MSU Red Cedar Message Board

I have synergy s40's and wear a size 10. I wear a size 11.5 or 12 shoe (usually 12), if that helps. Obviously all feet are not created equal,though...

Two blades are better than one

Yeah I hear that about Graf's. They fit awesome but the break down like crazy. They are like composite stick except 3x as expensive

I'm still skating on the same pair of '99 Z-Airs that I bought (used) in high school. Rock solid skates, heavy though. I can't speak to the new ones but mine are about 1.5 sizes down from my shoe size.

I have a pair of S12s. They were my first "decent" pairs of skates. They're '09s or '10s.

When I bought them, several guys at the local shops talked about how when they stopped making Eastons in Canada and sent them to China the quality went down hill. Or something to that effect... but the gist of it was they used to be durable until 2007-2008 or so.

Straight out of the box I had problems with the steel coming loose and lock washers had to be added to one runner to get the pressure to hold it tight. They were very stiff when I get them... but a year and a half in, skating twice a week, they started to break down. I'm not a heavy guy. 145#. But the stitching in several places started to fall apart and eventually the upper on the inside of each boot delaminated from the rigid portion of the boot and I had to fix with Gorilla Glue. The tenon guards on both boots are cracked and failing, and just recently the front of each boot at the second set of eyelets have collapsed inward and the junction between the toe cap the rest of the boot is going to hell.

Another thing I noticed is that the rivets all started to rust within a few months of owning the skates. This surprised me because I take very good care of my gear. I pull out the insoles after every skate and put everything in front of a fan. A couple of months ago two of the rivets let go.

For the three or four bills I dropped on them I was expecting them to hold up a lot better.

I've got weird feet (narrow in the forefoot and heel but high volume in the middle due to high arches) in the mid foot and the Eastons were most comfortable/fit right.

I'm itching for a new pair. What's the equivalent of the S12 in the Bauer line?

I've got an old pair of Easton Magnums I bought because I was in school at the time and needed new skates on a budget. I wear a 10.5 normally and my skates are a 9. For 80 dollar skates they've held up pretty well. The holder just cracked a couple weeks ago, so I need some new ones.

I was able to cancel the order. Back to the drawing board. Might just hit up a total hockey and try some on and then order on line.

Grafs... always and forever

You should always buy the best fitting skate regardless of brand. Easton makes a great skate. Bauer skates run on a narrow side and allow for less volume. People with wide feet and high instep are in for a lot of pain with Bauer. Skates are an investment that needs to be treated very carefully. Cheap skates break down fast and offer bad support.