Heel Lock - Help?

[wrangler 157]

So I explained the entire situation to the guy at the LHS. He suggested to put them on the stretcher (forefoot width) and that that may help with the length because it gives the forefoot more space. *shrug* they're doing it at no-charge so why not?

Because it may affect the willingness of Hockey Monkey to exchange them. You may have been able to blame them for a bad fit, but they may not want to exchange a skate that someone else has messed with.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

Ah well.

[Cheetodust 4]

OR, Don't let people make you feel bad about being picky with your skates. It matters a great deal! I found that out the hard way by purchasing 4 different pairs of skates and trying on every brand i had available before buying the Makos. They are the closest to perfect i could find but are still only 90%. Some people are lucky and get the right skates the first time but others like you and I have to go through this before we find something that works. It would be nice if there was a device that you could step on and it measure your feet in 3D and cross reference that with a database of all the skates currently on the market to find the perfect skate if it exists. Feel free to use my idea to develop this so I won't have to go through this process again in a few years when new skates are needed :-)

[IPv6Freely 2100]

Yea, no worries. I'm not going to feel bad about purchasing a pair of skates that felt great in the store. How was I to know they wouldn't feel right once I got them home? Sh*t happens.

[Vulcan7905 88]

Im sorry but all the money and time you spent on driving here and there you could have went the custom route already and be done with it. I went custom and even they had a break in period. After following this thread for 9 pages, I don't think youre going to be happy in any skate honestly. Custom or not. Also, I have an 8-3/4 skate.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

Im sorry but all the money and time you spent on driving here and there you could have went the custom route already and be done with it. I went custom and even they had a break in period. After following this thread for 9 pages, I don't think youre going to be happy in any skate honestly. Custom or not. Also, I have an 8-3/4 skate.

Thank you for your input. Kind of too late now.

Once again, you can't blame me for buying a pair of skates that fit perfectly when I left the store. At that point I thought my search had finally ended. It's not like I bought something I knew wouldn't fit. I had NO WAY OF KNOWING. I don't know how many times I can say the exact same thing over and over again.

[stryjak11 0]

I recently purchased a pair of bauer vapor x6.0s, and I ended up moving from a D width to an E width. Everything feels great except I get a little more space in the heel than i would want, and myy heel lifts off the skate. I've heard about using the slip on ankle pads, but I haven't been able to find a pair. I also heard that wax laces or superfeet could resolve this issue. I've never used superfeet, so I was wondering what I could do to resolve this issue. Thanks

[customskateworks 39]

-If the length is correct but they are too wide its tough to effectively make them smaller. You can try baking them and squeezing the heel counter to help tighten it up. You can also squeeze around the Achilles while your foot is in the hot boot to help fill some negative space.

-If you have a pronounced heel, then punching a heel pocket in the straight-backed boot could do the trick. I've done this for a few guys with a lot of success.

[stryjak11 0]

-If the length is correct but they are too wide its tough to effectively make them smaller. You can try baking them and squeezing the heel counter to help tighten it up. You can also squeeze around the Achilles while your foot is in the hot boot to help fill some negative space.

-If you have a pronounced heel, then punching a heel pocket in the straight-backed boot could do the trick. I've done this for a few guys with a lot of success.

I don't think it's that the boot is too wide, it's just that I want a little bit more of a snug fit in the heel. I've heard that superfeet will raise the heel up, and when I do that when my foot is in the skate it feels more locked in place.

[Zjack38 46]

If you wear thin socks, try wearing thicker socks

[smcgreg 81]

I recently purchased a pair of bauer vapor x6.0s, and I ended up moving from a D width to an E width. Everything feels great except I get a little more space in the heel than i would want, and myy heel lifts off the skate. I've heard about using the slip on ankle pads, but I haven't been able to find a pair. I also heard that wax laces or superfeet could resolve this issue. I've never used superfeet, so I was wondering what I could do to resolve this issue. Thanks

Stable 26

http://www.stable26.com/

Thicker socks aren't the solution because they cause different problems. This is specifically designed to address your issue. I have two pairs.

[Hockeydog 8]

I had Vapors, length and width were correct but my heels slipped. Tried waxed laces,eezee fit bootie, bunga pads, thicker socks. Nothing really worked well, or for the duration of my game/skate. Now Elite waxed hold very well, and I never tried squeezing the heels after baking. I think if the skate needs all that to fit it may not be the right skate.

[customskateworks 39]

I don't think it's that the boot is too wide, it's just that I want a little bit more of a snug fit in the heel. I've heard that superfeet will raise the heel up, and when I do that when my foot is in the skate it feels more locked in place.

It feels more locked in place because you are taking up more volume in the skate by putting the superfeet in. While this may make the fit snugger as it absorbs depth, if it is truly a heel lock problem it will rarely completely fix the problem.

I had Vapors, length and width were correct but my heels slipped. Tried waxed laces,eezee fit bootie, bunga pads, thicker socks. Nothing really worked well, or for the duration of my game/skate. Now Elite waxed hold very well, and I never tried squeezing the heels after baking. I think if the skate needs all that to fit it may not be the right skate.

You are correct, they may not be the right skates. Heel fit should always be the first thing in the order of importance. After that comes depth. Everything else can be adjusted. Unfortunately the first thing on most peoples list is brand and if Crosby wears them.

