Your Favourite Skates? :)

I love my Harlicks and cannot imagine changing to another brand of boot. Heavy? Sure they are. When I sent mine back to Harlick for some minor eyelet adjustment I discovered they weighed 6 pounds, blades included. But they are what I adored and I begged my mother to buy me Harlicks and Phantom blades some 35 years ago. She wouldn't buy me the Coveted Skates until I could land a consistent axel.

I'd like to try some of the other boots on the market. But I have extra wide feet in front and an extremely small heel. Matter of fact, one time I volunteered to be the foot the Skate Expert was going to use to demonstrate how to fit a skate properly. Ummm.........he really tried, but there was nothing stock he could have used. I finally let the poor guy know that I needed custom boots. Sorry to get off topic there, but back to the first sentence in the paragraph........wouldn't it be great if we could go somewhere and try on boots in different sizes, styles and manufacturer?

I won't try to tell you they're not stiff at first. Very. Sometimes painfully. But they last me a long time and once they're broken in they never gave me a minute's trouble.

One more thing......I give great credit to my boot fitter.

Thanks, everyone

Every time I see this post, I think I really have no place in posting here (the Lutz in general) for I really stink in reality. Better then anyone I personally know doesn't cut it for me. I like the Riedells, fit my foot but kinda crampy after a while.

Anyway, every time I see the post I think the same thing -
My favorite skates are the ones I had when I was a kid, because it didn't hurt as much when I fell on them.

I've been skating on custom Harlicks for 3 years and they aren't too bad. I had stock SP Teri (super teri) and LOVED them. When I get new boots, I'll probably go for either Harlick or Klingbeil, leaning towards Harlick. They aren't the most Comfortable, but they last forever.

I will ALWAYS skate on Phantom blades, till I die.

My latest boots are REALLY annoying me. Well just the left one anyway. The tongue keeps slipping down into the boot and pinching my toes after about 20 minutes in practice. Any suggestions???

2 possible suggestions: get cotton or part-cotton laces -- they generally hold tighter, giving your tongue less room to slip.

Also, most shoemakakers and skate fitters can add a loop at the top of the tongue that you slip around one of the hooks. It's generally used to keep the tongue from slipping sideways, but it might work in this case too.

Last week, I got a pair of Riedell Red Ribbons. They are must first pair of 'real' skates. Although I have only skated in them twice, they feel great! The first day I skated in them my toes were pinched a bit, I suppose it was because the skates were brand new (I had bought them earlier that same day). So I guess my feet weren't used to them, but they were definately more comfortable than the rentals. A few days later, I went skating again and felt fine.

I can't tell about other brands because I have never tried other brands, and I know Red Ribbons aren't suitable for your level, but I hope it helps.

Skates

I have skated on Edea for a while now. The first ones I had were really easy to break in, just took me a couple of hours before I could do all my doubles. However, they broke upp just by the lining and I could stick my fingers in and feel the plastic.
Apparently there had been an production-error in the first batch, so they re-did Edea. These were the second pair I got. They were a real pain to break in. Took me a couple of months! They just didn't want to be tight. Real annoying. But after like half a year, I loved them. I haven't gotten any new lumps or cramp anywhere, they are great that way.
I'm getting new ones soon, since I've worn out the last pair.

A word of caution however, Edea might not be that great for too powerful skaters. A friend of mine has broken like 6 pairs, and she isn't very big either, only like 5f2 and pretty skinny. She just has massive power in her jumps. She had hers special made after her 3d pair broke, but it hasn't helped much.

I skate on Phantom Special and it has worked great for me. I do doubles and has started on triples.