Easton Mako Skates

[danc 4]

My 12 yr old just made the switch to Makos from APX2s. His Bauers were getting small so I brought him in to size up for new ones. While waiting for APXs in oven dude helping us lets him try on a pair of Makos. My son says they r extremely comfortable and wants to try them. Now i'm quite happy with his skating in his present wheels (AAA major Peewee) as he is an above average skater. Guy helping us says he has a pair he's hardly worn in my son's size he can try. We end up leaving with both pair with the understanding he won't wear new APX until he's tried the Eastons.

You know the rest of the story.

His footwork was improved within minutes and the pitch did not seem to bother him at all. He had super feet in bauers. Maybe they made the pitch feel similar. He skated twice in makos and then played a game in his old skates. He said it felt like he was skating in gravel compared to the eastons. Needless to say we've returned the new Bauers and got a smoking deal on a slightly used pair of makos. Kids happy and I saved over $600.

I think as more people give these skates a try their popularity will soar.

[Krev 86]

The new look of the Mako II skate will certainly help as well.

[louierev07 31]

I want to get these right now so badly, but I dont think its worth the risk considering the mako bump problem that will surely be addressed with the mako II's.

Ive heard the rumor that you will get a free trade up to the mako II if you have the Mako's, but all Ive heard is rumors so far. If Easton actually came out and offered this to anyone who had some problems with their current Mako's I'd probably give it a shot. So most likely, I'll be waiting until June to make the purchase.

Just a quick question to former vapor owners:

Im currently in Vapor X5.0's, and before trying on the mako's, I was pretty confident that my next pair of skates would be either the X90's or X100's until I tried the makos on. What was the main reason you chose mako's over another pair of vapors? Personally, I like the fit of my vapors, besides the toe box being a little narrow. I tried on X100's, and the toe box felt a little better, and the liner and fit were both huge upgrades over my vapors, so I would have been happy with these not knowing that the makos existed.

I tried the Mako's on a few weeks ago, and have never felt anything else like them. There was absolutely zero negative space. My only concerns are how they end up feeling when I actually skate with them. Im sure theyll feel fine, but just compared to the vapors, maybe sitting down in a store isnt the best comparison. I know they are also set up differently, which Ill have to get used to.

I know Ill get used to however they feel, but these are just the last few things I cant get out of my head before dropping $700+ on new skates. I really wish they had some 30 day try out or somewhere where you can try them out first.

Still probably gonna buy either way, but I'd just like to know what others think. Worst case scenario, if I hate them I can sell them and get vapors.

[jimmy 194]

Your post is funny, there is no "Mako Bump". If in fact it was a design problem, virtually everyone with these skates would have it. I don't and have had my Mako's since March. I pretty much sold out of the Mako's in my store and not one customer had the "bump". How come? The skate may not fit perfect on everyone, but it does fit perfect on most. Perhaps it's just a few people who post on boards. I wouldn't worry about it. And no, Easton is not taking trade-ins on the MakoII.

[chrisehyoung 14]

My local Source For Sports has demo skates for most of their higher end skates. I tried on a pair of the RBZs when they came out. I got to skate in them for a week to try before dropping $800. I'm just waiting for them to sell of their demo skates now. I'm curious now to know if they have demo Makos. I'd love to give them a go.

[shooter27 116]

I bought a pair of Mako's and they gave me the "bump" issue up at the top of the ankle like a lot of others here. Given the number of people who have had the issue I'm inclined to think there is something going on. I've heard of skates being improperly fit at a lot of different parts of the foot, but never up above the ankle, basically on the side of the shin.

Now it may not be a design flaw per se, it may be that if a Mako is made just a tiny bit out of tolerance (an amount people would normally not notice) the ankle rubbing/"bump" is a result. It also may be an issue with the heat fitting, such as people tying the top eyelet too tight during the molding - which could explain why none of Jimmy's customers have it, better instruction during heat fitting = no problem. I don't really know the reason it's happening, but it's clearly something Easton is addressing on the Mako II - as JR said in his catalog review - so there must be something happening that is not just improper fit.

[Cosmic 178]

I want to get these right now so badly, but I dont think its worth the risk considering the mako bump problem that will surely be addressed with the mako II's.

