Vapor to Supreme? (skates)

[enis750 48]

I am a long time Bauer Vapor skate guy

tried a few different brands once or twice, never worked out, back to Vapor's

I am currently in an SMU Vapor thats about a mid level skate I paid about $500 for (LTX Pro +)

I really like them a lot but want another pair of skates

I'm helping coach my son's team, play some ODR w him and want that extra pair so I don't have to worry about filling the coach's bag then forgetting something for when I play

anyways......

I'm getting a new pair for me and leaving the current blades in the coaching bag

tried on some (again SMU's) from Source that are a mid level boot, Vapor X Shift Pro's

fit just like my current skates, easy transition

then he suggests some MX3's (as they are on for a great price) in a C width, as I wear a D right now

oh wow .... these fit incredible out of the box, no heating yet

but they feel different to me in the upper heel area

the whole boot seems to wrap around my foot much better, more snug, but not tight

they don't slip at all, but feel like there some more room in the upper heel, than the Vapor's I'm used to

i feel much more upright in them, its weird and maybe hard to describe

If I heat these and let them form to my feet a bit more, should this snug up a bit? or is this a feature of these skates?

also concerned about the tongues.....they are quite different from the Vapor tongues

how hard is it to change them if I wanted?

has me thinking, should I have been in these all along?

but nervous, thinking they feel good here, what happens if i get on the ice and they are TERRIBLE and kill my feet...this happened w 2 pairs last year, which is why I'm a little gun shy

anyone make a similar leap w good success?

[shicks19 2]

I had a similar jump from Vapor X4.0's to Supreme LTX Pro+'s about 6 weeks back and haven't looked back.

I had good fit in the vapor's with the occasional rough spot but switched after increasing my ice time this season. I to was concerned about my heel as when I tried on previous supreme models I had slipped slightly but nothing so far. I've found the curv quarter to be a lot more adaptable to my heel and help really lock me down. My understanding is that the supreme's fit anatomically and that the heel should still lock into the boot.

With regards to the tongue, I did drop an eyelet when I switched skates in the interest of forward flex however the tongues on my skate are not the same as those on the MX3. I'm not sure what the process would be for switching them if you wanted to, although I do know people who don't use any of the curv inserts and have had no issues.

I'm a huge fan of the vapor line and really wanted to go into the 1X line this season but I knew when I put the supreme's on I was walking out of that store with a hole in my wallet. I do agree with your statement that nothing compares to getting out onto the ice with them though. I hope this helps and I'd be happy to answer any more questions you have to the best of my abilities.

[vinprun71 61]

I am a long time Bauer Vapor skate guy

tried a few different brands once or twice, never worked out, back to Vapor's

I am currently in an SMU Vapor thats about a mid level skate I paid about $500 for (LTX Pro +)

I really like them a lot but want another pair of skates

I'm helping coach my son's team, play some ODR w him and want that extra pair so I don't have to worry about filling the coach's bag then forgetting something for when I play

anyways......

I'm getting a new pair for me and leaving the current blades in the coaching bag

tried on some (again SMU's) from Source that are a mid level boot, Vapor X Shift Pro's

fit just like my current skates, easy transition

then he suggests some MX3's (as they are on for a great price) in a C width, as I wear a D right now

oh wow .... these fit incredible out of the box, no heating yet

but they feel different to me in the upper heel area

the whole boot seems to wrap around my foot much better, more snug, but not tight

they don't slip at all, but feel like there some more room in the upper heel, than the Vapor's I'm used to

i feel much more upright in them, its weird and maybe hard to describe

If I heat these and let them form to my feet a bit more, should this snug up a bit? or is this a feature of these skates?

also concerned about the tongues.....they are quite different from the Vapor tongues

how hard is it to change them if I wanted?

has me thinking, should I have been in these all along?

but nervous, thinking they feel good here, what happens if i get on the ice and they are TERRIBLE and kill my feet...this happened w 2 pairs last year, which is why I'm a little gun shy

anyone make a similar leap w good success?

I'd play it safe and get Vapors again. There's nothing worse than dropping cash and not getting a return on your investment.

[Chadd 916]

Most skates are not going to get more snug after baking them.

[enis750 48]

Most skates are not going to get more snug after baking them.

maybe I worded it wrong

do you think the area in the ankle will form to my foot a bit better?

the entire skate fits incredible, except in the upper ankle area, it feels like there a bit more volume than the Vapor

or is this just the nature/fit of the Supreme line?

[psulion22 402]

I have MX3's also. I got them in the same size as usual, 8EE. But when I put them on, I thought they were the wrong size. I was sure I got them too big. There was room in the heel, and my foot was slipping. Baking made it better, but there was still room. I was pretty disappointed and thought I was going to have to buy a smaller size, and try to move the pair I had. Since I couldn't return them, I figured I might as well skate on them to see if I could deal with it. But here's the thing, after maybe 3 or 4 games the space went away and the boots got tighter. I realized it was because of the insert in the tongue. At first, that piece is very rigid. It doesn't curve much, so it actually keeps you from tying the skate down all the way to lock your heel in. After it loosens up a little, you are able to get a complete wrap which takes away all that extra space. The injected facing helps with wrap and lock also after it's baked since it molds. Make sure you are tapping your heel back when you put the skates on to lock your heel down also.

