At my wit's end trying to find skates that fit

[omgimdiene]

Trying to get back into the game after 25 years away. I am having a diabolical time trying to find skates that aren't torturing my feet.

* Went to pure hockey near me and did the foot scan. The scanner must have been off, because every single Bauer and CCM skate they tried was too narrow at the toe box area.

* The manger recommended CCM xf tack pros with a wide cut because CCM has the widest skates on the market according to him.

* Ordered the tacks XF pros and the skate seemed to fit, albeit snug. The pain and tightness where the toe box was was alleviated, however I noticed that the area around the ankle and arches was very tight. The girl who helped me said it was common and that baking would help form it around my foot. We bake, and I try on the skate. It is still quite tight in the heel area, but I thought it was ok and was convinced that I might be able to break them in.

* Tonight was the first skate with them and it was a disaster. I couldn't wear the skates for more than 7 minutes before having to leave the ice with too much pain. The pain was coming from the arch area, and no, it wasn't a type of pain where it felt like due to lack of arch support, it felt more like a crushing from the side foot pain like of you put the back half of your heels in a vice grip. I suspect that I have wide heels as well and they the boot might have alleviated the toe box issue, but it has too narrow of a heel and arch area for my foot. I ended up taking out the sole insert for the skates and compared to my sneakers inserts, and my shoes have absolutely wider heel area by quite a noticable amount. The tremendous amount of pain also wasn't due to a lacing issue because I kept playing around with it all night during the skate. At one point it was so loose it was like I didn't even tie the skate and yet my heels still felt like they were being crushed from the sides.

I am just so frustrated at this point. I dealt with very poor fitting skates back in high school and it was like being tortured. The way these new skates have fit will mean there is no way to play the sport for me with any stock skates. Is custom the only option here? I must have some weird shaped foot that is both wide in the front where the toes are as well as near the back where the heel and arch areas are. If I ordered custom skates and they fit poorly, is there any recourse? What should I demand in terms of measurements if I shell out coin for custom?

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[BruinDust]

You might want to consider the now-discontinued Bauer Nexus line of skates. They were the widest option available back in their day. There are options on Sideline Swap if your willing to take some risk. Just be careful of the pro stock stuff as some Nexus are actually Vapor cuts dressed to look like Nexus.

 

[I am Bettman]

Top of the line skates are much stiffer, so I wonder if you should try some lower end models to see if that helps.

 

[omgimdiene]

Top of the line skates are much stiffer, so I wonder if you should try some lower end models to see if that helps.

For what it is worth, this is the huge difference between the insoles for my regular boots vs my skates that is causing so much pain:

My boots fit perfectly, and I wear them all the time with zero pain. The wide CCMs are extremely narrow in the mid foot to heel area. Is custom the only option here? The lower models will have this much extra room (laterally) in the heel area? It's strange to me they cut skates so much more narrow than regular shoes. I understand you need a snug fit for performance, but this is pure torture.

 

[antman12]

For what it is worth, this is the huge difference between the insoles for my regular boots vs my skates that is causing so much pain:

View attachment 917767

My boots fit perfectly, and I wear them all the time with zero pain. The wide CCMs are extremely narrow in the mid foot to heel area. Is custom the only option here? The lower models will have this much extra room (laterally) in the heel area? It's strange to me they cut skates so much more narrow than regular shoes. I understand you need a snug fit for performance, but this is pure torture.

Are your toes touching the front of the toe caps now in your skates? Thats a pretty extreme size difference between your work boots and skates. I understand sizing down a bit to have a snug fitting skate but that seems excessive.

You might have to upsize to gain the additional width. Certainly not ideal but might be a better option then spending hundreds of extra dollars for a custom pair.

 

[omgimdiene]

Are your toes touching the front of the toe caps now in your skates? Thats a pretty extreme size difference between your work boots and skates. I understand sizing down a bit to have a snug fitting skate but that seems excessive.

You might have to upsize to gain the additional width. Certainly not ideal but might be a better option then spending hundreds of extra dollars for a custom pair.

Yes, my toes are right at the cap in my skates. The tips of my toes don't touch the end of my boots in the front. My boots are a tad long, but I've always worn the size I do now simply because the width in the toe box and heel is comfortable. In reality, I probably need about a 0.25-0.5 bigger size for my skates to have a perfect length. The major problem now though is the width around the ankle and heels. It is just so much narrower than my boots.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

It's another potential expense, but you try a custom insole like Superfeet or anything? It might help stabilize and position your foot better, esp if you're flatfooted, it can help raise the heel a little bit.

idk just spitballing

And did you try on Bauer Supreme in Fit3? That's usually the direction widefooted people go.

 

[omgimdiene]

Thanks everyone. I am going to go back to the store and discuss options with them based on the advice here.