Custom Jackson Update...FINALLY!

[Sibelius]

Hi All,

It's been 12 weeks from our order date and we finally got to pick up the skates yesterday. Originally went on Wednesday and they needed work, had to bring the blades back after her Friday sessions, so lots of back an forth. It was frightening at first when she tried them on...she grew. She was wearing at the time of order a 4 1/2. She measured a 4, we ordered the 4 1/2...12 weeks later she grew. She took out all her extras, sleeves, gel discs etc. and they miraculously fit. We had extra padding put in and she actually doesn't need those things anymore, so it worked out. I don't know how long she'll be in them, but we'll take what we get.

The bigger problem was blade fit. All of you who wonder about ordering blades before having the boots in your hot little hands, here's the truth. Just don't. We were not buying a new blade (Gold Seal) and since we were ordering the same size boot, assumed the blade would fit easily. Nope, the sole was shorter than the Fusion sole on her old boot. Through some absolute magic by Aaron Spiteri he got the blade to fit perfectly, toe to heel, no gap. It took a few hours of sanding, shaving and sno-sealing the heel, so they would mount flat, but it worked. This is why we go to them, not many other fitters as qualified to do all that work (at no charge). Having a former boot maker as your skate tech is a great advantage.

She was on the ice for 2 hours this morning and says they're great. She reports they are much stiffer than her old Rapid Custom Premieres. These are leather "Premieres" with the "strongest" tongue Jackson offers, and they are exactly what we were after. She said she felt like her jumps were higher (I was not a witness, so that could be wishful thinking) but if it gives her a mental boost, which she really needs at this point since the last competition was a DISASTER, so be it.

So details:
Full Custom Jackson (well, actually now an Sp-Jackson) Premiere
size 4 1/2, C ball/A heel
65 stiffness
6000 level tongue
leather upper
LCF Sole
5 nickel hook pattern
extra achilles padding
12 weeks (including Jackson's 2 week summer closure)
$949 U.S.

And, just for reference, the reason we chose full custom was because the Elite 5300 (leather) is $750, the RC width and tongue changes would add another $100, so not much of a decision. It was a breathless couple of days after seeing them, but it's going to work out, for a little while at least.

 

[Adultballerinaskater]

Congrats! I must have missed you - Aaron sharpened my blades yesterday, I was there at 9am, bright and early. Exciting for your daughter's new skates!

 

[Flying Feijoa]

Hooray! Glad to hear you finally got your customs and that they're working out well

 

[Tavi...]

Hi All,

It's been 12 weeks from our order date and we finally got to pick up the skates yesterday. Originally went on Wednesday and they needed work, had to bring the blades back after her Friday sessions, so lots of back an forth. It was frightening at first when she tried them on...she grew. She was wearing at the time of order a 4 1/2. She measured a 4, we ordered the 4 1/2...12 weeks later she grew. She took out all her extras, sleeves, gel discs etc. and they miraculously fit. We had extra padding put in and she actually doesn't need those things anymore, so it worked out. I don't know how long she'll be in them, but we'll take what we get.

The bigger problem was blade fit. All of you who wonder about ordering blades before having the boots in your hot little hands, here's the truth. Just don't. We were not buying a new blade (Gold Seal) and since we were ordering the same size boot, assumed the blade would fit easily. Nope, the sole was shorter than the Fusion sole on her old boot. Through some absolute magic by Aaron Spiteri he got the blade to fit perfectly, toe to heel, no gap. It took a few hours of sanding, shaving and sno-sealing the heel, so they would mount flat, but it worked. This is why we go to them, not many other fitters as qualified to do all that work (at no charge). Having a former boot maker as your skate tech is a great advantage.

She was on the ice for 2 hours this morning and says they're great. She reports they are much stiffer than her old Rapid Custom Premieres. These are leather "Premieres" with the "strongest" tongue Jackson offers, and they are exactly what we were after. She said she felt like her jumps were higher (I was not a witness, so that could be wishful thinking) but if it gives her a mental boost, which she really needs at this point since the last competition was a DISASTER, so be it.

So details:
Full Custom Jackson (well, actually now an Sp-Jackson) Premiere
size 4 1/2, C ball/A heel
65 stiffness
6000 level tongue
leather upper
LCF Sole
5 nickel hook pattern
extra achilles padding
12 weeks (including Jackson's 2 week summer closure)
$949 U.S.

