Skate fitting today

[LilJen]

How frustrating! I hope they get them right the second time.

 

[SmallFairy]

Best of luck! I really hope this works out in the end!

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Sorry I keep going on and on, but I'm really disturbed by this situation. I don't blame the fitter at all, because he is an absolute pro (has been an Olympics skate tech). I think Jackson folks are lazy and careless and inconsistent.

I am so sorry to hear you are going through this! It is incredibly frustrating. Botched custom orders suck, but they happen at every custom provider. I think the reality is that fitting and building customs is a complex, imperfect process. Plenty of people can say the same thing about Harlick, SP-Teri, Riedell, Avanta, etc. YMMV. It sucks that they happen to be your boots, but what matters now is how the company chooses to resolve the situation and how satisfied you are with the end result.

Fingers x'ed for you!

I look forward to the day when our feet get laser-scanned into a 3D modeling system to develop biodegradable lasts for fitters OR we figure out how to resurrect Bill Klingbeil from the grave.

 

[treesprite]

Thanks all.

I love your vision, Theoretical girl!

 

[treesprite]

Looks like I won't get my boots until the very end of October

They got held up in NY at Customs, so Jackson hasn't even started on them. Skate Guy is going out of town Oct 9 and won't be back until Oct 25, so regardless of when the boots come back, I won't be able to get them until after he is back (there is basically no chance of them being returned by Oct 8th).

My old boots are bothering me so much that I don't want to skate in them. I can only tell myself that with the new blades on them, at least I can get used to those, then when I get the boots, it will only be the boots I'll have to get used to using.

 

[treesprite]

Skate guy is back, but my boots have still not been shipped back. He thinks it will be this week, so I have an appointment for Saturday. I'm as used to the blades as I can get with them on my old boots and sticking a third of an inch longer than the back of the heel.

 

[treesprite]

So, 4 months later, I finally have boots that I think fit. There may be a bit too much space around the achilles, but it is hard to say when I'm not lacing the top hooks and the boots have that brand new boot stiffness. They feel on the ice like new boots should feel.

 

[treesprite]

Definitely too much space around achilles. I was able to put 4"x5" pieces of 1" thick memory foam into the backs of both boots, and still had room for movement. The heels fit, but slip upward because of the space above them. I sent skate guy an email to tell him the problem and that I want the boots sent back to have the padding put in them. I don't understand why the maker is skimping on padding, especially when it was something skate guy told them for the re-make.

The insteps feel slightly too big, but it is something I could probably fix just getting different insoles.

I'm kind of disgusted with this experience.

 

[treesprite]

Just got out of skate appointment. The boots will need to go back for padding, but we are waiting a couple weeks to send them. That way I will have time to see if the temporary fixes skate guy did to one of the boots helps, so Jackson can correct the problems in a way that it more permanent.

 

[vesperholly]

How frustrating for you!! I just got custom Jacksons this year after skating in Klingbeils for 15 years. I'm sort of disappointed. The sole of the boot is too flat for my high arches, so when I put them on, only my heel and the ball of my foot touch the sole. I have a heel/arch insert and it helps. I wish they did the foam mold of the bottom of your foot like Klingbeil - my Klings always fit like a glove. The toe box depth is far too tight with an insert, so I've been skating without. I'm hoping they stretch more. I'm also weirded out because for these boots, the blade size went down 1/4", but I've had the same size blade since high school (mumbleyears). They feel shorter and I'm also rocking on my blades a lot - but that could be because my old blades were flat as a pancake.

I'm still breaking them in because I'm not skating a lot right now, but I can already tell my jumps and landings are more secure from the support. My old skates were almost 10 years old and sooo broken down. I do also like how lightweight the Jacksons are.

My boots are also 6.5EE width and could not get the carbon sole! Hobbit feet indeed

 

[treesprite]

Thank you for sharing your experience with them!

I am probably going to think twice before getting custom Jacksons again, after this experience. The skate guy has been fantastic, but he is retiring in a couple years, and I don't know if someone else would be this persistent with the manufacturer to get the boots made right.

They need to last me a really long time, so I need them to fit . I am worried because I need to lose about 20lbs, and when I do, the boots might end up too big even if they fit perfectly by the time they are done. I am hoping people don't lose weight in the feet, but someone recently told me they do.

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

You can lose weight in your feet, but I didn't need to change my skates when I lost 30 lbs. I thought I might have to, but I did not. You'll have to see how it goes.

