Equipment: SKATES - Buying Guide and Advice III

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mofosho1992

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Mar 23, 2018
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I love FBV and I will personally never switch back to ROH. The glide is absolutely more noticeable for me and I feel less tired from having to deal with the greater bite from ROH.

Most people in ROH use 1/2" and its equivalent in FBV is 100/50. I use 90/75, which is equivalent to 5/8". Shallower and less bite with more glide than 100/50.

What FBV hollow would you recommend? I'm a forward so I usually prefer something with a little more bite for accelerating up ice.

Also, I've read a few posts about FBV that have said when you lose an edge, you lose it all at once. Have you experienced any problems like that?
 

Meuracas

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Nov 2, 2013
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What FBV hollow would you recommend? I'm a forward so I usually prefer something with a little more bite for accelerating up ice.

Also, I've read a few posts about FBV that have said when you lose an edge, you lose it all at once. Have you experienced any problems like that?

Tried FBV for the first time approximately 2-3 years ago and been doing it since and same here, very noticeable difference especially in glide and to some extent in bite as well. I tried 90-50, 90-75 and 100-50 and settled for 90-50 as it seems to fit my weight (200 lbs) and style (I play forward), but I'm sure AIREAYE knows better so looking forward to his reply as well. =)
 

AIREAYE

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Jun 7, 2009
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What FBV hollow would you recommend? I'm a forward so I usually prefer something with a little more bite for accelerating up ice.

Also, I've read a few posts about FBV that have said when you lose an edge, you lose it all at once. Have you experienced any problems like that?
Well, that would depend on what hollow you normally like. If you're unsure, chances are the 'normal' cut is 1/2", which would equate to 100/50 in FBV. Try that first. If you find that to have too much bite, go to 90/75. If 100/50 doesn't have enough bite, go to 100/75. Please give FBV a chance first for you to adjust before you make this call to switch cuts. I remember when I first stepped on the ice with an FBV cut, I felt like I had no bite!

I have heard nothing of the sort and have not experienced anything of the sort regarding losing edges faster or all at once. Rest assured. If your sharpener is good, there should be no issue.
 

mofosho1992

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Mar 23, 2018
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Thanks for the information everyone! I'll definitely try it next time I get my skates sharpened. I'm not a great skater, so anything that can add an improvement to my skates, however small, is well worth it!
 

jorbjorb

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Dec 28, 2010
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Wow these 180 skates will not drop in price. Can I assume they will eventually once the 2s is released?
 

AIREAYE

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Jun 7, 2009
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Wow these 180 skates will not drop in price. Can I assume they will eventually once the 2s is released?
That's typically how it works...

It's also Spring, so nothing in the way of regular hockey sales are happening. You'll see more come August/September.
 
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puckpilot

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Oct 23, 2016
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I'm thinking of getting my skates profiled. Right now my skates are stock, Bauer Nexus, size 4.5, so I'm assuming they're a 9' radius. The reason I'm thinking of this change is I've been spending a lot of time working on my crossovers, specifically my underpush, and it seems like I'm not making a lot of progress.

The issue is my underpush doesn't feel like it's steady enough and/or it's not gripping enough. It slips out from under me when I try to really extend and push out. I've tried pushing more with the heel and more with the toe, but not matter the adjustment, it's always the same. It slips before I can generate any real power.

Now I'm perfectly willing to admit that this could be very much user error and I just need to keep working at it, but like I said, I've been working at this for a while.

I've done dryland to increase my flexibility, strength, and to practice the movements, add that to watching and studying video over-and-over to understand what the proper technique is and then the hours and hours of on-ice work. I can do one foot slaloms and side step-overs with speed. I can, and do, skate without the top three eyelets done up, during games and practice. So I figured I'd have at least something more to show for it.

With that long story out of the way. I'm wondering what would be a good radius to start my experimenting with? My search online led me to a rule of thumb formula, which said divide your weight in kg by 2Pi (6.28) and round to get your proper radius. I'm 180lbs (81.65kg) so it recommends a 13 foot radius, which kind of looks extreme.