And, just for reference, the reason we chose full custom was because the Elite 5300 (leather) is $750, the RC width and tongue changes would add another $100, so not much of a decision. It was a breathless couple of days after seeing them, but it's going to work out, for a little while at least.

Congratulations - I’m so glad it all worked out and that she loves her boots!

I personally find leather Premieres (which I had several years back ) the most loathsome skate ever created but I’m glad they’re right for her.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I am so glad she got her boots and it all worked out (all leather for the win!) @Sibelius
I always advise to have boots in hand before blades especially if it's a custom or something totally different from what previously skated in for the reason you just stated you and your skater ran into this time around.

 

[Sibelius]

I am so glad she got her boots and it all worked out (all leather for the win!) @Sibelius
I always advise to have boots in hand before blades especially if it's a custom or something totally different from what previously skated in for the reason you just stated you and your skater ran into this time around.

Thanks. It sure would have been odd having to go down a size in blade. The difference was about 1/8". We would have done it had it been necessary, but so glad the old blade fit, it still has lots of life in it!

 

[Sibelius]

Congratulations - I’m so glad it all worked out and that she loves her boots!

I personally find leather Premieres (which I had several years back ) the most loathsome skate ever created but I’m glad they’re right for her.

Each to their own. She's been in the Premiere for 2 years and the fitter said leather would be better for her, so it wasn't much of a choice. Curious why you found them so loathsome.

 

[Sibelius]

Hooray! Glad to hear you finally got your customs and that they're working out well

Thanks, hoping for the best for yours. Oh, and as far as the Jackson scan, our guys, old fashioned as they are, think it's just a gimmick. I would say that if it helps get a better fit, might as well use it.

 

[Sibelius]

Congrats! I must have missed you - Aaron sharpened my blades yesterday, I was there at 9am, bright and early. Exciting for your daughter's new skates!

She had a tight schedule of high school test prep and another engagement so we went up in the afternoon. My third trip up from San Jose this week. And lucky for me the blade mount seems just right so I don't have to make another one until the next sharpening.

 

[Tavi...]

Each to their own. She's been in the Premiere for 2 years and the fitter said leather would be better for her, so it wasn't much of a choice. Curious why you found them so loathsome.

Oh yes, of course, wasn’t criticizing her! And I also prefer leather.

Re premiere: are you ready for a novel?! I hated the extra leg wrap and the fact I needed those super long laces, the fact the boots came up so high on my leg, and the weight - they were by far the heaviest boots I’ve ever had, and I’ve always had leather boots. All of this was compounded by the fact that they were a screwed up custom order that were supposed to have been built on the elite boot but tweaked and made less stiff. Instead they were built on premiere and were somehow made more than usually stiff for premieres (which isn’t technically an issue with the premiere, just my boot). They never fit quite right, and I always felt like I had blocks of concrete on my feet. To this day they are still incredibly stiff (the fitter for my new boots was actually shocked when she felt them).

I probably should have sent them back but the prior fitter convinced me they’d be fine after I got used to them. Sadly I never did get used to them although I wore them for several years. Anyway, because of that screwed up order I was actually really hesitant to take a chance on another pair of custom Jacksons, but the truth is, they’re the right boot for my foot. Very thankfully, the new fitter worked closely with Jackson and my new boots are perfect (they are the elite boot in leather but tweaked slightly and made less stiff - I need custom boots bc of my feet, not bc I’m jumping triples ). They weigh far less than my premieres. I’m really not sure what happened with the old boots but I love my new ones and I’m pretty impressed with Jackson’s scanning technology bc they fit perfectly, are the right stiffness, and basically didn’t even need heat molding. So all’s well that ends well for me.

 

[Sibelius]

Oh yes, of course, wasn’t criticizing her! And I also prefer leather.

Re premiere: are you ready for a novel?! I hated the extra leg wrap and the fact I needed those super long laces, the fact the boots came up so high on my leg, and the weight - they were by far the heaviest boots I’ve ever had, and I’ve always had leather boots. All of this was compounded by the fact that they were a screwed up custom order that were supposed to have been built on the elite boot but tweaked and made less stiff. Instead they were built on premiere and were somehow made more than usually stiff for premieres (which isn’t technically an issue with the premiere, just my boot). They never fit quite right, and I always felt like I had blocks of concrete on my feet. To this day they are still incredibly stiff (the fitter for my new boots was actually shocked when she felt them).

