Another old guy skate buying thread

[BenBreeg 493]

So earlier this week I posted about buying youth skates because it was difficult to buy for a young kid.  Now I am getting new skates after being in 7000s for the last 15 years or so, similar to another poster.

So, after going to Pure Hockey last night, I am a bit concerned.

I was scanned at the Bauer station by a younger employee.  I came out Vapor in 10.5, which surprised me since I never thought of my foot as narrow.  So we tried that on and it was too big, got a 10 which fit but really pushed into the side of my foot.  He said the Jetspeed would have more room so he brought out an FT1 in a 10 (above my price but the only thing he had) and it felt awesome in the foot, my heel basically snapped in, but when I stood it really dug in below my ankle, like right on that little bone on the inside below your big ankle bone.

They didn’t have any other skates to try on so I said I would come back in July (they said they had a bunch of skates in the back but couldn’t put them out until then).

My question is, honestly, how do I know what fits in these new skates?  What is an incorrect fit vs. what is just pushing on my foot that may go away with baking and a little skating?

I would say I have a boney foot, so there are always pressure points.  I had extra padding put in the ankles of my 7000s years ago.

I would rather have had a more experienced employee as well, but other than coming back later and kind of hanging until I can grab one of the guys that seems to know more that wasn’t an option last night.

I guess waiting until they have more skates to try on is the best option but in general, aren’t all these skates going to feel dramatically different so it is hard for me to know what is “right”?

It was also funny when he asked me what skate I was in I said Bauer 7000 and he said, “Oh, the Nexus N7000?”   Yeah, I am old…

[CTB 32]

Had a similar issue in the Jetspeeds, might I I suggest trying the Tacks line. My last 3 pairs of Bauers have been Vapors so I thought Jetspeed would be the CCM fit for me but the Tacks worked the best.   Went from a Vapor X800 (2015 line) to Tacks 9090. 

[Left Wing King 51]

Why not go for N7000s again?

[BenBreeg 493]

23 minutes ago, Left Wing King said:

Why not go for N7000s again?

 

That was the joke, I have Bauer Supreme 7000s from like 15-20 years ago, not the Nexus.  It was just funny because the salesman was probably 3 years old when I bought my current skates.

[Left Wing King 51]

Ooohhh right, gotcha now. Sorry for wasting your bandwidth.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

Therein lies the issue with the Bauer scanner. It can’t fit you for CCM or another brands skates.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

14 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

Therein lies the issue with the Bauer scanner. It can’t fit you for CCM or another brands skates.

First off, why would it be designed to fit for other brands?  It's a Bauer tool.  

Secondly, it is extremely easy to glean the information that the scanner provides and apply it to another brand.  Hell, just match the colors for the most part.

To the OP - to match the Supreme 7000, you'll most likely have your best success in a Vapor. 

[BenBreeg 493]

Thanks for the reply.  I am wondering if I want to replicate what I have in the 7000 or not.  I bought them because they were blems (a couple stitches were off target) and the Vapor 8s I had for a short while were WAY too narrow.  When I tried the X700 yesterday on I had pain on the outside of my foot, I just don't know if that is the kind of thing that bakes out.

[Left Wing King 51]

You could get it punched out too.

[puckpilot 312]

 

11 hours ago, BenBreeg said:

I guess waiting until they have more skates to try on is the best option but in general, aren’t all these skates going to feel dramatically different so it is hard for me to know what is “right”?

 

5 hours ago, BenBreeg said:

When I tried the X700 yesterday on I had pain on the outside of my foot, I just don't know if that is the kind of thing that bakes out.

Not an expert, but generally speaking, the boots today, outside of baking, don't change. Your feet will change before you boot does. If your boot goes soft, it means the material is breaking down and your skates are nearing the end of their life cycle. What does change is the liner inside. It will wear down and compress, and open up a little more space for your feet. 

From my experience, a little uncomfortable tightness is OK. At worse case that can be stretched/punched out by the shop and will improve as the liner wears down. I usually try imagine what it'd be like to have the skates on for 3 hours or more. If the thought of that fills me with dread, then it's probably a big strike on that particular skate.

As for pressure points, same sort of thing. I imagine that point rubbing and pushing against my skin several hundred times as I pound my feet into the ice. If I think there's going to be a healthy dose of pain to go along with that, then it's a strike. Pressure points can be punched out, but I try to be cautious and pick my battles with them. If there's a pressure point right where the toe box meets the rest of the skate, that's usually a big no go for me.

