New skate advice

[goudgey 6]

Hi all,

I currently have a pair of very old (mid 90's) CCM 852 Tacks in size 8.5 (unknown width) which I've not used for 10 years or more until last weekend when I laced up for rec league hockey try outs. The pain was unbelievable as the skates were too small in length with my big toe pushing on the inside of the toe cap to the point where I was grimacing in pain!

Time for me to upgrade to new skates however I've no idea what I should be looking for. I live in Australia where there's only a single shop at the one local rink that stocks a few Bauer skates or a couple of on-line sellers who again only stock Bauer so my options seem limited to Bauer or...Bauer!

I'm after a skate that's at least a half size bigger and narrow as my feet are quite narrow and I think I will need a tight/narrow heel section with high and tight ankle support. Bauer Vapors in a size 9 D width seem to the the best option on paper but I'm unclear if the ankle support offered by the Bauers is in the same league as the older style CCM's.

I know there's no substitute for trying on various pairs of skates but that's not an option due to my location and limited brand availability locally (buying from the US isn't a realistic option either due to manufacturer distribution restrictions and exorbitant postage costs) so I'm hoping to benefit from the collective wisdom of people here who may be able to steer me in the direction of the perfect (Bauer?) skate for me!

Cheers,

Mark

[laserrobottime 149]

Any modern skate above the Vapor X60 is goog to offer a boot that is as stiff or stiffer than a worn out pair of tacks and should offer good ankle support.

The vapor is shallower than the old tacks and a bit narrower, so make sure you go and try on whatever options you have.

[IDontPretendImGoodAtHockey 2]

Here's my 2 cents, take it for what it is. I used to wear the older Bauer Vapor 10's in a D width. This was probably the best skate I've ever worn. It was narrow enough for my feet, as I also have narrow feet, but they were just a bit too long. I then went to the Bauer Vapor XXXX skates in a D width and these felt significantly wider than the 10's and I'm pretty sure that hasn't changed since (someone can correct me if I'm wrong). My ankle was floating a bit but after getting them baked a couple of times they felt a bit more snug. Like laserrobottime said too, they're quite shallow and I got terrible lace bite from my XXXX skates. So what I'm saying is, a D width in the Vapor line may not be the right width for you, and also make sure that if you do buy Vapors that you or the sales person do the pencil test to ensure the volume of the skate is right for both of your feet. I'm not a pro or pretend to know a ton about skates - this is just my personal experience.

I now wear the Vapor x6.0 skates, still in a D width but they seem to fit my footer better than the XXXX's.

There's lots of guys here that'll be able to help you.

[MarsB 33]

I am an old Tacks guy, and the closest fit many will tell you is the Reebok line. I found that to be true for me, however I have most recently gone from Reebok to CCM RBZ 80s. It really is a shame you can't try on more models; as you mention there really is no substitute. If I had to go Bauer, it would likely be Supremes. The Vapor fit doesn't seem to work for my foot, way too pinched in the toecap.

[goudgey 6]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm a bit concerned that the Vapors will be too low in the ankle. Is this the same for both the Supremes and Nexus skates too? I've not got the strongest ankles and believe I need all the support I can get.

If I could find CCM's locally I'd likely jump at them as I assume their fit would be most similar to the older Tacks. Unfortunately no one here stocks CCM and US based online retailers won't ship CCM to Oz.

I should mention that I'm after a mid range skate at best, like the X60 in price. There's an in-line dealer in Oz who sells Graf skates but they state their sizing is European rather than US so I don't want to take the risk in extrapolating both from Euro/US and up a size!

[z1ggy 81]

I'm not sure how old Tacks fit compared to current skates. But I do have fairly narrow feet like you and I went to try on all the latest offerings this summer.

Long story short, no skates fit me other than Mako's. Even the new Vapors were surprisingly wide compared to my current Vapors (XXV's, about 7 years old now). However, out of all the skates I tried on, they were the narrowest and least volume fitting boot, and I could have probably made them work with a bake and Stable 26 socks. However, I don't like to compensate for improper fit with other means...I like as close to a perfect fit as I can get out of the box, then use baking and other methods to simply fine tune.

Then lastly, there's always VH skates. They offer a totally custom fit (see thread here), but are rather pricey.

