Easton Mako Skates

[OrrSmith 4]

A profile would be a lot cheaper and faster than new holders.

If Easton are going to put an aggressive pitch on the holder, then they should leave the steel at a neutral position. There are two problems with the profile idea. 1. There isn't a lot of steel to start with because they already come profiled. 2.It would become a trial and error situation because I don't know what the ideal pitch angle would be for my son with these skates or what profile to ask for to get there. He skated well in S17's two years ago and in 11k's last year. We put a 9/10 profile on the S17's and didn't profile the Reebok 11K's. I think skate manufacturers should label the pitch angle on their skates like lie and flex on sticks. Easton should come out with another less aggressive holder that we can custom order to eliminate the extra hassle after the purchase.

[jimmy 194]

If Easton are going to put an aggressive pitch on the holder, then they should leave the steel at a neutral position. There are two problems with the profile idea. 1. There isn't a lot of steel to start with because they already come profiled. 2.It would become a trial and error situation because I don't know what the ideal pitch angle would be for my son with these skates or what profile to ask for to get there. He skated well in S17's two years ago and in 11k's last year. We put a 9/10 profile on the S17's and didn't profile the Reebok 11K's. I think skate manufacturers should label the pitch angle on their skates like lie and flex on sticks. Easton should come out with another less aggressive holder that we can custom order to eliminate the extra hassle after the purchase.

I beg to differ. Plenty of steel to remove the pitch on the steel, no difference than say to add pitch to a Bauer. I've done this to quite a few Mako's.

When I spoke with the Mako designer, I questioned him on the pitch on the steel and commented that it should be neutral and then let the player decide if more is needed, especially there is pitch built into the holder. He was a firm believer that aggressive pitch would make a better skater.

Skate manufacturers cannot even get their radius, pitch and pivot points to match on 9 out of 10 out of the box skate pairs. Steel is mass produced by subcontractors, and is all over the place in regards to matching the so-called factory radius. If they labeled them, the labeling would be incorrect. Fine tuning and balancing is best left to a radius professional who can match it to the skaters style and needs. I suggest you visit your shop and simply have them put the radius you want on them and reverse the pitch. Even if you put LS2 holders on them, there is no guaranty what pitch you will end up with and then they may not feel forward enough. Either way you are likely going to need a profile, it's short money so why not.

[Krev 86]

A profile would be a lot cheaper and faster than new holders.

True, but if someone was in Tuuks previously they might prefer that route. LS2 holders are a straight swap with the new Easton holder I think, can't recall.

[OrrSmith 4]

I beg to differ. Plenty of steel to remove the pitch on the steel, no difference than say to add pitch to a Bauer. I've done this to quite a few Mako's.

When I spoke with the Mako designer, I questioned him on the pitch on the steel and commented that it should be neutral and then let the player decide if more is needed, especially there is pitch built into the holder. He was a firm believer that aggressive pitch would make a better skater.

Skate manufacturers cannot even get their radius, pitch and pivot points to match on 9 out of 10 out of the box skate pairs. Steel is mass produced by subcontractors, and is all over the place in regards to matching the so-called factory radius. If they labeled them, the labeling would be incorrect. Fine tuning and balancing is best left to a radius professional who can match it to the skaters style and needs. I suggest you visit your shop and simply have them put the radius you want on them and reverse the pitch. Even if you put LS2 holders on them, there is no guaranty what pitch you will end up with and then they may not feel forward enough. Either way you are likely going to need a profile, it's short money so why not.

What profile are you putting on the steel to remove some pitch? Do you know what the intended pitch angle is supposed to be for a stock Mako? Bauer is around 3 and Graf is around 5 I think. My Son plays defence so needs to use his toe a little more than a forward.

[Chadd 916]

True, but if someone was in Tuuks previously they might prefer that route. LS2 holders are a straight swap with the new Easton holder I think, can't recall.

LS is a direct replacement and I'm sure they could sell the holders/steel to recoup some of the cost as well. I just hate ripping off perfectly good holders and steel.

[AfftonDad 88]

I think the problem is simply because there is a corner in the back where no other skate has one (the little gap between the tendon guard and the top of the back of the boot). Since your leg is able to (and does) move back and forth in the area of that corner, the corner rubs and causes the blister. I had it. I tried the heating and rolling out but I would be hard pressed to believe that it actually moved it out any. I wore moleskin on it until it healed and then I never got it again. I think I would more likely believe that the elimination of the problem in my case was due to a bit of toughening up or callousing of the skin.

[AfftonDad 88]

What profile are you putting on the steel to remove some pitch? Do you know what the intended pitch angle is supposed to be for a stock Mako? Bauer is around 3 and Graf is around 5 I think. My Son plays defence so needs to use his toe a little more than a forward.