 

[treesprite]

Just came out from visit with skate guy. He completely re-measured, re-did tracings, took new pictures. He made the measuring tape tighter than he usually does, which made a couple of things about 1/8th" smaller (which is basically the difference between wearing regular socks and wearing nylons). He had me stand on a bench to take pictures this time, to get a better angle to show how high my arches are. Part of the problem with the sizing is the instep/arch area; it seems to me like the manufacturer has been going too 2-dimensional with the making of the last, not accounting for the gap at my instep/arch which makes the boot need to be a lot narrower in that area.

Now I have the new blades back on my old boots again. They stick out in back due to size difference, but I was jumping and spinning with them on the old boots during the last round of waiting for a boot re-make. I just can't do things like mohawks, because I don't want the back of a blade catching the other foot and making me fall. It will probably be at least a month before I get the new boots version 3.

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

Good luck with this latest version!

One of my old coaches had similar issues with one of her pairs of custom boots, and similar to you, had them rebuilt, etc. Finally, she got new customs from that company. All other pairs of customs were perfect before and since - so I'm hoping that your next edition of these boots works out well for you.

 

[treesprite]

I didn't like being told, "we'll give it one more try," because in my thinking, it is the same as saying that if they aren't done right this time, I'm just S.O.L. and lose all that money for useless skates. They better come out right.

Skate guy and his wife/assistant must feel bad about the trouble, because they both gave me little hugs when I was leaving.

 

[Deleted member 53443]

I look forward to the day when our feet get laser-scanned into a 3D modeling system to develop biodegradable lasts for fitters OR we figure out how to resurrect Bill Klingbeil from the grave.

I recently bought custom fitted hockey skates, the True brand. They use software connected to the iPad camera, so all you do is put your feet on a white board, they film each foot and get a 3D prototype of your feet. Works perfectly, I hope the figure skate brands can get this also.

 

[treesprite]

I recently bought custom fitted hockey skates, the True brand. They use software connected to the iPad camera, so all you do is put your feet on a white board, they film each foot and get a 3D prototype of your feet. Works perfectly, I hope the figure skate brands can get this also.

Very cool!

 

[treesprite]

Got an e-mail from skate guy today.

Jackson is trying to put a rush on the skates to get them done before their holiday vacation. However, skate guy is going to be working at Nationals the first week of January, so I won't get them before then. Of course this timing is fine with me, because I now can't skate due to injuries sustained from falling in the grocery store.

He seems pretty certain that the boots will fit. The narrowing down of the sole in the arch area, makes it possible for Jackson to use the carbon fiber soles which they didn't do the first 2 times because of the shape of the sole. He said they are also being made about 1/4th" shorter (and assured me that the blades will still fit).

 

[treesprite]

O.M.G. these are so much better!

I picked up my skates today. They actually fit this time, very well. They feel as natural on my feet as any pair of skates ever has, so I am happy with them. I was on the ice for about 10 minutes, adjusted the blade and went back on another 10 minutes. It is so crazy crowded that every two seconds I was stopping and every other two seconds I was dodging people falling. But I was able to do a couple crossovers, a couple cross rolls, and did a few outside and inside 3-turns by the wall when there were breaks in the stream of people holding onto it. I wasn't unsteady like I thought the month off the ice would make me. There was no room to do edges or go backwards. Tomorrow will be crowded like this, and Monday because of the holiday, so I'm probably going to have to wait for Tuesday to try skating again.

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

Yay!

 

[treesprite]

Things keep interfering with me being able to skate to figure out the blade position. However, I was rink guarding for an hour Tuesday and did not have to sit down to rest feet or to re-lace a single time. The backs of my feet started to hurt after about 15 minutes, but I just dealt with it and after a while it diminished to minimal. I think the pain on the inside of my left heel is due to bad blade position. I am going to skate guy Sunday, to get the right blade straightened out (I was supposed to go this Sunday, but had a car issue).

 

[treesprite]

Just came out from skate guy. He put a shim under my blade. I think it will be ok now, but I just did a couple laps with some outside edges. Hopefully I won't have to drive the way over here for a couple months (for sharpening; he said these harder steel blades can go 50 to 60 hours). He said he could tell from the skating how much better these boots fit than the first ones did.

 

[treesprite]

The lining material of the boots in the toe boxes has serious bunching that is pressing against my toes, causing discomfort. I'm guessing the wearing of them has caused some shifting of the fabric. Skate guy asked if I could come tomorrow (I sent him pictures), but I have to work.

