Help with APX skates please?

[hockeydude780 0]

Hi there,

I have been offered two pairs of Bauer APX skates, one a size 7 and the other size 7.5. I live in Northern Ireland so I have no real idea of how to size skates. My last skates were a bauer size 8 and were definitely too big! Unfortunately the deal with the size 7 skate fell through and I can only get the size 7.5 skates but I think I can get 7s elsewhere, but I would still like an opinion on both of the skates please? My feet are around 25.7 cm in length. When I have the size 7 skate (which is a standard market skate) on and tied, and I stand up, I can just about brush my toe off the toe cap, but the bridge of my toe on one foot is too tight, and on the size 7.5 skate (which is a custom APX skate for a local pro player), when I have it on and tied and I stand up I can't feel the toe cap at all. Will the half size of a difference make any difference to my skating at all or is it ok? When I take the insoles out, and place my foot on them, I have a tiny bit of room (about 3mm on the left and about 5-6mm on the right) of space at the front of the insole between the end of my toe and the end of the insole in the 7.5 skates, but almost no room on the size 7 skate.

Will the half size affect my skating? Which size would you think would be for me?

I tried putting my finger down the back of the 7.5 skate, but couldn't actually get my hand down far enough to feel the bottom of the skate, but I think there is about 1 fingers worth of space down there.

Also, because the size 7.5s are customs I have a question about the eyelets. When I looked up size 7.5 APX skates on the internet, they had only 9 eyelets, but these ones have 10? Is this because they're custom or are they maybe bigger than a 7.5? When I remove the foot bed it has '7 1/2' handwritten on the floor of the skate.

What is the best way to measure foot size(length, width etc) at home?

Sorry for the many questions! I just want to make sure to get the best fit!

Thanks!

[Vet88 674]

My foot is 25cm and I'm a size 6. Add 1 cm and your a size 7. You can always wear a bigger boot but you will suffer performance wise and often pain wise because your foot can move in the boot leading to blisters, painful spots etc. If the top of the toe is hitting the toe cap, a good shop could help with a heat and punch in this area.

At home the best measure is the pencil test, laces and tongue out, foot in with toe brushing the toe cap. If you can slide a pencil down the back of your heel they are too big. Ideally for length you have between 1mm - 2mm gap between the back of your heel and the boot. Then place the pencil across the boot between the 2nd and 3rd eyelets. If it touches your foot then the boot doesn't have enough volume.

[hockeydude780 0]

Thanks! I'm 16 so I'm unsure whether my foot will grow any bigger, but obviously I don't want to spend a huge amount of money to get the wrong size, or grow out of them

[MThockeydad 469]

My feet grew about 1/2 size between age 15-16 and my early 20's. Do you figure you've quit growing or not?

If you're skating a LOT then the APX's might be worthwhile even if you still might grow.
If you're hoping that this is THE skate you'll buy to last you into early adulthood, I'd wait a year or two.
If you're not that hard on them, chances are you can use them for a few years and resell them.

[hockeydude780 0]

I'm not too sure whether my feet have stopped growing, but I don't think that they've really grown in the past couple of months. My current skates are dead at the minute, completely gone, and obviously I want a good stiff skate.