I probably should have sent them back but the prior fitter convinced me they’d be fine after I got used to them. Sadly I never did get used to them although I wore them for several years. Anyway, because of that screwed up order I was actually really hesitant to take a chance on another pair of custom Jacksons, but the truth is, they’re the right boot for my foot. Very thankfully, the new fitter worked closely with Jackson and my new boots are perfect (they are the elite boot in leather but tweaked slightly and made less stiff - I need custom boots bc of my feet, not bc I’m jumping triples ). They weigh far less than my premieres. I’m really not sure what happened with the old boots but I love my new ones and I’m pretty impressed with Jackson’s scanning technology bc they fit perfectly, are the right stiffness, and basically didn’t even need heat molding. So all’s well that ends well for me.

Glad to hear you're satisfied with what you eventually got from Jackson. Since she'd done so well in her Premieres we wanted the continuity in the custom, and hoped for less risk in the construction. Fitter wanted her with the same stiffness as her old boots (though these, because they are leather are a bit stiffer) just more padding and the stronger tongue. And she likes the 5 hooks, which I was shocked at when it came time to order. Yes the laces are very specific (120"), but so far we've been able to get them without a problem. The boot itself is actually lower cut, something they must have changed since yours. Hard to judge weight since her old ones had blades still mounted, but it didn't feel appreciably heavier. This is our first custom, and thankfully we had a fitter while not that experienced with Jackson customs, has been building their own custom boots for 50 years. It would have been much better had she not grown, but we can't control that.

 

[Tavi...]

Yes you’re lucky to have a good fitter. It’s really too bad your daughter’s feet grew during the long wait but at least they will work for awhile and hopefully you can keep on top of the delays as you plan for her next pair.

As to the weight: I have no idea why my premieres were so heavy! I’ve sometimes wondered if by accident I got someone else’s custom order with stiffer reinforced boots and they got mine….but I’ll never know. I will say that before I caved and ordered my current boots, I actually bought a pair of stock elite microfiber boots that were being discontinued, had my blades mounted, and skated in them for a couple of months. I ended up returning them for a credit bc of the fit and bc I wanted leather. My current boots (with blades) don’t seem much heavier than the micro fiber ones, if at all.

Anyway, since premieres have been in the Jackson line for years, they obviously work well for a lot of people. Just not me. Cheers.

 

[Sibelius]

Hi All,

It's been 12 weeks from our order date and we finally got to pick up the skates yesterday. Originally went on Wednesday and they needed work, had to bring the blades back after her Friday sessions, so lots of back an forth. It was frightening at first when she tried them on...she grew. She was wearing at the time of order a 4 1/2. She measured a 4, we ordered the 4 1/2...12 weeks later she grew. She took out all her extras, sleeves, gel discs etc. and they miraculously fit. We had extra padding put in and she actually doesn't need those things anymore, so it worked out. I don't know how long she'll be in them, but we'll take what we get.

The bigger problem was blade fit. All of you who wonder about ordering blades before having the boots in your hot little hands, here's the truth. Just don't. We were not buying a new blade (Gold Seal) and since we were ordering the same size boot, assumed the blade would fit easily. Nope, the sole was shorter than the Fusion sole on her old boot. Through some absolute magic by Aaron Spiteri he got the blade to fit perfectly, toe to heel, no gap. It took a few hours of sanding, shaving and sno-sealing the heel, so they would mount flat, but it worked. This is why we go to them, not many other fitters as qualified to do all that work (at no charge). Having a former boot maker as your skate tech is a great advantage.

She was on the ice for 2 hours this morning and says they're great. She reports they are much stiffer than her old Rapid Custom Premieres. These are leather "Premieres" with the "strongest" tongue Jackson offers, and they are exactly what we were after. She said she felt like her jumps were higher (I was not a witness, so that could be wishful thinking) but if it gives her a mental boost, which she really needs at this point since the last competition was a DISASTER, so be it.

