Equipment: SKATES - Buying Guide and Advice IV

[puckpilot]

The problem is that the skates felt fine when test fitting them. There's also no way to predict how they're going to feel on the ice until you get out there, but I've never felt as weird on the ice as I do with these skates.

One thing you can try is to try on everything, even if on the surface you don't think it's going to work. Getting feed back in the moment of what definitely doesn't work may help you identify small things that seem innocuous but will become issues once you start skating.

If your current skate is a definite no, put them on at home and think about the issues you're having on the ice, then see if you can pick out anything that may have given you small clues indicating that those things would be a issue while wearing them off ice. If you can pick out the small clues, then, you can use that to find the right skate for you.

For me, I have to leave the skates on for at least 15 minutes to get a true feel for the skate. I know any small rub or pressure point it's going to be 100 times worse on the ice. Any sort of tightness will be magnified too.

 

[gswift]

The problem is that the skates felt fine when test fitting them. There's also no way to predict how they're going to feel on the ice until you get out there, but I've never felt as weird on the ice as I do with these skates.

If I were blindfolded & tried on skates I can usually tell if they would work for my foot or not. I usually spend a min of 15mins in the skates post bake & can pick out possible issues. Not sure if you did this but I bring along the socks I'll be wearing while skating & my footbeds when shopping for new wheels. Are they covered under the 90day guarantee?

 

[Soedy]

I always played Bauer Vapor skates but my X600 (2015) are getting old now and start to hurt so I am looking for new skates. I use the Vapors in EE and found a decent deal for some CCM Jetspeed FT490. From what I've read, the Jetspeed are similar to the Vapor but are a little bit wider. Should I try getting the 490 in D or look at a Vapor equivalent (the 3X Pro is ~ 100 bucks more while the 3X is ~100 bucks less)

 

[beedee]

I always played Bauer Vapor skates but my X600 (2015) are getting old now and start to hurt so I am looking for new skates. I use the Vapors in EE and found a decent deal for some CCM Jetspeed FT490. From what I've read, the Jetspeed are similar to the Vapor but are a little bit wider. Should I try getting the 490 in D or look at a Vapor equivalent (the 3X Pro is ~ 100 bucks more while the 3X is ~100 bucks less)

I went from my old Vapor x500's in size 7EE to a new pair of Vapor 3x size 7, Fit 2 last February. They feel great. I tried a CCM JetSpeed FT485 and it felt a bit more snug overall, especially in the toe box. With the CCM I tried a 7.5 "R", the "W" was too wide and a 7 was way too tight.

 

[Neil92]

This may be a weird question- but when you get your skates profiled, are you able to get them sharpened? and when you get them sharpened, do you just ask for the same profile to be made again?

 

[Sky04]

This may be a weird question- but when you get your skates profiled, are you able to get them sharpened? and when you get them sharpened, do you just ask for the same profile to be made again?

2 different things, profiling is changing the radius of the entire blade, sharpening just changes the hollow.

You can get it profiled and sharpened yes, it's 2 different things and you'll be charged separately for them, once it's profiled you don't need to ask them to do it again when your sharpen your blade because it won't affect the radius.

 

[4thline]

Situation- current pair of skates was purchased for my junior days... starting in 2010. 2 years of Junior and a decade of college intramural and beer league later they're about done. Had some rivets replaced once, and the boots are in better shape than you'd think but aren't worth new steel and the steel has maaaaybe one last sharpen left in them.

I haven't been paying attention to gear - at all- since 2012. Broad strokes- what price point am I going to have to be in to get something that can handle blocking a decent shot better than a pair of running shoes, and has a decent chance to be my last pair of skates? Still beerleaguing once per week

 

[jetsmooseice]

My local sports shops regularly have True Temper skates on pretty steep markdowns. I was considering getting a pair for my kid.

They look great and have some somewhat high-end features, but I do wonder why True is seemingly the only brand of skates to get marked down so heavily ($299 to $99 CAD in this case)? Does anyone have any experience with them? Is there anything to worry about? This is the TF7s that I am looking at.

 

[BruinDust]

My local sports shops regularly have True Temper skates on pretty steep markdowns. I was considering getting a pair for my kid.

They look great and have some somewhat high-end features, but I do wonder why True is seemingly the only brand of skates to get marked down so heavily ($299 to $99 CAD in this case)? Does anyone have any experience with them? Is there anything to worry about? This is the TF7s that I am looking at.

I have a couple buddies who wear True TF7s and love them. At $99 CAD they are an absolute steal. Now I tried on Trues before and they weren't for me, but I've yet to meet someone who switched to True skates and have since gone back to CCM/Bauer.

 

[bleedblue94]

I have a couple buddies who wear True TF7s and love them. At $99 CAD they are an absolute steal. Now I tried on Trues before and they weren't for me, but I've yet to meet someone who switched to True skates and have since gone back to CCM/Bauer.

Do you mind expanding on why they were for you? What was it about them you didn't like?

 

[BruinDust]

Do you mind expanding on why they were for you? What was it about them you didn't like?

