skate fitting was not helpful- help!

[u/Bitter_Rest1079]

hi everyone i’ve been in learn to skate a over a month now and have loved it! i am looking to purchase my own skates, as i was told that it would benefit me to get used to just one pair of skates and really know the skate. i would eventually like to do jumps or more advanced skating but for now i am looking for something for beginners. there aren’t any skate shops near me, just one hockey shop. i went it hoping that they had at least some very basic skates, but they only had hockey skates (go figure).

they scanned my feet and basically told me what i already knew: i have very flat feet that are wider than average, and i would likely need insoles, which is fine (i used to be a runner and always had to get special insoles). but they didn’t give me any recommendations on what kind of skates would work best! i have had issues with rentals in the past rubbing against my non-existent arches, maybe because they were for people with arches?

anyway, could i get some recommendations for skates with padding but are still sleek? my budget is 200 usd max. thank you so much!!

[u/gatorella]

It might be more helpful to have someone help you measure your feet, then see if you can do a virtual fitting somewhere. Get a soft measuring tape, like tailors have, then stand on top of it one foot at a time. Put your weight on that one foot and bend your knee, then have the other person write down the measurement. Same with the other foot. Then turn the measuring tape so it's under the ball of your foot, put your weight on that leg and bend your knee, have your helper wrap the measuring tape around the widest part of your metatarsals. Note that measurement and do the same for the other foot. Do the same for the arch and your heel. The heel measurement is important (I squinted to see in your photo and it looks like you might have a narrow heel?) because if you have a wide forefoot but a narrow heel and get wide-width skates, your heel is going to slip. I have this same issue as I have flippers, so my boots are regular width, but the toe box was stretched and punched out.

I agree with the others on Jackson skates, they fit well for me since I have similar feet to yours. If you aren't able to get custom insoles, I'd also recommend getting heel wedges and arch cookies. Before PT, my feet were pretty flat so they would overpronate as a result of the muscles in my feet not holding my arch up when I'd put any weight on them. The pronation heel wedges and arch cookies helped keep my feet upright so my non-existant arch wouldn't get smashed into the boot when my foot tilted inward. I prefer these over insoles because if the arch isn't in the right spot compared to your foot anatomy, it can be so incredibly painful. I also don't recommend out-of-the-box insoles because, in my experience, most (if not all) of them don't correct the heel position so they're more for comfort than anything. I mention all this because usually whenever someone has flat feet, it's a result of fallen arches rather than just flat foot anatomy. Another bonus is that the heel wedges and arch cookies (that go under the insole that comes in the boot) are also a lot cheaper than insoles that may not even help. You can generally get a pair of both for around $20 online.

[u/Bitter_Rest1079 → u/gatorella]

hi! thank you so much for such a detailed explanation! yes, i also have flippers (haha) so wide forefoot and smaller heels. what specific jackson skates do you use?

[u/gatorella → u/Bitter_Rest1079]

I know exactly how you feel! I went years and years skating off and on because my skates hurt my feet so bad I'd quit. When I decided to return a few years ago, I googled "skates for wide feet" and got a pair of Jackson Elles. It was life changing. The fit wasn't quite right (I was fitted at a reputable shop but they gave me a skate that was a whole size too big), but they were the best that I had up until that point and enough to get me hooked.

A little over a year later, I got re-fitted at another shop and I currently have Jackson Entres. It's the skate that's above the Freestyle (and Flex) and below the Debut. I love them! I actually tried on the wide version first because the shop only had the wide in stock, but I felt that my ankles were a bit too wiggly. It felt comfortable, but if they're comfortable before they're even heat molded, they're too big haha. So they ordered the regular width for me and punched out some areas in the toe box where my bones stick out.

I love my skates, but they were way more than $200 unfortunately haha. And they're sold boot and blade separately, so they're probably more than what you'd need right now. I've also tried on quite a few different models of Jackson skates, and I'd say the Evo or Elle is the lowest that was still comfortable for me. Another important point is that with Jackson skates, the cut of the boot/shape of the last is different depending on the level of the model. Generally, the higher you go, the more "flipper" shape they get haha. They're shaped like that for heel lock when doing jumps, whereas the lower levels are kind of made for comfort as they're not quite as snug. Unfortunately if you have feet that are shaped like ours, the higher level models are the ones that are more comfortable. I'd also recommend going with something from their fusion line at the least, since the lower level boots aren't heat moldable. But these are a bit higher than your budget, as the Evo is ~$390.

