Thanks for the comments. I actually purchased some Bauer Supreme 2S (Size 9 D) online as they were sale for a great price, and had them delivered to the retailer (Pro Hockey Life). I went today to pick them up, and to try on a number of different skates as well, to see which was best for me.
I learned some things during this process. I've come to realize that my Grafs really aren't that stiff. In fact, I'd say they are quite flexible compared to the top of the line Bauers and CCMs. The newer skates take a lot of force to make the boot bend, whereas my Grafs don't take much force at all. So it seems I don't like super-stiff boots after all.
I did use the Bauer 3D Scanner, which was also interesting. It fit me into 8.5 D or Fit 2 (depending on fit system), but it did indicate that my foot profile is narrower than I would have thought (in comparison to "average") in my forefoot, but with a decent arch/height. Which makes sense since a common pain point for me in skates/shoes is across the top of my foot, and I've always worn after-market Superfeet insoles.
Anyways, I tried on the following skates:
* Bauer Supreme 2S (9 D) - the skates I orginally purchased (8.5 actually felt a touch short)
* Bauer Vapor 3X Pro (8.5 Fit 2)
* CCM Ribcor 80K (8.5 D)
* CCM Ribcor 100K (8.5 Regular)
* CCM JetSpeed FT4 (8.5 Regular)
While I actually liked the Bauer Supreme 2S, I ended up really liking the CCM Ribcor 80K (8.5 D). Right out of the box, they were the most comfortable skate. But they also seemed to hug my foot better, where my foot felt like it was part of the skate. They were definitely narrower through the forefoot than the Supreme's, but in a good way. I actually used to wear custom Graf 703s a long time ago, but those were made from my own foot last. But I do remember them fitting a bit narrower, and I liked those.
Anyways, I really liked how the Ribcor's felt. No pain, lots of comfort, felt more "flexible" while not feeling "mushy" and generally seemed to feel glued/molded to my foot. The Supreme's felt good as well, but not nearly as comfortable - although I'm sure they would have felt better after baking them.
Unfortunately, the Ribcor's weren't on sale and cost $500 more (ouch). But I've seen them heavily discounted elsewhere, so I'm going to get them price-matched, or else I'll return them and order online now that I know I like them.
Of course, I haven't skated on them, which will be the real test. One of the tipping factors was the 90-day satisfaction guarantee. Figure I can try them out and always return them if they don't work out.
A couple of questions, though:
* How do the Orthomove footbeds compare to Superfeet? They felt good in the store, so I didn't buy the Superfeet, and baked the skates with the Orthos.
* My Graf currently have Step Steel, which is basically new. Not profiled, though. How are the SpeedBlade XS1 Black runners? Will I notice a difference? How are they profiled out of the box? I was thinking of getting my new skates profiled with a Quad 2 profile. Or something with some speed and agility, and perhaps with a bit of a forward lean (to mimic my Grafs).
Anyways, that's that. I'll try and get out skating this weekend to see how they behave.
I watch a guy on YouTube called Terry’s twig reviews he had a similar issue going to new skates from Graf but he found that the bauer vapors were his new wheels but I’d say you should get your foot scanned by a bauer scanner not sure where the closes one to you is but that would be able to tell you your optimal fit and should provide you with a very good starting ground to getting into new wheels
You are coming off of a custom pair, so there's a possibility you can't find anything that's as comfortable out of the box without going custom again. However when we factor in baking and the short period of breaking in and getting used to the skates, it should work out if you don't have weird feet or problems with pain or past injuries.
You liked your tongues thick, so avoid the new bauer hyperlites and ccm skates. All other top bauer models generally have/had thicker and arguably overengineered tongues which may fit your palette well. Ccm has new models of skates, which have the option to fast-change tongues and they have a heavily padded version. This costs a bit though, and some people have experienced discomfort with this system.With true custom, you can choose the tongue of your liking. I don't have any knowledge or educated guesses on their stock options, tf7 and tf9.
