Maintaining skates

[marc0polo 0]

How do you guys keep your skates in good condition? I recently noticed a couple of spots of rust on my blades, and some of my rivets are weeping faint streams of rust.

I always take care to wipe down the blade after I skate, but I I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong :(

[Gummer12 134]

Take them out of your bag, and remove the insoles to let them air dry completely

[Vet88 674]

Cheap material used in the blades is the the main cause of the rust spots. The blades on my new grafs are constantly rusting even though I religiously dry them after each skate and take them out of the bag as soon as I get home (and dry them again) and take the insoles out. Yet the blades on my SE16's hardly ever blotched at all regardless of how I treated the skate. Now looking for new skates because the grafs are so poorly built.

[romdj 26]

Cheap material used in the blades is the the main cause of the rust spots. The blades on my new grafs are constantly rusting even though I religiously dry them after each skate and take them out of the bag as soon as I get home (and dry them again) and take the insoles out. Yet the blades on my SE16's hardly ever blotched at all regardless of how I treated the skate. Now looking for new skates because the grafs are so poorly built.

you may want some step steel if the runner is the only issue..

[gosinger 122]

As for maintenance: a drop of oil (the kind used on delicate mechanics and such, not WD40 or something like that) on the rivets every now and then and especially when storing them away at the end of the season.

[romdj 26]

As for maintenance: a drop of oil (the kind used on delicate mechanics and such, not WD40 or something like that) on the rivets every now and then and especially when storing them away at the end of the season.

very interesting! would bearing oil/lube work?

[Vet88 674]

you may want some step steel if the runner is the only issue..

if only....

How about on a brand new pair of G3 ultras:- bent steels, poorly attached holders, right skate heel has crack in it, something wrong with the padding in the right skate on the left hand side of the achilles tendon, left hand skate inner padding is not put in properly, left hand skate inner ankle bone area has a thick ridge running through it (as though someone glued a matchstick in there instead of the padding).

I purchased these off the Monkey last Dec, for various reasons didn't get to actually wear them until last month (2 days outside the warranty period). Bent steels I could handle, the rest I didn't notice until I found out I couldn't wear them and then took a closer look at the boots. Had to take them off after 5 minutes on the ice, they were unwearable unless I pad up with lots of gel pads. Coming from SE16's which never ever once gave me problems, this was a big shock. Emailed Hockey Monkey, was told to contact graf, graf never replied to the 6 or so emails i sent them.

I'm resigned to writing the whole thing off as a really bad experience, will never buy graf again as the build quality ain't good. Which is a real shame because I really love how these pitch me forward and center of the skate is perfectly positioned for my stance and skating style. I actually stop and turn far better in these than I did in my SE16's but the other problems are just unbearable. Now looking for a replacement.

[marc0polo 0]

As for maintenance: a drop of oil (the kind used on delicate mechanics and such, not WD40 or something like that) on the rivets every now and then and especially when storing them away at the end of the season.

I used Vaseline after I noticed the problem, would that work too? I'm afraid it might be too little too late.

[jsykes 35]

To Vet88,

Sounds like you should have an issue with Monkey as they should be the ones dealing with Graf as Graf's policy is to go through the dealer, not direct with the customer.

If all is wrong that you say is wrong with those skates, out of warranty or not, I KNOW FOR A FACT, Graf would make them right for you if the dealer took five minutes to call them and take care of it. Graf is very easy to deal with on warranty issues and if I say there is an issue with something they replace no questions asked for me and never even ask if its still under warranty.

They are hard to deal with directly as a customer though. Again, Monkey should have never told you to contact Graf directly. Even their stick warranties go through the dealer unlike anyone else.

Good luck.

[fogelberg 9]

+1 for taking the insoles out after every game. I used to go through rivets like you wouldn't believe until someone shared that tip!

[marc0polo 0]

+1 for taking the insoles out after every game. I used to go through rivets like you wouldn't believe until someone shared that tip!

Sounds like a great idea. When you said "go through rivets", how do you get them replaced?

[fogelberg 9]

Took my skates to the local shop and had them replaced. Any good shop should have the tools to replace bad rivets. That said, since I started taking the insoles out after each skate, I haven't had to replace a single rivet.

[flip12 729]

if only....