I'm also wondering because I'm in such a small skate and I'm much heavier than what's probably expected for that size, could there be some quirk to this that's making things more difficult for me, like there's a smaller flat area than in a senior skate?

Any way, thanks in advance.
 
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AIREAYE

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Jun 7, 2009
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I'm thinking of getting my skates profiled. Right now my skates are stock, Bauer Nexus, size 4.5, so I'm assuming they're a 9' radius. The reason I'm thinking of this change is I've been spending a lot of time working on my crossovers, specifically my underpush, and it seems like I'm not making a lot of progress.
Hmm, is there an element of skate stiffness involved, you think? As in, is the boot softening up on you so it's harder to transfer energy to your edges?

On the radius thing, keep in mind that skate blades 'banana' over time and multiple sharpenings, so a stock 9' new may be smaller after some time. If you were considering 'lengthening' the radius, I'd probably check to see if it is still a true 9' first, and definitely wouldn't jump straight to 13'.
 

puckpilot

Registered User
Oct 23, 2016
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Hmm, is there an element of skate stiffness involved, you think? As in, is the boot softening up on you so it's harder to transfer energy to your edges?

I just checked and the boots are still stiff. I've only had them for just under a year and a half.

On the radius thing, keep in mind that skate blades 'banana' over time and multiple sharpenings, so a stock 9' new may be smaller after some time. If you were considering 'lengthening' the radius, I'd probably check to see if it is still a true 9' first, and definitely wouldn't jump straight to 13'.

My inkling is that this isn't the problem. I've had these same issues since the skates were new, and this was an issue even with my old skates. I always assumed it was a flaw in my mechanics, but since I been working really hard for months to fix things and haven't seen any significant improvement, I'm exploring the possibility it might be equipment related.

My thinking right now is I've always been one to adapt to equipment, but maybe it's time I tried to adapt the equipment to me at least a little to see if it helps. I've been reading about all the different options, single radius, duo radius, quad radius, and I'm not exactly sure where to begin.
 

AIREAYE

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Jun 7, 2009
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I just checked and the boots are still stiff. I've only had them for just under a year and a half.



My inkling is that this isn't the problem. I've had these same issues since the skates were new, and this was an issue even with my old skates. I always assumed it was a flaw in my mechanics, but since I been working really hard for months to fix things and haven't seen any significant improvement, I'm exploring the possibility it might be equipment related.

My thinking right now is I've always been one to adapt to equipment, but maybe it's time I tried to adapt the equipment to me at least a little to see if it helps. I've been reading about all the different options, single radius, duo radius, quad radius, and I'm not exactly sure where to begin.
Not familiar with single/duo/quad radii, but another follow up question. Could pitch be a factor (i.e. forward leaning, neutral etc.)?
 

puckpilot

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Oct 23, 2016
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Not familiar with single/duo/quad radii, but another follow up question. Could pitch be a factor (i.e. forward leaning, neutral etc.)?

Hmmm... Maybe. My steel has always been stock settings, but my last pair of skates were Reeboks, which to my understanding, there boots have a more forward lean than my current Bauers. So I'm not really sure.
 

AIREAYE

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Jun 7, 2009
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Hmmm... Maybe. My steel has always been stock settings, but my last pair of skates were Reeboks, which to my understanding, there boots have a more forward lean than my current Bauers. So I'm not really sure.
When you take it to a pro shop, have them check for you. If you really want to experiment, I would suggest a vanilla 10' neutral to start off with and see how that is.
 
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ForsbergMoDo21

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Feb 19, 2008
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Rochester NY
Has anyone gotten custom skates made through Graf. I got quoted $850 USD?

I was just quoted that it's about a $150 upcharge for custom Grafs, because I'm looking at replacing my 15 year old 703s. However I'm not keen on ordering custom without a decent measurement, and then they stopped responding to me.