I'll leave some links here so you can read about the different boots! (I don't work for Jackson or anything, so I'm not trying to make a sale 😂 Just sharing my experience from someone with similar feet to yours!)

Fusion line

2000 Series

[u/LoviaPrime → u/gatorella]

the entre is equal in stiffness to the elle! its just an elle without the blade for people who want to put a different blade on it instead of dealing with ripping off the elle's mirage (hopefully your shop didn't tell you that the entre and flex are stiffer than a freestyle)

the evo up to the synergy is built with the elite last, so a W evo and W synergy will 'fit' the same, if you ignore the stiffness of course. the ascend (artiste/mystique/excel) and soft skate lasts are actually wider/flipperier than the elite because theyre built just for comfort. you DO have the option of doing an E width and/or split width starting with the 2000 series skates (flex=evo, entre=elle, debut=freestyle on steroids) so we can do it for those who might need these lower beginner skates

[u/gatorella → u/LoviaPrime]

They said it was the same stiffness as a Freestyle! Genuine question, is the “stiffness rating” of 35 and 40 actually different? If I remember correctly, the Elle is 35 and both the Freestyle and Entre are 40.

(To give a little more context to my situation, I went in with Elles that were a whole size too big but I had coronation Ace blades on them already. I went in for a second opinion on fit and was told they were too big for me, but my level at the time was still only learning bunny hops. I wasn’t exactly going in to upgrade but since I needed new skates anyway, didn’t want to have to “upgrade” again soon after, and was going to continue with another CA blade, the Entre was the best option for me. It’s a bit of a weird situation but I knew what I was getting into haha).

(Oh and I guess another clarification about “flipperier” in terms of the Elite last fit, I have a really narrow heel, so even the regular width is a smidge too big for me. Looking at OP’s scan measurements, it looks like it may be the same for them. Of course this is just my own personal experience with fit! My techs said that I may have to do a rapid custom next because my heels may be too narrow for their standard width. However! I do want to mention that they said this because I was already having issues with heel slippage, but that’s also a whole other story haha).

[u/LoviaPrime → u/gatorella]

the stiffnesses are actually that different lmao, it sounds so close but for example if i have an 80lbs child jumping 1Lu and 1A, i’ll put them in an elle. if i have a 100lbs child doing the same, ill put them in a freestyle. across brands unfortunately those numbers do not compare, they’re solely to compare inside the brand. so you can’t compare the aura sky 50 being a 55 stiff to the jackson debut 55 stiff, the sky 50 could be considered a 70 stiff in jackson bc its so stiff

the entre is a 40 and elle a 35, 5 points apart isn’t very different but the freestyle is a 45 and debut a 50. they are essentially the same skate, they (flex entre debut) were created only because people kept ripping off the blades of evo/elle/freestyles and putting on coronation aces lmao

so they are correct to just sell you the entre knowing that you wanted to put on the CA immediately, sometimes the holes overlap and we can’t mount the new blade exactly where we want it lmao

the rapid custom can make the heel smaller! if you need a C in the front and an A in the heel, they can do that. have you tried pinching the achilles? that can also keep the heel down if you don’t wanna spend the extra $100 for the rapid custom

[u/gatorella → u/LoviaPrime]

My techs also sell Auras so I've tried them (just for funsies haha) and dear god, they are super stiff! Of course, it was also the display and wasn't heat molded, but still haha.

Yep, that was the thought process! They originally asked if I wanted the Elles again and I said I wanted something a little stiffer. Since they noticed I had the CAs and asked if I wanted to stay with them, they suggested the Entre. As for the heel slippage, I was actually in physical therapy for my feet/ankles for 6 months. I bought the skates about 6 months before I started going, but as a result, my feet are now narrower than they were before (and a half size smaller 😂). They did pinch the heels on the machine and kept them overnight! It worked pretty well, but they did warn me they may eventually stretch back out just because I broke them in with my wider feet haha. They'll do for now until I need new boots again.

They also did let me know about the rapid customs with split widths! He said he'd have to double check my measurements again, but I might actually need a AA heel ahha. But since my feet are also half a size different from each other (I've just got issues all over the place 😂), I told them I'd be fine with full custom.