skate fitting "tricks"

[dix0r 0]

to some extent it seems like a gamble - some skates you gain more room in than others, no? well, i lost with my first pair of skates (bauer supreme 6000's that i bought too big), my CCM vector 7.5's aren't bad but i'm not 100% happy with them either.

i get blisters on my big toe on one foot, my toe nails cut up my other toes even though they're trimmed well. i think they're probably half a size too small. the guy at the store told me to squeeze into these as i would gain room breaking em in, but i guess i didn't gain enough. i think my feet touch the toe cap all the time so i curl my toes a bit.

i tried on some V12's the other day and they felt like they fit a bit better - my toe touches the cap when i'm standing straight up, when i have my knees over my toes it barely touches it, and if i lean way forward its off the cap. they seem pretty comfortable, except the tongue kind of bugs me on the side of my left foot. not sure if it was that particular skate or if my feet are weird or what.

anyways, when i bought my vectors, the guy told me they were the right volume for my foot based on the way they were laced up. i'm not sure if they nike's lace up the same way. i think there was a trick i heard on here but i can't remember what it was...?

anyways, sorry for such a long post. i guess what i want to know is, are there any tricks for knowing the skates are the right size for you? like, should you feel pretty stable and comfortable with them unlaced? should your foot be a little shorter than the insole? the toe lightly touching the cap, but not when you lean forward...what else? please be as specific as possible cause i can't afford to not like these skates :]

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Here is my latest article for Face-Off - hope this helps.

JR Boucicaut

jboucicaut@modsquadhockey.com

Years ago, it was much simpler - CCM or Bauer. The skater would go into the store and try both of them on and went with what fit best. Nowadays, it’s a different story. There are many more brand options when it comes to skates, as well as buying them.

The most important thing (and what most don’t realize) is that sizing and fit varies between the different manufacturers. If they all fit the same, it’d be too easy. This is why I never advise someone to buy skates sight and fit unseen. There are too many factors that have to be considered when buying a pair of skates, and they all have to be done while they are on the person’s feet. In this article I’ll give a few tips on what to look for when choosing a skate.

Bauer, Graf and Easton skates fit about a size down from your shoe (not sneaker) size. CCM is about 1.5 sizes down, and Mission is true to shoe. Here’s the tricky part – some people wear shoes a little bigger because they want them to feel looser. You do not want to do that with skates. The best thing to do is to go into a store and use the sizing gauge to determine your true size. Measure both feet for length and width – most people have a discrepancy in length between both feet. Always go with the smaller one, because it is easier to stretch a skate bigger than it is to make it smaller.

Wear a thin sock. A thinner sock allows for a closer fit than a normal athletic sock. Keep in mind that a snug-fitting skate is the goal. Some go barefoot, and that’s fine, however, just think of us poor skate techs who have to stick our hands in those skates when we have to redo rivets!

The skater wants to be able to feather the toe cap with their toes when their heel is secure in the skate. The easiest way to tell how much room is in the skate is to put it on when the laces are undone and kick the front part of the skate in. The foot will be all the way in the front of the skate, and whatever space is in the heel is what will be in the front when the heel is locked. For adults, it should be pretty close – if you can slide a pen in there, that’s about enough. Keep in mind, a fully broken-in skate will expand to about ¼ a size.

For children with growing feet, go up ½ a size, or a finger’s width. No more. I deal with parents who are on a budget and want to get as much as they can for their money, but all it is doing is hampering the child’s ability to skate properly. Not only will they be subject to blisters because their foot will slide around in the boot, but the blade will be too long for their feet, pushing the working radius of the blade too far forward. Have them wear the thicker sock in order to fill in some of the space, then as their feet grow, cut back on the sock. I have parents who come in and want to buy new skates once their child complains about a tight fit. I usually give them a pair of thin socks and they are able to get more life out of their skates.

