Questions about Mission Betty Skates

[WingsVK97 0]

I was looking around to get a set of skates for my girlfriend and I found a really great deal online on a set of Mission Betty Flyweights. These are those first generation of them with the old Formula holder with the Drive Shaft thingy in them, composite sole, and so forth. She's not going to be playing hockey in them, but the price is just so good even when compaired to receational skates, I figured I'd get her these. Just for recreational purposes.

These are some of my questions:

1. Do you need to bake these so they will fit right?

2. Are these formula holders worth the plastic they are made of cause I know they were phased out very quickly.

3. Is the quality, fit, and finish up to par with other skate makers?

4. Is there really something about them that makes them women's skates or is that just a marketing gimick they slapped on these to mark them up a few dollars?

and

5. She wears a 7 womens shoe. Mission is supposed to fit true to shoe size but I've found that not to be completely true. Is a size 7 going to work or do I need to find a 6.5?

Any experience with these will be welcome.

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

Yes

She'll be okay with them

Yes

Yes - it's designed to fit a woman's foot. Their ankles are different from men's and they don't generally need a skate with a lot of volume (that's why women usually fit better in Tacks) Mission still makes a women's skate - the SW.

[KingstonMike 0]

I was just going to ask about women's skates myself.

My wife is showing interest in learning to play hockey and she's been looking at skates.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Mike

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

Just did. Assess her foot but try to start at the SW or the Tacks.

Their ankles are different and their arches are higher than men's.

Also keep in mind that you don't want a really stiff skate for them either, which is why those that I mentioned are a good choice.

[WingsVK97 0]

Since these particular skates have to be baked to fit right (unless I'm mistaken here and they will just have a brutal breaking period), I'm not sure my LHS has a skate oven. Are there ways to do this at home what won't pontentially ruin them? I've got a heat gun and an oven...good time right?

[Chadd 916]

Since these particular skates have to be baked to fit right (unless I'm mistaken here and they will just have a brutal breaking period), I'm not sure my LHS has a skate oven. Are there ways to do this at home what won't pontentially ruin them? I've got a heat gun and an oven...good time right?

It can be done in an oven.

[misteremanca 0]

re: the Mission Betty Skate

I am looking at purchasing a pair of these for my wife as well, for two reasons.

One - My 16 y.o. niece plays in a pair of these this year, and is on the ice 3-4 times per week. She LOVES them. As JR reported, they do have a different fit in the heel, and they fit her foot better than any skate she has ever had. She did have them heat-fitted when she purchased them too.

Two - My 6 y.o. son skates on Missions this year, purchased from our lhs, and he loves them. I realize that this pair of skates are a better fit than any he has used in previous years, but still I find their overall quality to be excellent. I recently purchased a pair of Mission Skates myself, and I find them to be excellent. They were initially very stiff, and were breaking in over time, but after baking them in my home oven (see below) they now fit like a glove. They will do me quite nicely in my recreational play.

Re: the drive shaft, I have heard/read comments that the drive shaft is quite a hard material, and not too forgiving, and as a result can break the holder. I believe if you search this forum you will find information on that. With the exception of my niece, who is hard-core, the rest of us are more recreational players. I expect we all should do just fine with the drive-shaft holders. For my wife, who will only be playing shinny and skating with the kids, they should be more than perfect.

Re: Home baking, I won't put the link because I am not sure it is acceptable on these forums, but EPuck.com has an article in the 'community > workbench' section of their website on this topic. I used this technique at home because I do not have access to a LHS with an oven, and I purchased my skates over the internet (and both my Missions and my son's fit exactly to shoe size for what it is worth).

Using a home oven is USING THE WRONG TOOL FOR THE JOB, but I willingly accepted the risk. I used extreme caution, ensuring no distractions were present, so as to not have to leave the kitchen, stand or move while in the process. It was a very zen moment. Just me and my new skates. I put them in for the minimum time, did one at a time, followed the instructions to a T, and could not be happier with the results.

My advice? Have someone else do it if you can. If you can not, and you can not skate through the break in time, then proceed with the understanding that if you screw up you could ruin your skates. If you can live with that (and I could) possibility, then go for it.

good luck

eman