Supreme skates in general have a more upright feeling than Vapors because they are more neutral. Vapors have a forward lean to them. In fact, I found my MX3's to feel like they were pitching backwards until I had them profiled. And the feature that is the best to me is the flex tendon guard. I can get more leg extension and toe flick because the tendon guard flexes with my stride. I have had these skates almost a year, and they're the best skates I have ever worn. The fit and wrap are better than even the NXG's I had before. And they are very comfortable.

[vinprun71 61]

maybe I worded it wrong

do you think the area in the ankle will form to my foot a bit better?

the entire skate fits incredible, except in the upper ankle area, it feels like there a bit more volume than the Vapor

or is this just the nature/fit of the Supreme line?

The Supreme boot, if i'm not mistaking, is deeper. So to your point, there will be more volume.

[adamstone6 1]

I have swapped in and out of Vapor and Supreme skates all through high school. In the supremes I wore a standard D, when I went to the vapor's I got a EE. Recently I have been between a pair of MX3's and APX2. I found that overall my foot sat better on the bottom on the APX2, rather than the MX3.

Heating up the MX3's won't make the fit any tighter than it was out of the box. But yes, the MX3 foams in the ankle pocket will bake and conform to you're ankle better than the vapors. Only warning I would have with that is if you have larger ankle bones, it can push the foams out too much and you're ankle will be rubbing against the boot itself with no support and bad pain. This happened to me, thats when I switched to the APX2.

I worked at Total Hockey for around 2 1/2 years and had many people come back in with the same ankle problem with the MX3's.

[Dizzyg12 27]

I was faced with a similar dilemma today when I went in search of a new skate (see my other thread about x90s). In my case I got the supreme 190s. I didn't love the lacing system on the mx3/1x to begin with so after I tried the 1x and it didn't work I just went down to the 190. The boot is deeper and has more volume overall but it fit much better. I've always been a vapor guy but I'm thinking maybe that was a mistake all these years. To me it felt like I had more room in the upper part of the boot above the ankle. I kept each of them (1x and 190) on in the store for 30 plus minutes while I was on a conference call. After that time it felt like the 1x had too much room in the toe box and my foot was sliding around up front. The 190 was tighter up front with more room at the back. It took some getting used to at first but ultimately I decided on the 190. The baking process helped get a good wrap which took away some of the extra room I was feeling and then when I got home I laced them back up and sat on the couch for an hour while I worked. They felt really good. Obviously ice time will tell but I'm confident they were the right choice. The upright Stance will take some time to get used to but that's not a problem to adjust to.

I will also agree with whoever said above that the tongue insert will flex over time and allow a better heel lock. All skates do that with or without a hard plastic insert.

[stick9 896]

Is your heel locked in and snug without slippage when walking in them? Heating will help reduce the negative space in the ankle, it will also help the boot wrap more. Any decent shop can swap out the tongues, shouldn't be an issue. Also, the next model down should have the regular tongue with most of the features of the MX3.

If you're on the fence about the fit, ask the guy to heat them, most skates can be baked several times.

And the Supreme is very neutral stance, heel lifts or profiling your steel can give you some of that pitch back.

[Vet88 674]

I've worn both, mx3's and apx2's.

For the mx3, If you are talking about the area around your ankle and above, this will tighten a little when you bake and lace them. If they fit you everywhere else and you have a good heel lock and if the price is right then you should seriously consider them, they they are a significant step up from what you have been in before. They will sit you back on the heel a fraction more as the pitch is a little less than the vapour line. Either a shim or a reprofile can change this if you want to.

[enis750 48]

well I didn't pull the trigger on the MX3's

I actually went with a set of SMU Jetspeeds (Control)

I was on the fence, as I battled finding new skates last year, finding myself to only go back to Vapors

they had the 30 day comfort guarantee, so why not try them?

well they went back

cool skate, but there was a ridge inside the boot that runs along the inside of the foot that kept bugging me

even after some baking and punching, it wouldn't go away

so I returned them and went back to old faithful - Vapors

picked up some SMU X Shift Pro's, which are based off the X800 w the following upgrades: (Edit: typo, X800, not X900)

Source Exclusive upgrades include a Hydra Max liner, a 48/40 oz. dual density combination felt tongue, a full composite outsole, Tuuk LS 3 steel as well as changed abrasion pad inside the boot and a tweaked graphic (look similar to the 1X skate)

they feel just like my old skates, even after one bake

guess I better stick to what I know

[Solo_man11 9]

picked up some SMU X Shift Pro's, which are based off the X900 w the following upgrades:

Source Exclusive upgrades include a Hydra Max liner, a 48/40 oz. dual density combination felt tongue, a full composite outsole, Tuuk LS 3 steel as well as changed abrasion pad inside the boot and a tweaked graphic (look similar to the 1X skate)

they feel just like my old skates, even after one bake

guess I better stick to what I know

I think you made a typo though. The Xshift Pro are based off the X800 with those upgrades.

[enis750 48]

I think you made a typo though. The Xshift Pro are based off the X800 with those upgrades.

my apologies, you are correct