Reebok 14K skates premature wear

[giogolf 9]

Hey All,

About 1.5 months ago I treated myself to some new skates.. Figured it was time to get properly fit, so long story short I ended up with the Reebok 14K skates.

I really enjoyed the skates for the brief time I had them, they were comfortable and supportive. However, after 10 hours of use the lining above the the first eyelet started to tear through. I think the interior support plastic was digging into the lining and with no foam to buffer the friction it ended up breaking through (happened on both side on both skates).

I thought about keeping them and just adding some stitching and glue, but, after only 10 hours of rec and practice I didn't want to take a chance on something else breaking down.

I purchased the skates from Hockey Giant in NJ, and explained what was going on with the skates over the phone.. I told the manager that I was coming from 2 hours away, and that I would really like an answer over the phone on whether or not an exchange or partial refund would be in order. After sending the photo over they were kind enough to damage them out. And after 4 hours of trying skates on I ended up with some Nexus 800 skates.

I don't wear my shin inside the tongue so there was nothing other than my leg an socks on the inside of the boot... Here is a picture

[Zorlac 22]

Out of curiosity, are you lacing the top eyelet? If not, it seems your shin pads may have dug that out if you wear them "tucked in.."

[giogolf 9]

Out of curiosity, are you lacing the top eyelet? If not, it seems your shin pads may have dug that out if you wear them "tucked in.."

I lace all the way up and I wear/wore the shins on the outside.

[Zorlac 22]

ahhh ok, just a thought, cuz I've seen this damage before due to my aforementioned...

[giogolf 9]

There is actually a piece of plastic on the inside that is poking up against the liner with nothing in between to protect from wear.. I suspect the moisture, and moment just tore it away.

Not sure that I am a fan of Microfiber lined skates anymore... seems like the Clarino and synthetic moisture wicking leathers are more durable.

[TeamHonda401 54]

I have the exact same thing going on with my 7k's. Mine are torn a lot more than yours, and I haven't had any issues with it as far as performance. There is a piece of the carbon material that caused most of the damage. I flop my tongues but my shin pads rub at that spot on both sides of both skates. It hasn't propagated to any other areas of the liner. With the exception of the visual when I put them on and take them off, I don't even notice it.

[giogolf 9]

I have the exact same thing going on with my 7k's. Mine are torn a lot more than yours, and I haven't had any issues with it as far as performance. There is a piece of the carbon material that caused most of the damage. I flop my tongues but my shin pads rub at that spot on both sides of both skates. It hasn't propagated to any other areas of the liner. With the exception of the visual when I put them on and take them off, I don't even notice it.

Yeah, I just didn't want to take the chance.. Since I didn't have them that long, I was unsure on how these would wear over longer period of time.

[Scopes 4]

Same thing happened on my Graf G35 ultras.. plastic liner started showing through roughly 3-4 weeks in, I've had them for over a year now and its no worse and does not affect the performance at all.

[Squez55 0]

I had a similar looking problem with my Vapor 4.0 skates. I wear my shin pads over the tongues, but the plastic on the pads was digging at that area on my skates. Long story short, I went for a longer shin pad and it solved the problem.

[giogolf 9]

I had a similar looking problem with my Vapor 4.0 skates. I wear my shin pads over the tongues, but the plastic on the pads was digging at that area on my skates. Long story short, I went for a longer shin pad and it solved the problem.

I had the vapor 4.0 as well before the 14k. They hurt because I didn't get fit properly but they are tanks. They look beat up but they held up well.

[jimmy 194]

It's usually shin pads rubbing that does that. Common with all brands.

[icewalker_bg 126]

I am not familiar with the 14K skate, but that liner does look 'cheap' and prone to ripping easily.

[Gregah 0]

I am experiencing a similar issue with my Easton EQ5's. I tuck the tongue under my shinpads too. It looks as though there is a sharp edge to the material on the tongue that holds the tongue stiffener in place. That looks to be rubbing against the liner as I skate. I'm not familier with how the tongue is constructed on the 14K but perhaps is has the same issue. I've resorted to using clear tape over the liner to minimize the wear in that area.