On another note, I've tried the search feature but can't seem to find anything easily. Has anyone done the custom fitting and gotten True/VH skates? I'm heavily leaning toward this as my headache of trying to find a skate that fits my weird duck feet is growing.
 

BruinDust

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Aug 2, 2005
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@AIREAYE

Any chance you would know or know where to find the original MSRP for the Bauer Nexus 7000 skate (2014-15)?

I found a pair on clearance I'm considering just trying to gauge how good of a deal it actually is.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.
 

AIREAYE

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Jun 7, 2009
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@AIREAYE

Any chance you would know or know where to find the original MSRP for the Bauer Nexus 7000 skate (2014-15)?

I found a pair on clearance I'm considering just trying to gauge how good of a deal it actually is.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.
Hmm, I don't remember. I think it was around $600-$700.
 
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BruinDust

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Hmm, I don't remember. I think it was around $600-$700.

Thanks bud!

EDIT: @AIREAYE Picked up the Nexus 7000s on clearance for $400. I own a pair of 5000s that are starting to show their wear and really soften up and loved the fit of that line of Nexus skates. I wasn't really a big fan of the current Nexus line and didn't really want to wait to see if the 2N line coming out would be a better fit, so I jumped on the 7000s, could only find one online retailer that still had them in stock didn't want to wait until they were unavailable.
 
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Rich Nixon

No Prior Knowledge of "Flyers"
Jul 11, 2006
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Key Biscayne
So, in my late 20's, making a slow and steady transition back onto the ice for the first time since high school. I have been tearing up public skates for the past few months in a prehistoric pair of Ridell hockey skates-think like, early 90's-from some garage sale. They fit surprisingly well but are stiff and about twice the weight I remember of the old Mission Amp 7's I used to own. They're also murder on the back of my ankles and heels because they dig there, I think they predate baking as a common practice and they were kinda formed to their first owner's feet.

I'm looking to get a cheap (read: clearance, sub-$150) pair of just decent modern hockey skates, probably CCM JetSpeed thanks to the charts in here. My question: How true are the size matches? I pretty much strictly wear Adidas shoes, so I'm a bang-on 9.5 in those. Anyone with good insight as to whether an 8.0 will actually be what I'm after? Asking because Hockey Monkey has FT340's for $70 now, so I'd probably grab them if I can be relatively confident they'd size up well.

Also, any takes on the lower-end CCMs? Not looking for pro performance, just a solid and somewhat lighter skate to get my edges back while I slowly accumulate the other gear I'll need for adult league in the fall.
 

puckpilot

Registered User
Oct 23, 2016
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My question: How true are the size matches? I pretty much strictly wear Adidas shoes, so I'm a bang-on 9.5 in those. Anyone with good insight as to whether an 8.0 will actually be what I'm after?

Here are some links to a video and the companion charts to the video on how to size your own foot at home. Not perfect, but will get you into the right ballpark.


Ice Hockey Skate Sizing Chart (Width and Length) – Hockey Tutorial

IMHO, shoe size is a poor reference point for sizing your skates. Some people wear tighter shoes. Some wear loose ones. For example, I'm a size 7.5 shoe, but at times, I wear size 8s for more comfort, but I'm a size 4.5 skate.

In terms of which brand and line will fit you best, you won't know what will fit right until you try them on. For example, Tacks and Supremes are supposed to be broadly the same fit. Supremes are nearly perfect for me, but Tacks, they weren't even close. The shape of the boot was hurting my feet as soon as I slipped them on. I didn't even need to lace them up, but I did and it hurt even more.
 
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AIREAYE

Registered User
Jun 7, 2009
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So, in my late 20's, making a slow and steady transition back onto the ice for the first time since high school. I have been tearing up public skates for the past few months in a prehistoric pair of Ridell hockey skates-think like, early 90's-from some garage sale. They fit surprisingly well but are stiff and about twice the weight I remember of the old Mission Amp 7's I used to own. They're also murder on the back of my ankles and heels because they dig there, I think they predate baking as a common practice and they were kinda formed to their first owner's feet.