For me I didn't like how they wrapped my foot up around the ankle area. I think part of the problem was the tongue. I like to tie my skates fairly tight at the top and don't drop an eyelet but I found that when trying these on they felt very restrictive in the ankle area.

One of my buddies who is still wearing his TF7s eventually dropped an eyelet and he found it way better.

 

[jetsmooseice]

I have a couple buddies who wear True TF7s and love them. At $99 CAD they are an absolute steal. Now I tried on Trues before and they weren't for me, but I've yet to meet someone who switched to True skates and have since gone back to CCM/Bauer.

I ended up buying them. For that price they definitely seemed like a steal, they are basically mid-to-upper level skates priced the same as basic entry level models (think CCM NEXT).

I definitely get the tight ankle thing, they look like they feel a bit more restrictive than my son's current CCM FT2s but it's not necessarily a bad thing, just different. I could definitely see him leaving the top eyelet undone. I just need to bake them before he puts them into action.

Also, this is obviously not critically important but they look great. Definitely more flash than the typical somewhat subdued looking CCM/Bauer models.

 

[OverTheLine]

I just started learning to skate, and I bought my first pair of skates (Bauer Vapor X3). Took them out to the ice and holy heck my feet felt like death by the end of the session.

I got fitted by the scan machine and a (seemingly, not that I could really tell) knowledgeable store clerk, and they felt fine in store (although again, not really experienced enough to know what to be feeling for).

I can’t tell if the fits bad or if it’s a combination of other issues like lacing too tightly, needing to break them in, my body not being used to skating, etc. How long would it be wise to try to give them a fair shake before I think about trading them in for a different size/model?

 

[BruinDust]

I just started learning to skate, and I bought my first pair of skates (Bauer Vapor X3). Took them out to the ice and holy heck my feet felt like death by the end of the session.

I got fitted by the scan machine and a (seemingly, not that I could really tell) knowledgeable store clerk, and they felt fine in store (although again, not really experienced enough to know what to be feeling for).

I can’t tell if the fits bad or if it’s a combination of other issues like lacing too tightly, needing to break them in, my body not being used to skating, etc. How long would it be wise to try to give them a fair shake before I think about trading them in for a different size/model?

Assuming you baked them once when you bought them, don't be a afraid of a 2nd bake (or even a 3rd if need be). I'd wait until you have several more ice sessions under your belt before the 2nd bake.

And part of it is just your foot muscles adjusting to skating. The Vapor X3s are a solid skate you'll be surprised how much they will break in through more use and baking. Wearing them around the house doesn't hurt to speed up the break-in process and get your foot muscles adjusted faster.

 

[OverTheLine]

Assuming you baked them once when you bought them, don't be a afraid of a 2nd bake (or even a 3rd if need be). I'd wait until you have several more ice sessions under your belt before the 2nd bake.

And part of it is just your foot muscles adjusting to skating. The Vapor X3s are a solid skate you'll be surprised how much they will break in through more use and baking. Wearing them around the house doesn't hurt to speed up the break-in process and get your foot muscles adjusted faster.

Thanks for the advice. I figured it’ll take some time adjusting to them and breaking them in.

I asked about baking but the guy at the store said that the X3’s were “unbakeable” because of their materials or something, and tried to sell me on the X4’s instead because of the better material and bake-ability, but I couldn’t justify the price jump on a hobby I just started out in. I really don’t know anything about any of this at this point, so I didn’t try to argue with him about the baking.

 

[BruinDust]

Thanks for the advice. I figured it’ll take some time adjusting to them and breaking them in.

I asked about baking but the guy at the store said that the X3’s were “unbakeable” because of their materials or something, and tried to sell me on the X4’s instead because of the better material and bake-ability, but I couldn’t justify the price jump on a hobby I just started out in. I really don’t know anything about any of this at this point, so I didn’t try to argue with him about the baking.

In a sense the X4s are "more bakeable" in that they have an anaform upper portion that molds better to the skaters ankle area when compared to the X3s which are just listed as "thermoformable" on the 2023 Bauer Product Catelogue. The X3 is a composite material and should be bakeable/thermoformable.



The bake itself will soften up the entire boot and make break in quicker and easier. That's why folks need to be careful doing a 2nd and if necessary a 3rd bake as each bake will break down the boot further and further, softening it up more and more.

 

[David71]

damnit yesterday went to play hockey while tying my skates the plastic tips of the laces broke off and i couldnt skate as well as i should have. went to go buy unwaxed laces. shit.

 

[TGWL]

damnit yesterday went to play hockey while tying my skates the plastic tips of the laces broke off and i couldnt skate as well as i should have. went to go buy unwaxed laces. shit.

How did the tips prevent you from skating?

 

[David71]

How did the tips prevent you from skating?

no the laces were too long. i couldnt thread it through.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Mostly play roller, what's the best pair of skates do you guys think I could find for $750? Are we really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days?

I learned how to skate and still wear VINTAGE CCM SUPER TACKS that I'm at this point in my life, would not be surprised to find my dad lifted/bought from the local rink when he was attempting to teach me how to skate in the mid 90s. Got them sharpened last month, turns out I don't suck as bad at skating as I thought I did.

I still suck, though. Looking to make an upgrade