Beginning the Skate Search

[2nhockey 21]

Time for me to replace my CCM 46K's. I'm not looking forward to breaking in new skates but it is time.

Due to prior life escapades which resulted in broken pinky toes on both feet I need to have any skate that more or less fits pretty extensively punched on  the inside of the forefoot and at the pinky toe,  so I  prefer to  buy in person. Trouble is, nearest hockey shops are about 6-ish hours away. In different directions. 

If I go one way (toward MN) the shop has some Bauer and others but is heavy with CCM. In a different direction (CO) the shop is heavy Bauer with some others.

Overall I'm happy with my 46k's fit (post punching) but would like a tighter heel and sure don't want to deal with a pump.

What skates give the closest fit to a 46k but with a narrower heel and no pumps? Just an idea of where to begin searching. Would like to stay with a mid-level skate. Thanks for your insight. 

[goalieman39 37]

They discontinued the pumps with the ribcore line. If those worked in the past I’d go with those again. Do you have a budget?

[puckpilot 312]

Have you considered looking into ordering skates online just to try on and get an idea of what generally fits well? From what I heard, the big online retailers allow you to order skates to try them on. As long as you don't sharpen and skate on them, you can return them. It can give you an idea of which direction to go figuratively and literally and maybe save you some travel time.  

Otherwise, if that's not something you're interested in. IMHO, the Bauer heavy store may be your best option. One of the issues I've had to deal with in the past was pressure points where the toe box meets the rest of the skates. My last pair of skates were RBK 11ks. I had to punch out the area around my pinky toes and add padding to make things work.

When I was shopping for new skates, all the CCM skates were a no go. The arches on them were too high for me and the forefoot fit was only OK. This was before the 70K skates came out, and they're supposed to be really comfortable. But any way. I tried on Bauers and to my pleasant surprise, there were no pressure points around the toe box in the Supreme and Nexus skates. I ended up in Nexus. Of all skates on the market, the Nexus line has the most volume and thus will give you the most room for your fore foot. A standard D in the Nexus is about as wide as a EE in say Supremes or any other skate.

Break in time was very minimal for me, and it didn't involve anything more than minor discomfort.

That's my 2 cents. It's worth what you paid. 

 

 

Edited April 22, 2018 by puckpilot

[2nhockey 21]

No, I don't really have a budget in mind. I kind of assumed I would be spending around $500.

I don't want to order online and then return because of shipping costs.

What is the heel lock like in new Ribcores? I am in a D width now. I can try a Nexus but if they are like a EE in anything else it probably won't work well for me. 

[goalieman39 37]

Really nice. Grips your foot but isn’t uncomfortable. Very heat moldable

[CigarScott 132]

2 hours ago, 2nhockey said:

I can try a Nexus but if they are like a EE in anything else it probably won't work well for me. 

The Nexus is the widest skate on the market so their skates will be wider than anything CCM makes or the other Bauer lines so if a EE is too wide in something else, these will be extremely wide on you.

[Siponarius 16]

Definitely try Ribcor 68/70k

[BlueNux 17]

2 hours ago, 2nhockey said:

No, I don't really have a budget in mind. I kind of assumed I would be spending around $500.

I don't want to order online and then return because of shipping costs.

What is the heel lock like in new Ribcores? I am in a D width now. I can try a Nexus but if they are like a EE in anything else it probably won't work well for me. 

Buy from ice warehouse. Free return shipping if you are a IW member, which is very simple to be part of. Obviously, they are a business, so if you end up trying several skates from them, please either end up buying from them or at least other stuff since we all need to keep them going as a business. You get the benefit of 15% off non-MAP items as well as tax free if shipping outside of CA (but no free sharpening or baking unlike LHS, which means price often evens out).

I would recommend you to go to a local store that has a Bauer 3D Skate lab to get a machine measurement of your foot and a starting recommendation for skates. If the LHS has the exact pair you want, that’s great - get them. If they’re out of sizes (as is common this time of year given low inventory), use that as a guideline to buy similar pairs from IW. You can take your sweet time trying them on without the pressure of a salesperson and make a final decision. 

Edit: just reread and noticed your LHS are super far. Scratch my ideas regarding skate lab. Measure your feet according to IW website guide and err on the side of shorter length and width even if the guide shocks you with smaller skates (skates will only feel roomier overtime and you don’t want to lose heel lock). I can attest the guide is pretty darn accurate. Don’t have an ego over your foot size like most men - it’s the main reason I recommend the skate lab since you can’t cheat it. Get 3-4 skates given your measurement and keep the one that feels best.

Edited April 22, 2018 by BlueNux

[stick9 881]

If you’re fairly happy in the 46k, I would start with the 48k. Well within your budget. The skate has been updated, no more pump, no more lace lock. New materials inside make for a very comfortable fit.

You mentioned issues with pinky toes. Vapors and FT1’s may not work, though it wouldn’t hurt to at least try them on.

 

[2nhockey 21]

At first I hated the lace locks but over time I got to where I really liked them. 

My current skates were punched at the pinky toe (both skates) before the toe box, so as long as a skate can be punched there I'll try it.

Played our last game of the season last night so new skates have just become a priority for me so they can be broken in for next season.

Going into this I am pretty sure the skates will have to be punched. Almost all my gear and all of the kids' gear is mail ordered so I'm not above ordering from IW but this is one of the times I  feel like I should be purchasing in person.

Thanks for the help and feedback.

[psulion22 402]

So I'm confused a little.  You're in a D width skate and have to have your pinky toe side punched, but an EE width doesn't work?  What about the EE width is the problem?  It should be giving you more room in the toe box, and may keep you from needing to have it punched.  An EE width of a skate model with a narrow heel may be what you are looking for.