I'm looking to get a cheap (read: clearance, sub-$150) pair of just decent modern hockey skates, probably CCM JetSpeed thanks to the charts in here. My question: How true are the size matches? I pretty much strictly wear Adidas shoes, so I'm a bang-on 9.5 in those. Anyone with good insight as to whether an 8.0 will actually be what I'm after? Asking because Hockey Monkey has FT340's for $70 now, so I'd probably grab them if I can be relatively confident they'd size up well.

Also, any takes on the lower-end CCMs? Not looking for pro performance, just a solid and somewhat lighter skate to get my edges back while I slowly accumulate the other gear I'll need for adult league in the fall.
puckpilot is absolutely correct. It is difficult to get the right fit by buying online. Is there not a store you can venture to nearby and purchase from?

If not, pay attention to the return policy. You should want the option to return skates that don't fit if they're unused!

And as puckpilot mentioned, the type of skate fit is really an unknown at this point hence my question about being able to try them on physically.

Thanks bud!

EDIT: @AIREAYE Picked up the Nexus 7000s on clearance for $400. I own a pair of 5000s that are starting to show their wear and really soften up and loved the fit of that line of Nexus skates. I wasn't really a big fan of the current Nexus line and didn't really want to wait to see if the 2N line coming out would be a better fit, so I jumped on the 7000s, could only find one online retailer that still had them in stock didn't want to wait until they were unavailable.

Awesome! Good luck, but keep in mind the 7000 is a pro-level skate, so will need more break-in time. I suggest skate on them for a bit after the first bake, then, bake once more if you're finding it a bit stiff.
 

Rich Nixon

No Prior Knowledge of "Flyers"
Jul 11, 2006
14,941
18,807
Key Biscayne
puckpilot is absolutely correct. It is difficult to get the right fit by buying online. Is there not a store you can venture to nearby and purchase from?

If not, pay attention to the return policy. You should want the option to return skates that don't fit if they're unused!

And as puckpilot mentioned, the type of skate fit is really an unknown at this point hence my question about being able to try them on physically.

Yeah I hear that. I'm in NJ and there's actually one of the Monkey outlet stores way up north, just need to take a Saturday trip. Not a ton of places to try on a bunch of skates around here but I'll make my way up there at some point and take some notes. Kinda excited to put my gear setup back together, honestly. Still had a helmet and an old pair of Hespeler gloves until a roof leak molded them out in the fall, so I'll be building up from nothing.
 

AIREAYE

Registered User
Jun 7, 2009
4,885
70
Yeah I hear that. I'm in NJ and there's actually one of the Monkey outlet stores way up north, just need to take a Saturday trip. Not a ton of places to try on a bunch of skates around here but I'll make my way up there at some point and take some notes. Kinda excited to put my gear setup back together, honestly. Still had a helmet and an old pair of Hespeler gloves until a roof leak molded them out in the fall, so I'll be building up from nothing.
If they do a good job showing you around and fitting you up, give them the business too if it makes sense! Isn't there a Pure Hockey around that area too?
 

Rich Nixon

No Prior Knowledge of "Flyers"
Jul 11, 2006
14,941
18,807
Key Biscayne
If they do a good job showing you around and fitting you up, give them the business too if it makes sense! Isn't there a Pure Hockey around that area too?

North past Newark, I hate highways in this state so I try to do as little driving up that way as possible. Think I'll be buying one piece of equipment per month until I'm good to go, need to find all the deals. Itching to play open hockey but ya need full getup for that, of course.

Luckily, I'm skinny as hell (5'10" 140 :laugh:) so I can probably fit in Junior sizes for some equipment. Also why I need to get my only real asset (speed) back before I hit the beer leagues.
 
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BruinDust

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Aug 2, 2005
24,281
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Awesome! Good luck, but keep in mind the 7000 is a pro-level skate, so will need more break-in time. I suggest skate on them for a bit after the first bake, then, bake once more if you're finding it a bit stiff.

Thanks for the heads-up, I'll have to keep this in mind when breaking in the new wheels.
 
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