[Vet88 674]

8 hours ago, BenBreeg said:

Thanks for the reply.  I am wondering if I want to replicate what I have in the 7000 or not.  I bought them because they were blems (a couple stitches were off target) and the Vapor 8s I had for a short while were WAY too narrow.  When I tried the X700 yesterday on I had pain on the outside of my foot, I just don't know if that is the kind of thing that bakes out.

It may bake out but it depends on how much effort you put into it. If you really want it to be successful you pad that area out using something like neoprene rubber or gel pads, then the bake is more likely to move and set with room for your foot. But anything these days can be punched or stretched and this is the most common way to deal with pressure points. 

Even with an experienced fitter, you should be aware of how the boots should fit. Length (pencil test), heel width (measurement), forefoot width (measurement), volume (pencil test), heel lock (no laces, heel pad lock) are all things you can test yourself for fit and comfort.

But if you are thinking of buying a high end boot then there is always the custom route offered by True, Bauer or CCM.

[BenBreeg 493]

5 hours ago, Vet88 said:

But if you are thinking of buying a high end boot then there is always the custom route offered by True, Bauer or CCM.

Budget isn’t that high, trying to stay around $500 or under.

[Vet88 674]

38 minutes ago, BenBreeg said:

Budget isn’t that high, trying to stay around $500 or under.

If you know what you are looking for then that amount will buy a top of the line the skate from the last line or even the current line. But it means you need to know what you are after, be prepared to hunt for it on ebay, craigslist, LHS clearance specials etc and be patient to find it. For example I picked up a pair of twice worn MX3's the other day for $200, still one hell of a skate even when compared against current models.

[bunnyman666 445]

One option for an older-style skate is from Graf. They still offer the leather skates. No idea on price, however. But that would be an option for an older-school option.

[pix530 3]

On 6/20/2018 at 6:29 AM, BenBreeg said:

Now I am getting new skates after being in 7000s

- Why you need new skates? And what is your level and intensity of play?

Best option I'd say would be True if you really need skates.

[BenBreeg 493]

35 minutes ago, pix530 said:

- Why you need new skates? And what is your level and intensity of play?

Best option I'd say would be True if you really need skates.

They are over 15 years old and while I could certainly keep using them, I want to get new ones.  Level is “B leaguer coming out of a 10 year layoff at age 44.” :)

Budget is 500 and under so no True.

[skiboyny 4]

From your foot description it sounds like you have a navicular bone. It's like a second ankle bone just below and a bit forward of the ankle bone. If you do (something like 11% of people do) any hard boot that is made today will bother you for ever until you get a small punch spot made for it. I went through a few pairs of new skates until I learned that lesson. Also the hard boots of today are quite a bit different to skate on than the skates of yesterday IMO. The older skates let you be more of an ankle skater articulating your ankle for your edges. New hard boots require you to use your whole body to edge properly. Try as I might it's a difficult transition for me. Because your on Bauer it might be a bit easier for you as I used Graf and the profiles are totally different. As for todays skates, CCM ribcor is soft enough to feel close to familiar. Graf is a great option if you can find them. Good luck it seem like an easy enough thing but it's not. Good luck to you.

[chippa13 1844]

On 6/21/2018 at 5:45 AM, BenBreeg said:

Budget isn’t that high, trying to stay around $500 or under.

Check out the Ribcor 68K. The most recent Ribcor line is super-moldable and gives an extremely good skate for the price.

[BenBreeg 493]

Just now, chippa13 said:

Check out the Ribcor 68K. The most recent Ribcor line is super-moldable and gives an extremely good skate for the price.

I will.  Ko Sports is a Source for Sports franchise around here so they have that 68K with some 70K upgrades for the same price ($399) as the regular 68K.  May head out there to check them out but I just got new steel and Quad 0 profiles on my 7000s and unexpectedly it really made a difference so I am going to squeeze a little more life out of them.

[mattsev 0]

I was just looking at those skates at Source for Sports as well.  The CCM Ribcor Platinums (a 68k with 70k tongue and steel).  I was pleasantly surprised to see they have a $50 promotion running right now, so they are only $349.

Right now I have a pair of CCM Super Tacks.  They fit great, but I think they are just too stiff for me.  I thought I'd give the Ribcors a try and see how they feel. 

 

[stick9 896]

On 7/18/2018 at 1:00 PM, chippa13 said:

Check out the Ribcor 68K. The most recent Ribcor line is super-moldable and gives an extremely good skate for the price.

This was going to be my suggestion as well. Might be the best option for anyone coming from an old school style skate.