I wanted to reduce the pitch a little because it was my belief that it was contributing to some knee pain I was getting in one of my old, previously injured knees. It was my belief that both the holder and the runner contributed to the pitch in the Mako. I asked Easton and I got a reply from the Skate Product Manager stating that the pitch of the Mako is +2mm and that it is ALL in the holder. I already had a meeting set up with the guy that is the expert at my LHS to "measure" the runner pitch by examining it with the profiling equipment so I went ahead and had him do that. He told me before he started that if the Easton Skate Product Manager says that it is all in the holder and that the runner is neutral, he would believe it. However, he went ahead and "measured" it (on Blackstone equipment) and he came up with a pitch at the runner of somewhere between +1(32nds) and +2(32nds). So I split the difference and assumed that it was around +1.5(32nds) at the runner and had him do mine at +1(32nds) to reduce it just slightly. I wanted to reduce it just slightly because I like the forward pitch but I wanted to give my knee a bit of relief. My bad knee is doing better now (although the pain has not gone completely away yet). I may reduce it further if it doesn't go away completely.

For those who are familiar with how profiling works (I'm definitely not including myself in that group)... I believe that some of the pitch comes from the height of the towers. But, Is it possible that the pitch of the runner is actually neutral but that it screws into the holder in a biased (non-neutral) manner? Wouldn't that cause it to appear that the runner had pitch (explaining why the expert "measured" +1 to +2) while the Product Manager said that the runners are neutral and that all the pitch comes from the holder?

Edited September 25, 2013 by AfftonDad

[IPv6Freely 2082]

Could your problem be the Mako tongue? The VH tongue is nicely tapered at the edges so there is no gap around the ankle when the skate is tied, allowing for even pressure all around the ankle. From pictures I've seen, the Mako tongue looks thick and round at the edges. That would leave a gap right beside the tongue creating uneven pressure points around the ankle. Just a thought.

I don't think so. It's not even close to the tongue. If you feel the top edge of the outer side of the boot, it FEELS like when they stitched the seam between the outer harder material and the inner softer material, they pushed the seam excess (on the inside) onto the INSIDE of the boot when they put the foam into it. It feels like that little bit of hardness from the seam excess is what actually rubs.

It's hard to explain so I drew a really bad diagram:

See how the inside excess fabric of the seam is folded over to the right (inside) instead of the left (outside)? THAT'S the "sharp" bit that I can feel along the top edge of the pad.

I wonder if I could get a small piece of leather or something stitched to that bit of padding in that area to cover it...

I think the problem is simply because there is a corner in the back where no other skate has one (the little gap between the tendon guard and the top of the back of the boot). Since your leg is able to (and does) move back and forth in the area of that corner, the corner rubs and causes the blister. I had it. I tried the heating and rolling out but I would be hard pressed to believe that it actually moved it out any. I wore moleskin on it until it healed and then I never got it again. I think I would more likely believe that the elimination of the problem in my case was due to a bit of toughening up or callousing of the skin.

It's likely true that it only really happens because your leg is SUPPOSED to move back slightly for more knee bend (because of the flexible tendon guard), which causes some rubbing where there wouldnt normally be any. But if a neoprene sleeve is the price to pay to have comfortable skates otherwise, it's 100% well worth it.

[AfftonDad 88]

It's likely true that it only really happens because your leg is SUPPOSED to move back slightly for more knee bend (because of the flexible tendon guard), which causes some rubbing where there wouldnt normally be any. But if a neoprene sleeve is the price to pay to have comfortable skates otherwise, it's 100% well worth it.

Yeah... I had already resigned myself to the fact that I would have to wear moleskin for the rest of the life of the skate. I only tried it again without moleskin after it healed because I was hoping that the "rolling out" did some good. I was happily surprised when I found that I didn't need moleskin anymore. I don't know for sure if it was the rolling out OR some toughening up of the skin... I'm just glad it's gone.

[IPv6Freely 2082]

Yeah... I had already resigned myself to the fact that I would have to wear moleskin for the rest of the life of the skate. I only tried it again without moleskin after it healed because I was hoping that the "rolling out" did some good. I was happily surprised when I found that I didn't need moleskin anymore. I don't know for sure if it was the rolling out OR some toughening up of the skin... I'm just glad it's gone.

Mine was totally fine for 3 games or so and then it just came back all of a sudden. I wasn't doing anything differently, as far as I could tell.

[OrrSmith 4]

I beg to differ. Plenty of steel to remove the pitch on the steel, no difference than say to add pitch to a Bauer. I've done this to quite a few Mako's.

