Coming from graf G3

[biggs14 1]

have been in a 703/G3 for years now and looking for something a little bit more stiff/light. Can someone gimmie some ideas for a narrow heel, not super deep skates. Or has someone come from the 703 to a stiffer boot? Just looking for some direction on where to start at my LHS

[laserrobottime 149]

The CCM Ribcore line or Vapor could be a good starting point.

[bugscoe 2]

Have you tried on the 9035 or 8035, both are offered in two different flex. I know they have a slightly wider heel than the 703 but you may get by with something like a Stable26 sock...?

[biggs14 1]

I haven't tried the new grafs, just not stocked much around me.

[laserrobottime 149]

The 9035 is going to be too deep.

[flip12 717]

have been in a 703/G3 for years now and looking for something a little bit more stiff/light. Can someone gimmie some ideas for a narrow heel, not super deep skates. Or has someone come from the 703 to a stiffer boot? Just looking for some direction on where to start at my LHS

I went from the 703 to MLX, and I'm pretty sure I'm just going to end up going back to 703's. For me, that stiffness is perfect. I much prefer the stiffer and sleeker sole of the MLX for turning with speed, but I prefer the 703's for maneuverability, sudden changes in direction, and in overall forward skating. I want to try the MLX with a Graf tongue, to see if that helps at all, but for me, I don't like how much my mind wanders to "fixing" the skates back to what I love about 703's. Others have happily switched though. I'm just never more pleased than in classic Grafs.

Edit: for the record, I've fixed the tongue awkwardness in the MLX, and I like them a lot more than Grafs now. Same range of motion, but lighter, more responsive, more protective ,etc., etc. Graf were great for me, but they don't stack up to this feeling.

[biggs14 1]

After trying on a bunch of models I got some supreme 180's. They baked very well and had one small portion punched. First skate was pain free, very happy

[caseyjones 26]

I went from the 703 to MLX, and I'm pretty sure I'm just going to end up going back to 703's. For me, that stiffness is perfect. I much prefer the stiffer and sleeker sole of the MLX for turning with speed, but I prefer the 703's for maneuverability, sudden changes in direction, and in overall forward skating. I want to try the MLX with a Graf tongue, to see if that helps at all, but for me, I don't like how much my mind wanders to "fixing" the skates back to what I love about 703's. Others have happily switched though. I'm just never more pleased than in classic Grafs.

Kind of off topic, but i was curious as to what switching tongues would actually do. Currently im in Graf Ultra G7's and ive been contemplating a different tongue. I was wondering if that would increase the stiffness of the skate at all. I love the G7's, but i skate on converted Vapor 10's for roller hockey so there is a drastic stiffness difference. Personally, i feel comfortable in both skates, but sometimes when reacting on the ice without thinking i will fall on my face because my Grafs dont have the forward stiffness/support that im used to when pushing off in my Vapors.

[flip12 717]

I think I'm trying to correct the same thing, although in the other direction. I love the stiffness of my MLX on the side of and underneath my foot, but on top of my foot, it's a different story. Part of the problem is also due to the shallowness of my foot, although I could stand to go a half size down, had they offered that, the fact of the matter is, thin tongue that came with the boot doesn't fill the space between the top of my foot and the minimum height of the boot along the first 3-4 eyelets. My thinking is that, if I put in a Graf tongue (ideally a 707 or G75 tongue, because I love how easily those flop, and flop for me is essential because it greatly minimizes the degree to which my shins interfere with my ankle rotation when skating), it should better integrate my foot with the boot, as well as providing a springier buffer between my foot's movement upward, which is crucial in acceleration maneuvers. As it is, when I go to change direction, I feel like the MLX boot and tongue are so stiff in the direction directly above my foot that I have to overcome this sluggish feeling from the boot to get the positioning I need to for my footwork. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get on the ice again until the Fall, so for now, I can only think about what it could be like.

In the case of your 707 to Vapor 10 comparison, the boots seem really far off from each other in terms of overall stiffness. If anything were close, my guess would be the tongues would have the most similar stiffness compared to the other parts of the skates.