Need new skates in the SW Florida area - where's a good shop?

[DevilsFan38 0]

Like the title says, I'm looking for a good shop with a variety of skates to try on and knowledgeable salespeople. I live in Fort Myers, but I'd be willing to take a day trip to the Tampa or Miami areas if that would be best. I'm from NJ and will be back up there around Thanksgiving, but I don't think I can wait that long. My current skates are 10+ years old (Mission Pure Lites, size 7EE) and they're giving me lacebite now (especially if I play more than one game in a day) and the angle where the upper part of the boot meets the lower is actually starting to rip apart.

Overall I've felt like they fit quite well, occasionally slightly squeezed in the forefoot area but when that happens I think it's due to my overtightening of the skates. Since they're so old I have no clue what skates today would fit similarly.

I went to the pro shop at Germain arena in Estero, and the salesperson was helpful but they didn't have a huge selection. I tried on a few but none felt great. Budget is ~$500

Vapors - way too narrow

Supremes - a little narrow in the forefoot

Reebok - didn't have a good heel lock, unless it was really pumped up (which worries me, how reliable are those pumps?)

RBZ - decent fit, though they only had a low end model in my size, not sure if the higher end models fit the same

Stealth RS - mostly good fit except one hot spot on the outside of each foot (might be able to be punched out?), though I'm a little hesitant to get Easton skates since I don't know much about their quality

They didn't have any Graf, and no Nexus or Tacks in my size.

I'd love some pro shop suggestions, and/or ideas on what skates might fit best. Thanks!

[MochiTomi 0]

RinkSide Sports outside of Tampa is the only store I've made it out to in that area. I bought my skates from them and they were great guys to work with. When I went about 4 months ago they had Bauer- all lines, CCM- Tacks and RBZ, and Reebok. Here's their website: http://www.rinksidesportstampa.com/ and their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RinkSideSportsTampa

My experience with trying on different skates appears similar to yours based on how you described the different lines in your post. I ended up with Tacks as they had a bit more room in the toe box than the Supremes and I've been really happy with them. You're price range is nearly double what mine was though so you may have a different experience.

Oh, a note about RinkSide's pricing: my Tacks were a decent bit higher in price than purchasing online but they include a bake and sharpen at time of purchase. I think I spent about $60 over the online price but I also got the bake, sharpen, and then the tax added some too. I felt it was worth the extra cost but thought you should have a heads up.

[EvilPepe 24]

Snap.

I went to the pro shop at Germain arena in Estero, and the salesperson was helpful but...

Well, there's that at least.

Take a gander at your PM box.

[DevilsFan38 0]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I may be making a trip to Tampa.

Regarding pricing I'd much rather pay extra to buy from a shop rather than going online, so no worries if the skates cost a bit more.