How much does ankle padding pressure change after baking?

[Nealoc187 10]

I went to Total Hockey today and tried on about 10 pairs of skates. These were the first modern skates I have EVER worn, literally. Right now I'm rocking my old Bauer Supreme 4000s from high school, and also have a pair of Micron Mega Air 90s that I have been wearing the last few years (but haven't worn since last year because of the steel being worn out). So you can see what I'm coming from, high end skates, but old and not at all like today's composite skates.

I have a pretty narrow foot and a high arch. Foot size between both feet is consistent. I wear an 8.5 dress shoe, and have worn size 6.5 skates for years, so the testing results I got today surprised me from what I've read on here re: boot width of Vapor/Nexus/Supreme, etc. Today I tried on Vapor X60, X70 and X90, Supreme MX3, 190 and 170 (they didn't have a 180 in my size to try), Mako M8, Tacks (can't remember what model, foot moved around like crazy anyways so I didn't even consider that one).

The most comfortable by far was Supreme 190 in 6.5D, honestly that skate felt like I would have no pain at all, it felt completely natural and quickly throughout the session became the baseline to which I compared every other skate. Next most comfortable was Supreme 190 in 6.0D. I think I could pull off the 6.0 but I'm curious about how the fit will change when baked, unbaked my big toe was JUUUST brushing the toe cap. MX3 6.5D felt fine around the ankle bone and forefoot, but the tongue was weird. I was told the tongue is customizable in some fashion though I didn't bother to look that closely into it because the 190 was cheaper and more comfortable. The Vapors, which I understood from here is more narrow, was very uncomfortable on my ankle bones. A lot of pressure on both sides of my ankle bones, maybe my ankle bones protrude a lot? I don't know, but it was not good. Forefoot felt fine. M8 was weird, I thought it was ugly but it also didn't feel very good. I didn't get to try on anything from the Easton Stealth line, no Reebok at all nor CCM other than the Tacks, and no Graf, and nothing from the Nexus line. I still want to try on some of those but as of right now the 190 in 6.5D is a pretty clear winner, with the 190 6.0D coming in a close second, and the 170 6.0D third (they didn't have a 170 6.5D for me to try, which I want to do, nor did they have a 180 which I also would like to try.

So my questions:

How much will baking affect the ankle bone pressure I felt with the Vapors? Unless ankle bone pressure is greatly relieved by baking, I see no reason to consider the Vapor line.

Being as I have a narrow foot, what gives with the Supreme (which I believe is the widest Bauer?) being the most comfortable and natural feeling?

If I bake the Supreme 190, which is the most comfortable at this point, is it conceivable that the comfort level would change (either for better or worse?) Should I consider maybe a C width since my foot is narrow? I didn't feel like there was any significant play in the Supremes anyways, but the fact that they are "wider" than the Vapor is just something I thought I'd read on here.

Do modern composite boot skates "stretch" or "break in" really or do they basically stay the same as they are on day 1 (baked or left alone without baking)? I am wondering if the Supreme 190 6.0D would become more comfortable after baking (perhaps stretching a bit or at least the inside padding conforming to my foot a little more, possibly making it feel more like the 6.5D did straight out of the box?) For background info, the Air 90s which I purchased brand new on Ebay in 2008 required no break in. They were 100% comfortable the first time I wore them. I am willing to break in a skate, but if there is no need and modern skates don't really break in anyways because they're composite...

Lastly, is the Supreme One.9 from last year the same skate as this year's 190 (and so on down the line)? $380 on clearance for the One.9 online is pretty compelling compared to $699 at Total Hockey.

Sorry for the long ass post. I want to choose the right skate for comfort for years to come if I end up purchasing new skates.

edit: if it matters, I am not very big, 5'10" 150lbs and I play center typically, two games per week (though hoping to go up to 3 per week soon). I'm a fairly advanced level skater, and i'm a balls out sort of North-South skater, feet moving all the time, hard on the forecheck, etc. My game is based on speed and agility. One of the reasons I'm looking in to new skates is I feel like the reduced weight of modern skates would help in this regard.

[All Flash 49]

All that being said............. ;)

I would recommend the Supreme 190 in a sz 6D or the MX3's in a sz 6D if the 190 is not deep enough for your arch.

It will be a world of difference after the heat fit.

Just MHO.

[syinx 139]

Firstly: Nexus are the widest of the Bauer boots. Bauer is just known to mark their widths differently. Regardless of the shape of your foot, if a boot fits, a boot fits. Stick with the Supremes.

Baking doesn't so much "stretch" Bauer boots as it allows it to mold to your feet. It definitely increases the comfort level, but you're not going to get a lot of "stretch" out of them. Figure out which boot size fits the length correctly. If you're teetering between the 6D and the 6.5D, grab the 6.5D, it'll only feel better after the bake.

Ignore the whole mumbo-jumbo about one boot being "wider" than another just because the letters say so. It serves as a general (inconsistent) guideline, just because you have a narrow foot, doesn't mean you need a narrow width. I myself have extremely narrow feet and fit spectacularly well in Supreme Ds, but can never be happy in Vapors. It's about foot shape as much as foot width. Your arch will be fine in the Supreme line - a friend of mine has ridiculously high arches, and he was happy in Supremes with Superfeet.

I think you're thinking too much about this. If it fits, it fits. Stop trying to treat it like a mathematical formula with letters and numbers - just go with what felt good on your foot.

Finally, get the One.9. You're not exactly getting too different of a boot. I skated in the One.9s for a year and a half before I got my Makos. They're a solid boot and they're light. If you can get a One.9 at 380, it's a steal. Pick those up in the 6.5Ds and go be happy with it.

[tattoosbyjay 30]

I was having the same problem as you the last skates I wore were in 91 after going through a pair of vapors x90, bauer supreme 0ne.9 and a pair of bauer nxg the only one of those three that fit well was the supreme one.9 , but I just got a pair of graf skates and the fit is perfect for me reminds me of how my skates felt years ago just a bit stiffer , not sure if any of that will help but if you want a skate that has the same feel as the older skates in my humble opinion graf skates are the way to go