Powerfoot skate performance inserts

[flyers10 57]

After using Mako skates I fell in love with not having all the excess space above my toes in the toe box area. I like a skate to feel connected to my foot and snug from heel to toe. After using Makos I switched to VH Footwear which provided the same great feeling as they two designed their tongue to start at front of the skate. Then I left the monocoque 1 piece skates and went back to more traditional skates using Bauer MX3's and CCM Jetspeeds. The fit of those was very good but not great due to my toes feeling like they were in a huge cave.  I stumbled upon the Powerfoot inserts on YouTube one day and thought the idea was brilliant.  Nothing amazing about it (I had though of concocting my own type of toe box padding before) but someone had perfected it and made it available via retail.  I took the plunge and spent $20 to order a pair. At that time you had to order them direct. You still can order direct if you prefer or many local and online retailers sell them now. Some might think $20 is too much to pay for something like this but with dropping $250 on 1 stick, $800 on skates, etc., this $20 is well spent for how it makes your skate feel.

To that feel:  the Powerfoot comes with pair of inserts and pair of shims. The shims are for if you want to have a thicker insert to take up a bit more volume in the toe box. Some brands like Bauer tend to have more vertically spacious toe boxes and the shim uses more frequently by Bauer wearers.  They come with instructions on how to insert them and how to remove the paper covering the adhesive to affix them to the top of the toe box.  They recommend you place them in your skates first without affixing them to get a feel if you prefer with or without the shim being used. Put them in without the shim, tie up your skates and hang out for 5 minutes. Then repeat that "try on" process with the shim to see which way you prefer. Once you picked your way follow the directions for affixing them, let them sit a day and then hit the ice.  I used with the shim in my Bauer's ( I like real snug fit) and just the insert in my CCM Jetspeeds. (If you are really unsure which way you prefer after the "try on" process you can always do that same process on the ice to get better feel while skating. That's the great thing about the Powerfoot, you don't have to affix them ever if you don't want to. They don't move around when just carefully place in the toe box.)  I affixed them in my Bauer's and they stayed adhered strongly. I take them in and out in my Jetspeeds and have not fit issues with them doing it that way. 

On the ice they say you will have stronger crossovers, edges, power.  I'm not sure I notice a measurable performance difference with them in but what I do notice is that my feet are more comfortable and therefore my skating confidence is higher and I pay less attention to my skates. I think that feeling is what helps me and others to skate a bit better. If you physically and mentally feel better I believe you will perform better. Just don't expect to go from a D level to A level from it. LOL.  I think less when crossing over, especially on my weak side, and that along is worth the improvement I feel I have noticed.  Even if you try them and feel zero performance benefits, I think the comfort factor is very high and worth every penny of the $20 cost.  I have since bought 4 more pairs to have backups and highly recommend investing in a pair for yourself or your child. (On a side note they have a slightly thinner model available via direct purchase geared toward Mako skate users that really want to snug up that skate's already snug toe box.)