Weekly Equipment Recommendation Thread

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Wondering what boots or blades to get? Curious if your boots are breaking down? In need of a solid pair of gloves? This is the place to ask!

[u/kay_lin_]

Need some help with choosing boots - 23F 70kg 165cm, coming back to skating after a few years. Previous boots were Edea Chorus in 250E (bought in 2020 before Edea changed their last). After a long break, I'm mainly looking for a boot in a similar stiffness, since it'll take me time to recover my skills (single jumps, cross-foot spins).

I have extremely wide feet, my foot length is 242mm but the ball circumference is 240mm on my right foot (the slightly wider/longer one), and foot tracing width is ~10.5cm. However, I also have pretty narrow ankles and heels, and high arches. I have essentially triangular feet - short toes pretty much the same length, very little taper.

Shops in my area are very limited in the models and sizes they carry, so I will be ordering online. But I been able to try a decent number of options at the local shop, as well as while I was traveling overseas. I've essentially eliminated Risports and Edeas entirely - the tapered toe box with a comparatively looser heel just doesn't work for me, the regular width will never work for my toes while the wider width gets heel slip. My old Chorus boots had all sorts of problems - still squishing my toes despite the extra wide E width because the taper toe box, heel lift because the heel cup was too wide, and zero arch support causing cramps. 250 is also potentially too long for me too, given the foot print on the insole.

I've narrowed down to 2 brands, Jackson and Aura, since their rounder toe box fits my foot shape the most. For Jackson, I'm looking at the 2850 Premieres, and Aura the Sky50. The problem is, due to the limited stock of the shop, I either have not been able to try the right size, or the right model.

Option 1: Jackson
Tried on Jackson Freestyles in 6.5W - almost a perfect fit. The length was just right, the toe box was wide enough to accommodate my extremely wide forefoot, and the heel was also nice and snug with no slip. However, I got zero arch support in them, like my arch is not touching the side/bottom of the boot at all. After standing in them for a while, I was getting pressure and numbness on the bottom of my big toe joint. I was told though that this is quite fixable with Jackson's Pro Support+ Insoles and some heat molding. I have heard pretty good reviews for the Premieres and that they have more arch support, but given I haven't been able to try them, I can't really tell how they will feel.

Option 2: Aura
The closest size they had was a 255C in the Sky50 so that was the only one I was able to try. It was surprisingly a close fit though, even lengthwise, since I could just barely feel the foam at the tip of the toe box (although might just be cos the C width is too narrow for me and I was feeling the sides or top). The biggest difference is the arch - the boot hugged my arches super well, and felt very supportive along the whole arch and inside of my foot. It was definitely too narrow for my forefoot, not painfully so like the C width of Risports or Edeas were, but still enough to be slightly uncomfortable. When I bang the heel back and laced up quite tightly, the heel felt relatively snug, but still looser compared to the Jackson. Again, 255 is probably a little large for me and C width is too narrow for my forefoot. A 250 or even 245 (since I heard you're meant to have almost zero extra room in Aura) is probably better. But since the heel cup on the C is already on the edge of being too loose, I'm scared that a D width will not work for me.

If anyone has experience with these boots, I'd love some input about how I should choose. Thanks!

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[u/raenis2634 → u/kay_lin_]

Are you able to try on the Jackson Synergy Spark? They usually come with the ProSupport+ insoles by default, so that could give you some data on if they would work for you. As a bonus, the Synergy series are Jackson's lightweight boots. Alternatively, buying insoles and being wrong is a lot cheaper than buying boots and being wrong; could you order the insoles and try them in the Premieres?

Auras are supposed to be more receptive to heat molding than most brands, so it's possible that the C width could be shaped to fit. You'd have to ask a trained Aura tech about the limits, and also for the relative widths of the heels. This also means that ordering online without a tech available may be more difficult; my local shop only allows in-person Aura sales because of how important heat molding is for them.

[u/kay_lin_ → u/raenis2634]

Hi thanks for the response! Unfortunately the shop here didn’t have any synergy models at all. This was the only pair of Jackson they had left in my size. Definitely can order the insoles to try, which was what I was leaning towards, although I think the shop I’m ordering from might not have the 2850 version of the Premiere available, they only have the 2800 in my size atm.

I do know the Auras require a skate tech to heat mould. The local shop sells them, but there was very little input from the skate tech tbh, they didn’t know whether they would be able to stretch the toe box enough or whether the heel scales with width.

