Are more expensive skates worth it ?

[MaxVerstappen33]

I am a casual skater who goes to rinks weekly/monthly and skates for exercise and fun. 

 

I've had these basic CCM skates since 2009. I bought them from Walmart brand new. They are still good shape. No rust.  I was thinking of just getting some new ones. Just because they are old. But I really don't need to.

 

I don't mind spending $ on things that I use a lot. So the question is , is it worth it ? 

 

Does a $250 pair of skates feel better on feet than a $120 pair ? Are they easier to tie up ? Whats the positives about more expensive skates ?

 

 

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

I got top-tier skates from a smuggler many years back.  They just feel nicer and lighter.  Probably cost around 800 bucks in-store.  I would never pay full price for something like that unless it involved safety (ie. a good helmet).  For you, just get whatever feels comfortable.  You're not playing hockey after all, so speed and agility don't matter at all.

 

So yeah.  Put your money into a good helmet, not skates.  Applies to any sport.

[taxi]

Yes. Up to a point. I got a top pair of skates (retail price was like $800) for $300. This was about 6 years ago. They made a huge difference. The new materials are just better. They fit better, they are lighter, the edges seem better etc...There was a huge leap forward in tech about 10 years ago, with new materials, but not a whole lot has changed since then.

 

For what you're doing, a mid-range skate will make a huge difference. Your technique will get better, you'll be faster, and your exercising will get better.

 

I'd look for a well rated skate in the $450-500ish range, that is on sale for $250. If you're buying skates within the last 10 years, the tech hasn't changed all that much, so something that is 2-3 years old and on a huge discount is the way to go.

[brilac]

I have a pair of skates I paid I think $70 for. I am a casual skater and have not got out much since the pandemic. They work great for what I am going for. 

[Ghostsof1915]

I think law enforcement and border services would be concerned about a lawyer saying he got skates from a smuggler.....

 

 

[MaxVerstappen33]

51 minutes ago, taxi said:

Yes. Up to a point. I got a top pair of skates (retail price was like $800) for $300. This was about 6 years ago. They made a huge difference. The new materials are just better. They fit better, they are lighter, the edges seem better etc...There was a huge leap forward in tech about 10 years ago, with new materials, but not a whole lot has changed since then.

 

For what you're doing, a mid-range skate will make a huge difference. Your technique will get better, you'll be faster, and your exercising will get better.

 

I'd look for a well rated skate in the $450-500ish range, that is on sale for $250. If you're buying skates within the last 10 years, the tech hasn't changed all that much, so something that is 2-3 years old and on a huge discount is the way to go.

Mine were the cheaper ones from 2009 too so yeah we. You're probably right. 

 

I do skate pretty hard. And I'm sometimes I'm out there for hours. Especially if I'm inEdmonton with the frozen outdoor ponds and streams 

 

 

[brownky]

Important to note: Quality dictates quality, not price. Lots of expensive *garbage* out there (not just in hockey land). 

 

"You get what you pay for" to a degree most of the time though - but consider that for 'gear', only your blades 'touch the ice' - like tires on a car - it's worth it to step up.

 

Lighter and better quality materials make a world of difference - if you have 'great' skates and then go 'put on rentals' or other crap ones, you'll notice how heavy your feet are in the crap ones. You'll likely have a better quality fit, more ankle/foot support, and potentially better glide out of the steel post-sharpen.

 

If you skate a lot, and have had the same ones for almost 15 years, I would say go for some higher end skates. Try to see if there's any last-ditch "summer" disposal sales of good gear from last year, you can do pretty well sometimes.

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

58 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

I think law enforcement and border services would be concerned about a lawyer saying he got skates from a smuggler.....

 

My competition is Sual Goodman

[Chronic.Canuck]

Depends on how new your cheap skates are - brand new ones can be significantly lighter, more comfortable, offer better ankle support when properly baked and molded to your feet. I upgraded recently and found a noticeable difference in speed and agility.

 

Think about how often you'll use them - it sounds like you are going 20+ times a year, so if it upgrades the quality of your skating time then it's probably worth at least a couple hundred bucks.

 

Make sure you try a few different brands on if you do choose to upgrade, and from experience you will always have a better time going to a specialized shop like Cyclone Taylors rather than Sportchek if you need sales advice. If you know what you want and buy from Sportchek, take it to Cyclone and let them sharpen and bake it for you

[D.B Cooper]

Do they still make CCM Tacks?  
If so, get those.  They were great 25 years ago.  
Also, if you can pick up a couple of Sherwood Coffey or Bourque wood sticks, you are good to win scoring titles from the blue line. 

[Curmudgeon]

It is all about comfort and fit. This sort of reminds me of back in the 1970's when the big question was: Does a $2000 stereo system sound that much better than a $1000 system? The answer was always, if you like what you hear, it's worth it, but most often the actual acoustic difference between the two systems was virtually imperceptible to the human ear. Same deal with skates. More expensive skates will not make you a measurably better skater.

