tremendous job with these skates.

[smcgreg 81]

I hate these F'in skates! Anybody want a pair?

[mjpisat 36]

Why

[smcgreg 81]

I hate these F'in skates! Anybody want a pair?

OK, now seriously.... I'm trying to be level headed, but I am very much in love with these. They do live up to the hype for me.

[smcgreg 81]

Why

I was kidding. My follow up indicates my real feelings. Granted, it did take me a good 15 min to fall in love with them. Here are some other thoughts.

1) After baking in the store, they did feel friggin awesome. I wanted to wear them to bed they were so comfy. After cooling though, they are very very stiff, hard skates. I had them baked wearing stocking like thin socks, so, that's what I wore when I first stepped on the ice. There were a number of places though where they were kind of digging into my feet. So, the comfy feeling immediate after baking is a bit misleading.

2) In particular, not sure if anybody else mentioned this, but the heel sinks so far into the back of the skate, that simply walking from the locker room to the ice was killing my achilles tendon. On the ice it's not as bad since once you flex at the knees and ankles it goes away a bit, but holy cow, after two trips to the locker room, I felt like I should crawl. I was seriously concerned about tendinitis, even on the ice until I made some tweaks.

3) I have a particular issue with all of my skates that I've addressed in the "heel lock" thread. That being, that something about my right foot puts too much pressure on the inside edge and makes it difficult to effectively use my outside edge. I have fixed this in my Tones by getting Stable 26 socks and putting the pad on the inside of the heel, which pushes my heel farther outside and balances the pressure more effectively. I was honestly hoping this issue would not be present in the Makos because the Stable 26s are kind of a PITA at times. They need to be positioned "just so" or they are very uncomfortable. So, I started out skating in a traditional stocking thick sock like the one I had them baked in. Anyway..... after about 10 min I realized the issue was still there (inside vs outside edge) in the Makos. NOt as bad as in my Tones, but still there. So, I went in and put my Stable 26s on that foot. Went back out on the ice and..... VOILA!!!! perfect!!! This actually alleviated the achilles issue somewhat as well since the Stables are a wee bit thicker than the other socks. After skating a few more min, I was getting concerned about my achilles on the left and thought that the right felt so good that I threw on my other Stable sock and ..... Ding ding ding.... we have a winner! Both skates feel perfect. This was a bit surprising to me though because..... i) I have an E foot and got a D pair of Makos knowing they would open up. Even so, there is enough negative space in the heel as to allow me to put on a thicker sock with heel inserts and improve the heel lock. This was unexpected. It's ok for me, because since I need the heel alignment anyway, it allows me to use that thicker sock and insert without discomfort. Just surprising I guess.

4) Performance wise.. ... WOW! Turning radius... holy crap! Well, as I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, my Tone's are 10.5 ft radius and I had been consdidering going to a 9-9.5 ft, so, was it simply the radius? I dunno, but damn.... they turn on a dime. Acceleration.... well, that's what they were designed for, so, I'd expect them to perform. I was very surprised though that the pitch didn't bother me at all? After I sorted out my sock/heel alignment issue, I felt like I had been skating on them for years. They simply felt awesome.

5) Caveat to 4) I was at a sticks and pucks, so, who knows how well I will actually accelerate relative to others? Will I be faster? Still, the other aspects of performance (e.g. turning, agility) were night and day compared to my Tones, so, I expect the performance will translate in a game situation. That being said, although I wanted to hold back since I have 7 games in the ntext 7 days, and today I was supposed to be off to rest from the previous week's efforts, I ended up skating pretty hard 'cuz I was having so much fun. Still, afterwards, my legs didnt' feel tired? Usually after a hard skate, I can feel the various muscles that I need to use to "get going". My guess is that since they are built for acceleration, I don't need those as much, so, not as tired. Again, games will tell.

6) Negatives... after I sorted the sock issues out, I am less concerned about the achilles. The skates fit awesome after that, and even walking back to the locker room it wasn't so bad as before. So, I think there was actually a bit of heel slippage with the thinner sock. Other than that, in another review that was less than glowing, the guy mentioned the steel or holder "clicking" when he walked. I noticed this too, and wonder what the heck is the deal. I'm hesitant to tighten the bolts too much. Anybody know what the deal is with that sound (that is if anybody read this far)?

7) One more thing I forgot. In my Tones I use a Sidas footbed. Not the Graf one, but a ski version, but essentially the same thing. Anyway, I have a high arch and I cannot skate in any other skate without that footbed. That is, until now. Is the Mako footbed as comfy as my Sidas? Not quite, but damn close. I wonder if another bake might even make it equal. So, people who balk at the price, I am saving money (relative to another skate) because for a Tone, you have a retail price of $800 + a $150 footbed. Granted, I didn't pay retail, but still... All in all, after only one sticks and pucks, they are more comfortable than the other most comfortable skate I have worn with an extra footbed, and there was very little adaptation necessary. If it weren't for the heel alignment issue (and possibly the achilles rubbing), I could have played a game and probably played better than ever. First one is tomorrow and I'm wearing these with high expectations.

