Holder/Steel Issues with new pair of skates

[jonesy9020 77]

Just got a used pair of Mission Pure Fly skates from another MSH member (if you're reading, thanks a ton, they're great). While the boots are awesome, they've got a profile I'm just not used to on the steel, and the steel is also getting pretty low. They have Tuuk custom+ holders attached, but there's no access hole in the outsole to get to the bolt, so it seems like I'll have to remove the holder to replace the steel. I have my beat up pair of Mission L7s laying around and always liked the Pitch 3 holder and steel, which seems like it holds its edge better than most other runners I've used between sharpenings. Replacing Pitch 3 steel is also just a lot easier with the side mounted screws than going in and potentially screwing up my boots by drilling an access hole. I've spoken with my LHS about holder replacements, which they said the shop can handle, but they won't drill new holes for the holder swap, so I'd imagine they won't do an access hole either, so that job would fall to me and I'm not really keen about taking a drill to the outsole. Just eyeballing the rivet pattern on my L7s and comparing it with the Flys, they seem to match up well and shouldn't need new holes added. Being that it's a Mission skate to begin with, I'd imagine the Pitch holders will match up with the factory holes on their earlier holder.

All that said, I've got a few questions:

1) If I stay with the Tuuk holder - There are so many different Bauer runners on the market right now it's kind of difficult to sort them all out, do they all fit with the older Tuuk custom+ holder?

2) Again staying with Tuuks - can I drill an access hole with the holder still on the skate or will that be potentially disastrous? I'm not super picky about holders, and I'm really just trying to replace my steel and minimize the labor involved here and into the future. If I can do that by drilling an easy hole without spending time taking off and reattaching the holder, I'd be interested.

3) Changing to Pitch - I figure if I have to take off the holder to get to the Tuuk steel and drill the hole anyway, I might as well not do that and replace them with Pitch holders I can get dirt cheap.

4) I can get a great deal on Pitch 3 holders and steel. Basically looking at two holders + steel for about the same price as one set of the midrange Tuuk runners alone at this point. I figure that plus the leftover steel from my L7s should last me a long time. and I get the added bonus of having some holders around if the holder cracks.

Given all this, what course of action do you think I should take?

Thanks!

[jonesy9020 77]

Alternately, should I look into some other holders, e.g. Easton RB2, CCM E-Pro that I can get on clearance and don't have to drill a hole for when changing out steel? Will these require additional holes drilled?

[MThockeydad 469]

What is your budget and what do you want?

Do you just want replaceable steel--another set to replace the worn ones you have now?

Do you want to swap frequently (i.e. mailing off your steel to get sharpened?)

Lowest budget would be to bite the bullet and drill the holes in the heels and toes yourself. Find a newer set of Custom + runners. There were a LOT of them earlier this winter on eBay, but not so many right now, keep looking.

Next easiest would be to swap to a LS2 holder--I believe the holes are supposed to line up with the rivet pattern from the Custom+. You only have one hole in each heel, not heel + toe.

Easton RB2, CCM E-Pro holes probably won't line up between holder and outsole, so you're looking at as many as a dozen (smaller) new holes in each skate, but when they're mounted, you can change steel without going through the boot.

If you LOVE your Pitch3 steel, find some appropriate holders for your Flys.

[jonesy9020 77]

Thanks for your detailed response. I took a trip to the LHS to talk about my options. They looked at the steel and when I told them I had them sharpened at my on campus rink, the store manager winced. Turns out the skates were sharpened with way too deep a hollow, uneven edges (looking at the level was almost funny), and no finishing run. Pretty much everything that could have been done wrong was done wrong. They fixed them up for free, which is great, and I'm going to give the skates another shot with the current steel before blaming the feel issue on the profile.

When I do have to change though, I'd like to know what I'm doing. Budget is probably my biggest concern, but obviously I'm willing to pay a little more to not destroy the boot. As far as hole drilling goes, it seems like the guide is between the middle two rivets in the back, but I don't have a clue where to go up front. Also would you advise doing this with the holders still on, off, or doesn't matter?

[jimmy 194]

Just drill the 2 holes, you are not going to destroy the boot. Fot Tuuk+ I make VERY large holes in the front to make access to the nut easier. Again will not hurt your boot at all. That's the cheapest way out.

[dewey79 3]

I drilled holes in the heels of my sons Reebok skates when I changed over his runners to Tuuks before the season started. I've used 2 different drill bits when I drilled the holes ib the skates, 5/8 spade bit & a Unibit that goes to 3/4 hole size.

If you actually look at the plastic hole covers that come with Bauer skates they say 11/16 on the underside. You can buy the plastic hole covers at Lowe's or Home Cheapo if you drill holes in skates other than Bauers

[SirJW 207]

I have a few sets if covers if anyone needs them. Just send me a PM.

Side note

[MThockeydad 469]

...and hit a pawn shop and buy a cheapo 1/4" nut driver and an 8mm socket. The "universal joint" flexy thingy is helpful but not necessary.
A longer nut driver is better than a short one.

I just bought a really long screwdriver and welded the 8mm socket to the end.
I might be newer to hockey, but it's nice to have a shop full of fab tools.:)

[jonesy9020 77]

Before I get into drilling these things, I want to make sure I'm drilling the right spots. I took a closer look at the runners last night, and there are two little notches in the bottom of the runner in the front and back of the holder plastic - do those notches match up with where the bolts are? Thinking I can just draw a vertical line up to where the rivets are and then use that as a guide when looking at the bottom of the sole.

Please advise, thanks guys. Also if this has been covered in another forum, I'm apologize. I did a search but couldn't find that level of detail.

[MThockeydad 469]

Yes, the center of those spots are where the bolt comes down. It's a little wider than the runner is thick. A vertical line up will work great. try to get it as close as possible, but a little misalignment won't be the end of the world.