Advice on Skates

[MarkS]

Evening all,

I was searching for advice on the internet and with some stores here in Sweden (I'm a brit) and  struggling, so thought I'd try with a forum!

I really enjoy skating, I used to skate in school when I was 15 for a year (almost 30 years ago), it was using the standard rental figure skates and we just taught ourselves. I can skate to a basic level I would say...

Fast forward some 30 years ish and after a recent skate in the uk with my daughter I caught the bug again but this time wanted to do it properly.

In Sweden it's free to skate and rental skates are basic figure skates or hockey skates, think bauer ns or ccm tacks 9044 level.

I've been trying both the ns and 9044, first time wearing hockey skates and getting used to them. I bought a bauer hyperlite helmet and a pair of bauer 3s Pro in a 9.5/44 (same as I wear at the rink)...BUT they were too small/tight! So I returned them and have continued to rent, but want to buy something.

I want to reach a level where I'm having fun on the ice, hockey stops, crossovers, going backwards etc etc. Money isn't an issue, but I wonder am I being stupid just wanting to buy expensive skates? Will say a 3S or equivalent ccm boot do the job for a once a week blast? Ccm seem to fit me better than bauer btw. I was thinking of buying some Vapor Hyperlites (not much stock of anything else here right now)...but I'm clearly clueless as to what I actually need.

What do you experts think?

[transmissionoftheflame]

I'm afraid we're more figure than hockey here, so advice about specific hockey brands may be hard to come by.  General advice is try before you buy rather than buying online, try as many pairs on as possible, make sure the fit is as good as it can reasonably be, should be snug rather than loose/roomy or super tight.  Small amount of room only in front of toes, max 5mm, and make sure they are wide enough.  Different brands fit very differently.  In figure skates I think you need to spend at least £100, maybe £150, before you get to reasonable quality that will give you lasting support and decent length of blade life, not sure whether this holds true for hockey.  I've seen hockey skaters who were very good skating a blinder in crappy, cheap skates but they will most likely not last that well.  Also worth checking if they can be heat moulded as this will improve fit and I think the cheaper skates probably can't be.  Good luck.

[MarkS]

Thank you for the reply and I realised you guys are more for figure skating after posting! I think the advise holds true though, so thank you for that. I've decided that as I can't get to a store here, I will buy 2 pairs that have different fits and see which is the most comfortable. I am also learning that an expensive skate can actually hamper learning as it's too stiff, a beginner like me needs something more forgiving. My brain was just telling me 'if you want to skate around like a hockey player, you need an expensive boot...cheap boots will let you down', which I know now isn't strictly true.

[transmissionoftheflame]

I don't know about Sweden but distance selling regs in the UK mean you can return items but sometimes they will charge a "restocking fee" especially for high end stuff that is considered "special order" and not a stock item.  I think in general you should buy in your normal shoe size unless you are wearing street shoes that are too big for you, which a lot of people probably do without noticing as until you need to transmit power to the ground in particular directions through your shoes you may not feel they are too big.


I doubt you need to spend a fortune.  You might consider something secondhand if it looks in decent condition, though you may not be able to return it then, but you could resell.  I expect there's a big market for secondhand hockey skates in Sweden as it's a popular sport there.

[MarkS]

Thank you again. Yes I can return them (not all shops in Sweden offer this though as I found out recently...it's not law). I have bought a size 10 fit 2 Bauer 3S and a size 10 EE Bauer X3.7 to see which I prefer, neither are top flight items. I really didn't want 2nd hand but you'd be surprised, there isn't much used on the market...it's a strange country sometimes.

[transmissionoftheflame]

Those look a lot like the skates one of the stewards at my local rink used to use.  He played hockey.  I'm sure they will be more than adequate for your needs, assuming they fit.

[MarshaHarrison]

This is the third-tier skate from CCM, and it offers a good value for money. It has a stiff and lightweight quarter package, a thick and comfortable tongue, a moisture-wicking liner, a rigid and vented outsole, a high and angled holder, and a high-quality runner. It is also heat-moldable and customizable. This skate is cheaper than the FT3 and the FT3 Pro, but it also offers less performance, comfort, and durability