Buying used hockey skates

[wooohooo]

So for my new years resolution it's to play ice hockey at least a few times a month. I haven't skated in forever and I'm not a very good skater to begin with and I also don't think I'll play enough to pay $300+ for a new pair of skates. I'm looking at used skates since they're broken in already and a hell of a lot cheaper. Anyone know where to get used skates? I know there's a sportstraders in Crowfoot but I went there last night and they didn't have much stock left. I thought Sportschek used to carry used skates but I went to 3 locations and only saw a small rack of jr skates at the Cross Iron Mall location.

Anyone know where I can get some used skates? Or even newer decent skates for a good price? Since I don't intend to play a lot I don't want stiff skates, softer the better.

Thanks!

[alan21]

What size do you wear? I have a pair of Nike skates I have laying around after picking up a new pair. Still in very good condition. They're 9.5

[nickerjones]

Duh!!! Dailyhockeydeal.com =) ... But really , even though I own the site ,I would go to sportchek or hockey expert and try on skates and find what you like. There are so many different fits it aint funny. Also your feet will thank you for buying the right skates for yourself!

edit: If you need any help finding anything online give me a pm and I will try to help!

[Otto-matic]

Sportchek carries XXII skates for 150, sale ends on Monday.

I wear these skates and picked up another pair for backup as my older set is starting to break down.

Perfect skates IMO.

[Crazy Bacon Legs]

Honestly, it may not be the answer you're looking for, but my advice is don't buy used skates. They will be broken in, but for someone else's feet.

I learned to skate as an adult in a pair of skates that was effectively a size and a half too large for my feet, purely since I did not want to spend a bunch of money on new skates. When I got brand new, good quality skates a little while back, it was like a world of difference. Unfortunately, I also had to unlearn all the bad habits I got into through skating in a pair of skates that did not fit my feet. I still find myself bracing for wobbles that no longer exist when I hop on the ice.

If you're at all serious about rec hockey, spend the money now to get a good pair of skates. They definitely don't have to be top of the line by any means, but taking the time to go to a store where they know what they're doing (i.e. NOT Sport Chek), getting a proper fit and heat molding, is WELL worth the money, just for the headaches you'll save yourself. I know now that I would have been a far better player much more quickly if I had proper equipment from the start. Since I got my new skates, I went from the second or third slowest guy on my team to maybe the third or fourth fastest. Yes, it really made that much of a difference.

Best of luck, and playing more hockey is a great new year's resolution!

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by alan21

What size do you wear? I have a pair of Nike skates I have laying around after picking up a new pair. Still in very good condition. They're 9.5

9.5 Skates? Thanks for the offer but I'm about a size 8 in skates.

Originally Posted by nickerjones

Duh!!! Dailyhockeydeal.com =) ... But really , even though I own the site ,I would go to sportchek or hockey expert and try on skates and find what you like. There are so many different fits it aint funny. Also your feet will thank you for buying the right skates for yourself!

edit: If you need any help finding anything online give me a pm and I will try to help!

Very true, I could probably look for a skate in store then buy it online. But I do want it baked. Thanks though!

Originally Posted by Otto-matic

Sportchek carries XXII skates for 150, sale ends on Monday.

I wear these skates and picked up another pair for backup as my older set is starting to break down.

Perfect skates IMO.

I'll definitely look into these

Originally Posted by Crazy Bacon Legs

Honestly, it may not be the answer you're looking for, but my advice is don't buy used skates. They will be broken in, but for someone else's feet.

I learned to skate as an adult in a pair of skates that was effectively a size and a half too large for my feet, purely since I did not want to spend a bunch of money on new skates. When I got brand new, good quality skates a little while back, it was like a world of difference. Unfortunately, I also had to unlearn all the bad habits I got into through skating in a pair of skates that did not fit my feet. I still find myself bracing for wobbles that no longer exist when I hop on the ice.

If you're at all serious about rec hockey, spend the money now to get a good pair of skates. They definitely don't have to be top of the line by any means, but taking the time to go to a store where they know what they're doing (i.e. NOT Sport Chek), getting a proper fit and heat molding, is WELL worth the money, just for the headaches you'll save yourself. I know now that I would have been a far better player much more quickly if I had proper equipment from the start. Since I got my new skates, I went from the second or third slowest guy on my team to maybe the third or fourth fastest. Yes, it really made that much of a difference.

Best of luck, and playing more hockey is a great new year's resolution!

I suppose that's true, I heard that it's better to get mid level skates since they're softer and break in time is easier than pros. Can anyone confirm that? I'm not sure how much I should spend on skates/which ones. I have pretty narrow feet as I also heard brands differ in this regards.

