Stable 26 performance skate hockey socks

[A2rhino 62]

Played around with these the other day and found that 4mm on the outside was what felt best. Skated with them for the first time last night and (sold) they did the trick. I found that they are a bit more thick in the forefoot area compared to my Swiftwick socks but a bit cheaper and thinner in the calf area.

[Hockeydog 8]

Just got mine last night and haven't had a chance to hit the ice yet. Really just had a minute to put them on with my skates just to see what I bought. I am a size 10 in street shoes - could scrunch into a 9.5 depending on the fit of the shoe- and ordered the medium sock. Not too big but not second skin either. I'll get a chance to try some combinations tonight. 1 foot needs them, the other foot could go without so I have some options with the supplied pads.

[Hockeydog 8]

Played around with these, and I have to say for me they didn't do the trick. I am sure they work great on certian foot types, but I didn't feel any positive effects. I also think the sock material itself is pretty slippery. I'd suggest they use a more grippy material, or add some grippy stuff to the heel and achillies area. Never know until you try I guess. Glad I waited for the price to drop before I tried them.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Played around with these, and I have to say for me they didn't do the trick. I am sure they work great on certian foot types, but I didn't feel any positive effects. I also think the sock material itself is pretty slippery. I'd suggest they use a more grippy material, or add some grippy stuff to the heel and achillies area. Never know until you try I guess. Glad I waited for the price to drop before I tried them.

What are you trying to have happen with the socks?

[Hockeydog 8]

Trying to prevent a slight to moderate case of heel lift in my 28K skates. I can tie my skates tighter and eliminate it for the most part but then I can't really push off and get a good bite on the ice as the blades just slip. When I say tight I mean maybe 75-80% of how tight I could physically pull them without a tool. So pretty snug but not circulation stopping. I am not flush with fun money right now, but I may try on a pair of Jetspeed 270's. Supremes don't do my arches any favors, at least the One70's I tried didn't.

[GunRunner 28]

I ordered a pair of these based mostly off of this thread and all I can say is WOW! I just bought 1X Vapors and I used to skate in very thin Smartwool socks and they felt good but not great. Even dropping a half a size I was hoping for that as close to perfect feel as possible. I ordered the socks and tired the stock setup and was getting a slight bit of pressure on the inside of both heels. I left the 4mm on the outside and took the 2mm on the inside out and that was the ticket. When my youth team practices next, I'm gonna try 2mm on both the outside and inside and see if that feels any different. It's amazing, these socks make my skates feel amazing and it just snugs everything up in my heel. I also had an issue with my order and I emailed the company which replied almost instantaneously and went above and beyond to help me out. Fantastic company and amazing socks.

[GunRunner 28]

Just got an e-mail that Stable 26 hockey socks are 30% off, that brings them down to $20.99. That's a good deal.

[Dizzyg12 27]

I just ordered the cut proof version -I'll post my thoughts and experience next week after I get a chance to test them

[A2rhino 62]

Only had these now for a few weeks and noticing that the threading at the top of the calf is starting to shred. That's with me even washing them in a bag on the light cycle.

[nicker87 47]

Only had these now for a few weeks and noticing that the threading at the top of the calf is starting to shred. That's with me even washing them in a bag on the light cycle.

Might just be a bad pair. I had mine a season and a half and washed them regularly with no issues, maybe email them and see if they will warranty them.

[cmflynn 16]

Anyone have any tips on how to keep the port holes the pads go in from stretching out? I love these socks, but as soon as the holes get stretched out the pads fall out easily making it a pain to get my skates on with the pads in the correct place

[Dizzyg12 27]

Anyone have any tips on how to keep the port holes the pads go in from stretching out? I love these socks, but as soon as the holes get stretched out the pads fall out easily making it a pain to get my skates on with the pads in the correct place

Don't have mine yet so I dont know. I hope to not have that issue but luckily I took home economics in high school and one quarter we learned how to sew. Lol

[nicker87 47]

Anyone have any tips on how to keep the port holes the pads go in from stretching out? I love these socks, but as soon as the holes get stretched out the pads fall out easily making it a pain to get my skates on with the pads in the correct place

Try washing them then drying them in the dryer, don't air dry. You can leave the inserts in when you do this. That should help shrink the material a little bit and tighten it back up. There's no need to remove the inserts when you wash them in the future, which I'm guessing is why they are streched now?

