Skate stiffness and advice, concrete info only.

[Shaine 3]

Junior skates Vs Adult skates.

I'm tired of speculation and rumors!

Can I please get a definite answer from a manufacturer or someone that is 100% sure.

I've called about 10 different places and I keep getting mixed answers.

Some people have said Junior skates are just as stiff, some have said that they aren't so I should get custom made skates and one guy even said that skates get less stiff as you go down in size. So a size 13 adult is more stiff than a size 6 adult, therefor there would be virtually no difference between a size 6.0 adult and a 5.5 junior.

I'm an adult with small feet, narrow heel, wide forefoot. I'm about 5'10.5 185 and I'm looking to buy some Nexus 8000's or 7000's in size 5.5 EE which are juniors.

My main concern is shelling out money for skates that won't be stiff enough and ultimately break down faster than adult skates.

My adult CCM u+10 6.0D boots started feeling like they weren't supporting my ankles as well after about 13 months and I'd like my new skates to last at least a few years.

Also I feel I was sized wrong for those CCMs, they are a tad long and too tight on the sides, I should have probably got them in 5.5 wide.

I don't play hockey anymore and use the skate to ref several times a week, sometimes I have skates on for around 6 hours straight.

My main concern is comfort and longevity of the skates. If anyone has any advice other than the Nexus please let me know.

Lastly, what are peoples experience with custom skates? My LHS said they don't mold feet anymore that they just draw and take measurements, also that it would cost an extra $100-$150 on top of the skate price and take about 4-8 weeks to make them.

Any info and advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

[Vet88 673]

imho Nexus skates will be wrong for you. I am not far off your dimensions and fit a size 6 Supreme or 6.5 Graf for length. Nothing I have found in Bauer fits a narrow heel and wide forefoot. The Nexus will have way to much space in the heel and forget Rbk or CCM. Makos are worth a try or Grafs, I didn't like the ultra G3 but am happy in an ultra G5. The new range (8035 and 9035) have larger heel pockets so do not suit us narrow heel folk anymore. A decent Graf store should be able to fit you ok online via the Graf 3D fit process. For customs, you can get them from Graf / Bauer / VH.

[Shaine 3]

imho Nexus skates will be wrong for you. I am not far off your dimensions and fit a size 6 Supreme or 6.5 Graf for length. Nothing I have found in Bauer fits a narrow heel and wide forefoot. The Nexus will have way to much space in the heel and forget Rbk or CCM. Makos are worth a try or Grafs, I didn't like the ultra G3 but am happy in an ultra G5. The new range (8035 and 9035) have larger heel pockets so do not suit us narrow heel folk anymore. A decent Graf store should be able to fit you ok online via the Graf 3D fit process. For customs, you can get them from Graf / Bauer / VH.

Thanks for your reply.

Grafs were the first skates I've considered since everyone I know that has owned them says they are the most comfortable skates they have owned. Unfortunately I don't have any LHS that deal with Grafs anymore. They all say Graf is a headache to deal with. Do you know if the G75/65 in 6.0 (regular or wide?) might be a close fit for those dimensions? Or even their classic line of the 735s, 709s and 703. Any and all info about experiences with Grafs would be awesome.

I really need to spend a few hours getting fitted, for some reason I never bothered trying wide size skates before. Who knows maybe I'll try on something like Vapors that I never thought I'd like or fit into but they might end up fitting like a glove in EE. Although I do remember switching from tacks 652 when I was in my teens to a supreme 5000 skate and absolutely hating them. They felt too narrow, killed my arches and I also felt like their pitch didn't lean as forward as the tacks.

I'll try to update this with my experience once I have time to get fitted.

Thanks!

[Vet88 673]

You will find that as you go for a wider skate, the heel pocket also gets wider. If you are having trouble with a heel lock in a D, it isn't going to get any better in a E or EE.

If you find a boot that fits your heel in a D but is too narrow across the forefoot, you can do what I do for my kids feet. My son is 11.5cms across the forefoot but his heel is a D size. MX3's in a D are 10.5cm's across the forefoot so I put the boots into a jig and stretch them myself, easy enough to do. Secret is to take your time and only move them a couple of mm's each day. I have only ever done this with top end boots, I can't comment on how well it will work with a lower end product.

I don't have enough knowledge about the rest of the Graf lines to give you any real guidance, there are a lot of LHS's who still carry their product and quite a few will offer you advice / fitting online if you buy through them.

[tro 4]

I have a pair of One100 5.5 and One.9 6, there is no difference in stiffness or construction.

[Shaine 3]

I have a pair of One100 5.5 and One.9 6, there is no difference in stiffness or construction.

That's very helpful. Thank you!

I'm going in for a fitting tomorrow late afternoon, hopefully I can finally figure out what I'm going to do.

[Shaine 3]

I spent a couple hours today and tried on pretty much every skate other than the Grafs and Eastons because my LHS doesn't carry them.

I measured a 5.5 EE and medium arch.

All size 6.0 were a tad too long, also I did seem to feel a difference when bending my ankles between the Junior 5.5 and Adult 6.0 skates. I really don't think the juniors are as stiff and therefor probably wouldn't be as durable.

