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Stonewall35

Help in skate search

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So like many I have long been accustomed to a skate fit that is less than ideal. Despite my heel not being great for them, the forefoot being tight, and not having enough volume- I would always jump into Vapors a half size too big to offset the width and volume issues.

I tried Total One's for a bit and they were a great fit in the heel and width wise (Supreme 8.5 D instead of Vapor 9D), but the volume was an issue. I prefer superfeet to help support my high arch and with those in there I felt like a loaf of bread and my ankle bones would be right up on the eyelets causing some gnarly soreness. This has lead me to believe that I may be a Nexus candidate. I was able to try a few sizes to guage the fit of the Nexus line and can already tell the top of the line ones (1000 or 8000) would not feel nice. The different fit of the lower model did feel like it could work if I fount it in my size.

With that being said, I'm kind of at a loss for how this applies outside of the Bauer brand. I see RBZ's are being pushed on clearance and I have read plenty of threads where people were looking towards the Nexus line and had RBZ's on their list. Is it worth me trying to find some RBZ's to try? Can anyone recommend a skate outside of the Bauer line that might fit the bill here? Doesn't need to be top of the line.

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Actually, Easton makos would be terrible- I couldn't wear mine because of volume issues... and I didn't even try shoving a volume robbing insole in it.

The CCM lines are decent for volume, and their high arch insole is pretty nice... I like it a lot better than superfeet.

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Try Easton Mako. The boot seems contoured for high arches by default, so you should not even need a special footbed. It is not a high volume boot, but it is not small either in a EE.

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Actually, Easton makos would be terrible- I couldn't wear mine because of volume issues...

He won't know until he tried them. I've had volume issues in every skate I've tried. None in the mako. Everyone is different.

My default answer is always mako unless they've been specifically ruled out after trying them on because the fit such a huge variety of foot shapes.

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+1 for the Mako. It has been a pita when it comes to skate search for me, had a variety of arch, forefoot and volume issues going from vapors, rbks, supremes. But everyone is different and trying them on is must like all skates.

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Thanks for the info guys. I'll try and locate some Mako's to try on. Since I know where I can check out some CCM's, is it worth it to look at the Tacks or is the fit similar depth wise to the Supreme's? It certainly looks like they are marketing it that way.

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FWIW, I found the Supremes and Tacks fit similarly across the forefoot, but very differently in the midfoot/arch area. I think the Tacks might have a bit more depth but wasn't specifically looking at that when I tried them on.

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So like many I have long been accustomed to a skate fit that is less than ideal. Despite my heel not being great for them, the forefoot being tight, and not having enough volume- I would always jump into Vapors a half size too big to offset the width and volume issues.

I tried Total One's for a bit and they were a great fit in the heel and width wise (Supreme 8.5 D instead of Vapor 9D), but the volume was an issue. I prefer superfeet to help support my high arch and with those in there I felt like a loaf of bread and my ankle bones would be right up on the eyelets causing some gnarly soreness. This has lead me to believe that I may be a Nexus candidate. I was able to try a few sizes to guage the fit of the Nexus line and can already tell the top of the line ones (1000 or 8000) would not feel nice. The different fit of the lower model did feel like it could work if I fount it in my size.

With that being said, I'm kind of at a loss for how this applies outside of the Bauer brand. I see RBZ's are being pushed on clearance and I have read plenty of threads where people were looking towards the Nexus line and had RBZ's on their list. Is it worth me trying to find some RBZ's to try? Can anyone recommend a skate outside of the Bauer line that might fit the bill here? Doesn't need to be top of the line.

I've got a similar foot shape (high arch/instep, widish forefoot, narrowish to medium heel). Finding a skate with the combination of enough volume over arch/instep, decent forefoot width, but snug enough in the heel has always been a struggle in off-the-rack skates since I started playing pick up hockey 30+ years ago. For whatever it's worth, Mission's Pure/Supplefit and Fuel AG (both in E widths) weren't perfect but they were the best fitting skates I've ever owned by far. Sadly, they haven't been made in years, and are becoming more rare on ebay/etc.

After reading tons on here, I contacted Graf since they have models to accomodate a variety of foot shapes (based on heel-instep depth, heel width, and how pronounced your heel is). Graf customer service replied within a day, and made suggestions based on pics of my feet I sent: newest xx35 models, and maybe classic 709 (their deepest heel-instep skate, but has a relatively wider heel), as well as their discontinued G7 (moderately deep w/ a wide heel) and similar G70 (moderately deep w/ medium width heel). Graf rep suggested looking for a vendor with backstock G70 in my size if their current models don't fit right.

BTW, Graf offers custom molded Graf/Sidas footbeds, so you might consider having those made for any skate to support your arches and transfer as much foot articulation to your blades, regardless of whatever boot you choose.

Anyway, I still need to get in to my local shops and try on the current Graf models, so I have no direct experience with their quality or durability. But a lot has been written on here addressing Graf Canada's inconsistent quality control and customer service issues in the past. I think Graf's management changed recently, but I dunno if those have been resolved or not.

The only other boots I'm considering at this point are Makos (in EE, and after baking to accommodate my arch/instep volume). But depending on how much I may have to spend to get a stock skate that might or might not fit like a glove after baking, I might just save up a few more benjamins and invest in some full custom VH skates--they're a boatload of cash (for me) up front, but may be worth every penny in the long run.

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