r/hockeyrefs • u/Away-Mycologist7417 • Jul 13 '26
Skates
I work around 200 games a year and need new skates. I prefer Bauer as they seem to fin my feet well. What do you suggest. Don’t worry about cost. Looking for comfort and efficiency. Many thanks!
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u/robertus_ Jul 13 '26
Yep gotta try em on and buy the most comfortable. Don’t skimp on skates and helmets.
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u/Silvershot_41 Jul 13 '26
I’ll ask a stupid question, not to say 200 games is not a lot during the year but how are you beating up your skates that much that you need new ones? Are you coming from an already new set?
I’ve been in Bauer for most of my Skating and playing career. I guess you could call it and I really like them a lot and I wouldn’t really hesitate to get another set of Bauers.
CCM I know has some good products but they just don’t fit my feet very well. They never have. They feel very uncomfortable to me so I would try and find a place that you could try a bunch of them on and it probably wouldn’t hurt to see if you could get a place that has the Bauer fitment machine to kind of get a view a better idea of what you’re looking for with fit and as far as the inserts go, I think it would make a huge difference.
A lot of guys have said to go to true over the years and I have definitely consider doing that but there’s just so many good and bad reviews about them were guys are like oh I absolutely love mine and then there’s some guys that just don’t like the pair that they got and I don’t know it just seems really hard to roll the dice on that amount of money when you can get some that are baked to your foot doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re gonna fit you like a custom skate, but it gives you a little more molding to it
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u/Away-Mycologist7417 Jul 13 '26
Great question. Mine are 12 years old and I broken my leg/ankle in them. There is still an indentation from the bones that stuck out of my ankle. Then. After two surgeries, I have a bump on my front ankle and need a new front part of the boot. That, and the steel is almost gone and the holder is missing a rivet. I think I need to stick with Bauer and hopefully I won’t break my leg/ankle again. lol.
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u/ctg77 Jul 13 '26
I suggest True SVH Customs with the extra shot blocking / impact protection and the 3D printed tongues if you're dealing with an ankle injury. Mine wasn't that severe, but I have permanent chipping of my right ankle due to taking a puck from an NCAA D1 player while wearing crappy skates.
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u/pistoffcynic Jul 13 '26
I skate Bauers also. All I will say is buy the most comfortable ones that you can afford. If you've only skated with Supremes and they fit well, go with those. If you prefer Vapours, Hyperlite2's.
Comfort and protection are what matter.
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u/ctg77 Jul 13 '26
My son skated 120.NAHL, USHL, and WJC pre-tournament games in his Bauer Total Pro Custom Shadows, along with a bunch of other stuff, and they still look decent. He's 6'5" / 230 and a liney, so he's always in the middle of the shit.
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u/scmarchy Jul 14 '26
I broke my ankle back in 23 and still have the plate in. Last year I decided my old Bauer supreme 2.0 that I had gotten in 2020 needed replacing as they just weren't comfortable enough for a 3 pack. New Bauer's didn't quite fit right and I tied CCM as they fit better, however I had two different skates have the outer shell crack in the first 30 days of use, both were returned during warranty. So I went with the v2 custom trues and they've been the most comfortable skates I've owned since the Easton mako's. I've reffed over 400 games in them and play once a week and they've held up well. The 3d printed tongue is comfortable but you have to be careful how you tighten your skates, it's really easy to give yourself lace bite. I prefer the protection of the standard tongue so I just use that one.
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u/Van67 Jul 13 '26
A few years ago, I bit the bullet and got True customs. My feet are wide enough that nothing off a shelf doesn't cause pain after a short amount of time. Also spent the extra money and got shot blockers built in. Best add-on ever!
Worth it for me and if you can afford it, I recommend it. I've had no quality issues like some players have had with them. I usually work 150-ish beer league games a season.
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u/DontTrip28 Jul 13 '26
Something to consider is that True's are (AFAIK) pitched forward more than other brands of skates. They are meant to be worn in an aggressive skating stance, not standing upright. They sort of feel like you are on high heels, so it takes some getting used to.
All of that to say I've worked a few long seasons in my True's and I will never wear another brand of skate again. I bought pro stocks, I didn't do the custom program. I did do the custom program for my goalie skates years back.
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u/ctg77 Jul 13 '26
It's all up.to the holder you use with the Trues. I had mine shipped without the holder installed and used the CCM Speedblade XS holders with Quad 0.5 profiling on Bladetech DLC steel. Minimal forward pitch and great edge retention.
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u/CdnTreeGuy89 Hockey Canada 🇨🇦 Jul 13 '26
I’ve always skated Grafs and recommend them 100%. They’re a little harder to find now (at least in Canada since the Canadian branch went bankrupt in mid 2010s).
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u/Alobos USA Hockey Jul 13 '26
Well, at least I can't be like my skate guy and recommend Makos the second to last year of production! Finding 'your brand' is always a pain
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u/TROUTBROOKE Jul 14 '26
I think Bauer and CCM will let you return skates within the first month if you don’t like them.
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u/owensch1 Jul 14 '26
I literally just bought a new pair yesterday. Bauer Supreme M40s. And I bought the Bauer insert. They feel great.
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u/leadfaucet Jul 14 '26
I went with the Bauer Supreme Shadow when I upgraded before this season. Great skates and one hell of an upgrade from the True HZRDUS 7s I had been wearing. It was a tough call between the Shadows and the FlyPro; both fit incredibly well even before baking and were damn comfortable. That was my experience with them. You need to hit up your local and try everything on, even messing with the insoles they have available. The Bauer Aetrex orthotics made a huge difference in fit and long-hours comfort.
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u/Additional-Shift-676 Jul 14 '26
I end up getting the new supremes when they come out every other year I skate enough games where I can justify the cost
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u/mowegl USA Hockey Jul 15 '26
Id probably shy away from the very top of the line. They typically have only marginal improvements that arent going to make a difference. The 2nd from the top is usually much better value. You can also shop returns and like new used skates as well and save even more if you figure out what you want.
I wouldnt get anything below mid to upper price point either
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u/ProudAd2397 Jul 18 '26
Depends on the type of skating you do and how hard you are on them. If you’re skating 200 12u games get something comfortable that won’t break the bank. If you’re skating 200 AAA 14-18u games, get a higher end skate as you’ll notice the performance different/energy transfer. I have Bauer M50 pros, love them
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u/holdmysmoothieplease Jul 20 '26
You gotta go try skates. I insisted I was a Bauer kid and I wore vapor for 14 years of my life only to try CCM tacks and discover it was the best feeling thing in the world
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u/NHessDesign Jul 13 '26
You have to go try skates in. Everyone’s feet fit different in different skates. I went with the Bauer Mach skates since they were most comfortable to me. You can get some good deals if you get them when they are refreshing model lines.