So details:
Full Custom Jackson (well, actually now an Sp-Jackson) Premiere
size 4 1/2, C ball/A heel
65 stiffness
6000 level tongue
leather upper
LCF Sole
5 nickel hook pattern
extra achilles padding
12 weeks (including Jackson's 2 week summer closure)
$949 U.S.

And, just for reference, the reason we chose full custom was because the Elite 5300 (leather) is $750, the RC width and tongue changes would add another $100, so not much of a decision. It was a breathless couple of days after seeing them, but it's going to work out, for a little while at least.Update: After a couple of weeks it became apparent that the boots just weren't fitting right. Both feet were cramping up and she couldn't lay them flat, she grew a bit too much! Luckily, she had a week long school field trip and I took them up to Aaron and after a week of stretching and punching they fit just fine now. We should be able to get at least 6 months out of them, not ideal for $1,000 boots, but young girls grow, who knew?

Update: After a couple of weeks it became apparent that the boots just weren't fitting right. Both feet were cramping up and she couldn't lay them flat, she grew a bit too much! Luckily, she had a week long school field trip and I took them up to our fitters and after a week of stretching and punching they fit just fine now. We should be able to get at least 6 months out of them, not ideal for $1,000 boots, but young girls grow, who knew?

Interestingly, I received this email from the Jackson Marketing Dept:

"The popular Jackson Elite boot, with the new and improved Supreme 6000 Tongue and industry leading Heat Moldability...

In response to growing demand, we are now offering Jackson Women's Elite in a 65 (Strong) ... through our unique Rapid Custom Program for no additional cost!

Get into the boot of your dreams in 2 weeks or less!"

That's just about the same boot we ordered that took 12 weeks. Granted we added extra padding (full custom required) and a combo C/A width (available under RC) so a bit different, but nice to know that next time we might be able to get something a bit faster!

 

[TQice]

Update: After a couple of weeks it became apparent that the boots just weren't fitting right. Both feet were cramping up and she couldn't lay them flat, she grew a bit too much! Luckily, she had a week long school field trip and I took them up to our fitters and after a week of stretching and punching they fit just fine now. We should be able to get at least 6 months out of them, not ideal for $1,000 boots, but young girls grow, who knew?

Interestingly, I received this email from the Jackson Marketing Dept:

"The popular Jackson Elite boot, with the new and improved Supreme 6000 Tongue and industry leading Heat Moldability...

In response to growing demand, we are now offering Jackson Women's Elite in a 65 (Strong) ... through our unique Rapid Custom Program for no additional cost!

Get into the boot of your dreams in 2 weeks or less!"

That's just about the same boot we ordered that took 12 weeks. Granted we added extra padding (full custom required) and a combo C/A width (available under RC) so a bit different, but nice to know that next time we might be able to get something a bit faster!

This gives me hope! We've been told anywhere from 30 days to three months to order skates (and those were not even the right skates, per The Oracle.) If we could do RC instead of full custom, that would be awesome. Glad things worked out for your skater!

 

[Sibelius]

This gives me hope! We've been told anywhere from 30 days to three months to order skates (and those were not even the right skates, per The Oracle.) If we could do RC instead of full custom, that would be awesome. Glad things worked out for your skater!

"Abandon all hope ye who enter here". Not just at the entrance to hell, but I think it should be emblazoned above the rink doors.

Best advice from me as far as Jackson (we had inquired about Risport, but she's a Jackson girl) is get a full custom. Your skater probably needs the Elite, minimum, at her size. That boot is $750 STOCK. As I mentioned above, RC changes add another $100 or so on top of that, and there are limitations to what they can do under that program. Full custom for us was $950, so cost difference is negligible. I believe prices are going up across the line though, can't remember what Aaron told me last time I was in, I want to say 7%, but that may not be correct.

The most important choices for us were the leather (George insisted), the strongest tongue, and the extra padding. We could have gotten everything but the padding with a stock leather Elite, but George said she did not need the extra stiffness at her size, even with the higher doubles. And it's a beautiful boot. She skates 2-2 1/2 hours per day, 6 days a week with narry a peep about discomfort of any kind. And the leather doesn't show the cuts nearly as much as the synthetics she had before (2 Debuts and a Premiere). Do I wish they were cheaper, yes. Do I wish we were going to get more than 6 months out of them, yes again, but considering I pay $700/month for ice time, not including weekly lesson times, it's nothing in comparison.