These new materials make the boots feel much softer than my old boots (the new ones are Supremes with an 85 firmness rating, and the old ones are Elite Plus with an 85 firmness rating). I am guessing they will be much easier to break in.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Skate guy e-mailed me back and changed my appointment to Sunday, so he will have more time to examine the boots. He said we can sent them back to Jackson for re-lasting if needed. He said that if the boots go back, he can put the blades on my old boots if they will fit (looking at the blades and boots tonight, I think they might be just a hair over the edge of the ends of the old boots, but hopefully that is a close enough fit).

When I got home tonight, I put my old boot on my feet. The only thing the new ones have over them is that the new ones don't squish against my toes and bunion; the old ones are better in ever other regard (the heel slips, but not as much as in the new boots). I don't understand why a supposedly custom made boot fits more poorly than a pair that is simply a split width. How can a skate with a AA heel be bigger than a skate with an A heel? I wish I knew what Jackson needs to be told to get them to make the instep of the boot correctly instead of just having a straight line.

I am wondering if boot makers typically give a standard size designation to full custom boots, the way Jackson did with mine. Aside from the obvious non-fit of the insteps, the giving of the size designation is part of the reason I think they just pieced together parts of standard boot lasts of different sizes.

Sorry I keep going on and on, but I'm really disturbed by this situation. I don't blame the fitter at all, because he is an absolute pro (has been an Olympics skate tech). I think Jackson folks are lazy and careless and inconsistent.

My riding boots are made to measure and cost 1800 and up.
My boots have always fit perfectly. I think the success is in the measuring


Here is my dumb question. Why don't you have bunion surgery?

 

[treesprite]

I just got an email, will be going to skate guy tomorrow.

Surgery for anything is a last resort measure. If I was in constant pain and couldn't wear shoes or walk, I would have surgery. I can't miss 3 months of work from my full time job (according to doctor, I would), and maybe even longer than that from the part time ice rink job.

This skate guy is a former Olympic skate technician, has done boots for elite skaters, and has a lot of experience getting boots made to accommodate bunions. He does extra measurements for bunions that skate fitters don't usually do. He actually has shown me tracings from very young skaters who already have bunions from skating at least as big as mine. He told me skaters most often get them on the jump landing foot, which is where my big bunion is (I have never worn the usual culprits of pointy and high heeled shoes).

The boots were actually shaped to allow space for the bunion, and did not cause it to hurt until the lining got the crease in it right in that spot. It feels like someone sticking me with something, which would feel the same regardless of the bunion.

The bunched up material is around the sides of where the tongue is sewn into the boot, so that presses down on top of the outside of the big tows and pinky toes. It would take some special tools probably to fix the bunching. I just hope the boots won't have to get sent back to fix it. Cutting it off would ruin the lining of the boots, which would probably be even more uncomfortable.

 

[treesprite]

So, skate guy has never seen anything like what is going on with the boot linings. He took pictures to send to Jackson's custom boot maker, Raj. However, Raj is currently in Korea playing Olympic Skate Tech.

There is a very strong possibility that the boots would have to be sent back if I want them fixed. I seriously don't want to go another 6 to 8 weeks without my skates. It would also mean taking off the blades, after I managed to get them situated properly (one had to be shimmed), and the other put at a certain angle).

I am pretty much done dealing with my old boots, but I can't not have skates, because I have to rink guard. I should probably learn how to skate in my hockey skates and use those for guarding anyway (skate guy agreed). I don't use them, because I feel like I have no control over them (they kind of just move on their own, which is what my foot did to make me break 2 bones in my leg, though that was from standing still in figure skates). That is a whole different topic.

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

Here is my dumb question. Why don't you have bunion surgery?

Bunion surgery isn't usually recommended unless the bunions are really preventing you from living your life. The surgery isn't foolproof, and I understand it may impact foot mobility, which would be an issue for a dancer or skater. My doctor, for example, said she recommends it only as a last resort, after all other treatments have failed, when quality of life is really impacted by the bunion.

 

[treesprite]

I think custom boot makers might suffer slightly if all the skaters started having their bunions removed. Skate guy told me the bunion is the reason my boots were as expensive as they were.

 

[treesprite]

It took a few weeks to get a response. Skate guy, the former Olympic skate tech, told me that boot maker , the current Olympic skate tech, said he would probably have to totally re-make the boots to fix the problem in the toe boxes.

It took so long to get an answer, that by the time I did, the excess material compressed enough that it isn't enough of a problem for me to go through the ordeal of making the skates again, given all I have already had to go through to get them to fit correctly.

Now I need to figure out how to soften the tongues. They are so stiff that I can't bend. If anyone knows a way to do it, please tell me.

 

[aliceanne]

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