When I spoke with the Mako designer, I questioned him on the pitch on the steel and commented that it should be neutral and then let the player decide if more is needed, especially there is pitch built into the holder. He was a firm believer that aggressive pitch would make a better skater.

Skate manufacturers cannot even get their radius, pitch and pivot points to match on 9 out of 10 out of the box skate pairs. Steel is mass produced by subcontractors, and is all over the place in regards to matching the so-called factory radius. If they labeled them, the labeling would be incorrect. Fine tuning and balancing is best left to a radius professional who can match it to the skaters style and needs. I suggest you visit your shop and simply have them put the radius you want on them and reverse the pitch. Even if you put LS2 holders on them, there is no guaranty what pitch you will end up with and then they may not feel forward enough. Either way you are likely going to need a profile, it's short money so why not.

What profile would you put on them?

[jimmy 194]

What profile would you put on them?

There is not just one profile, every skater get a customized profile for them. But it doesn't matter because pitch is a separate adjustment so it doesn't matter what the profile is.

[IPv6Freely 2082]

What profile would you put on them?

I had no-icing do a 10' radius, "slight negative" pitch (not sure how much "slight negative" actually changes it, but it sure felt a whole lot better on the ice).

[OrrSmith 4]

I did a little in home research on the pitch issue with the Makos. I have 3 sons in hockey who have used many different brands of skates and individually have a similar fit but a different pitch that they perform better in. In measuring the difference in holder height between the heel and toe, I found the Mako CXN holder had a difference of 3/4". The Reebok and Graf skates had a difference of 5/8" and the Bauer LS2 and the holder on the S17 skates had a difference of 1/2". My oldest son who is having issues with his Mako skates, has always performed better in 1/2"(with a 8.5/9.5 profile) to a 5/8" difference in the holders of his past skates. My middle son who also has Makos, so far doesn't seem to have any issues with the Mako pitch but he can't skate on a 1/2" difference holder like a LS2 or a S17 holder so he has either had a heel lift to get him to the 5/8" difference or just worn skates that had a 5/8" difference in the holders.

The problem with the Easton Mako CXN holders going to 3/4" difference is that they are pushing the pitch too far past where most skaters are used to being. If they had another holder at 1/2" to 5/8" difference as well then they could cover off skaters like my oldest son as well. The stability of the skater to win battles in the corners etc. is just as important as their skating ability and I think that that is where the CXN holder will strike out unless they can offer that 1/2" to 5/8" difference in a holder.

[IPv6Freely 2082]

Use lifts if profiling isn't enough for you.

[Cosmic 178]

I am considering a pair of Makos. Anyone who is a semi expert on the skate, will you please comment on my post?

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/64666-easton-mako-feet/

[daphray 0]

I thought I throw in my experience to help anyone who is considering these skates.

They are by far the best performing skates I have ever owned.

The Fit

I have very flat feet and 80% of skates out there are a no go right from the start -- including the Mako's.

I really took a chance on the Mako as my LHS convinced me that they are extremely moldable.

After the first skate, my arches (flat feet) were killing from the pressure from the boot. I was kind of worried at this point.

However, over the next half dozen skates, I simply "spot" molded the skates a bit a a time with a heat gun and the butt of a baseball bat (nice and rounded). You can easily see and feel where you are pushing out on the boot -- and it just stayed there. The boot is like butter when warm but harden nicely and keep the shape. Just be careful you don't go too hard -- it is that moldable. Easy enough to push back if you did go too far. There is a nice video on YouTube about heating and just pushing with your fingers - but I found I needed a bit more leverage and the bat worked well.

It is the first pair of skates where I don't feel I have to yank on the laces at all because the wrap around my foot is already that good.

I was on a Graf G5 Ultra 9R and I now have the Mako 8.5EE. Width wise, the Easton EE is probably a smidge narrower than the Graf Regular. Length wise, I would say they are pretty close, I have had 8.5 Graf's in the past. My running shoe size is 11 and 10/10.5 for street shoes.

The only con I can think of is that the insole is paper thin and useless. I replaced those with my custom insoles.

At the risk of sounding like a Mako commercial, they are the first pair of skates I have upgraded to that actually improved my skating. The lower cut boot (side and back) really gives you extra foot mobility. That helped with my tight turns and "first 3 steps" significantly quicker.

I was a bit concerned about the extreme forward pitch and how it might affect backward skating -- it didn't.

After a dozen times on the ice, I am very happy with these skates.

[Cosmic 178]

I thought I throw in my experience to help anyone who is considering these skates.

They are by far the best performing skates I have ever owned.

The Fit

I have very flat feet and 80% of skates out there are a no go right from the start -- including the Mako's.

I really took a chance on the Mako as my LHS convinced me that they are extremely moldable.

