Skate recommendation after Bauer 3D Skate Lab

[adam14 182]

29 minutes ago, CigarScott said:

For length and width, what little experience I've had with both, they both seem fairy comparable. The brannock tool, however doesn't account for arch types, foot volume, etc which typically indicates which line of skates you should be wearing.

This is why it's vital to get fitted from a knowledgeable member of staff. So many times I've had to have conversations because they would say "Ya I want Vapors" and after seeing their foot on a brannock having to explain every reason as to why a vapor could be the worst possible fitting skate he would put on. Or when people say "Well im in Supertacks right now and they fit perfect except they rub on this area and I'm getting lacebite." So what you're saying is they don't fit perfect.

[puckpilot 312]

2 hours ago, adam14 said:

This is why it's vital to get fitted from a knowledgeable member of staff. So many times I've had to have conversations because they would say "Ya I want Vapors" and after seeing their foot on a brannock having to explain every reason as to why a vapor could be the worst possible fitting skate he would put on. Or when people say "Well im in Supertacks right now and they fit perfect except they rub on this area and I'm getting lacebite." So what you're saying is they don't fit perfect.

Yeah, I can't stress this enough. When I was shopping for my current skates, I went to a shop I trust, and they sized me up as a 4.5EE, which was right, even though I wear a 7.5 shoe. Yeah, I have really small feet. Any way, then I went to big box store to check out what they had, and the guy sized me up as a 6.5EE. Either the guy was using the wrong Brannock or his Brannock was wildly inaccurate. I actually had to argue and put on a size 5.5 to show him I could put my whole hand down the back before he was even willing to bring me out the proper size. 

Man, I can't imagine how many people are walking out of the second store with improperly fitted skates. 

[start_today 770]

With online shoe sales, people are less likely to return shoes if they are too big, as opposed to being too small. So, online sizing things tend to compensate by recommending larger. 

I wonder if that big box store works on the same principal? Too small will pinch and be uncomfortable. But when fitting, especially with someone who is not comortable with the process, too big is probably more comfortable than even a correctly sized skate, and leads to less returns, and gets people out the door with a purchase. 

[ChrisS8899 3]

I do agree the fit was spot on with the 3d scan for me , only gripe I have with it is I fail the pencil test moderately in its supreme suggestion . Not sure if lacebite will transpire , but didnt want to risk it . I know failing the pencil test isnt a good start if your lace bite prone . How many are skating successfully with skates they fail the pencil depth test in ??  I know the 1s boot stiffness wont be too forgiving , and some people who fail the test are probably fine but..

[CigarScott 132]

1 hour ago, ChrisS8899 said:

I do agree the fit was spot on with the 3d scan for me , only gripe I have with it is I fail the pencil test moderately in its supreme suggestion . Not sure if lacebite will transpire , but didnt want to risk it . I know failing the pencil test isnt a good start if your lace bite prone . How many are skating successfully with skates they fail the pencil depth test in ??  I know the 1s boot stiffness wont be too forgiving , and some people who fail the test are probably fine but..

If you experience lace bite, give these a try: http://www.ar-sports.com/lace-bite-pad/

I get lace bite around my top laces in my Nexus skates and these helped a lot.

[Vet88 674]

Eyelet extenders, other than a boot that fits you for volume these are the only real "install and forget" solution to preventing lace bite where volume is an issue. Yes, lace bite pads do sometimes help but they don't take the pressure OFF the tendon, just give it more surface area to spread over. Forsberg pads also work but you have to tape yourself up every time you skate.

[jmiro 55]

10 hours ago, BlueNux said:

You should try untying nearly all the laces until the tongue really flops out. The store I went to was out of the 7D (3D Skate Lab recommended) in many skate models so I asked to try some 6.5D just to test width differences between models. Couldn't squeeze my foot in at first with the way the laces were loosened by the salesperson, but after completely loosening all the laces down to like the bottom 2-3, my foot fit in fine on all the models I tried (though all my toes were quite pressed). You'd be surprised what you can fit into. I think the lab is really on point with measuring length and width of all the details of the foot since they're black and white numbers, but can be slightly off on recommendations since comfort is so personal.

So I actually tested this in store as well. On the lab, my left foot was measured at around 7, while my right foot was measured at slightly under 7. On the blue Bauer brannock stick, my left foot was just over 7.5 and my right foot was just under 7.5. This is why my first skates were in 7.5D Vapors since I got them long time ago and the LHS only had access to the Bauer measuring stick.

Note that I did not wear socks on the skate lab, but did wear socks on the brannock stick. This wouldn't result in a difference greater than 2mm though, since the socks I wore were very thin skating socks provided by the store. I'm also the type of person who jams my heel back against the brannock stick to try to fit as tight a skate as possible - I only say this because the store person noted that most guys who come into the store have an ego about foot size (both length and width) and try to wiggle their way to a larger measurement even if half a size.