How about on a brand new pair of G3 ultras:- bent steels, poorly attached holders, right skate heel has crack in it, something wrong with the padding in the right skate on the left hand side of the achilles tendon, left hand skate inner padding is not put in properly, left hand skate inner ankle bone area has a thick ridge running through it (as though someone glued a matchstick in there instead of the padding).

I purchased these off the Monkey last Dec, for various reasons didn't get to actually wear them until last month (2 days outside the warranty period). Bent steels I could handle, the rest I didn't notice until I found out I couldn't wear them and then took a closer look at the boots. Had to take them off after 5 minutes on the ice, they were unwearable unless I pad up with lots of gel pads. Coming from SE16's which never ever once gave me problems, this was a big shock. Emailed Hockey Monkey, was told to contact graf, graf never replied to the 6 or so emails i sent them.

I'm resigned to writing the whole thing off as a really bad experience, will never buy graf again as the build quality ain't good. Which is a real shame because I really love how these pitch me forward and center of the skate is perfectly positioned for my stance and skating style. I actually stop and turn far better in these than I did in my SE16's but the other problems are just unbearable. Now looking for a replacement.

That's a shame. It's been sad to see how Graf has struggled. After skating in late 90's Supremes and then Vapor 8, I loved my 705's, and they weren't even the best fit for my foot, but I didn't have a chance to try on a 703 at the time. They have some excellent memes in their arsenal, but that strength in subtlety is lost for so many reasons.

[Chadd 916]

As for maintenance: a drop of oil (the kind used on delicate mechanics and such, not WD40 or something like that) on the rivets every now and then and especially when storing them away at the end of the season.

Lithium grease works pretty well too.

[SCOMPL 14]

I dry my gear in the garage and blow a circulating fan on my equipment to expedite the drying process. As others have said here, take your gear out of your bag as soon as you get home and air it out. Remove the insoles, lay your skates tendon guard down, and let the fan blow into them. For rusting issues, I recommend Break-Free's CLP (Cleaner Lubricant Preservative), which is a common gun cleaning and conditioning oil.

[Gummer12 134]

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/55760-postgame-equipment-handling/?view=findpost&p=845297&hl=drying

[Souldriver 64]

try mineral oil, its the stuff that comes/i use for my beard trimmer and it hasnt let me down in either. the little that you use will last forever. i brought a regular sized bottle for my trimmer years ago and it still looks full. and thats a lot of beard trimmings outside of playoff times.

[Vet88 674]

To Vet88,

Sounds like you should have an issue with Monkey as they should be the ones dealing with Graf as Graf's policy is to go through the dealer, not direct with the customer.

If all is wrong that you say is wrong with those skates, out of warranty or not, I KNOW FOR A FACT, Graf would make them right for you if the dealer took five minutes to call them and take care of it. Graf is very easy to deal with on warranty issues and if I say there is an issue with something they replace no questions asked for me and never even ask if its still under warranty.

They are hard to deal with directly as a customer though. Again, Monkey should have never told you to contact Graf directly. Even their stick warranties go through the dealer unlike anyone else.

Good luck.

Below is the reply I got from Hockey Monkey. Even after a number of ph calls to them, the position remained the same. My point to HM was that even though the warranty was 2 days over, the skates were still brand new. They had only been on the ice for 5 minutes and were unusable and I could only find out they were unusable once I had skated in them. Where I am currently living, a retailer and the manufacturer are not allowed to get away with this. Regardless of what warranty period they offer, it takes second place to a law that guarantees "fair usage" of a product. Sadly that doesn't apply in the US and I'm stuck with a pair of unusable skates unless I pad up the areas with about 5 layers of gel pads.

Unfortunately, Graf only warranties the skates for 90 days from the date of purchase. Since we are outside this window of time, we are unable to cover the item. I am sorry for any inconvenience. You may want to contact Graf about the issue, but they will most likely send you back to us.

[IniNew 53]

You should always inspect your purchase extremely closely. Especially those with timed warranties. You can't expect them to actually take it back. That would set a very very very ugly precedent.