[nicktsigos 12]

I've been using the regular stable 26 socks for about a season and loved them, picked up a couple pairs of the cut proof versions on black friday and I don't like them as much. I feel like I'm slipping around in my skates. I'm going to wash them and mess with the inserts but they felt weird.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

I've been using the regular stable 26 socks for about a season and loved them, picked up a couple pairs of the cut proof versions on black friday and I don't like them as much. I feel like I'm slipping around in my skates. I'm going to wash them and mess with the inserts but they felt weird.

You need to go down a size on Cut resistant to get the same fit as standard.

[Dizzyg12 27]

You need to go down a size on Cut resistant to get the same fit as standard.

Where was that info a couple weeks ago when I ordered a pair and found them to be too big. Lol. I may reorder them in the smaller size - my skate issue seems to be settling and I may not need them after all. Love the concept though!

[Shogun 19]

I received a pair today and they feel great. The real test will be seeing how they are on ice. I bought a new pair of Bauer 1X skates, the left skate is pretty good, but my heel slips quite a bit in the right skate. I think I have a Bauer bump. Someone told me that the heel slippage is cause the skates are too big, but that's not the case. I wear a 7D in Vapor's and always have. I tried a 6.5D for shits and giggles, and they were too small. I'm guessing the heel slippage is cause my right heel is a different size than my left heel and there's a bump on my right heel. I will try them out tomorrow and report back, but they feel a lot better just wearing them now.

[Vet88 674]

23 hours ago, Shogun said:

there's a bump on my right heel. I will try them out tomorrow and report back, but they feel a lot better just wearing them now.

To save yourself a lot of grief in later life, if you have a bump on your right heel then get your skate punched for it. Every time you skate that bump is banging away against the side of an ultra stiff boot and micro damage is occurring in the heel. You are now in a constant trade off - age and the amount you skate versus time the body takes to heal. AND the bump will continue to get bigger (is there any redness on the top of the bump after you take your skate off or the next day?). As you get older or you skate more you will eventually start to lose the body repair battle and then your heel will start to niggle you (which you will ignore) and then after a little while more you end up with bursitis or tendonopathy or some other equally bad NEVER SKATE AGAIN heel issues. Heel bunga pads, ezyfit booties and other padding type devices don't really help, the damage still goes on.

And as to your heel slipping, consider heating the rear of the boot and clamping it under the ankle area. This will move the sides in and help with heel lock. Otherwise if nothing else fits you (eg Ribcors, jetspeeds or ultra tacks for a narrower heel fit) then I'd seriously consider VH.  

And just to toss this into the mix, a very high percentage of skaters with heel bumps also pronate.

[Shogun 19]

2 hours ago, Vet88 said:

To save yourself a lot of grief in later life, if you have a bump on your right heel then get your skate punched for it. Every time you skate that bump is banging away against the side of an ultra stiff boot and micro damage is occurring in the heel. You are now in a constant trade off - age and the amount you skate versus time the body takes to heal. AND the bump will continue to get bigger (is there any redness on the top of the bump after you take your skate off or the next day?). As you get older or you skate more you will eventually start to lose the body repair battle and then your heel will start to niggle you (which you will ignore) and then after a little while more you end up with bursitis or tendonopathy or some other equally bad NEVER SKATE AGAIN heel issues. Heel bunga pads, ezyfit booties and other padding type devices don't really help, the damage still goes on.

And as to your heel slipping, consider heating the rear of the boot and clamping it under the ankle area. This will move the sides in and help with heel lock. Otherwise if nothing else fits you (eg Ribcors, jetspeeds or ultra tacks for a narrower heel fit) then I'd seriously consider VH.  

And just to toss this into the mix, a very high percentage of skaters with heel bumps also pronate.

Thanks for such great info. What do you mean by getting my right skate punched? I will look into it for sure. I went for a skate today, and I'm not liking the feel of the Stable 26 socks. I'm going to try a different insert in the right skate. I tried 4mm on the inside and outside today, didn't feel good. I will try 4mm on the outside and nothing on the inside tonight and see how it is.  Do you know how the heel lock is in the Bauer 1S skates? I will go to a local hockey store and look into punching the right skate and clamping the heel.

