New skates, old runners - edges feel completely different

[6sty18 0]

Hi all,

I know similar posts have been made many times but hours of reading I couldn't quite find what I'm experiencing, and hoping for some insight.  I recently went to a new skate and my edges feel drastically different.  The way I would describe it is going less shallow in sharpness, i.e. going from 1/2" to 5/8" in hollow.  I can dig in my edges just fine but it feels like it takes a lot more effort into getting the edge to bite.  I know it's preference but I've always liked the feeling of having a lot of bite.

Background
Fairly good skater (defense).  Comfortable on all my edges.  My old skates were Hyperlite 1s, 7.5 fit 2, 272mm holder.  My new skates are Hyperlite 2s, 7.5 fit 3, 272mm holder.  The fit 2s were small and punched out a ton. EE/Fit 3 is my usual size.

I've had a lot of skates over the years but never experienced this with new skates.  I took my old runners (so same profile, 1/2" radius) onto my new skates to make the transition seamless as possible.  However.. my edges feel completely different.  With my old skates, even in a neutral position I could go on my edges fairly easily with minimal movement.  With these new skates, it feels like my foot is 'shaving ice' A LOT more. 

I'm tempted to try 7/16ths to see if it feels more similar to my old skates, but I don't want to change it up if it's not necessary.  I'm still stumped on why these skates feel so different.  Could a new stiff boot and holder really make this kind of difference? I've visually inspected the holder and skates and nothing seems misaligned.  I compared it to my old skates and they look fine.

Anyone else experience this before?

Cheers guys

[Sniper9 559]

Are you using different insoles? Insoles with more cushion and thickness can reduce edge feel/connection to the ice. 

Also the new powerfly holders could be attributing some difference in feeling too. 

How is the overall feel of the skates? Do they feel foreign? Is could be that you're focusing so much on how different the skates feel that it's affecting your edge feel too. 

 

[6sty18 0]

5 minutes ago, Sniper9 said:

Are you using different insoles? Insoles with more cushion and thickness can reduce edge feel/connection to the ice. 

Also the new powerfly holders could be attributing some difference in feeling too. 

How is the overall feel of the skates? Do they feel foreign? Is could be that you're focusing so much on how different the skates feel that it's affecting your edge feel too. 

 

Same insoles, tried a thicker one and same thing.  Same holder too - both skates are custom with the old TUUK holders, which is why I'm truly stumped lol.

Overall the skates feel great.  Snug when I laced them up but still really comfy.  The old skates were a tad too tight which caused some calluses in my big toe. 

I'm always very particular about how my edges feel and the moment I step on the ice I can feel the difference, even just gliding to the bench they don't bite like they did with the old Hyperlites..

But you might be right. Could just be going through the break in period and feeling it more than I'm used to..

[stick9 908]

My guess, the new boots have modified the angle of your foot/ankle. Maybe you pronate slightly in your old skates, not uncommon with old broken down skates. The new skates have you more neutral. 

Just a guess

 

[Sniper9 559]

Also did you happen to just sharpen them when you put them on the new skates? If so it could be just a bad sharpen?

[puckpilot 315]

Speculation. You're in a fit 3 vs fit 2. Yes, the new skates may feel comfortable, but at the end of the day, there's more room. Add that to the fact that there's a new very fluffy liner, the skate probably isn't as responsive. Also because of the fluffy liner, you foot might not be sitting exactly on the same spot in the skate relative to the runners. A couple of millimetres off can be like adding a pitch to the skate, and now, the balance point of the runner isn't where you expect it to be when you try to bite. That's my best guess. 

[Beflar 55]

I know that True said their SVH custom skate can make skates feel sharper bc of the fit and stiffness.  So they suggest you may have to drop the sharpen etc.  In your case the opposite is probably true.

[flip12 735]

On 3/17/2025 at 4:40 PM, 6sty18 said:

Hi all,

I know similar posts have been made many times but hours of reading I couldn't quite find what I'm experiencing, and hoping for some insight.  I recently went to a new skate and my edges feel drastically different.  The way I would describe it is going less shallow in sharpness, i.e. going from 1/2" to 5/8" in hollow.  I can dig in my edges just fine but it feels like it takes a lot more effort into getting the edge to bite.  I know it's preference but I've always liked the feeling of having a lot of bite.

Background
Fairly good skater (defense).  Comfortable on all my edges.  My old skates were Hyperlite 1s, 7.5 fit 2, 272mm holder.  My new skates are Hyperlite 2s, 7.5 fit 3, 272mm holder.  The fit 2s were small and punched out a ton. EE/Fit 3 is my usual size.

I've had a lot of skates over the years but never experienced this with new skates.  I took my old runners (so same profile, 1/2" radius) onto my new skates to make the transition seamless as possible.  However.. my edges feel completely different.  With my old skates, even in a neutral position I could go on my edges fairly easily with minimal movement.  With these new skates, it feels like my foot is 'shaving ice' A LOT more. 

I'm tempted to try 7/16ths to see if it feels more similar to my old skates, but I don't want to change it up if it's not necessary.  I'm still stumped on why these skates feel so different.  Could a new stiff boot and holder really make this kind of difference? I've visually inspected the holder and skates and nothing seems misaligned.  I compared it to my old skates and they look fine.

Anyone else experience this before?

Cheers guys

If you still have the old skates, try them with a series A/B tests (in no particular order)...

• new boot on one foot, old boot on the other
• swap which foot has the new boot and which has the old
• old boots on both feet
• new boots on both feet

Make sure it's the same steel you're always skating on, to focus on the differences between everything else. Just try and focus on your feet and your edges and what might be causing a disconnect there.

Edited March 21 by flip12