[goudgey 6]

I'm with you Z1ggy insofar that I don't want to compensate for improper fit by other means. Unfortunately I'm on a budget so Makos (at approx. $900 AUS) and VH customs would be well outside of my budget. Looks like Vapors are my best option, given that they offer a narrower fit than Supremes and Nexus.

Any advice from anyone on the comparable ankle support and height of the three Bauer model ranges?

[IslandRyhno 0]

Vapor is narrow in the heel and widens out but not much. Supreme is a bit wider but uniformly so (same proportions) and nexus is the widest, deepest fit off all three.

[goudgey 6]

Thanks for that info IslandRyhno, sounds like the Vapor is the better width for me. I've heard that the depth of the ankle support of Bauers generally is less than that provided by the old Tacks though.

It totally sucks having next to no options locally!

[z1ggy 81]

I can't comment on vapors vs tacks in the ankle support area... But I don't think it'll be a problem. Overall, the skates aren't as "low profile" as the new Graf's are for example, meaning the part that "wraps" around your ankle is a bit lower, giving you less support laterally. This can be a good thing for some people who like more freedom of movement in that direction.

But honestly, after having a bunch of different skates over the years, I've found budget to be something one should not have in regards to skates, unless one is brand new to hockey. There is literally nothing worse than having improper fit and function of your skates. If you can only spend $500, but the $900 pair would fit you like a glove and improve all aspects of your game, wouldn't you rather wait a few months to save up and get something you'll love for the next 10+ years?

Think of your skates as a long term investment.

[goudgey 6]

A very good point Z1ggy, and I'd agree with you under normal circumstances however in this case I'm returning to the game after a break of over 15 years, I'm pushing 40 yrs old and likely only have a few seasons of rec league hockey in me...and I'm rubbish!!

I'm also unable to use the skates I've got due to the pain they cause and I need new skates sooner rather than later. I'm pushing the budget up as much as I can and would spend a hundred $ more than planned but I'd not go too much higher than that if it can be helped. I've just spent a bit more than planned on an Easton 700 helmet when the intention was to only spend half that on an entry level lid!

Another thought just occurred to me...I'm travelling to the US in March next year so that may be a good time to buy some good skates. Perhaps I should get the cheapest pair I can find locally in the meantime to fill the short term gap?

[IslandRyhno 0]

As long as the fit is proper then yes why not. Also, that E700 lid is worth the cash, great, great bucket. Something else to keep in mind, when or if you try skates, try them all. I was a former Pro Tack/ Super Tacks guy and got steered to Reebok most of the LHS told me Nexus or RBK. I purchased a 17k which I loved but ended up being to big for me in all aspects. I finally got a fitting by a pro skate company and ended up in a Bauer Supreme One.8 which everyone else told me would not fit me (based on my physical appearance, being a rather large man) I could not be happier with my Bauer, fit, fit, fit is the most important aspect regardless of price high or low. At our age and level (I'm in the same boat as you) spending more doesn't always mean getting more.

[z1ggy 81]

Based on what you are saying here, then I guess I'd just suggest any Vapor you can afford for right now to test out the waters. Maybe just a cheap pair and make the best of it by using different socks (stable 26), lacing patterns etc, to get the best fit you can. Then if you aren't satisfied, you could potentially save up for something that fits you better, if need be.

My experience (having slightly narrow feet) is that all the newest offerings from Bauer, CCM, RBK, Graf, etc... Were all too big in some way. Some fit okay width wise, but maybe the toe box felt too wide and/or had too much volume. I didn't get to try on the newest CCM Tacks, but I hear they fit similar to Supremes, which would be too wide anyway. The only skate that I put on my foot and said "oh yeah, this puppy fits nice" were Mako II skates by Easton. Just speaking about the boot, it would be the skate for my narrow-ish foot. Now, if you have truly very narrow feet, those might be good for you, or even maybe a used pair of old Grafs in a C width (if budget is truly a hard limit in regards to the Mako).

I tried on the newest Graf skates in D width (the 9032) but overall it was just too wide and a bit too much volume. I was not able to try the C width (not in stock) but from what I was told, it doesn't change volume much and really only affects the width of the heel region. But, a C width could be an option in these newer skates possibly.