Received my new Graf 709's ... inconsistent markings

[QuieTSToRM33 0]

Hey guys ... so today I received my Graf 709's. I had ordered them in 11W but I am a little confused after looking at the skate.

On the box, it says 11W and there is a red sticker next to it. (I've heard that this could be the w+).

On the tongue, it clearly says 11 on the tag.

Under the footbed, the skates both say 11 1/2 skate ... and it appears to be a double stamp of a "W", which I believe would indicate W+.

On the outsole, it has a "W" sticker.

Can anyone confirm or correlate this ?

Thanks

[jimmy 194]

Those look like a second or a skate that was doctored somehow. The holes for the RMS screws are not right, so hard to tell what you got.

[sneekiebinder 0]

Occasionally on a large size Graf may use a different insole and cut it back. The tag on the tongue will tell you the size.

[Davetronz 109]

From your picture it looks like you've received a pair of 11 (W?) but with a 11.5 W+ sole that was likely cut or shaped to fit. It was probably the closest size that graf had in stock.

As jimmy stated, the RMS have been re-drilled, quite possibly by Graf, as I've seen this before a few times.

The skates are using an 11 tongue. If you flip the little tag on the tongue over, it will likely have the actual width on the BACK side of the tongue written in pen. This is the sizing I'd go with, but you might have a slightly Frankenskate.

I've never heard any firm explanation of the red stickers. I've seen the red sticker on MOST boxes, and W+ isn't common, so it's tough to say. Perhaps something Q/A related or manufacturing facility related.

[QuieTSToRM33 0]

Thanks for the replies. Here's a quick update on the skates:

From a representative of the place I bought the skates from -

" These marking are common on Graf skates, especially the 709 due to the fact that the 709 is Graf’s widest and deepest fitting skate. In the case of the 709, Graf opts to use an extra large 11.5 WW sole, and scale it back to make a naturally wide fitting size 11.0 709. We have run in to this numerous times in the past, and I have had this information confirmed by our local Graf representative."

From the Graf rep -

"You are correct. It looks like Graf used a 11.5 insole and cut it back to build a size 11w skate. Occasionally on a large size Graf may use a different insole and cut it back. The tag on the tongue will tell you the size. So the skate isn’t mismarked it is a size 11 W. This doesn’t happen often but it does come up.I hope this helps."

Also, I was told that the red sticker is common on both W and W+ boxes.

[Davetronz 109]

Glad to hear that you received some confirmation from the retailer and the manufacturer.

Odd about the stickers. I'll have to take a look next week and see if there's any pattern to this.