 

Thanks again for so much info, I really appreciate it. I will report back on how the right skate feels after I go for a skate tonight.

[Vet88 674]

1S fits a larger heel. If you have slippage in a 1X it will be worse in a 1S. Punching the heel is hard to do, what needs to happen is a little pocket is punched in the heel that the bump can sit in. Also ideally the punch (or pocket) extends upwards by 1/4" so that if there is any heel slippage, the bump doesn't keep getting smacked into the top of the pocket. Liberal use of lipstick on your bump helps to locate where the punch needs to happen.

As to clamping, I have used 3 methods each with varying degrees of difficulty 1: get 2 clamps, heat the boot up, stick your foot in and clamp just under and behind the ankle bone and just in front and under the ankle bone (these areas are the thinnest part of the heel). When clamping you might want to use leather or cardboard or something similar under the clamps to prevent them from damaging the surface of the boot. It can be hard getting the rear clamp to stay locked in because of the angles of the boot and your foot, ideally someone can help you with this to hold the clamp in place as it gets tightened up. Downside with this method is it can be hard to clamp tightly and you have to take it off after a while. 2: Another way is to measure the width of you feet in the areas I have just described then using something like a 1" dowel, cut 2 lengths of wood to these measurements. Then also measure the width of your ankles and cut another piece of dowel. Use lipstick on your foot to mark inside the boot the corresponding spots where you measured your foot, fit the dowels into the boot (use supports to hold them in place and lace your boot tight to hold the ankle bone piece in place) then clamp on the outside. I shaped the inner dowel so it followed the contour of the foot and used a piece of 3mm mdf (cut to shape) on the outside under the 2 clamps so that it helped to contour the boot to the foot shape (and protect the boot from the clamps). With this method you can do things like leave the clamps on overnight for a better set. Also I undercut the dowel so the boot fits REALLY tight on the foot then the next day apply a tiny bit of heat, jam your foot into the boot and it will expand around the foot for a better fit, it is easier to widen a boot than shrink it..3: The nth degree is to make inner and outer foot molds, cast an inner out of concrete and the outer out of a high strength automotive bog. Heated the boot up, put the foot mold in, put the outer over the top and then clamp it all together. This works like a big as press, pressing the boot into shape. I turned a supreme into a steroid powered vapour heel that fitted the rear of the foot perfectly. Making foot molds also allows for bumps etc in the heel and ankle areas.

[Shogun 19]

Thanks for the great info :) I'm going to a pro shop tomorrow. I went for a skate tonight, my right heel is still lifting. Is it possible that my right heel is too big for the heel pocket or do you think it's the bump that is lifting up my heel? Also, I have read on this site that the Bauer 1X feel bigger (longer), any truth to this? 

[Vet88 674]

If your heel was too big for the pocket, you would get some kind of lock once you jammed your heel into the skate (if you could get it in). Your heel is too small for the pocket hence trying stable26 or other tricks to try and make your heel larger or the pocket smaller and therefore get a lock. The bottom of the 1X heel pocket (where it comes up from the sole) is wider than my apx2's, I could see it when I placed the 2 skates side by side.

[Shogun 19]

Damn, this sucks! I'll go to a pro shop tomorrow and see what they think is best for me. Punching the heel sounds okay, but it would suck if it didn't work cause I probably won't be able to sell them. What do you think is best?

[Vet88 674]

You need to be concerned about your heel fit, get that right first then the punch comes next. Based on what you have said and tried so far, 1X skates as they are aren't for you. Unless you want to try modding the heel with a clamp process (you can always push the heel out again if it doesn't work) then I'd consider selling them and finding a boot that does fit. Once you are comfortable in your boots then get them punched for the bump.

[Shogun 19]

Well, went to a pro shop today. The guy there did a few things to help with my heel lift, nothing felt comfortable. My right foot is just weird haha. I can't seem to get a good heel lock with the Bauer Speed Plate's on my right heel, left heel is okay, though. I put my old Superfeet back in the 1X, but they take up too much volume, but the heel lock is good. I have the Carbon Pro Hockey Superfeet, are they thinner than the Yellow's? I'd like to keep my 1X skates, but it's looking like I will have to sell them :(

 

Vet88, thanks so much for your help. I wish we lived in the same town, so you can have a look and see what you can come up with.