Mission Pure S500 Carbon

[JR Boucicaut 3795]

Product: Mission Pure S500 Carbon 12 EE

Reviewer specs: 6', 230, flat arch, wide forefoot, regular heel

Intro

Coming from the Pure Fly, Mission took the skate and improved on it. The skate is stiffer, with an improved liner, tongue and traditional tendon guard. They spruced up the cosmetics as well.

Fit

The SuppleFit means that it is stiffer in the foot, while making the ankles a little softer. What this does is put all the support in the foot, where it is needed, meanwhile giving the ankles more freedom, especially during cornering. Coming from Bauer and Graf skates, I was skeptical at first, but it works. My feet do not feel like they're in a cast. The toebox is wide in the EEs, a problem I had with Graf as they put regular width toecaps on their skates. However, the heel is a tad bit wide for me. The new WickDry Pro liner is absolutely lovely, as is the new tongue material. There's nothing on the market which is comparable. 9.5/10

Blade/Holder

The PITCH system is their new holder. It allows the skater to adjust their pitch from a fwd/neutral/def radius. It is very easy to adjust. The holder is very similar to Tuuk, however, with a 11" radius. Steel is hard, different steel from the old Formula/FPro steel of years past. The PITCH bolts had problems at first but Rob McLean (the PITCH designer) and I figured it out and fixed it. 10/10

Protection

I haven't taken a shot in the S500 b/c I never play defense. :P However, I took one in the Pure Fly and it hurt. 5/10

Weight

Not as light as Vapor XX/Vector Pro but not a complete brick either. Lighter than most skates. Wait until next year if you're into the really light skates...9/10

Durability

I've had them for almost 4 months, and nothing major. My Pure Fly got soft after a year, however, I had done at least 6 holder removals to change out steel. The S500 boasts a NHL-spec stiffener package (lasting a NHL season), and I know I don't skate like those guys. 9/10

Conclusion

Selling this type is very hard, because you have to convince the customer that skates do not have to be stiff as a rock for them to perform well. It's hard to coax the customer into even trying them on...but once I do, they're hooked. Mission even backs this with a 60-day fit guarantee. I have skated in every brand out there, and I have not had a better performing skate than the SuppleFit series. I am able to get down on my turns more due to the ankle freedom that I never had in other skates. 9.8/10

Shout-outs

Big ups to Justin Hoffman, Rob McLean and all of the hard-working guys and gals over at Mission Hockey for the opportunity to test this skate. I just hope that my feedback was adequate.

[djinferno 2]

Product: Mission Pure S500 Carbon 8E

Reviewer specs: 5'11, 215, flat arch, wide forefoot, regular heel

Intro

As most of you know, I had allot of problems with Graf skates, for those who don't know, hers the post Graf Problem Following this, Justin Hoffman from Mission kindly offered me a brand new pair of S500's to replace my faulty pair of 703's (Nicest thing something has ever done for me). Before receiving the Missions, I started feeling back pain and shooting pain down my leg, this was caused by a herniated disk as what I think is a result of skating on the crooked and modified "Ghetto Style" warranty work by Graf Canada. So after six months of healing and doctor’s treatment and a winter with basically no hockey to watch, I'm back on the Ice for some light skating, no contact or real game action yet...

Boot

Fist thing I have to say about the construction of this boot is top notch, coming from Graf product for five years, you get use to skates looking crooked and things no being exactly strait of the holders being flush, this skate is so well built, you almost feel like putting em up as a decorative piece in you’re home 11/10

Fit

First off, I usually wear no sox in skates but after heat molding these bad boys, I noticed that they got like a half size bigger so now without sox they feel a little too long. The E with is great, no unreasonable pain, for those who want to jump from Graf to Mission, I was in a R. If you buy these, you might want to get the snuggest you can go with before heat molding. They are not restrictive at all in terms of movement but I will need to replace the tongue like Joe Thornton does cause I hate the new style ones like the Vectors and Easton’s (I like it old school) 9/10

Blade/Holder

The PITCH system is great, Mission always wants the user to have the option and at the price skates sell, I think that it should be the standard, I have Vibe 2 holder on my rollers and I also appreciate that aspect, I had problems with adjusting them at first but once I figured in out, I was good (I read the manual ) not what I'm use to but great and very innovative. 10/10

Protection

No games played so no shots taken but they feel strong, they have to be more protective then my old skates. N/A

Weight

Lighter than my old skates and these don't seem to retain water so... 9/10

Durability

I only skated 3 times on em, about 6 hours and they feel broken in, they look like they will keep there stiffness since after a 2 hour session, they don't get soft or retain water witch was a big problem with you know who.... N/A

Conclusion

I've been skating in the same thing for the past six years and I'm one of the old school guys that refuse to change my old stuff, that being said, I'm having a hard time adjusting to a new pair partly due to the fact that I'm coming back from injury and my skating and hockey skill as a hole is really not up to my usual standards, so my review of these skates can be subjective... What I do know is that Mission is a first class product and fist class in customer support. Justin Hoffman took it upon himself to fix a problem that was not his and for that I am for ever in dept (He did what Graf should have done instead of drilling my skate). I was already using there Roller Hockey skates and before I got hurt, I purchased a pair of M1 Gloves and M2 pants and I will continue to turn to a company who supports the customer like Mission does and that constantly tries to give the player alternatives and in turn the edge on the competition...

