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ElementXenon

New Skates for a rusty vet...

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Hey, all.

First post, been lurking a bit. I played inline hockey through my teens and into my early 20s. I'm now 35 and jumping back on the horse. The skates in currently have are Mission D3C (2004 model)

Anyway, I'm looking to upgrade or catch up to modern skate tech. Just unsure what route to go. My playing frequency is about twice a week, about 3 hours total. REC league, beginner/intermediate skill level, indoor, tiled waffle-holed sport court.

I don't mind paying for quality, but I'm not looking to break the bank either. If I could stay under $300, that would be optimal. I was looking at CCM, and Bauer skates. But I'd hate to miss out on good skates only looking at certain brands.

I'm a bigger/heavier guy (6'1"/260lbs defenseman) but I can skate well and I am fairly agile for my size. I wear a size 11.5 or 12 depending on the shoe.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

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Check out the Alkali thread. I built your D3C's when I worked at Mission, so I am familiar with what you are skating. Take a look at all the positive reviews and you will be happy if you decide on Alkali.

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Justin. Thanks for your suggestion. Could you possibly point me in a direction as far as model, for my situation, playing frequency, size, etc etc?

Thanks in advance

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staying under 300? try to find some RPD max on clearance. you get top level wheels and boot, good bearings, mag chassis, at a great clearance price. I got mine for 240 after codes, a literal steal. Like they have my face on a poster with wanted above it somewhere at ice warehouse.

I don't know about your size, but I think the addiction wheels should be ok for you? if not you can probably sell them and get something someone else would recommend.

I ended up with an 8 boot, and normally wear a 7.5 ice skate, and either 9.5 or 10 in shoes.

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I was in your same shoes. I got rpd teams for a great price (half your top price) on clearance. This is the least amount of money I ever paid for skates and has to be one of the best pair I have bought. I can say they are great skates. no issues. I wear 8-8.5 shoes. Ice skates are ccm tacks at 6.5 and ended up with a size seven.

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Go with Alkalis, you wont regret it. You cant go wrong when Alkali has people with a crap load of experience in the industry, and purely concentrates on inline hockey. On my team, there are 4-5 guys wearing Alkalis, and they all love them.

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These guys all make good suggestion. If you can find a pair on clearance, you will obviously get the best bang for the buck. I would not buy anything from our first line (the CA model skates).

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I'm getting back into roller hockey after playing 18 years ago. Been skating on my old CCM skates for the past couple months so I ordered a pair of RPD Team + skates after reading about Alkali on these forums. They should be delivered on Monday. I also got a set of Sprungs which I want to experiment with on my old CCM boots.

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The Team+ is such a good skate. A friend of mine bought them recently (two weeks ago) and was pleasantly surprised regarding the skates stiffness when compared to is similarly priced competition.

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Thank you for all the input, guys... much appreciated, Justin especially.

After all the tooling around and revies and specs etc etc... I'm leaning towards the Comp+ model. I like the look of the boot, and the tech seems to be just what I need at my level of play. I'm gonna go get fitted up this weekend and order a pair from IW once I figure out my fit. Hopefully I'll only be skating these tore up Missions for one more week!

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So. My missions blew out last night at pickup. The top eyelets tore loose from the boot. When to the local hockey store and was only able to get the crew+ in my size. Since it was an emergency (I have a game tomorrow) I couldn't wait for a pair of comp+ or team+ to be ordered. Now these are definitely below the level of skate I wanted to get. I hope I didn't shoot myself in the foot so to speak

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Element,

The Crew+ are still a great skate. The major difference between the Comp+ and Crew+ is the Chassis and Wheels. I think you will be happy with skate. Let me know if you have any questions.

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I got my Team+ skates today. Very nice quality.

I wear a 10 shoe and got 9.5 since the fitting notes at InlineWarehouse say that if you wear a 10 or bigger shoe then to go with a 1/2 size smaller skate. They feel a little large front to back. Without tightening the laces, I have about a 1/2" gap at my heel and the back of the boot if I move my foot forward til the toes touch the inside of toe cap. They are pretty snug side to side. I'm debating if I should try a size 9.

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Hi MiloJanus,

With the fit of Alkalis its 1 & 1/2 sizes down.

I'm a 10 and have a perfect fit in an 8.5.

You may need to exchange them for a smaller size.

Other than that, hope you enjoy them!

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I got my Team+ skates today. Very nice quality.

I wear a 10 shoe and got 9.5 since the fitting notes at InlineWarehouse say that if you wear a 10 or bigger shoe then to go with a 1/2 size smaller skate. They feel a little large front to back. Without tightening the laces, I have about a 1/2" gap at my heel and the back of the boot if I move my foot forward til the toes touch the inside of toe cap. They are pretty snug side to side. I'm debating if I should try a size 9.

If you have a 1/2" gap they're at least a full size too long if not a size and a half. You'd either need an 8 or 8.5. 9's will still be too long.

If you have current model ice skates that fit properly, what size and model are those?

Hi MiloJanus,

With the fit of Alkalis its 1 & 1/2 sizes down.

I'm a 10 and have a perfect fit in an 8.5.

You may need to exchange them for a smaller size.

Other than that, hope you enjoy them!

Shoes are sized differently and some people leave more space in them then others for comfort; so judging skate size based on shoe size isn't ideal. There's nothing better than trying them on, but if you're going to guess on sizing it's better to do it based on existing skates that fit well or foot measurements than to use shoe size.

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I agree that going with 1 -1 1/2 sizes smaller than your shoe size is the norm. But InlineWarehouse's sizing guideline for these particular skates say: "For players with a shoe size 10 or larger, select a half skate size (1/2) down from your shoe size"

http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Alkali_RPD_Team_Roller_Hockey_Skates_Sr_/descpage-ATPS.html

I ordered a pair in size 9 and will be sending the 9 1/2 back.

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I see what it says on the IW page, but they're just doing their best to give a rough estimate based on shoe size. Shoe size is a problematic reference point for the reasons stated earlier. Trying them on is the best option, but when that's not possible using another skate that fits well (so your toes are brushing the cap) as a reference is a better option.

If you actually have a 1/2" of room in the 9.5s lengthwise then they're at least 1 full size too long and I'm fairly certain the 9s will still be too long - especially after baking and breaking them in. It's your money and your feet, but I'd drop down to at least 8.5 if not an 8 (unless you're overestimating the gap you have when you push your foot forward).

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My boots were ordered based on my foot length and was correct in regards to the alkali sizing guide i.e 1 & 1/2 size down.

I'm a 10 and an 8.5 fits perfectly, I fail the depth pencil test but that means nothing to me I'm comfortable.

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So far, so good... The wheels they came with got chunked up pretty bad during the second game that I played. The surface I play on is that tiled, perforated stuff... Not quite sport court, but I don't know what to call it... Ice-Court, Flyte Deck, whatever. Overall I like the skates a lot. Very happy with my decision to join the Alkali brethren.

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