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2nhockey

Skates Over Time

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Over the course of a year my daughter is claiming her skates got too big. They were a perfect fit when we got them, and now she thinks they're too big. Is it possible that over the course of a year that the skate's padding has collapsed enough that skates that at one time fit no longer do? Is this a sign of the skates breaking down? Did we just miss the mark when we initially purchased the skates?

Skates in question are Graf 535's. Also have Easton Mako 2's in the same size - haven't had a chance to get feedback on those yet. She played 2 games yesterday in the Makos and has 2 games today in them. I'll know how she feels about those this afternoon. For what it's worth she blocked a slapshot with her Makos last night. She clearly didn't see the humor in that and I know after this weekend she'll be back in her Grafs. She claims the Grafs handle shots better.

From October thru March she's on the ice almost daily and spends 1 - 4 hours per outing on the ice. From April thru October she's on the ice maybe 2 hours per week.

Thanks!

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Does she use waxed laces? How often do you change them? Wax on the laces wear off and they don't grip as well. Eventually leads to heel lifts and your skates feeling "loose". Personally I'll swap the laces every time I get them sharpened. Probably once a month...

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Yep, she uses waxed laces, nope, never been changed. Didn't know they'd lose grip over time. Thanks for info, we'll start with new laces and see what happens.

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i won't say skates get looser, but maybe a better way to think about it is the stiffness of a skate breaks down and the skate flexes easier than when they were new; quarter panels. a lot of skate flex could feel similar to loose fitting skates. 

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For myself, I do find the fit of the lining changes over time, specifically with the tongue, but not in just one year.  I'd second the comment on the laces. I find over time laces, especially waxed laces tend to over time... trying to find the right words for this... almost form spots where they want to notch into the eyelets. They're spots where the lace tend to stop and when you try to tighten them and you have to give an extra tug to get pass it. This can lead to skates that seem to be tied tight but feel loose. 

One of the things I use to help address this, other than replacing the laces, is to use a lace tightener. After i do my initial tie of my skates, I use the tightener to go up the skate and give each section a little tug to see if it's tight enough. Doing this allows me to fine tune the tightness and looseness as needed.  

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Unless you have good foot mechanics and alignment, skates do change their fit over time. For most players, their feet will roll slightly in the skate. what starts out as a perfect fitting skate will have some part of the foot consistently pushing against it. The padding gives a little which allows a little more movement which increases the pressure and so on and so on. This is most noticeable in players who pronate, the inside ankle area will open up over time.

Does the tongue in her skates twist to the outside when she is skating?

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Also you can rebake 535 to shape them up again. For these skates Graf recommends 100C  (212F) in an air circulating oven (or you can throw a small desk fan in a regular oven). Take the insoles out before putting skates in the oven. After 3-4 minutes, put the insoles back in and put the skates on, laces them up snug, and sit for 20 minutes without standing or walking. Take the skates off and let them cool overnight before skating.

According to Graf, this can be done to these (and many other Graf skates) skates to "revive" them after they have lost their shape overtime.

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Thanks for the help.

This weekend's games were in the Makos and the tongues didn't move to the outside but I don't think you can get Mako tongues to move with the way those skates wrap the foot. I don't recall seeing the Graf tongues move but I wouldn't have been watching for it either. We'll get her Grafs sharpened and get new laces in this week. If no improvement maybe we'll bake them. We had to bake the Eastons 2-3 times but the Grafs have never been heated.

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9 minutes ago, 2nhockey said:

Thanks for the help.

This weekend's games were in the Makos and the tongues didn't move to the outside but I don't think you can get Mako tongues to move with the way those skates wrap the foot. I don't recall seeing the Graf tongues move but I wouldn't have been watching for it either. We'll get her Grafs sharpened and get new laces in this week. If no improvement maybe we'll bake them. We had to bake the Eastons 2-3 times but the Grafs have never been heated.

It is pretty common that Graf skates do not get baked, neither they respond to baking as much as Mako skates. That said, they can be baked for a better comfort or heated to punch in/out in spots. Also, according to Graf, you can bake them as many times as needed. Also, if they have the size, you can get a new pair from HockeyMonkey.com. They are only $119 minus 25% discount (for now).

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Well... if I replace the Grafs with more Grafs we'll do it with the PK7700's, if the 7700's will perform comparable to the Makos but be able to handle shots.

She is a defensive minded player (playing center this year) but after 4 games in the Eastons I am pretty sure one more shot off the Easton skate will turn her into a flamingo. 

For what it's worth she tried on Bauers in all 3 lines this weekend and she liked Vapors the best, which surprised me because her arches are pretty low and the balls of her feet are wide. The Nexus line was a cave and she couldn't achieve a good heel lock in the Supremes.

At the moment new skates aren't being seriously considered. We want to get her existing gear working well for her first.

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You can punch / stretch easily for the width of her forefoot. Get the heel lock right, from what you said before it sounds like she has a narrow heel in relation to her forefoot (she liked the vapour fit) so consider ribcors or jetspeeds. I doubt the 7700's will work, they are for a larger heel fit. If the Makos are doing the job get her some shot blockers, regardless of the boot she is in she will thank you for them when she takes a slap shot on them and doesn't feel a thing.

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3 minutes ago, Vet88 said:

. I doubt the 7700's will work, they are for a larger heel fit....

... I think you confusing these with MSI series skates such as G3035 - G9035... PeakSpeed is very similar fit as 535/735 especially in the heel.

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