[Chadd 916]

roduct: Mission Pure S500 Carbon 11 EE

Reviewer specs: 6'-1", 230

Intro

These skates arrived on a Wednesday morning. I played open hockey at lunchtime that day, my beer league game the next night and a 24 hour charity game on Friday into Saturday. I never had a hot spot, pressure point or any pain, let alone a blister.

Fit

When you put on an S series skate there is a little "ffft"noise as you slide past the padding and your heel slips into the pocket. Unlike most other skates on the market, the heel pocket is created by building the skate to the form of an ankle/foot joint and not by using a ton of padding to make it comfortable. I found that my S500s broke in almost one-quarter of a size, so I probably could have gone down to a 10.5EE. I thank Justin for answering my many questions about fit back on CB. His guidance got me a lot closer than I would have been on my own. 9.5/10

Blade/Holder

Wow.

I was a Custom+ guy and I figured I would try this gimmicky new toy for a little while and then throw my Custom+'s on after a couple of games. In fact, the ability to match up a Custom+ to the Pitch rivet holes was a selling feature to me. I never got around to taking my Pitchs off the skates. I tried all three settings and found the neutral to be perfect for me. They use the best steel on the market right now and are very solid. My skates are now over a year and a half old and I still have no problems with the holder or the steel. 10/10

Protection

If you're going to block a shot, make sure it hits your toe cap. Otherwise you will get a bruise. That said, I never got more than a small bruise while blocking shots with these skates. They're no worse than the 852s that I used for years before switching to the S500. 7/10

Weight

Light enough for me. They about the same weight as a Graf 703 and they were the lightest skate on the market prior to the recent rash of super-light skates. I never notice the weight at the beginning, middle or end of a game. 9/10

Durability

I've been using them for 18 months and only one small issue. There was a slight bit of tearing at the base of the tendon guard. I went to a shoe repair shop and had them stitch some black leather over the problem area and the problem was resolved for $20. I think the size of my legs and my propensity to sit back on my heels when playing defense caused the problem to be worse than in most other cases. 9/10

Conclusion

It's not a skate for someone learing how to skate who has no ankle strength. It is a fantastic skate that allows you to get the most out of your stride. Factor in the forward-thinking supplefit concepts, the best holder and steel on the market (Pitch) and quality construction and you have one hell of a skate. No tonly do I skate in them, I have my partner at the shop in them and we have at least 8-10 guys that we play hockey with in them as well and they all love them. I've only had one customer that didn't like them and if they said "vapor" on them they would have been fine. 9/10

[UMWhockey 0]

Product: Mission Pure S500 Carbon 7.5 D

Reviewer specs: 5’7’’, 200lbs

Intro

I use these as my coaching skates, so I am on them anywhere from 2-4 hours a week. It might not seem like they would get put to the test, but I am a very active coach who demonstrates everything and half and full speed, and I am not really as light on my skates as I used to be about 30 lbs ago.

Fit

Well I finally gave up the dream that I might grow another couple inches and got a skate where my toes were right at the end. Coming from a very stiff skate I figured these would fit much better out of the box than my last pair. After baking them I had very little if any break in period. Even with this being a lower cut book, I still left the top eyelet undone and felt as though I was able to secure my heel and foot in the boot with no sliding. I always knew I needed a lower cut boot, but never had one so I knew there would be an adjustment period. The boot gave me a lot of flexibility in my ankle while still providing support when I need to make hard turns or stops. This is by far the best fitting boot I have skated in.

10/10

Blade/Holder

I have used E-pro and TUUK lightspeeds in my previous skates and I really liked the lightspeeds. I was not impressed with the holder even though I really like the pitch idea. I wish I had a reason for not liking it, but they just didn’t feel as responsive in quick stops and starts or hard turns as compared to the lightspeeds. That being said, I absolutely love the steel! It takes me a little longer to put an edge on it as compared to the TUUK, but it holds it’s edge so much better. It is by far the best steel on the market.

holder- 7/10

Steel – 10/10

Protection

Well I don’t use these in games, so I haven’t taken too many shots to the foot. I have stopped a couple passes which bounced and hit my foot and lets just say I would not want to block a slap shot in these things.

5/10

Weight

I don’t need a super light skate and these didn’t feel heavy. They are not going to be for the person concerned with the weight of their skate, but the one plus is that I didn’t feel as though it retained water after skating multiple times a day during a week.

8/10

Durability

I have had them for a little over a year and have a slight tear at the base of the tendon guard. I thought about fixing it, but it really hasn’t worsened since I noticed it. Other than that, they still provide the support when I need it, but the flexibility in the ankle area.

8/10

Conclusion

This is a skate for someone who skates side to side more than forward and back. The lower cut, softer boot allows for quick lateral movements and changes in direction. Like Chadd said, this is not a skate for someone learning how to skate. This is for someone who knows how to properly use their edges by keeping their body weight over their skates, not letting the boots stiffness hold them up. This skate is not for everyone, but can be very beneficial for the advanced skater looking for a little more agility.

9/10