[hammertime]

It really depends. Honestly for pure comfort I love my old Tacks. If I'm playing some pickup shinny I'll wear something I can take a puck off the ankle and still go to work tomorrow. 

 

More expensive this day and age usually means more protection not often more comfortable.

[McBackup]

I got top of the line skates in high school as a gift and they are significantly better. They are more comfortable and really do feel more like an extension of your foot than other skates. Plus if you don't abuse them they should last decades, you can get the blades replaced whenever you need to.

 

That said, it depends on whats "worth it" to you. Everybody has different priorities. At the end of the day a skate is a skate and we aren't in the NHL so if your walmart skates are getting the job done there is nothing wrong with them.

Edited July 19, 2023 by McBackup

[Mando27]

Honestly if your just skating casually I don't see the need to get top of the line equipment. Sounds like your skates work fine for what you need.

[MaxVerstappen33]

3 minutes ago, Mando27 said:

Honestly if your just skating casually I don't see the need to get top of the line equipment. Sounds like your skates work fine for what you need.

I am not considering anything top of the line. But something a tier above the cheapest. 

[Mando27]

27 minutes ago, MaxVerstappen33 said:

I am not considering anything top of the line. But something a tier above the cheapest. 

That's fair, maybe check one of those trade in stores? Haven't been to one myself but they might have an upgrade for you.

[McBackup]

3 hours ago, MaxVerstappen33 said:

I am not considering anything top of the line. But something a tier above the cheapest. 

Think of it like any other purchase. I don't buy designer clothes, but I also don't buy clothes from Superstore or Walmart because I find them uncomfortable, don't like the fit, and they don't last very long. I've found a sweet spot where the quality of the item and the price I'm willing to pay are in equilibrium. Another person might find a 5 dollar walmart shirt perfectly acceptable and anything above it is a ripoff, and somebody else might view anything that isn't Gucci or whatever as terrible quality. Value is subjective to you.

 

How much are you skating? Do you plan on playing actual hockey games with them? Are your current skates uncomfortable, etc. $250 is a decent chunk of change to part with, but in the grand scheme of things is not very expensive as far as skates go. Weigh that against how much more comfortable they are than your current skates. It may or not be worth it. Everyone's feet are different and comfort is subjective as well.

 

Also as an aside, just because skates are more expensive does not mean they're going to be better for you. I remember one time when my feet got too big for my old skates, and my parents bought me a 400 dollar pair of new ones. They were a decent, mid-range pair, there was absolutely nothing wrong with them, at least as far as I could tell. But no matter what I did, they absolutely killed my feet to play in. I tried multiple insoles, got them baked on my feet multiple times, but nothing worked. I ended up having to get an entirely new pair. At the end of the day they weren't right for my feet. I even went back to my old pair that were too small, because it hurt my feet less. Just because they were newer and more expensive, does not mean they were better for me.

 

You could also try getting a fairly gently used pair, replacing the insoles and getting those baked to your feet. You might be able to find an even nicer pair then you'd normally get for less than you were originally going to pay. 

Edited July 19, 2023 by McBackup

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

1 hour ago, MaxVerstappen33 said:

I am not considering anything top of the line. But something a tier above the cheapest. 

Again, because you are simply doing casual public skates, comfort should be the only thing that matters.  You're skating in giant circles.  No stopping, no turning, probably going only one direction the whole time.  Agility and speed don't mean a thing.  Comfort and only comfort.  Try a bunch on at a store.

[icycold]

8 hours ago, MaxVerstappen33 said:

I am a casual skater who goes to rinks weekly/monthly and skates for exercise and fun. 

 

I've had these basic CCM skates since 2009. I bought them from Walmart brand new. They are still good shape. No rust.  I was thinking of just getting some new ones. Just because they are old. But I really don't need to.

 

I don't mind spending $ on things that I use a lot. So the question is , is it worth it ? 

 

Does a $250 pair of skates feel better on feet than a $120 pair ? Are they easier to tie up ? Whats the positives about more expensive skates ?

 

 

It made a huge difference for me but I had a pair of bauer custom supremes which were fine but I tried my buddies super tacks and the difference was night and day, that was a LONG time ago and haven't been on skates for years to know what the differences are today but I played a game with my buddies and my skating was better and a lot more comfortable, going back to mine, wow super noticable drop down. Needless to say I was a bit jealous but at 16 I couldn't afford better but I had fun anyway. 

[jatylo]

I think it would be sufficient to go for a mid line skate  that you find comfortable to be honest. They may only be a few grams heavier but save $200-300. They are also not as stiff which can be a preference.

 

I may have bought Toffoli's skates from a certain rival team's s locker room sale. The only difference that I found is that they feel lighter than my skates from 10 years ago and I can lean into the skate much more during games.