I had an NHL referee who actually had the same issue with his custom APX skates that you had. Sizing was great but had just slight heel slippage in his right skate. We slipped a small piece of foam I cut out from an old footbed under his Sidas footbed to take up some volume. I also punched the heel which allowed him to settle back into the skate better, after a re-bake and some Graf poly waxed laces, they became the right skates.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

I switched to the Easton Mako. No more heel lock issues.

EDIT: Actually, it's worth mentioning - I actually had teammates tell me my skating is much better lately, and actually asked me if I'd went to a skating clinic. I just said "nope, I just found skates that fit and don't hurt". They laughed and said "yep, that'll do it."

And here ends my search for comfortable skates. Finally.

[stryjak11 0]

I had Vapors, length and width were correct but my heels slipped. Tried waxed laces,eezee fit bootie, bunga pads, thicker socks. Nothing really worked well, or for the duration of my game/skate. Now Elite waxed hold very well, and I never tried squeezing the heels after baking. I think if the skate needs all that to fit it may not be the right skate.

It feels more locked in place because you are taking up more volume in the skate by putting the superfeet in. While this may make the fit snugger as it absorbs depth, if it is truly a heel lock problem it will rarely completely fix the problem.

You are correct, they may not be the right skates. Heel fit should always be the first thing in the order of importance. After that comes depth. Everything else can be adjusted. Unfortunately the first thing on most peoples list is brand and if Crosby wears them.

I had an NHL referee who actually had the same issue with his custom APX skates that you had. Sizing was great but had just slight heel slippage in his right skate. We slipped a small piece of foam I cut out from an old footbed under his Sidas footbed to take up some volume. I also punched the heel which allowed him to settle back into the skate better, after a re-bake and some Graf poly waxed laces, they became the right skates.

A slight heel raise seems like it would do the trick. I've lifted my heel up when I slip my foot into the skate and it feels locked down. I hear that superfeet raise the heel portion of the skate. Would this work?

[stryjak11 0]

Some waxed laces did the trick. Theres still a little bit of space left but I'm sure I'll grow into it. I might try some superfeet insoles just to push my heel up a little more as well.

[caseyjones 26]

Can someone please explain heel lock?

i think I have good heel lock, but my heel still lifts in every skate I've tried. If I walk as if I'm wearing shoes my heel will generally lift a little, more so if I don't tie the top two eyelets. When skating I don't feel my heel moving at all and I don't experience anything that I would call an issue. 

I do feel my heel moving in my vapors however when I skate. I've worn Bauer vapors, supremes, pro comp, mega air 90s, mako's, graf ultra g7, G3, G5, g70, supra 705. So it's not like I haven't tried a ton of different fitting skates. 

 

So am I actually getting heel lock and just misinterpreting what heel lock is? 

[Bbd94 26]

39 minutes ago, caseyjones said:

Can someone please explain heel lock?

i think I have good heel lock, but my heel still lifts in every skate I've tried. If I walk as if I'm wearing shoes my heel will generally lift a little, more so if I don't tie the top two eyelets. When skating I don't feel my heel moving at all and I don't experience anything that I would call an issue. 

I do feel my heel moving in my vapors however when I skate. I've worn Bauer vapors, supremes, pro comp, mega air 90s, mako's, graf ultra g7, G3, G5, g70, supra 705. So it's not like I haven't tried a ton of different fitting skates. 

 

So am I actually getting heel lock and just misinterpreting what heel lock is? 

 

Generally your heel should not lift up or "push out" of the heel at all when skating. 

 

IMO this is the best way to tell if you're getting proper heel lock. Some people, like myself, have different sized heels. My left heel is a lot thicker than my right, so I have to keep that in mind.

 

You can also untie your skates down to the 4/5th eyelet. Generally you should feel (some) tightness in the heel area even when laced down. Vapors gave me extremely bad haglunds on my right foot so you want to be careful modifying/buying skates until you know exactly what you want. Thousands of people wear them without problems, but they really don't fit my feet. That's not a knock on them. I can't use anything other than customs now. 

[caseyjones 26]

1 hour ago, Bbd94 said:

 

Generally your heel should not lift up or "push out" of the heel at all when skating. 

 

IMO this is the best way to tell if you're getting proper heel lock. Some people, like myself, have different sized heels. My left heel is a lot thicker than my right, so I have to keep that in mind.

 

You can also untie your skates down to the 4/5th eyelet. Generally you should feel (some) tightness in the heel area even when laced down. Vapors gave me extremely bad haglunds on my right foot so you want to be careful modifying/buying skates until you know exactly what you want. Thousands of people wear them without problems, but they really don't fit my feet. That's not a knock on them. I can't use anything other than customs now. 

 

In my g7's when skating I don't ever feel it moving. When I take my skate off I have the imprint of the liner around my entire heel, but when I walk in them with the top 2/3 eyelets undone it lifts right up. I recall someone mentioning that tying your skates tight shouldn't be what's holding your heel down, but considering a skate has a solid outsole that doesn't flex like a sneaker would, wouldn't it just be a natural reaction for your heel to lift up? 

I can certainly feel the difference in stability between my grafs (good) and vapors (bad). I'm just wondering if better isn't necessarily the best. I've tried on so many skates, it's tough for me to think I might be missing something.