Looking for advice on skates

[slewjis 1]

I'm new to ice skating, and am trying to pick up my first pair. I've only been a few times now, but I did a lot of rollerblading when I was younger so I have a pretty good sense for what I'm feeling in my feet/legs when on a blade. I went to my local pro shop and had the CCM 3D fit scanner done on my feet and was recommended a size 11 Ribcor, with the jetspeed as second. Unfortunately they didn't have any size 11's so I actually ended up in a 11.5 jetspeed. The jetspeed felt ok at the time, reasonably snug with enough room for my toes. I thought they felt fine but I didn't know better, so they got baked and sharpened. Now that I've been on the ice a few times with them though, I think they are too big. When i walk around on the padding outside the rink, I don't feel stable in them--I feel like I have too much tendency to wobble one way or the other. Out on the ice I don't feel solid and I think my foot is moving around too much inside the skate--they feel too much like a shoe and not like a tight boot. I'm sure I'm not great at tightening the laces yet, but I get them as tight as I can with a lace puller and still feel the roominess. I did try skating with a superfeet insert but found my feet were twice as sore twice as fast--didn't feel right.

SO, I decided to order a size 11 Ribcor. Imagine my surprise upon sliding them on and feeling my toes slam right up against the toecap. I measured my feet before ordering just to confirm, I'm right around 11.5 inches or 29.2cm. For CCM size 11 is 29.4 and size 11.5 is 29.8, for reference. After lacing up tight I definitely get a small amount of relief for my toes but I still can feel the edge more than just a 'feathering'. I haven't skated on these yet, but walking around the house (with blade guard on) seems much more stable than the 11.5 jetspeeds. Having my knees bent of course also helps to create a bit more room, but I'm still adjusting to that stance as a newbie. I also tried the superfeet inserts with the Ribcors, but I found that the heel lock inside the boot no longer hit my foot right, and also no significant toe room was created.

I'm not sure what to do. Part of me wants to go ahead and bake the 11 Ribcors to see if they feet my fit a bit better. Will this have any substantial impact on the fit from a toe perspective? The (lack of) toe room is very noticeable and concerning, but I can also tell how much better these are at fitting the rest of my foot than the jetspeeds. Do i suck it up and deal with the toe pain to get better stability and response, and/or will the skates loosen up and fit better over time? Or do I stay with the larger jetspeeds and just learn how to control them better? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance guys!

[puckpilot 312]

How many other skates have you tried on? Before you settle on anything, make sure you've tried on every skate you can get your foot into.  From my limited experience, scanners get you into the ballpark, but it's up to you and your fitter to get you dialled in. Sometimes the scan can be off. 

With that said, its genaerally better to go a bit small than a bit big. With small you can have the skates stretched and punched out to accommodate your foot. But what you can't do is shrink a boot. Also as a skate ages, the liner will compress and wear, and you may gain about a quarter size.  

So yeah, be a princess about your skate fit. You never know how what you'll find. I've tried on skates that were OK but then the next skate turned out to be perfect. Because, you don't want to deal with all the foot problems ill fitting skates can cause. You did a smart thing measuring your own foot to be sure about your sizing. For me, I use this sizing chart. 

http://www.hockeytutorial.com/uncategorized/ice-hockey-skate-sizing-chart-width-and-length/

According to the chart, you're between a 10.5 and 11. 

[Davideo 99]

In my limited experience, baking and breaking in a skate compresses the foams a bit and should open up a little more room. And I would strongly recommend against using skates that are too big.

[slewjis 1]

Decided to double down and bake the skates--definitely helped with the toe room!  Itching to take them out on the ice!