[Northendzone]

wow you were in crofoot and cross iron yesterday - might just be cheaper to quit driving all over and buy new skates........i'd bust out the yellow pages and look up used sports gear - there is a sport swap in shawnessy.........given that you are looking for used wheels, it is not so much about the store, but finding something that is gentlely used.....

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

wow you were in crofoot and cross iron yesterday - might just be cheaper to quit driving all over and buy new skates........i'd bust out the yellow pages and look up used sports gear - there is a sport swap in shawnessy.........given that you are looking for used wheels, it is not so much about the store, but finding something that is gentlely used.....

Well my parents live in Edgemont and my sister lives in Panorama and I cycle between the houses frequently so it's pretty easy to go to both places.

Shawnessy might be too far though, I don't know if I'd drive across the city though. But yeah, I'm starting to lean towards new skates.

[wooohooo]

How easy is it to break in skates and how tight should they be? I know tighter is better, but my last skates my toes would touch the edge of the skate. Is that too tight?

[pope04]

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/f-hockey-sk...earchFormZtrue

[Nufy]

I was looking for another pair of used skate before Xmas.

I tried play it again sports in Shawnessy but couldn't find anything that would fit. Anything that would fit was 3-4 hundred dollars for used.

On a whim i tried Pro Hockey life on 130 th.

Turns out I was looking for a skate 2 sizes too big and too narrow for my feet.

I got a new pair of reebok 4's I think for 150.00

Sales guy was great. Measured my feet and pointed me to the proper style.

Than after I selected a pair he heated them and had me put them on in the store so they would mold to my feet. A punch out here & there and I was ready to go.

For the amount of skating I do 150 was a little more than I wanted to spend but I am glad I did.

My suggestion is give em a try before you buy used...

[Reggie Dunlop]

I once bought a used pair of skates from Play It Again Sports and they were great. But like others say, it's probably a hit or miss proposition.

[jhunt223]

I tried to get into some shinney last year on a pair of used skates and the pain just never went away. It got to the point that i just stopped going all together even though i really wanted to get back into hocke. About four days ago i went and got a pair of Bauer Vapor X60s for $400 ( i think i got a bit of a deal ) and i've skated 3-4 hours every day since i got them. Theres still a little bit of pain i guess, but in comparison to the old used grafs i had it feels like im skating on clouds.

Id advise my friends to go for a new pair and spend a little bit more. They should last you for quite some time if you're not going all that often.

[wooohooo]

So I went to Sportschek looking at the XXII, but they didn't feel right. Tried a bunch of skates, reebok 4K, 5K, Missions, and bauers. I was going to get the Missions but the skate was pretty tight but the guy said baking them in would break them in better. However, I tried on the Easton Synergy 900's and they felt pretty good. Got them for $130, anyone know anything about these skates?

[Northendzone]

in the past easton used to have some quality issues - however $130 is not a lot of money.

mission skates fit narrow.

i am a recent graf convert - they were so comfy right out of the box - my prior skates were reebok's.

[GrrlGoalie33]

I'm going to hop on the "buy new" bandwagon. These days skates are made to be heat molded to your foot, so buying used isn't going to do you any good.

Also, there are so many variables in skates and each manufacturer (except for Graf) makes a lower-end skate that you can get for pretty cheap. My advice would be to atleast start looking at places that have knowledgeable staff such as Pro Skate, Tuxedo Source for Sports etc. as they can really get the ball rolling for you.

[Northendzone]

as an aside - buying skates is the hardest decison you will make equipment wise. take your time and go shopping with an open mind. when i bought my grafs, i was hot to buy a new pair of rebook's but once i slipped my foot into the graf's that was it.....p.s. i am not suggesting that graf's are the right skate for you

[Otto-matic]

I find the XXII more stiff compared to other skates, the break in period for my old set was a little longer then my first set of eastons. I need to make a trip down to Hockey Experts and get them properly sharpened. Sorry to side track but does anyone have a good radius I can try?


Good find though!

[wooohooo]

I did end up buying new skates but I took them out today and they were pretty good until about 30 minutes in I have pain in the upper front part of my arch. Is that normal? Or is my form just that bad? Would gel soles work the stuff you put in shoes?

[nickerjones]

Get Superfeet ( the yellow ones bc they are for skates) Of course your feet are going to be sore if your not use to skating. I had some arch pain in my skates and I found it was because I laced them up to tightly . I started lacing them loose until the top 3 or 4 eyelets , from there I laced them tightly. It seemed to work for me.