Replacing Bauer One.9 Skates

[bl4 36]

I've been skating in Bauer one nines for several years & have never been particularly happy with them - first time in twenty-five years of playing that I ever experienced lace bite, despite having almost exclusively worn stiff, top-end skates.  It was a problem when they were new and now has become a big problem again as they're breaking down, but almost exclusively in one skate.  (I assume I'm overcompensating for the boots getting softer by tying them too tight).  I did the pencil test early on, and I don't think it's a volume issue.  Also, skate stiffness had never been an issue for me, but the current pair is the first full-composite skates I've worn, so I realize that might be a part of the issue.  That said, the fact that the lace bite has persisted even as the skates have gotten softer/more forgiving makes me somewhat skeptical that I could remedy the problem by just dropping down a rung on the Supreme ladder.   Over the years, I had liked the Supreme line, and my previous two pairs of skates before these were 8090s and Graf 705s, both of which I had liked a lot.  When I bought the one.9s, I tried on whatever the current Nexus was and found it too wide in the heel.  I remember liking the Vapors, but for some reason which I have since regretted, went with the Supremes.  

I'm looking to replace the one nines, and I'm trying to figure out if my problem was a poor fit or whether I just miss the old material skates (which, would, I guess, mean I'd be in the market for a pair of older model Grafs?).  I realize that fit and feel are highly personal, but I want to make sure I'm trying on everything I should when I hit my LHS/going about this right.  My current skates have been a real frustration, and I want to make the most informed decision that I can.  Any thoughts or suggestions welcome. 

[CTB 32]

Had a similar issue with my Vapor X800s (1st gen). First full composite skate I used and had a bad case of lace bite right where I knot my skates on the ankle/instep area. Never had lace bite issues with other generations of Vapors I used (X:40 and X7.0) granted those were tech mesh skates. Switched to the new Tacks line and that’s no longer an issue. 

[blue_line 2]

I've never had a case of lace bite going away. In my experience, if you feel it in the store, you'll feel it on the ice. I did use a bunga pad for a while on some skates (Bauer Vapor XXX) a long time ago. That worked fine, but it did take some messing around with the ankle wrap/pad every time I put the skates on.

Just recently I bought some new skates. I tried on just about everything out there to find skates that fit my foot correctly. During this process I found that CCM 70K fit great everywhere, but they gave me extreme pressure at the 3-4th eyelet from the top. Even with a moderate lace tightening, I couldn't flex forward without lace bite. The CCM 68K in the same skate size didn't give me this issue. After trying on CCM FT390, Jetspeed FT1, Jetspeed original, 70K, 68K, Bauer Nexus N9000, and N8000, in a whole bunch of different sizes/widths, I finally settled on SuperTacks (the 2016 version).

I'm coming from Bauer One.9 and S190. They both work ok, but I was looking to try something else. I'll retire the One.9 and use the S190 for coaching. The CCMs put you much more on your toes and the holder seems like it's mounted to the inside of your feet (putting the front of the blade more between your big toe and second toe, rather than under your third toe). They work well though and only give me a bit of pain on my instep (inside of feet, in front of ankle bone). I may have them punched, but the pain goes away while I'm skating. The heel is a touch wide - I like the heel fit on the Jetspeeds better - but they're not sloppy. I was in a "C" width for my One.9 to get a tighter heel. I would have bought the Jetspeed FT1, but they have a hard edge near the pinky toe where the boot meets the toe box. Too bad.

Sorry for the rambling. I'm avoiding work...