Higher End Skates for a Recreational Player

[chippa13 1844]

A solution to that problem would be to heat that area of the boot a little with a heat gun and roll out the ankle cuff a little.

[ChrisS8899 3]

Yeah was thinking about doing that as well - I have seen other complaints about the toungues and pinching high up on the ankle. No real solutions found yet . 

[Vet88 674]

8 hours ago, johndeere506 said:

I havent found the 9.5EE to try. However, in the 10EE, I can lean forward and scrape my toes while laced up tight, so I should be ok right? If the 9.5EE gets ANY skinnier, that wont be good. The 10 EE has literally zero slop movement feel to me.

When fitting your skates for length, don't lace them up. Take a thin pencil with you and do this: takes the laces right out, pull the tongue right out. This is to stop the foot binding on any of the mid and upper parts of the skate. Slide your foot into the skate and push your foot forward until your toes brush the toe cap. Bend forward over the skate slightly and try to insert a thin pencil between the back of your heel and the boot. If you can slide a pencil down there then the skate is at least a 1/2 size to large. Ideal space is 1mm - 2mm  between your heel and the back of the skate, depending on how far you like your toes off the toe cap when the boots are laced up. Regardless of what any scan or measurement device ever says, this method works without fail.

At the same time make sure you test the skate for volume. Once these 2 tests are done, now you can lace the skate up and test for width, overall fit and comfort.

If you want to test for a real good fit, leave the laces and tongue out. Put the boot on and pretend you are jumping over the boards say by lifting your foot up and over a chair. If the boot feels it sits snug on your foot then you have a good fit. If it feels like it is slipping in the heel then you need to look at a narrower fitting heel pocket. But you are trying Jetspeeds that have one of the narrower heel pockets around so that is a good start.

[Knights15 3]

You get what you pay for with skates imo. A top end skate will far outlast a mid level skate, therefore the extra money paid for them is well worth it. Also it's not up to anyone else to tell you that you don't need top level. 

[stick9 896]

On 2/17/2018 at 6:08 AM, Knights15 said:

You get what you pay for with skates imo. A top end skate will far outlast a mid level skate, therefore the extra money paid for them is well worth it. Also it's not up to anyone else to tell you that you don't need top level. 

That’s true to a certain extent. There comes a point where a rec player or casual beer leaguer won’t be able to take full advantage of the tech in a top line skate, or notice the difference. So one has to decide, are those features worth the extra money. 

For example, I would have been perfectly fine in the x900 or even the x800 but opted for the 1X because they came speedplates and the tongue was much better. Had I gone with the Ribcors, I would have dropped to the 68k since I planned on changing out the holders and steel anyway.

[StinkyPinky 11]

11 hours ago, stick9 said:

That’s true to a certain extent. There comes a point where a rec player or casual beer leaguer won’t be able to take full advantage of the tech in a top line skate, or notice the difference. So one has to decide, are those features worth the extra money. 

For example, I would have been perfectly fine in the x900 or even the x800 but opted for the 1X because they came speedplates and the tongue was much better. Had I gone with the Ribcors, I would have dropped to the 68k since I planned on changing out the holders and steel anyway.

Your example doesn't really refute Knights statement. You paid more for 1X features, or would have paid more for 68k skates with custom holders and steel. So your overall increase capital investment had a benefit.

The only real argument is the ratio of $ spent to player benefit. It certainly drops off at some point, especially considering the availability of older models on discount.

Weight reduction, holder & steel quality, moisture handling, and durability are all benefits for any but the lowest level of player. I would argue any one can take advantage of that. Of course some players are particular and want to stick with well-known features like a  48 oz. tongue, so they avoid jumping up to the very highest models... It's all good, but to say an intermediate player wouldn't benefit from a lighter package, harder steel, faster drying, and more durable skates is imho wrong.

[stick9 896]

3 hours ago, StinkyPinky said:

Your example doesn't really refute Knights statement. You paid more for 1X features, or would have paid more for 68k skates with custom holders and steel. So your overall increase capital investment had a benefit.

The only real argument is the ratio of $ spent to player benefit. It certainly drops off at some point, especially considering the availability of older models on discount.

Weight reduction, holder & steel quality, moisture handling, and durability are all benefits for any but the lowest level of player. I would argue any one can take advantage of that. Of course some players are particular and want to stick with well-known features like a  48 oz. tongue, so they avoid jumping up to the very highest models... It's all good, but to say an intermediate player wouldn't benefit from a lighter package, harder steel, faster drying, and more durable skates is imho wrong.

I wasn’t refuting his statement...well only partially. I agree there are some features that any level player can benefit from even if the benefit isn’t in on ice performance. The 68k is a great example, same boot, same foams as the 70k but with a different liner, tongue and steel. It’s a $300 difference. You could upgrade the steel and have enough money left over to buy a stick and not even notice a difference.

The rec world is full of crappy players wearing top end stuff as well as great players wearing garbage. It’s all just a matter of what we choose to spend our money on or what we feels adds value.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

Look good, feel good, play decent! 

[johndeere506 3]

I got the Jetspeed 300s and they are perfect. Skated Sunday and Im glad I went with these.