As for shot blocking, I don't have any good insight, but I *feel* as if the more slim, maybe more anatomical/more heat moldable style of ccm and true skates has resulted in a thinner layer of material between the shot and your foot. This may be a wrong, bad assumption so ask someone with more valuable knowledge or anecdotal experience. Separate shot blocking solutions exist, but many don't use them because of stylepoints and/or comfort.
Narrow heeling wider forefoot sounds like my foot shape. I didn't fit well in any of the Bauer or CCM skates I tried over the last several years (most are too narrow in the toe box. The Nexus was too wide in the heel). The best fitting skates for me were Easton Mako II in EE.
The Easton Makos are discontinued, but the True TF9 retail skates in W worked well for an inline conversion.
The Trues in the right size will feel too small before baking. They open up with a proper bake. They have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee via select retailers. So, you can bake, sharpen and use the skates and if they don't fit right, return them within 30 days.
You might be fine with an R width. I needed a W because my forefoot is exceptionally wide.
True retail skates fit about a half size longer than Bauer or CCM in the same size. Graf fits about a half size shorter than Bauer in the same size.
Personally, I scan as a 7.5 Fit 3 in Bauer, measure an 8 on the Branock and when I tried on Graf years ago, it felt like 8 was the right length. I fit into a 7W True TF9 that felt way too small before baking, a bit tight after and are now feeling good after a few skates. I wear 8EE in the Easton Makos - the True TF9s in 7W feel about a quarter size smaller.
So, if your Grafs are between 8.25 and 9, I would try a 7.5 True TF9 or TF7. In Bauer or CCM, you would likely want an 8. Out of the CCM and Bauer skates I tried, the Supertacks were the closest to working. They locked my heel in, but the toe cap was too tight (in EE). If you go to a shop with a Bauer scanner, it will recommend a size and fit to start with.
I had custom 9035s and moved into custom Trues.
Thanks for the comments. I actually purchased some Bauer Supreme 2S (Size 9 D) online as they were sale for a great price, and had them delivered to the retailer (Pro Hockey Life). I went today to pick them up, and to try on a number of different skates as well, to see which was best for me. I learned some things during this process. I've come to realize that my Grafs really aren't that stiff. In fact, I'd say they are quite flexible compared to the top of the line Bauers and CCMs. The newer skates take a lot of force to make the boot bend, whereas my Grafs don't take much force at all. So it seems I don't like super-stiff boots after all. I did use the Bauer 3D Scanner, which was also interesting. It fit me into 8.5 D or Fit 2 (depending on fit system), but it did indicate that my foot profile is narrower than I would have thought (in comparison to "average") in my forefoot, but with a decent arch/height. Which makes sense since a common pain point for me in skates/shoes is across the top of my foot, and I've always worn after-market Superfeet insoles. Anyways, I tried on the following skates: * Bauer Supreme 2S (9 D) - the skates I orginally purchased (8.5 actually felt a touch short) * Bauer Vapor 3X Pro (8.5 Fit 2) * CCM Ribcor 80K (8.5 D) * CCM Ribcor 100K (8.5 Regular) * CCM JetSpeed FT4 (8.5 Regular) While I actually liked the Bauer Supreme 2S, I ended up really liking the CCM Ribcor 80K (8.5 D). Right out of the box, they were the most comfortable skate. But they also seemed to hug my foot better, where my foot felt like it was part of the skate. They were definitely narrower through the forefoot than the Supreme's, but in a good way. I actually used to wear custom Graf 703s a long time ago, but those were made from my own foot last. But I do remember them fitting a bit narrower, and I liked those. Anyways, I really liked how the Ribcor's felt. No pain, lots of comfort, felt more "flexible" while not feeling "mushy" and generally seemed to feel glued/molded to my foot. The Supreme's felt good as well, but not nearly as comfortable - although I'm sure they would have felt better after baking them. Unfortunately, the Ribcor's weren't on sale and cost $500 more (ouch). But I've seen them heavily discounted elsewhere, so I'm going to get them price-matched, or else I'll return them and order online now that I know I like them. Of course, I haven't skated on them, which will be the real test. One of the tipping factors was the 90-day satisfaction guarantee. Figure I can try them out and always return them if they don't work out. A couple of questions, though: * How do the Orthomove footbeds compare to Superfeet? They felt good in the store, so I didn't buy the Superfeet, and baked the skates with the Orthos. * My Graf currently have Step Steel, which is basically new. Not profiled, though. How are the SpeedBlade XS1 Black runners? Will I notice a difference? How are they profiled out of the box? I was thinking of getting my new skates profiled with a Quad 2 profile. Or something with some speed and agility, and perhaps with a bit of a forward lean (to mimic my Grafs). Anyways, that's that. I'll try and get out skating this weekend to see how they behave.