6.0 Vapors had the best heel lock by far, very impressive! However they didn't have enough volume for me at the top of the foot and the toe box hurt the side of my toe a little bit. Overall probably my second favorite, if only they had a little more volume and very slightly wider toe box.

6.0 and 5.5 Nexus surprisingly felt like I was swimming in them with no heel lock. They were comfortable but felt like a boat.

5.5 and 6.0 Supreme felt like I had by foot in a vice grip, especially near the toes. I didn't even want to keep my feet in the 5.5 untied for more than 2 seconds. I don't know what it is about Supremes but my feet don't get along with them at all, they were unbearable and left my foot in a bit of pain even after I took them off.

6.0 Reebok, these skates felt super comfortable, I can't recall for sure now If I had volume problems, I just remember them being comfy. Problem with these is that I got absolutely no heel lock even with the pump. I don't know if the pump was broken or what but I sat there pumping them quite a bit and felt zero difference. Worth mentioning the lace lock system is pretty cool, I had never used it before.

6.0 and 5.5 RBZ felt like I had the least negative space throughout the entire boot out of every skate I tried on, overall really hugged my foot everywhere like a glove. My problem with these was that for the first time ever I had pain on the inside ankle bone that protrudes out. Also I didn't really want to go with them due to build quality issues I keep reading about.

Tacks, last but not least. Unfortunately I only got to try them out in a 6.0 D, They felt like the best compromise all around, they were the most comfortable skates I tried on from ankle to toe that provided at least some heel lock. My main concerns were that they were a tad too long, my heel didn't fully lock and I could wiggle the front part of my feet and toes up and down a little more than I would like. It is worth noting they come with free CCM insoles that are supposed to make the skates even more comfortable for my medium arch, I only tried them on with the standard soles though. Also it's a nice bonus that Tacks currently have a 30 day money back guarantee on their top model.

I am very fortunate to have a great LHS with an amazing and very patient manager that helped me with the fitting. He said he would order some 5.5 D and 5.5 E Tacks for me to try on.

As of right now I'm hoping that one of the 5.5 will fit me perfectly and that I also will be happy with the stiffness.

If not I will most likely get some Tacks custom made. Most likely a 6.0 D adult boot with a shorter toe cap, and a tighter heel.

Having had the opportunity to try on all the skates gave us enough information that he could pass on to CCM on top of my custom measurement to make sure CCM gets them made just right.

My experience getting fitted so far has been excellent and I recommend anyone looking for new skates to take at least a couple of hours doing the same. The online descriptions aren't nearly enough to know what skates will feel like on your feet. Previous to getting fitted I was 99% sure Nexus skates would have been the best fit for me.

I hope this post can help someone down the road and I will try to come back and let you guys know what I ended up with. :)

[Cove 38]

The skate stiffness is on a relative scale.

[kovalchuk71 212]

I don't understand your logic. Just because a skate is as stiff as a cast doesn't mean it's going to be durable. A high end skate is a high end skate. Get the skate that fits your foot the best. End of story.

[swede 45]

Your feet seem somewhat similar to mine, except for the volume.. Narrow heel while the forefoot is wide.

I have the widest part in the joint where the big to fastens.. I also find that vapors in D width lock my heel in really nice, while the forefoot is to narrow and really kill the big toe joint. I still bougth the vapors an baked/punched the myself. Acctually, i didn't really punch em, instead i put 3 layers of Compeed blister plaster on the big toe joint bump and 1 layer cloth tape. This made my feet like 3mm wider on the widest part, than they actually are. Then i baked the skates and had them on for like 20mins. Now there's plenty of room for the big toe bump joint. And the skates are really comfy.

[jonesy9020 77]

Your feet seem somewhat similar to mine, except for the volume.. Narrow heel while the forefoot is wide.

I have the widest part in the joint where the big to fastens.. I also find that vapors in D width lock my heel in really nice, while the forefoot is to narrow and really kill the big toe joint. I still bougth the vapors an baked/punched the myself. Acctually, i didn't really punch em, instead i put 3 layers of Compeed blister plaster on the big toe joint bump and 1 layer cloth tape. This made my feet like 3mm wider on the widest part, than they actually are. Then i baked the skates and had them on for like 20mins. Now there's plenty of room for the big toe bump joint. And the skates are really comfy.

I've used a similar approach to deal with a navicular bone issue. I'd been punching in the past but had a lot of boots crease at the punch point and lose stiffness way quicker than usual. Now I stick the circular felt pads you put on furniture to slide on hardwood floors right over the bone, put on a sock, and bake. It works great because it's a pretty dense material but also compresses enough to let the skate snug up to my foot otherwise. So far my One.7s have held up remarkably well using this strategy. Think it could work well for your forefoot issues too.

Also check with each brand/model, as I think a lot of brands recommend that you DON'T do this, but standing up in the middle of a molding session will allow your foot to spread by putting more weight on it and pushing out on the sides of the boot. DON'T WALK WHILE DOING THIS, just stand for about 30 secs to a minute.

Good luck with the Tacks, hope they work out for you.