This is probably the one of the most important factors when it comes to fitting skates, and the least checked. The skate must be deep enough for the foot. The way to determine this is to take a pen or a ruler and have the skater kick the skate back while it is unlaced. Take a ruler or any straight object and put it across the foot around the third eyelet from the top. The ruler should touch both sides of the skate’s upper and not the top of the foot. If the skate is too shallow, the foot will bulge out of the top, and if it is too deep, the boot will crease and break down.

Now, if everything checks up, start lacing up the skate. The skate lacing pattern much be uniform and about 2 to 2 ½†apart in width. When fully laced, walk around the store and check to see if the heel is secure and doesn’t slide out of the pocket. Keep them on for at least 5 minutes.

If the skates fit perfectly, it is not really necessary to heat-fit them. Go ahead and skate in them a few times and if there are some “hotspots†then do it. If the skates are for a growing child and there is room in the skate, don’t heat-fit – the skate will expand and the space will be bigger.

These are the things I check for every time I fit someone in my shop. No complaints yet – I must be doing something right!

[dix0r 0]

JR, you rock. thanks very much for posting that. i do have a couple more questions though (sorry, heh).

when you say the heel should be locked in, are we talking no movement at all, or very minimal (feels like 2-3 millimeters). i've never tried on a pair of skates were my heel didn't move a little, even when they're way too small for me...

second, what do you look for to make sure the holder is mounted properly?

sorry to be a pain, and thanks again...

[Chadd 916]

You should be able to tell by looking if the holder is mounted properly or if the steel is bent. Find the middle of the toe and the middle of the heel and see if the centerline of the holder matches up.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Preferably locked in. Keep in mind your skate will expand when broken in.

Check to see if the blade is bent by eyeing it. As for the mount, go by the center of the tendon guard on top and notice where the heel of the holder lines up. Use a ruler or a booklet, something straight. There's a little notch in the holder where the plastic has been melted. If not, the blade will be bent.

[dix0r 0]

thanks again guys. i didn't realize how badly my vectors fit me, volume wise. my foot is bulging out and i can see the side of the tongues. before these, i had bauer supreme 6000's which were too big (length wise) and also had the opposite problem.

anyways, i spent a while at my LHS trying on like 10-12 pairs of skates, hah. i couldn't find a pair where my heel didn't move around at all. i tried on nike flexlites, synergys, pro tacks, a couple models of grafs, vapor XX, and more that i can't remember. the graf 703 seemed the best in terms of my heel- i'm not sure if the fit was actually better, or if my foot just stuck to the liner more (the liner in the pro tacks seemed smoother). pro tacks were probably second - i'm waiting for them to get a pair in C width so i can try those. both those skates seemed to be the right volume, or at least a lot better than what i have now.

so, any ideas on anything with a narrower heel than a graf 703?

[Chadd 916]

The protacks should have a more narrow heel as well. I believe the C width comes with a AA heel.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

That's about as narrow as you are going to get. How was the volume in those? It's a shallow boot...

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

The protacks should have a more narrow heel as well. I believe the C width comes with a AA heel.

Problem is if he goes with a Tack, it won't address his volume issue as it is a shallower boot than the Vector.

[Chadd 916]

The protacks should have a more narrow heel as well. I believe the C width comes with a AA heel.

Problem is if he goes with a Tack, it won't address his volume issue as it is a shallower boot than the Vector.

Just going by what he said about the fit. There just aren't many options when looking for a deep boot.

[jjtt99 0]

Holy cow. No wonder it took me years of trial and error to finally get a skate that fits. This is complicated!

The expertise shared on this forum regarding skate fitting is very much appreciated.

JJ

[sogaduch 0]

The protacks should have a more narrow heel as well. I believe the C width comes with a AA heel.

Problem is if he goes with a Tack, it won't address his volume issue as it is a shallower boot than the Vector.