After the first skate, my arches (flat feet) were killing from the pressure from the boot. I was kind of worried at this point.

However, over the next half dozen skates, I simply "spot" molded the skates a bit a a time with a heat gun and the butt of a baseball bat (nice and rounded). You can easily see and feel where you are pushing out on the boot -- and it just stayed there. The boot is like butter when warm but harden nicely and keep the shape. Just be careful you don't go too hard -- it is that moldable. Easy enough to push back if you did go too far. There is a nice video on YouTube about heating and just pushing with your fingers - but I found I needed a bit more leverage and the bat worked well.

It is the first pair of skates where I don't feel I have to yank on the laces at all because the wrap around my foot is already that good.

I was on a Graf G5 Ultra 9R and I now have the Mako 8.5EE. Width wise, the Easton EE is probably a smidge narrower than the Graf Regular. Length wise, I would say they are pretty close, I have had 8.5 Graf's in the past. My running shoe size is 11 and 10/10.5 for street shoes.

The only con I can think of is that the insole is paper thin and useless. I replaced those with my custom insoles.

At the risk of sounding like a Mako commercial, they are the first pair of skates I have upgraded to that actually improved my skating. The lower cut boot (side and back) really gives you extra foot mobility. That helped with my tight turns and "first 3 steps" significantly quicker.

I was a bit concerned about the extreme forward pitch and how it might affect backward skating -- it didn't.

After a dozen times on the ice, I am very happy with these skates.

This is helpful, thanks. When these go on clearance and I can get another 20 or 25% or whatever the deal of the day is, I am picking these up for sure. In the meantime, keeping my fingers crossed that a conversion goes well.

Edited October 20, 2013 by Cosmic

[snipez96 4]

After going thru the pages on this topic can anyone comment on the boot height and lateral stiffness vs Bauer X100 (I may have missed it) unfortunately my LHS is sold out and will only bring them in on special order in 5.5D. So going in and trying them to compare is ruled out at the moment.

I'm in x100s now finding them a tad too stiff for my liking.

[Chadd 916]

I was a bit concerned about the extreme forward pitch and how it might affect backward skating -- it didn't.

I actually think that a more significant forward pitch helps skating backwards more than forwards. It helps keep your knees bent and still allows you to sit back on your heels at the same, without causing any balance issues.

After going thru the pages on this topic can anyone comment on the boot height and lateral stiffness vs Bauer X100 (I may have missed it) unfortunately my LHS is sold out and will only bring them in on special order in 5.5D. So going in and trying them to compare is ruled out at the moment.

I'm in x100s now finding them a tad too stiff for my liking.

Are you having the problem with forward flex or trying to bend your ankle sideways? I'm a bit confused as to why lateral stiffness would be an issue.

[snipez96 4]

No problems with flex either direction.

I've got some tendon and legamte damage on my right left ankle which limits my movement(even more limitied with a skate on but i manage).

Quick stops/starts sharp turns have caused aggrivtion a bit of swelling and pain the next day 2-3 days after playing. My doctor(sports medicince) thinks its due to the skates being too stiff for me. He is going to consult with a few of his friends who are trainers and doctors who work with NHL players.

Needless to say I did not have this issue with my X6.0 which was a softer skate. My only issue is the X6.0 didnt hold up for me i went thru 2 pairs i was able to bend them at the they eyelets both skates on the right foot which has no damage.

I've have only had this issue within the last few months since ive had the x100s feel fine proper fit just laterally much stiffer.

X100s was my first compostie boot since my injury. Before the injury i was using ONE95s. I took a few years off went to the X6.0, EASTON RS(too big never got comfortable sold to a fellow modsquad member) and back to another pair of X6.0

I was hoping that the Makos would be inbetween the x100 and x6.0 stiffness wise

Sorry for the long winded reply

Edited October 21, 2013 by snipez96

[Chadd 916]

Because of the way that flex is built in to the skate, I don't believe that it would be a problem with the Mako. It should provide stability without the restriction imposed by the X100 boot.

[snipez96 4]

Because of the way that flex is built in to the skate, I don't believe that it would be a problem with the Mako. It should provide stability without the restriction imposed by the X100 boot.

Gotcha...just gotta find a pair to try in my size...been a problem in my area most LHS are not restocking in 5.5

[Haggerty 142]

The most unfortunate thing has happened to my mako's. The carbon fibre on the heel has split and shredded making them unusable as the boot bends to the ice on a small turn, I can completely push in the heel of the boot. This is completely unfortunate because these were the best fitting skates I have used in a long time and loved the flexibility. If only the durability lasted for me. Here are the pictures of my skates:

Edited October 22, 2013 by Haggerty

[Monty22 821]

When did you buy them? They may be within the warranty period.