In my opinion, after this whole experience, I would recommend everyone to trust the skate lab when it comes to foot measurements, or subtract half a size from the Bauer brannock tool assuming you really press your heel when measuring. The lab doesn't just measure your length and forefoot width, but give you details on everything from instep and other measurements. It's also really hard to cheat it. I tried standing on the lab twice and both times the numbers were exactly the same, so it's very consistent assuming your feet didn't experience something that would change their shape between tests (for example, I'm sure your foot size changes before and after a game of hockey due to all the pressure).

I actually own a pair of 160 Supremes 6.5d. Nexus freeze 6.5d and just had my nexus n8000 6.5ee converted to inline(as I play more Inline Anymore)  The 8000 for the best.  Freeze get me by but aren't as comfortable.  And the supremes don't even seen to fit with the laces out of them...  Just my experience.  

[BlueNux 17]

Update! I finally got the 4 skates in 7D to try: Jetspeed, Supreme, Tacks, and Vapor, all around 3rd tier down from top (so x800, FT380, etc.). To recap my feet profile: size 7 length, standard forefoot (2.7-2.8 length/width ratio), standard/slightly shallow instep, medium arch, and standard/slightly narrow heel.

Jetspeed: The best overall fit out of the 4. Passes the pencil test, only slightly rocking even at the worst point. I love that the toe cap isn't so tall so it feels more snug. Overall, everything felt snug, though not as tightly wrapped as the Supremes.

The heel lock everyone raves about on the Jetspeed was not as secure as I had hoped. Actually, I felt these had the least tightest heel lock out of the 4. It's still snug, but I feel like the ankle foam could be slightly thicker to better grab my heels.

Does anyone know if the FT1s fit a bit differently from the FT380s? I imagine not having the outsole can provide the FT1 a different fit. If the FT1s have a more secure heel lock and a feather more snug wrap, my search is complete since the FT380 was already my favorite. @Nicholas G

Supreme: They felt great - evenly snug throughout, although the toe cap felt a bit roomy. Heel lock was best. The surprising failure of these were the instep volume. The pencil test passed the 3rd eyelet, pivoted slightly on the 4th, but started rocking below that.

Laced up, the stiff middle part of the tongue dug in right where the pencil test failed. Upon knee bend, the lace/tongue would dig in even more but this time up near the 3rd/4th eyelet area too. I see why the lab recommended these to me - they're the best option from Bauer for my feet.

Tacks: This one confused me. I failed the pencil test in similar fashion to the Supremes, even though I've read that the Tacks were supposed to have the most volume. It could be because the heel lock on these are the tightest of the 4, so my foot doesn't actually sit completely flush against the back of the skates. The skate felt like it had slightly more volume elsewhere than the other 4. A worse overall fit than the Jetspeed. Less pain around instep during knee bend than Supreme, but not as tightly wrapped around my feet elsewhere.

Vapor: Worst pencil test mark of the 4, with the pencil slightly pivoting on the 3rd eyelet, more on the 4th, and rocking past the 5th eyelet down. Surprising since the 1X in 7D I tried at my LHS felt much better than these x800s. Though the 1Xs also had some pressure on the instep, they weren't nearly as bad - maybe the lace-bite tongue in the 1X makes a difference. Also, slight pinching in the middle of the boot and right beneath the fore foot.

I was able to pass the pencil test with flying colors in my old X:20 7.5D - this just goes to show you that you have to be precise with skate sizing, since half size difference can allow you to pass the pencil test, but then you'd end up with a longer skate that can cause heel lock issues in the future.

[ChrisS8899 3]

6 hours ago, BlueNux said:

Update! I finally got the 4 skates in 7D to try: Jetspeed, Supreme, Tacks, and Vapor, all around 3rd tier down from top (so x800, FT380, etc.). To recap my feet profile: size 7 length, standard forefoot (2.7-2.8 length/width ratio), standard/slightly shallow instep, medium arch, and standard/slightly narrow heel.

Jetspeed: The best overall fit out of the 4. Passes the pencil test, only slightly rocking even at the worst point. I love that the toe cap isn't so tall so it feels more snug. Overall, everything felt snug, though not as tightly wrapped as the Supremes.

The heel lock everyone raves about on the Jetspeed was not as secure as I had hoped. Actually, I felt these had the least tightest heel lock out of the 4. It's still snug, but I feel like the ankle foam could be slightly thicker to better grab my heels.

Does anyone know if the FT1s fit a bit differently from the FT380s? I imagine not having the outsole can provide the FT1 a different fit. If the FT1s have a more secure heel lock and a feather more snug wrap, my search is complete since the FT380 was already my favorite. @Nicholas G

Supreme: They felt great - evenly snug throughout, although the toe cap felt a bit roomy. Heel lock was best. The surprising failure of these were the instep volume. The pencil test passed the 3rd eyelet, pivoted slightly on the 4th, but started rocking below that.