Just going by what he said about the fit. There just aren't many options when looking for a deep boot.

graf 735 fits deeper while still providing the 703 tight heel. i would probably suggest a narrow width in the grafs for optimal heel lock

[dix0r 0]

sorry to keep prolonging this thread...once again, i do appreciate all the responses.

volume wise, my feet were too big for the size 7 1/2 pro tacks in C width. my heel still moved in them anyways :[

i honestly can't even think of anything left to try on. so far, my heel moves the least with graf 703's (normal width). mission S500's are now in second. and both aren't enough for me, volume wise. i guess tomorrow i'll try them both on again, and see if half a size bigger (or one width wider) addresses the volume issue without affecting the heel too much.

but, i have a few more questions for now:

if it comes down to either my heel being locked in or the skates being the correct volume, should i go for the heel?

i saw something on here about graf 704s having very narrow heels...are those custom order?

while the S500 felt like it fit well length wise, it wasn't very comfortable for my foot - obviously it wasn't broken in, but i'm wondering if anybody who owns a pair felt that way initially also or if its just not meant for my foot.

[ajd91187 0]

If anything, i'd go with skates that are a tad too small that the heel locks into. That way they will expand and fit your foot the best when they are heat molded. Keep in mind that your skates will feel much better after they are baked.

[dix0r 0]

hah, thought of another question. sorry again...just can't afford to get a pair of skates that don't end up working out for me.

so, maybe i'm being too picky about my heels. i really want the S500's to fit cause i keep hearing about how great they are, while we hear graf's quality control may be not so great. but of course, fit comes first.

in the S500's, my heel doesn't move when i flex forward. but, it moves when i point my toes. i realize i'm not going to be doing that in a game for any reason but i'm not sure if this is the right amount of "heel lock" or if i should go with the grafs (where my heel barely moves at all when i point my toes).

[Chadd 916]

hah, thought of another question. sorry again...just can't afford to get a pair of skates that don't end up working out for me.

so, maybe i'm being too picky about my heels. i really want the S500's to fit cause i keep hearing about how great they are, while we hear graf's quality control may be not so great. but of course, fit comes first.

in the S500's, my heel doesn't move when i flex forward. but, it moves when i point my toes. i realize i'm not going to be doing that in a game for any reason but i'm not sure if this is the right amount of "heel lock" or if i should go with the grafs (where my heel barely moves at all when i point my toes).

Do your heels move in them when you walk around in them?

[dix0r 0]

hah, thought of another question. sorry again...just can't afford to get a pair of skates that don't end up working out for me.

so, maybe i'm being too picky about my heels. i really want the S500's to fit cause i keep hearing about how great they are, while we hear graf's quality control may be not so great. but of course, fit comes first.

in the S500's, my heel doesn't move when i flex forward. but, it moves when i point my toes. i realize i'm not going to be doing that in a game for any reason but i'm not sure if this is the right amount of "heel lock" or if i should go with the grafs (where my heel barely moves at all when i point my toes).

Do your heels move in them when you walk around in them?

i don't think so. i'll have to try them on again to be sure...

is that what to look for though? as long as they don't move while i walk they should be good (as far as the heel goes anyways)?

[Chadd 916]

hah, thought of another question. sorry again...just can't afford to get a pair of skates that don't end up working out for me.

so, maybe i'm being too picky about my heels. i really want the S500's to fit cause i keep hearing about how great they are, while we hear graf's quality control may be not so great. but of course, fit comes first.

in the S500's, my heel doesn't move when i flex forward. but, it moves when i point my toes. i realize i'm not going to be doing that in a game for any reason but i'm not sure if this is the right amount of "heel lock" or if i should go with the grafs (where my heel barely moves at all when i point my toes).

Do your heels move in them when you walk around in them?

i don't think so. i'll have to try them on again to be sure...

is that what to look for though? as long as they don't move while i walk they should be good (as far as the heel goes anyways)?

That's what I look for. I also found my S500s broke in almost 1/4 size bigger once they were baked and broken in. If you toe doesn't touch you should try the next size down.