Ive heard the rumor that you will get a free trade up to the mako II if you have the Mako's, but all Ive heard is rumors so far. If Easton actually came out and offered this to anyone who had some problems with their current Mako's I'd probably give it a shot. So most likely, I'll be waiting until June to make the purchase.

Just a quick question to former vapor owners:

Im currently in Vapor X5.0's, and before trying on the mako's, I was pretty confident that my next pair of skates would be either the X90's or X100's until I tried the makos on. What was the main reason you chose mako's over another pair of vapors? Personally, I like the fit of my vapors, besides the toe box being a little narrow. I tried on X100's, and the toe box felt a little better, and the liner and fit were both huge upgrades over my vapors, so I would have been happy with these not knowing that the makos existed.

I tried the Mako's on a few weeks ago, and have never felt anything else like them. There was absolutely zero negative space. My only concerns are how they end up feeling when I actually skate with them. Im sure theyll feel fine, but just compared to the vapors, maybe sitting down in a store isnt the best comparison. I know they are also set up differently, which Ill have to get used to.

I know Ill get used to however they feel, but these are just the last few things I cant get out of my head before dropping $700+ on new skates. I really wish they had some 30 day try out or somewhere where you can try them out first.

Still probably gonna buy either way, but I'd just like to know what others think. Worst case scenario, if I hate them I can sell them and get vapors.

The "risk" of getting Mako bumps is really not that big a deal. If you are one of the people who gets these gashes (asI am), then you just note it, and then realize you need a barrier (gel pad/ neoprene sleeve/ moleskin) between your bump prone area and the skate, and you ought to be fine. It's an extra expense and one extra thing to remember when getting dressed, which can be annoying, but well worth it if you appreciate the comfort and performance of the skate. For me, because of my feet issues, and my inability to find another pair of skates that works, this is a relatively minor inconvenience.

These are the gel pads/wraps I use- they wrap around the ankle/ lower calf, and work brilliantly. They cost me $40 from a local hockey retailer, not sure who makes them or what they are called. I turned the right one inside out, left one is as it is supposed to be worn:

Edited February 10, 2014 by Cosmic

[mojo122 535]

Having and really liking the Mako skate, I really hope that the changes don't negatively affect the skate's performance. I look back at the S15 and S17 skate. S15 was an unbelievably performing skate that lacked durability. They addressed the durability with the S17, but at the expense of performance. Not that the S17 was bad, but just wasn't the same as the S15. I felt the same way with the Bauer TotalOne after the One95. However, Bauer made up for that with the NXG.

[DEATHTRON 19]

I wouldn't worry too much. From a far away glance, all they did was change the tongue and add a little more ankle padding. The tongue that was on there was good, so hopefully the change isn't too far off. But other than that, I think if you didn't have problems with the original, you wont notice much a difference with the new pair.

Zach

[Cosmic 178]

I wouldn't worry too much. From a far away glance, all they did was change the tongue and add a little more ankle padding. The tongue that was on there was good, so hopefully the change isn't too far off. But other than that, I think if you didn't have problems with the original, you wont notice much a difference with the new pair.

Zach

That's pretty much what I heard too from a guy who works at one of the major retailers- same skate just really minor tweaks.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I agree with Cosmic - the fit of the boot more than makes up for the need to wear a sleeve on my leg for where it rubs. Minor inconvenience. But at least Easton saw that there was an issue and addressed it.

[Goldwater64 0]

According to well-placed sources, Stepsteel runners for the Mako CXN Holder will be out in 2-4 weeks.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Goldwater64

[KeepItLow 8]

Any idea if BlackEdge Runners will be available for Mako CXN Holder soon?

[syinx 139]

God. Blackedge runners on the all-black Mako 2 boots would look sexy as hell.

[jsykes 35]

Your post is funny, there is no "Mako Bump". If in fact it was a design problem, virtually everyone with these skates would have it. I don't and have had my Mako's since March. I pretty much sold out of the Mako's in my store and not one customer had the "bump". How come? The skate may not fit perfect on everyone, but it does fit perfect on most. Perhaps it's just a few people who post on boards. I wouldn't worry about it. And no, Easton is not taking trade-ins on the MakoII.

I've had a large number of the people that bought them from me have the problem. I have three employees in them and all have had the problem, one bad enough that it actually got infected and he had to be off skates for weeks. Gel sleeves have helped everyone that had the issues. And I've sold more than a few pairs, I've had to restock several times and its by far the best selling top end skate we've had (better than both versions of the TO and APX).

