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.

 

[puckpilot]

Here's something simple you can try. Try taking a few laps without the skate insole. The skate insoles usually have a bit of a lip around the arches and heel. This takes up space. If removing the insole helps, try replacing the insole with one without the lip. If you have an old pair of sneakers around, you can try those if they don't have a lip. Or you can try looking in the dollar store.

For the toe box area, here's something to keep in your back pocket for future skates. Try not using the bottom eyelet or two. With older generation skates, this use to easily open that area up, and over time, it would open up even more. With newer generation skates, a lot of them have a rivet around that area, so it makes it tougher for that area to open up. So YMMV.

I always have issues with that area, it's what I do. I add a little padding and don't use the bottom eyelet.

Another thing to keep in mind is the liner in modern skates are really fluffy. My current skates, the first time I put them on, I could barely get my foot in, and I though they were going to crush my foot. After about 15 minutes the foams compressed and things felt a lot better and after a year or so, it's actually a bit roomy.

Also, the scanner can most definitely be off. It always recommends a skate that's 1/2 size too big for me. Wearing skates that are a tad big, will offset where your arch sits and could be the reason for the pain. Your foot may not be sitting properly in the skate.

And in regards to your shoe vs your skate insole. You're wearing shoes that are around 2 sizes bigger than your feet. I do the same for comfort. So it's natural that the insole for the larger foot wear is going to be larger than the skate insole. But regardless, it's best not compare street shoes with skates. Completely different animals, so it just adds noise into the thought process.

 

[omgimdiene]

Here's something simple you can try. Try taking a few laps without the skate insole. The skate insoles usually have a bit of a lip around the arches and heel. This takes up space. If removing the insole helps, try replacing the insole with one without the lip. If you have an old pair of sneakers around, you can try those if they don't have a lip. Or you can try looking in the dollar store.

For the toe box area, here's something to keep in your back pocket for future skates. Try not using the bottom eyelet or two. With older generation skates, this use to easily open that area up, and over time, it would open up even more. With newer generation skates, a lot of them have a rivet around that area, so it makes it tougher for that area to open up. So YMMV.

I always have issues with that area, it's what I do. I add a little padding and don't use the bottom eyelet.

Another thing to keep in mind is the liner in modern skates are really fluffy. My current skates, the first time I put them on, I could barely get my foot in, and I though they were going to crush my foot. After about 15 minutes the foams compressed and things felt a lot better and after a year or so, it's actually a bit roomy.

Also, the scanner can most definitely be off. It always recommends a skate that's 1/2 size too big for me. Wearing skates that are a tad big, will offset where your arch sits and could be the reason for the pain. Your foot may not be sitting properly in the skate.

And in regards to your shoe vs your skate insole. You're wearing shoes that are around 2 sizes bigger than your feet. I do the same for comfort. So it's natural that the insole for the larger foot wear is going to be larger than the skate insole. But regardless, it's best not compare street shoes with skates. Completely different animals, so it just adds noise into the thought process.

Thanks! Went back to the store to discuss options. Ended up with having to go with True customs. I showed the sales rep the area around the arches and heels they were getting tremendous lateral pressure due to the narrowness of the boot. He said unfortunately CCM wide tacks are the widest in the market, so my only option at this point would be to go for full True customs. I really didn't care at that point, because I just want pain free skating. I took off my socks to get scanned for the customs and you could still see red marks along the side of my arches and heels over 24 hours after my last skate in the CCMs. They weren't from blistering, just from the huge amount of pressure they basically made my foot feel like it was being crushed. That's when the kid noticed the red area was right near the navicular bone. He pointed out I have a prominent navicular bon, which is contributing to the large amount of pain. He made a note to True to make sure to include extra space for my navicular bone in my customs. Hopefully this finally solved the issue. I have basically never had a good/proper fitting ice skate in my entire life. It's always been painful, but at this stage of life I can no longer tolerate it and am at a spot where I can now demand the best fit possible. I am not going to tolerate pain anymore.

 

[Yukon Joe]

So forgive me if this is too basic an opinion...

You're coming back to hockey after 25 years - just get some really shitty, really loose skates?

So when I "came back" to hockey (really I played like one year as a kid) after about as long, I got some really shitty cheap skates. They worked fine for me for several years. They felt great, although I had to tighten the heck out of them. A few years later though I got more professionally sized, realized they were both super-soft (because they were cheap) plus like three sizes too large.

So I don't want to discourage you at all from getting custom skates. They are almost certainly your "best" option. But if you're concerned about cost, and not sure how much you're going to play, just getting some over-sized crap might be the way to go?

 

[omgimdiene]

So forgive me if this is too basic an opinion...

You're coming back to hockey after 25 years - just get some really shitty, really loose skates?

So when I "came back" to hockey (really I played like one year as a kid) after about as long, I got some really shitty cheap skates. They worked fine for me for several years. They felt great, although I had to tighten the heck out of them. A few years later though I got more professionally sized, realized they were both super-soft (because they were cheap) plus like three sizes too large.

So I don't want to discourage you at all from getting custom skates. They are almost certainly your "best" option. But if you're concerned about cost, and not sure how much you're going to play, just getting some over-sized crap might be the way to go?

Yup, I definitely thought about this approach. We have Playitagain sports where we are. In the end, I just didn’t care about money. A few hundred dollars isn’t worth my time at my age in the event of a broken bone in my foot from a crappy old boot, nor all of the blisters and other stuff that might occur with having to use an old skate that’s too big. I’m at a place now in my professional adult life where I can afford to splurge on myself once in a blue moon. Skates it is!

 

[Boxscore]

I agree with the person who said to check Sideline Swap for some older jets. I am flat-footed so the narrow boots were always a no-go for me. I am still wearing my Bauer Total One NXGs which are about 10+ years old! They are wider than the new boots.

Definitely try to find an older cut... like the Nexus line. Also, I certainly recommend getting an insole upgrade. Some of my friends swear by Superfeet but I tried them and ended up with the Bauer Aetrex Fit A... and they have helped quite bit!

Get an older skate in good shape from Sideline. Take it to Pure Hockey and have them re-baked onto your feet. Get the insole upgrade and try the right sharpening hollow then give it a few skates.

 

[BruinDust]

I agree with the person who said to check Sideline Swap for some older jets. I am flat-footed so the narrow boots were always a no-go for me. I am still wearing my Bauer Total One NXGs which are about 10+ years old! They are wider than the new boots.

Definitely try to find an older cut... like the Nexus line. Also, I certainly recommend getting an insole upgrade. Some of my friends swear by Superfeet but I tried them and ended up with the Bauer Aetrex Fit A... and they have helped quite bit!

Get an older skate in good shape from Sideline. Take it to Pure Hockey and have them re-baked onto your feet. Get the insole upgrade and try the right sharpening hollow then give it a few skates.

I'm going to second the insole upgrade. Long-time Superfeet user here.

I recently picked up a pair of used Nexus 1Ns on Sideline Swap (prev. owner said he used them 20 times). Tossed in a new set of Superfeet carbons. Didn't even need to re-bake them (although I would recommend a re-bake that in most cases).

 

[TGWL]

A little late here... I wouldn't compare insoles from every day boots to hockey skates. The boots are probably comfortable and not snug to actually support your foot because you're simply use to walking with a more loose, comfort. You can look into changing the boot insoles. Some insoles will provide a higher arch in a more hi-lo skating stance. This may bring your heel in a position that feels more comfortable. You can also try insoles that aren't heel locking focus if the Trues don't feel that great.