That's about it for now. I'll likely follow up after a game or two with real performance impressions.

[Chadd 916]

Just got home from playing 4 tournament games in 48 hours or so in my Makos and am absolutely loving them. I will update my review tonight or tomorrow with more in dept information but when sharpening these skates you absolutely need to use more passes or pressure.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Is it just me or is the holder and issue for measuring for the profile? It seems to have a dip in the middle. I thought it was a bad pair but just did another pair and the same thing.

Thoughts?

[smcgreg 81]

Just got home from playing 4 tournament games in 48 hours or so in my Makos and am absolutely loving them. I will update my review tonight or tomorrow with more in dept information but when sharpening these skates you absolutely need to use more passes or pressure.

Chadd, do you have the clicking when you walk in them? If so, any idea what's the deal?

[IniNew 53]

Chadd, do you have the clicking when you walk in them? If so, any idea what's the deal?

I had clicking in both skates from the runners. I loosened the bolts slightly, stepped down, and then re-tightened them. Click went away.

[Chadd 916]

Not that I noticed. Usually that's a sign of steel being loose, either the screws or in the holder itself.

I had clicking in both skates from the runners. I loosened the bolts slightly, stepped down, and then re-tightened them. Click went away.

that's a good way to fix either potential cause of noise.

[flyers10 57]

No clicking on mine.

[flyguy1 1]

Any issues with lace bite on instep? I'm pretty sure I will fail pencil test there too, and not sure I want to dump $800 on a pair of skates that failed the pencil test on instep.

[mjpisat 36]

Stand by. I failed also by a little and 3 hours on them no lace bite

[camhockey16 5]

i just got these last weekend and i cant say anything negative so far - the only thing im wondering is what a shot to the ankle is going to feel like..

i skated on them for a couple of hours and didnt have any pain at all - i know it's still early to make a judgement but im really impressed so far

Edited April 8, 2013 by camhockey16

[danno25nh 3]

i just got these last weekend and i cant say anything negative so far - the only thing im wondering is what a shot to the ankle is going to feel like..

i skated on them for a couple of hours and didnt have any pain at all - i know it's still early to make a judgement but im really impressed so far

The ankle shot I took was kind of a freak shot, didn't hurt but broke the tendon guard attachment. I suspect that's a very odd occurrence.

[kenneth 5]

Any issues with lace bite on instep? I'm pretty sure I will fail pencil test there too, and not sure I want to dump $800 on a pair of skates that failed the pencil test on instep.

Chad based on that pic he posted showed he would of failed the pencil test by quite a bit. i'm waiting for his longer term review before i jump in too.

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

i just got these last weekend and i cant say anything negative so far - the only thing im wondering is what a shot to the ankle is going to feel like..

i skated on them for a couple of hours and didnt have any pain at all - i know it's still early to make a judgement but im really impressed so far

I block quite a good number of shots, on purpose, shots off the tongue hurt very little. A solid shot to the side of the foot stings initially (as it should), but goes away quick. No issue so far for me.

[Chadd 916]

i just got these last weekend and i cant say anything negative so far - the only thing im wondering is what a shot to the ankle is going to feel like..

i skated on them for a couple of hours and didnt have any pain at all - i know it's still early to make a judgement but im really impressed so far

I don't know about the ankle but I took one right in the arch last week. It stung, but no pain or issues come morning.

Any issues with lace bite on instep? I'm pretty sure I will fail pencil test there too, and not sure I want to dump $800 on a pair of skates that failed the pencil test on instep.

No problems for me at all so far. I've been very impressed with the fit and feel after baking.

[kenneth 5]

Chad whenever you have free time, can you upload an updated pic of the instep after baking compared to the pre-baked you have on the LTR thread? thanks :)

[mjpisat 36]

First league game in them last night. I was asked if I was wearing my wife's skates. I ended up scoring a natural hattie. I would never say its the equipment but I felt great out there. Stable and no pain.

[fatwabbit 93]

Promote yourself another trip over here.

Wont happen. Apparently I'm supposed to be 'promoted' to another role that would cut my pay by 20%

I must admit that I'm really intrigued by this skate. Just went to the LHS, and their highest end skate was the lowest end Bauer supreme. "Mako, you mean the shark? Never heard of the skate?"

Edited April 9, 2013 by fatwabbit

[tekst 0]

^Lol, the joys of living in Australia and playing ice hockey eh?