[Vet88 674]

Why not? They are still new, current skates regardless of the fact that 90 days has passed. I didn't know they were unwearable until I actually got on the ice. For fitting and comfort they seemed fine, it wasn't until they were actually skated in that flaws in the padding and manufacturing became apparent (bent steels and poorly fitting holders I could live with as these were repairable). I was actually prepared to pay to get the lining fixed and showed them to our one and only local LHS owner who used to work in a pro shop in Canada repairing skates, his comments were "poorly made, we used to tear skates down and rebuild them but it's just not worth it these days". So I can't even get them fixed even though I'd like to.

As I said, laws here prevent retailers and manufacturers from doing this. For example, you buy a fridge with a one year warranty. After 24 months it dies. A fridge has an expected life of at least 5 years so even though the retailer and manufacturer claim a one year warranty, the law forces them to maintain the product over an expected life cycle.

[jsykes 35]

Thats too bad. Another good reason to never use the Monkey again because that is a BS excuse and they simply do not want to do the work to help you out.

As I said, Graf is very good about this kind of stuff, I've had them warranty skates that were over a year old when its been something that was obviously not due to wear and tear or abuse. They generally dont even ask me when the item was purchased, or if they do, they ask about the condition and if its a legit warranty item.

I can guarantee you, had those come from my shop, you'd be getting a new set. HM just doesnt want to help you out as its always worth a call even when out of warranty to see what Graf (or any manufacturer) would say if they really wanted to help the customer.

I'm sorry for your situation, and while you shouldnt have received such a poor skate from Graf, dont put it all on them as they dont normally deal directly with customers and they cant help you if HM isnt helping out as the dealer.

BTW, the steel and holders are guaranteed for a year, so even if they want to do nothing about the boot, they should be allowing you to send it back to get the steel taken care of.

I'd also try calling Graf instead of just emailing, always works better.

[Chadd 916]

Why not? They are still new, current skates regardless of the fact that 90 days has passed. I didn't know they were unwearable until I actually got on the ice. For fitting and comfort they seemed fine, it wasn't until they were actually skated in that flaws in the padding and manufacturing became apparent (bent steels and poorly fitting holders I could live with as these were repairable). I was actually prepared to pay to get the lining fixed and showed them to our one and only local LHS owner who used to work in a pro shop in Canada repairing skates, his comments were "poorly made, we used to tear skates down and rebuild them but it's just not worth it these days". So I can't even get them fixed even though I'd like to.

As I said, laws here prevent retailers and manufacturers from doing this. For example, you buy a fridge with a one year warranty. After 24 months it dies. A fridge has an expected life of at least 5 years so even though the retailer and manufacturer claim a one year warranty, the law forces them to maintain the product over an expected life cycle.

Being in NZ complicates this quite a bit and probably should have been disclosed up front. Graf Canada, who sold the skates to Monkey, only sells product in the US and Canada. I do not believe that they hold the rights to the product in your part of the world. The additional shipping costs explains why Monkey is not willing to honor an expired warranty. The consumer protection laws that you cite are part of the reason products cost more. If you want those protections, you have to be willing to pay for it.

[jsykes 35]

Didnt catch that little fact about location. That does change things just a bit.

[IniNew 53]

The reason why they shouldn't honor the warranty after the deadline, even if your specific example is still a brand new pair of skates is because there will be a hefty percentage of people who claim their skates are new when they aren't. Plain and simple.

[Vet88 674]

Whilst I am in NZ this purchase was done in the States and would have been continued as if I was currently in the States (where HM originally shipped my skates to). I would have covered the int'l shipping at my cost, HM would have returned them to my US address (if that happened to be an end result) and at no stage did I ever mention to HM or Graf that this was going to have an overseas component in it.

As to consumer protection laws and higher prices, the 2 LHS's in NZ offer to match any internet price for the brands they sell. For example I was recently quoted for a pair of premier XR inlines, the cost matched IW's.

Without getting into a debate on the morality of returns, these skates have clear and obvious manufacturing defects in them that only became apparent when the skates were worn on the ice. They hadn't fallen apart, there were no scratches in them, the lining, outer, holders and everything else was in brand new condition. I wanted to return them (at my cost) for repair / remedial work and that was what I requested from HM and Graf but to no avail. C'est la vie, I'm stuck with them, end of story and end of graf for me.

And to mac0polo, sorry for hijacking your thread. A couple of ex canadians on my team wipe a smear of extra virgin olive oil on the blades when they get home, they swear by it.