Laced up, the stiff middle part of the tongue dug in right where the pencil test failed. Upon knee bend, the lace/tongue would dig in even more but this time up near the 3rd/4th eyelet area too. I see why the lab recommended these to me - they're the best option from Bauer for my feet.

Tacks: This one confused me. I failed the pencil test in similar fashion to the Supremes, even though I've read that the Tacks were supposed to have the most volume. It could be because the heel lock on these are the tightest of the 4, so my foot doesn't actually sit completely flush against the back of the skates. The skate felt like it had slightly more volume elsewhere than the other 4. A worse overall fit than the Jetspeed. Less pain around instep during knee bend than Supreme, but not as tightly wrapped around my feet elsewhere.

Vapor: Worst pencil test mark of the 4, with the pencil slightly pivoting on the 3rd eyelet, more on the 4th, and rocking past the 5th eyelet down. Surprising since the 1X in 7D I tried at my LHS felt much better than these x800s. Though the 1Xs also had some pressure on the instep, they weren't nearly as bad - maybe the lace-bite tongue in the 1X makes a difference. Also, slight pinching in the middle of the boot and right beneath the fore foot.

I was able to pass the pencil test with flying colors in my old X:20 7.5D - this just goes to show you that you have to be precise with skate sizing, since half size difference can allow you to pass the pencil test, but then you'd end up with a longer skate that can cause heel lock issues in the future.

I noticed similar results myself, although I have not tried all the skates you did . I  bought supreme's to give a go , I fit the same way you do in supremes with the pencil test. I did notice the vapors lace bite tongue is pretty good,I really wanted to be in a vapor but couldnt .My theory I think what was happening with me in vapors was my smaller foot with less heel lock, puts more pressure on the tedon when your foot comes up & would get me with bite after 3-4 hard skates. Thanks for the reviews good info.

[stick9 891]

8 hours ago, BlueNux said:

Update! I finally got the 4 skates in 7D to try: Jetspeed, Supreme, Tacks, and Vapor, all around 3rd tier down from top (so x800, FT380, etc.). To recap my feet profile: size 7 length, standard forefoot (2.7-2.8 length/width ratio), standard/slightly shallow instep, medium arch, and standard/slightly narrow heel.

Jetspeed: The best overall fit out of the 4. Passes the pencil test, only slightly rocking even at the worst point. I love that the toe cap isn't so tall so it feels more snug. Overall, everything felt snug, though not as tightly wrapped as the Supremes.

The heel lock everyone raves about on the Jetspeed was not as secure as I had hoped. Actually, I felt these had the least tightest heel lock out of the 4. It's still snug, but I feel like the ankle foam could be slightly thicker to better grab my heels.

Does anyone know if the FT1s fit a bit differently from the FT380s? I imagine not having the outsole can provide the FT1 a different fit. If the FT1s have a more secure heel lock and a feather more snug wrap, my search is complete since the FT380 was already my favorite. @Nicholas G

Supreme: They felt great - evenly snug throughout, although the toe cap felt a bit roomy. Heel lock was best. The surprising failure of these were the instep volume. The pencil test passed the 3rd eyelet, pivoted slightly on the 4th, but started rocking below that.

Laced up, the stiff middle part of the tongue dug in right where the pencil test failed. Upon knee bend, the lace/tongue would dig in even more but this time up near the 3rd/4th eyelet area too. I see why the lab recommended these to me - they're the best option from Bauer for my feet.

Tacks: This one confused me. I failed the pencil test in similar fashion to the Supremes, even though I've read that the Tacks were supposed to have the most volume. It could be because the heel lock on these are the tightest of the 4, so my foot doesn't actually sit completely flush against the back of the skates. The skate felt like it had slightly more volume elsewhere than the other 4. A worse overall fit than the Jetspeed. Less pain around instep during knee bend than Supreme, but not as tightly wrapped around my feet elsewhere.

Vapor: Worst pencil test mark of the 4, with the pencil slightly pivoting on the 3rd eyelet, more on the 4th, and rocking past the 5th eyelet down. Surprising since the 1X in 7D I tried at my LHS felt much better than these x800s. Though the 1Xs also had some pressure on the instep, they weren't nearly as bad - maybe the lace-bite tongue in the 1X makes a difference. Also, slight pinching in the middle of the boot and right beneath the fore foot.

I was able to pass the pencil test with flying colors in my old X:20 7.5D - this just goes to show you that you have to be precise with skate sizing, since half size difference can allow you to pass the pencil test, but then you'd end up with a longer skate that can cause heel lock issues in the future.

The offset quarter panel on the Vapor is more pronounced on the 1X than any other model. The tongue does an excellent job at preventing lace bite. Thats probably why the 1X feels so much better than the X800's you tied.

I fail the pencil test but have zero issues with lace bite.