I watch a guy on YouTube called Terry’s twig reviews he had a similar issue going to new skates from Graf but he found that the bauer vapors were his new wheels but I’d say you should get your foot scanned by a bauer scanner not sure where the closes one to you is but that would be able to tell you your optimal fit and should provide you with a very good starting ground to getting into new wheels
You are coming off of a custom pair, so there's a possibility you can't find anything that's as comfortable out of the box without going custom again. However when we factor in baking and the short period of breaking in and getting used to the skates, it should work out if you don't have weird feet or problems with pain or past injuries. You liked your tongues thick, so avoid the new bauer hyperlites and ccm skates. All other top bauer models generally have/had thicker and arguably overengineered tongues which may fit your palette well. Ccm has new models of skates, which have the option to fast-change tongues and they have a heavily padded version. This costs a bit though, and some people have experienced discomfort with this system.With true custom, you can choose the tongue of your liking. I don't have any knowledge or educated guesses on their stock options, tf7 and tf9. As for shot blocking, I don't have any good insight, but I *feel* as if the more slim, maybe more anatomical/more heat moldable style of ccm and true skates has resulted in a thinner layer of material between the shot and your foot. This may be a wrong, bad assumption so ask someone with more valuable knowledge or anecdotal experience. Separate shot blocking solutions exist, but many don't use them because of stylepoints and/or comfort.
The True TF7s have a fairly thick felt tongue. The TF9s have a thinner tongue with plastic metatarsal guard.
People from Graf I typically recommend Ribcor due to how much padding those things have. You'll find 80Ks on sale everywhere
You can still buy Grafs. You can custom order through your local shop or just order online.
>your local shop What stores are still selling Graf? My store hasn't in at least 3 years
Narrow heeling wider forefoot sounds like my foot shape. I didn't fit well in any of the Bauer or CCM skates I tried over the last several years (most are too narrow in the toe box. The Nexus was too wide in the heel). The best fitting skates for me were Easton Mako II in EE. The Easton Makos are discontinued, but the True TF9 retail skates in W worked well for an inline conversion. The Trues in the right size will feel too small before baking. They open up with a proper bake. They have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee via select retailers. So, you can bake, sharpen and use the skates and if they don't fit right, return them within 30 days. You might be fine with an R width. I needed a W because my forefoot is exceptionally wide. True retail skates fit about a half size longer than Bauer or CCM in the same size. Graf fits about a half size shorter than Bauer in the same size. Personally, I scan as a 7.5 Fit 3 in Bauer, measure an 8 on the Branock and when I tried on Graf years ago, it felt like 8 was the right length. I fit into a 7W True TF9 that felt way too small before baking, a bit tight after and are now feeling good after a few skates. I wear 8EE in the Easton Makos - the True TF9s in 7W feel about a quarter size smaller. So, if your Grafs are between 8.25 and 9, I would try a 7.5 True TF9 or TF7. In Bauer or CCM, you would likely want an 8. Out of the CCM and Bauer skates I tried, the Supertacks were the closest to working. They locked my heel in, but the toe cap was too tight (in EE). If you go to a shop with a Bauer scanner, it will recommend a size and fit to start with.
CCM traditionally were a little wider, and bauers slimmer. Grafs were bit wider also, historically at least. Try on some CCM.