few (silly) Q's regarding baking

[Bagge 0]

I've done some research, but still a bit unclear on how to proceed. The ideal would obviously have been to get it fitted and baked straight away in store, unfortunately wasnt an option since they didnt have the correct size in stock in that store so ended up ordering online (same store).

Its regarding a new pair of vapor x5.0, its my understanding that this model should benefit from being heat molded as far as fitting/performane goes beyond just speeding up the break in process, is that correct? If helping out with break in is all, then I'd just skip it altogether.

Is considering baking them in home oven (convection) a terrible idea? Seem to be a lot of mixed opinion on this, some saying its no problem, but the majority saying dont.

Have been thinking about maybe getting a custom molded footbed in the future, will having it during the molding process make a big difference?

They seem to fit pretty comfortably, but havent had a chance to try them out on ice yet so hard to say how that'll feel. I dont play any kind of organized hockey at the moment, so break in duration is really not of that great concern.

Any help is appreciated.

[Vet88 674]

A bake oven (at least the Mission one I have access to) is nothing more than a heater element (set to a constant temperature), fan and a timer. If you get the heat and time correct, a convection oven is fine, if you have a fan bake mode then even better. Working out what the temperature should be and how long to bake them for is the tricky part. Different boots have different baking times because of the materials used in them. I have no idea what the temp or time should be for a X5.0 skate.

If you bake them and then get custom footbeds you may need to bake them again. This is because your foot might shift slightly in the boot with the new footbeds and therefore different pressure points come into play.

[start_today 778]

If you bought them online from a store that has a brick and mortar location near you, will they bake them if you take in the receipt? Even if they don't specifically remember you, you did attempt to buy them from them, and they didn't have what you needed. It can't hurt to ask.

[Bagge 0]

A bake oven (at least the Mission one I have access to) is nothing more than a heater element (set to a constant temperature), fan and a timer. If you get the heat and time correct, a convection oven is fine, if you have a fan bake mode then even better. Working out what the temperature should be and how long to bake them for is the tricky part. Different boots have different baking times because of the materials used in them. I have no idea what the temp or time should be for a X5.0 skate.

If you bake them and then get custom footbeds you may need to bake them again. This is because your foot might shift slightly in the boot with the new footbeds and therefore different pressure points come into play.

Thats helpful. There were some pretty detailed official guidelines regarding baking included from bauer (among other things saying take to authorized dealer heh), but it specifically says 175F for max 3 mins so I guess that would be what to go by.

Would rebaking later on in case of new footbeds affect durability of boot much, if at all?

And just to confirm, baking them would be be beneficial in comparison to just breaking them in the natural way?

If you bought them online from a store that has a brick and mortar location near you, will they bake them if you take in the receipt? Even if they don't specifically remember you, you did attempt to buy them from them, and they didn't have what you needed. It can't hurt to ask.

Bit unclear on that to be honest, but I think not. Asked on three occasions and got very different answers, the last guy seemed to imply that baking (and sharpening) would incur additional fee's even if you bought them in their stores, but regardless closest warehouse is quite far away.

Thanks to both of you for the help.

[Vet88 674]

I don't know enough about the materials they use to construct the boot with. Some manufacturers / models say you can only bake 2 or 3 times, other models can be baked many times without any damage to the boot. For a mid range boot like the X5.0, I'd be saying 2 or 3 bakes max before some material / glue breakdown may be accelerated. Your boot won't fall apart, it will just go soft quicker.

Baking is an easy way to get a boot to conform to your foot quickly. At the end of the day, if you exert enough pressure on any malleable material it will eventually alter shape to your foot. You can break them in without a bake but it takes a while and you may go through a bit of pain. Simplest way to find out is to wear them for 10 minutes or so. If you have a sore spot, get that punched out or do it yourself and then skate again. Keep repeating until eventually they fit well. If they hurt all over then go for a bake.

I will say that a bake for top end, really stiff models is almost a must these days, the quarter panels are really stiff with the amount of carbon they put into them and lots of ankle supports become malleable when heat is applied.

[Bagge 0]

I don't know enough about the materials they use to construct the boot with. Some manufacturers / models say you can only bake 2 or 3 times, other models can be baked many times without any damage to the boot. For a mid range boot like the X5.0, I'd be saying 2 or 3 bakes max before some material / glue breakdown may be accelerated. Your boot won't fall apart, it will just go soft quicker.

Baking is an easy way to get a boot to conform to your foot quickly. At the end of the day, if you exert enough pressure on any malleable material it will eventually alter shape to your foot. You can break them in without a bake but it takes a while and you may go through a bit of pain. Simplest way to find out is to wear them for 10 minutes or so. If you have a sore spot, get that punched out or do it yourself and then skate again. Keep repeating until eventually they fit well. If they hurt all over then go for a bake.

I will say that a bake for top end, really stiff models is almost a must these days, the quarter panels are really stiff with the amount of carbon they put into them and lots of ankle supports become malleable when heat is applied.

Thanks, the guidelines said max 3 times which had me thinking just what you said above.

Probably another silly question, but I assume the reason why they say not to move around or flex in in the skates after the bake is that they're considerably more fragile at that point rather than having much to do with the fit? What I'm trying to get at is the fit would eventually essentially be the same, since its still your foot its molding around, regardless of bake or natural break in or even both (mid end, hear what you saying about high end skates)?

If thats the case I'll just resort to wearing them around the house, and attempting to break them in naturally skating, worst case scenario if its unbearable I'll just bake them at that point. Still ought to be a step up from my poorly fitting 15y old completely broken down ccm's!

[Vet88 674]

Yes, that is the reason for not using them straight after a bake. The material is still soft and you can exert other pressures on the boot besides it moulding around your foot. For example a vertical movement in the heel pocket can make it bigger than it needs to be and ruin the lock you are after. Side ways pressure can widen the boot around the ankle area where you want it to be as tight as can be. And I've seen cases where the flex zones (around the 2nd and 3rd eyelets) have bulged out horribly because the user didn't wait for the skates to cool. lol, enjoy them because they are going to be a million times better than yr ccms.

[Bagge 0]

Still going down the natural break in road, but after reading the following review I'd love to hear someone with personal experience of them chime in.

Many skates can be broken in without baking, but with the Vapor 5.0, I would consider baking mandatory. The boot is nearly as stiff as a 7.0/APX, and takes well to a quick baking. I did these at home in my oven. Preheated to 170 degrees, baked for 6 minutes each. Just remember to remove the liners, and turn your oven OFF once it has reached temperature and has a skate in it! Lace carefully, let sit for 24 hours before skating. The composite boot makes it easy to work on hot spots with a heat gun.