Timelines have improved somewhat, and we got caught up in the 2 week Summer shutdown, so you can avoid that this time of year. 3 months is likelier closer to the truth though.

Best of luck to you and your skater, and I hope (contrary to the above), most importantly, you find as good a fitter as we have the fortune of knowing.

p.s. At her level, depending on what blade she's on now, you can probably get away with a Coronation Ace or MK Pro. Mine's on a Gold Seal and NEVER looking back, that's a $500 difference right there, so be thankful of that.

 

[celia]

Hi. Just adding my experience. Partly based on what I read here (since it does indeed make sense), I went to my fitter prepared to get a full custom Jackson based on the Elite. I knew from experience that my right foot is smaller than my left, and that was my main reason for getting custom. As stated above Elite is $760 and full custom $950. I went to my fitting and it turns out my right foot is the same length as my left but narrower at the heel. So my fitter recommended getting a split width C ball A heel that should accommodate each foot. For $50 RC, the total came to $810. The rest of the stock Elite was what I would have ordered in a custom anyway (LCF sole, 6000 tongue). And it will take 2-3 weeks total (a little longer with the holiday). Now I wasn't trying to save the $140 since the boot will last a while, and I'm in no hurry (my current boots would last a few more months at least). But I trust my fitter, so I'm just going with the rapid custom. It's gotta be an improvement on my 7C Premieres (now going to a 7A/C Elite). And in truth the 7C Premieres served me well the last 2.5 years (except now retying my right skate every 30-40 minutes the last few months).

 

[Sibelius]

Hi. Just adding my experience. Partly based on what I read here (since it does indeed make sense), I went to my fitter prepared to get a full custom Jackson based on the Elite. I knew from experience that my right foot is smaller than my left, and that was my main reason for getting custom. As stated above Elite is $760 and full custom $950. I went to my fitting and it turns out my right foot is the same length as my left but narrower at the heel. So my fitter recommended getting a split width C ball A heel that should accommodate each foot. For $50 RC, the total came to $810. The rest of the stock Elite was what I would have ordered in a custom anyway (LCF sole, 6000 tongue). And it will take 2-3 weeks total (a little longer with the holiday). Now I wasn't trying to save the $140 since the boot will last a while, and I'm in no hurry (my current boots would last a few more months at least). But I trust my fitter, so I'm just going with the rapid custom. It's gotta be an improvement on my 7C Premieres (now going to a 7A/C Elite). And in truth the 7C Premieres served me well the last 2.5 years (except now retying my right skate every 30-40 minutes the last few months).

That Jackson stock width was a real pain. When she was in the Debut we ended up buying both stock widths, and neither fit really well. Then we got her Premiere in a C/A split, and it was a perfect fit. I was a bit surprised when we went in for new boots, I was assuming an RC Elite, but got sticker shock since it had gone from $550 stock to $750, and like I said, leather was a key--much better fit, it molds instead of clamps like the microfiber boots. Mine also wanted to keep the 5 hook from the Premiere, and get the extra padding so the extra $$$ was worth it. I was equally surprised that the cost difference was so small. As far as the custom timeline, we started out at 9 weeks, but that kept growing, and so did she! Next time we'll also need new blades, that's going to be fun.

So glad you have a fitter you can trust, that is the most important thing.

 

[celia]

That Jackson stock width was a real pain. When she was in the Debut we ended up buying both stock widths, and neither fit really well. Then we got her Premiere in a C/A split, and it was a perfect fit. I was a bit surprised when we went in for new boots, I was assuming an RC Elite, but got sticker shock since it had gone from $550 stock to $750, and like I said, leather was a key--much better fit, it molds instead of clamps like the microfiber boots. Mine also wanted to keep the 5 hook from the Premiere, and get the extra padding so the extra $$$ was worth it. I was equally surprised that the cost difference was so small. As far as the custom timeline, we started out at 9 weeks, but that kept growing, and so did she! Next time we'll also need new blades, that's going to be fun.

So glad you have a fitter you can trust, that is the most important thing.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts along the journey of the custom Jackson route - it was very helpful.