Its more than just a "fit" issue. I actually find it hard to believe that no one you sold them to have had the issue (maybe they just havent come back to tell you). Its well known enough that the first thing my rep said to me when showing me the II's is that they redesigned the top of the boot to fix the ankle rubbing problem.

[salayc 8]

According to well-placed sources, Stepsteel runners for the Mako CXN Holder will be out in 2-4 weeks.

Directly from Step when I inquired a week ago:

"We are still in the process of making runners for the new Easton Mako skates. We believe they will be available to public early spring."

[louierev07 31]

Just wondering - which roller blades are closest to the mako's in terms of fit and stance? I'm trying to keep a consistent feel when switching back and forth, and might be getting new roller blades around the same time I get mako ice skates.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I highly doubt any are. Hell, the only ice skates that are similar are the VH.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

I've had a large number of the people that bought them from me have the problem. I have three employees in them and all have had the problem, one bad enough that it actually got infected and he had to be off skates for weeks. Gel sleeves have helped everyone that had the issues. And I've sold more than a few pairs, I've had to restock several times and its by far the best selling top end skate we've had (better than both versions of the TO and APX).

Its more than just a "fit" issue. I actually find it hard to believe that no one you sold them to have had the issue (maybe they just havent come back to tell you). Its well known enough that the first thing my rep said to me when showing me the II's is that they redesigned the top of the boot to fix the ankle rubbing problem.

Just warrantied a pair for a 10 year old kid. Both legs infected.

Went to ONE.9s and gave him back $112.

[snipez96 4]

Is there any updates from anyone switching from CXN to Tuuk Edge holders?

[DigiV 6]

Is there any updates from anyone switching from CXN to Tuuk Edge holders?

I've done it. I'm still undecided whether or not it was truly a good idea. I did it because at the time my blades got so screwed up (trying to fix the aggressive pitch) and there weren't any replacement ES4 blades out.

Truthfully, if i had to do it again i'd prob keep the CXN and get a new pair of steel from noicing with some of the pitch dialed back.

[syinx 139]

I used to be on LS2.1. Was one of the first things I did after I really couldn't deal with the CXN. After getting a brand new pair for Christmas, I decided to keep the CXN/ES4 on these and try to get used to it. It really just takes some effort and patience to get used to the forward pitch and the holder - once I did, I prefer it over the Tuuk set-up. It just feels more "right" with the boot, though I suppose considering the CXN was made for the Mako, that could be why.

[snipez96 4]

Thanks guys after the last two posts I'll probably just stick to the CXN and try different profiles and pitches. Worst case get new steel and go back to stock

[NumberOneSeven 0]

I know this is an old post but I just joined the forums hoping you can help.

I bought a pair of Makos on ebay. They're brand new, in box, never baked (as far as I can tell), and never sharpened. They are a size 11.0 D. They're replacing an old pair of Easton SE2s of the same size.

Although they are the same size and same manufacturer, the Makos are fitting differently lengthwise. I recently had my foot measured and have come to find out while my right foot is a definitely 11, my left one is slightly longer, almost pushing an extra half size. This was never an issue with my old skates, but my tips of my toes on my left are just pressed against the toe cap, while the right feels like its a perfect fit.

I took them to a local hockey shop and had them try putting them on an expander overnight (although typically used for widening, we figured it was worth a shot). It seemed to help a very small amount, maybe in millimeters, but it still seems like its not fitting right. I got a really good deal on the skates ($350) and don't want to have to both resell them and give them up, but I also don't want to get stuck with a pair of skates that aren't truly going to work for me.

For this reason I have yet to attempt to have both skates baked and form fitted, nor sharpened. So my main question I would like to ask is if you noticed any difference at all lengthwise after baking them and wearing them for a bit. Like I said, that left foot is just pushing it a tad, and if I could get a little more space I think it would be alright. I have a pair of mission roller hockey skates that fit a little small, but I've skated on them for years with no long term problems. But I also haven't skated on them in almost a year and have gotten used to the way all of my ice equipment feels. What would you suggest I do?

[salayc 8]

FWIW, it looks like Julie Chu is skating on Mako 2s in Sochi.