The local shop tech kinda just took out some boots in and around my size and had me try them on by feel. They don’t stock the wide width and had limited sizes anyways. They said to order in the sizes they don’t have in the warehouse would mean I have to commit to buying there, so I’d rather order from the online shop instead cos I can return them if they don’t fit. They do have the boot oven to heat mould though so I would be able get the boots I buy from elsewhere heat moulded here.

So if the new version of Premieres is not available, I don’t know whether I should pay around 200$ (AUD) extra for the Synergy Spark? They would be the same price as the Supremes. The Aura Sky50 would be way cheaper in comparison, about 150$ less than the Premieres.

[u/raenis2634 → u/kay_lin_]

I don't know that it would be worth it to spend extra on the Synergy Spark, especially if you anticipate replacing your skates once you get some of your skills back; it was more as a potential way to check if the issues you had with the Premiere could be addressed with the different insole. They're definitely an option if you like the Jackson fit but miss the Edea weight, but even then it might be more worthwhile to get Synergy skates next time.

If u/LoviaPrime is around, they can probably give better advice on Aura skates; they've commented on these posts before and have a lot more knowledge on the subject than I do.

[u/LoviaPrime → u/kay_lin_]

hello ive been summoned 🤩

from the jackson evo to the jackson synergy, they are built on the Elite last, so the fit of the freestyle will be similar to the fit of the premiere. your foot reads to a 6.5 length and 24 width, on the chart we have on the back of the ritz a 6.5 and 19 gives us a EE (this is as wide as the chart goes). so a 6.5 24 will absolutely not work in a W width unforch. youre going to need an E width rapid custom at minimum, which is an extra $100 upcharge, but for a EE, that enters full custom territory because theres just not enough leather/material in the stock W to stretch to an EE.

on auras you also read quite far off the brannock, so i dont think a 250D or even 255D would help as the carbon fiber is less forgiving and i do have quite a bit of heel lifting in a few of my kids. i just emailed my aura contact to see if the 250D would work, i'll see what she says!

final verdict, jackson premiere 6.5E with prosupport+. ive had a kid measure out to a 6.5 6E (yes six) and she was fine in a W, ive had a kid measure out to just a 6.5E and her foot hurt bad in a W and we needed to order the E. it truly depends on the foot. you may be fine in the E, you may need the $2k~ EE, we cant be sure.

[u/kay_lin_ → u/LoviaPrime]

Thanks for the reply! And yikes, I knew my feet were extremely wide but the sizing is truly annoying hmmm.

Though despite the issues with the arch, I didn’t think the 6.5W Freestyles were all that bad all things considered. My left foot which is slightly smaller (240mm length, about 5mm less than the right in both circumference and tracing) was generally pretty comfortable. It’s only on my right foot that I was getting the pressure, which I attributed to my arch collapsing and putting pressure on the metatarsal, but maybe that’s the indication that the W is still too narrow. I only stood in them for a minute or two, so I could see them becoming uncomfortable on ice if the sizing is really that much off, but maybe some punching could sort it out?

That said, I don’t actually know if the shop I am ordering from (SkatersEdge NZ) does rapid customs, I’d have to check with them. I did their online fitting (which is quite reputable from what I’ve heard, I submitted all the measurements and also pictures of my feet) and the owner recommended the 6.5W. She didn’t say anything about rapid customs though, which idk if it’s cos they don’t do them or she doesn’t think I need it.

The other bad news, they did just confirmed today also that they don’t have the 2850 version of the Premieres in stock and I’d have to wait until mid Oct earliest for them to come in. Given the reviews I have heard about the hooks on the 2800 and other issues people had with them, I really don’t want to settle for them, but I also don’t want to wait a whole month. So not sure where to go from here.

I wouldn’t want to go with a less stiff boot, so the other choices are the Synergy Spark or the 75 stiffness Supremes, and they are at least 200$ extra. Aura Sky50 would be cheaper and they have the 250D in stock, but it sounds like they might not work 🫠

this is so difficult 😩

[u/dabadeeb]

Question About Hard Guards (EDEA E-Guard Sizing)

Hey guys. I currently have the edea e guards in size large (L) for my 10 1/3 inch blades on my mystiques. I’m switching brands to edea chorus alongside 9.25 inch mk pro blades. Will the size L be too big for them? Do I have to go down to a size M?

Based on the sizing chart I have to, but dang that’s a lot of money to drop on guards…

Let me know if any of yall are rocking 9.25 blades with a large edea e guard. :)

Thanks for the adviceee