[2nhockey 21]

I don't know if a EE would work or not. I've only ever worn a EE once in tennis shoes a few years ago and they were too big. Never tried it in skates.

When I was probably 12 I broke my right toe, then when I was around 15 I broke my left, then in my early 20's I broke the right again. This resulted in both toes, in a small spot, needing a little relief in skates, but in tennis shoes or dress shoes or hiking/hunting/combat boots the 'deformity' isn't noticeable. But it sure is painful in hockey skates. I don't need the skate widened out, I need a spot punched.

[stick9 881]

50 minutes ago, psulion22 said:

So I'm confused a little.  You're in a D width skate and have to have your pinky toe side punched, but an EE width doesn't work?  What about the EE width is the problem?  It should be giving you more room in the toe box, and may keep you from needing to have it punched.  An EE width of a skate model with a narrow heel may be what you are looking for.

A retail EE will come with an EE heel, no?

[psulion22 402]

16 minutes ago, stick9 said:

A retail EE will come with an EE heel, no?

EE is the toe width.  I'm pretty sure that retail skates come with an A heel, with variances by model.  So when we say D vs EE, the full description is D/A vs EE/A.

Edited April 23, 2018 by psulion22

[althoma1 574]

 

44 minutes ago, stick9 said:

A retail EE will come with an EE heel, no?

A D retail skate usually has an A heel. A EE retail skate usually has a B heel. Some skate models have a last with a narrower heel and less volume; therefore, it can sometimes be better to go with a EE/B skate in a model where the heel lock is generally better than a D/A skate in a model that's built on a last that's not known for heel lock. 

For example, when I tried a Nexus on in a D, it felt very comfortable in the forefoot (almost too wide), but didn't provide good heel lock. An Easton Mako in a EE was wide enough for my forefoot, but still locked in my heel. 

[BlueNux 17]

3 hours ago, 2nhockey said:

At first I hated the lace locks but over time I got to where I really liked them. 

My current skates were punched at the pinky toe (both skates) before the toe box, so as long as a skate can be punched there I'll try it.

Played our last game of the season last night so new skates have just become a priority for me so they can be broken in for next season.

Going into this I am pretty sure the skates will have to be punched. Almost all my gear and all of the kids' gear is mail ordered so I'm not above ordering from IW but this is one of the times I  feel like I should be purchasing in person.

Thanks for the help and feedback.

Yes, I’d recommend usually for people to try new skates in person, but the issue here is that 1) your LHS is 6 hours away, 2) LHS have extremely limited inventory right now and won’t have the sizes you need (even worse may push you skates they want to get rid off), 3) you seem to know that you have a particular feet that may need EE and most LHS stock D, and 4) you get to try the skates at home and take your time to do all sorts of random tests over and over again (like the pencil test).

You should not go in with the mindset that your new skates will need to be punched. If it feels like it need punching right out of the box, it’s not a right fit.

If you need wide toe caps, try the new RibCor, Tacks, or Nexus in D. If they’re pinching, try the EEs. If your toes don’t feel as snug as the other parts of your foot but there’s no pinching, try EE in Supreme and Jetspeed.

Before you go to the store or purchase online, make sure to read and do the following: https://www.icewarehouse.com/lc/icehockeyskatesizing.html

A final point: do not let a wider forefoot make you feel like you need a longer skate. A lot of people complain about pinching toes in narrow skates like Vapors and think they need bigger skates. This is not true. Measure your feet and be conservative (it’s probably smaller than you think and I’d fit you half size down even from what you measure at home). The width is independent of the length and those skates I recommended above are the ones with wider toes. The right skate should have minimal to no pinching pre-bake and at least one of your foot’s toes should brush the toe box. 

Edited April 23, 2018 by BlueNux

[2nhockey 21]

My daughter received an invitation to go to an event up in Grand Forks, ND. While there, I found a hockey shop that had a Bauer 3D scanner. It recommended a Supreme in 10 D as my #1 and a Vapor in 10 as my #2.

Interestingly enough the scanner recommended my daughter wear a Supreme in a 3EE. She is currently in a Graf PK7700 in a 3 D and likes that fit. Her back up skate is a Mako in a 4D and other than the lack of protection she's happy in those. Not sure if the PK's are a Supreme-like fit or what but I thought Makos were Vapor-esque...?

As predicted their inventory levels were low so they didn't have anything in a 10, let alone something I wanted. I did try several pairs of different skates in a 9.5 D and EE but they just weren't comfy and anything in a EE was so wide I just wallowed in it. And Vapors are too tight and the just launched CCM's straight up hurt.

Based on the shop experience I think I'm going to try to mail order some Supremes in a 10 D and see how it goes. Summer league starts in 4 weeks and 2 days and I need to get the break in process going.

Thanks for the help.

[chippa13 1844]

Odds are the Makos are too long and are a size larger because that was how the width finally felt right.

[DRR 112]

On 5/7/2018 at 7:01 PM, 2nhockey said:

My daughter received an invitation to go to an event up in Grand Forks, ND. While there, I found a hockey shop that had a Bauer 3D scanner. It recommended a Supreme in 10 D as my #1 and a Vapor in 10 as my #2.

 

 

Did it recommend a Vapor 10D or a Vapor 10 EE?

[2nhockey 21]

10D. I did try on a 9.5EE and it was very loose.

[goalieman39 37]

38 minutes ago, 2nhockey said:

10D. I did try on a 9.5EE and it was very loose.

At that point, supremes would probably be best