Are any skates a comparable fit to Bauer Nexus?

[haywireii 1]

I'm looking to get new skates and I went to the LHS today. I wear a wide shoe and they had no wide skates in stock. They had me try on a Bauer Nexus 7000 in 8.5 D and it felt pretty good though. They didn't have the Nexus 8000 or 6000 in stock in that size and they had me try on some other 8.5's (an RBZ and something else I already forgot) and nothing felt as good as the Nexus.

I'm wondering if they had other skates in stock in actual wide widths if they would have been better. Anyone with wide feet tried a Nexus in D and found a different skate they like better? The nearest big store I know of is the Hockey Monkey two hours away and I haven't even called to see if they keep the wide skates in stock. I wanted to see if anyone had any feedback before I decide to make a long drive.

[laserrobottime 149]

What about the nexus felt good? Just the width?

Any wide skate will feel better than a narrow one on a wide foot. Make the drive and get a proper fit if you're going to drop $500 on skates.

[althoma1 574]

I agree with laser - make the drive and try on as many skates as you can. I have a wide forefoot and the Nexus good for that, but felt a bit boxy and bulky overall and didn't lock my heel in that well vs. the EE Easton Makos I picked up about a month ago. I was leaning toward the Makos as I like the concept, however; I still tried everything the store had on in my size on a clearance table. This included the Nexus 1000, Supreme TotalOne NXG and the Makos, but I've also tried (and demoed some) most of the top of the line skates at various modsquad events.

The Supreme series felt OK in the heel and midfoot in D, but far too narrow in the forefoot. I had heel lift when demoing a Supreme EE - it felt OK in the midfoot and still a bit tight in the forefoot. For me the Makos fit snugly in the heel and mid-foot, but open up nicely in the forefoot and especially the toe box. I won't go through the rest of the skates, but none of the others available on clearance (there was a pretty large selection) and most of the skates I've tried on at various events fit as well for me as the Makos, including the skates I was previously wearing for ages the KOR Shift 2's (fine in the heel, but wide in the mid-foot and after prolonged use pinched near the baby toe are where the toe cap meets the boot). The only skate that's fit nearly as well as the Makos for me are the original KOR Shift 1's and I'll give the slight edge to the Makos due to the ergonomic toe box.

The only other skates I could've seen possibly working are the Graf 9035 or Easton RS and I'm not positive about that because I only tried on the display skate available for those two at Modsquad events in sizes that were close to, but not my exact size and didn't get a chance to try them on in my size. Since the Makos ended up fitting so well, I liked the concept and they were a great price; I didn't bother trying to hunt down the 9035 or RS in my size.

Everyone's feet are different. You may try on various models and sizes and determine the Nexus skates are indeed the ones you prefer or you may find that a brand I've already tried in a wider width or a completely new skate may feel the best. You won't know until you've tried on as many skates as possible.

[stick9 891]

I wear a D Nexus 8000. I haven't found anything else with the depth the Nexus has.

It's worth the drive. I have shops minutes from my house but opted to drive an hour north so I could get a proper fit.

[haywireii 1]

Thanks for the feedback, sounds like it's time to make a drive. I especially appreciate hearing about a Mako EE fitting better than a Nexus D. Just reinforces the fact that having only one skate fit properly isn't enough to plunk down hundreds of dollars. I need to try on some wide skates as well before I make a decision.

If anyone else picked something else after trying on a Nexus D I'd appreciate hearing the story as well.

[laserrobottime 149]

I've got Graf 9035 in wide, Supreme 1.9s in EE, Nexus 8000 in D, and VH customs. Fitting "better" is a matter of personal preference and nobody here can tell you what you like

[haywireii 1]

So I drove slightly over 2 hours down to Woodbridge NJ to the Hockey Monkey store there today. Started with the Nexus 7000 again in 8.5 D then tried on Supreme 180, Ribcor 28K, Mako M8, and an RBZ and a Tacks all in 8.5 EE. I thought I was going to be going home with a Ribcor until I tried on the Mako's. I couldn't believe what a difference in feeling across brands and models. They all "fit" but the Supreme caused arch pain after about 5 minutes and the RBZ's just felt wrong in every way possible. The Mako's felt like they were made for my foot.

True test is when I get back on the ice in them. Hopefully I can get to an open skate on Monday since everything is closed for Easter.

I appreciate everyone's replies and insights.

[AronB 4]

So I drove slightly over 2 hours down to Woodbridge NJ to the Hockey Monkey store there today. Started with the Nexus 7000 again in 8.5 D then tried on Supreme 180, Ribcor 28K, Mako M8, and an RBZ and a Tacks all in 8.5 EE. I thought I was going to be going home with a Ribcor until I tried on the Mako's. I couldn't believe what a difference in feeling across brands and models. They all "fit" but the Supreme caused arch pain after about 5 minutes and the RBZ's just felt wrong in every way possible. The Mako's felt like they were made for my foot.

True test is when I get back on the ice in them. Hopefully I can get to an open skate on Monday since everything is closed for Easter.

I appreciate everyone's replies and insights.

I basically tried on all the same skates except for the Mako the other day at Pure Hockey in Norwalk and chose the Ribcore...(I ended up ordering the Ribcor 30K on-line at the store because of the stiffer boot). I have a wide forefoot and a narrow heel, my goalie sates are Graf 9035's (the only skates I could find that didn't want to make me cut my feet off after a game because of the pain). I found my heel slipping in the Nexus, and the Tacks were just too narrow in the forefoot area (the toe box was the best fitting of any skate I had tried), then I tried on the Ribcor and the fit was like a glove before baking.

[haywireii 1]

Well the difference was huge. Not just the fact that my feet don't hurt. I can lean a lot farther into my turns with no issues at all; I feel like I have much more control with the Makos than I did with my G35's. Looking forward to my first game in them.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Nexus was the most comfortable skate I found until I went to mako, so I understand completely. I'd never say the mako fits similar to the nexus, but it's so completely different (in a good way) that I wouldn't want it to!