Quest for the lightest skate

[corkrebels96]

Hey everybody,

I want to find the lightest skate, whether its factory made or a chopped skate. I think the lightest factory skate i've felt was the nike quest 1, but its just so hard to get that skate anymore. I wonder if it would be good to get a real light chassis(maybe the redstar alloy....anyone heard anything about this) and a light boot like the quest 1 or a light ice boot and put those together.
What do you guys think???

Cheers
Dave.

[Colby39]

I think that the best way to do that would probably be to put the Vapor XX boot on the Red Star Alloy Chassis, but much more important than skate weight is comfort and fit, cuz a couple ounces won't help you if your feet hurt or there is extra room in the skate. There's a reason I use CCM Externos, and it isn't their incredible lite weight or their incredible performance; their boot fit me the best of all the roller hockey boots out at that time, so please look for fit first.

Lemieux fan 4 life

[MiraclePlayer4]

I have a freind with a Vapor XX boot with a Red Star Alloy boot and it is really light. But you should look for a boot that fits your style and you like not just because you like it. Weight doesnt really make a huge difference unless your using a skate from like 1980

[corkrebels96]

I had the CCM Mavericks last year but i broke the struts on the back of the chassis. I'm using Mission D1's at the moment but i had no choice but to buy quickly off the internet for a tournament the next week, and alas they are a little too big. I really wanted to get the quest 1's but no one has em.

[-venom-]

ewww..... nike skates.


I've got '03 mission pureflys mounted on inline chassis... i love em.

[sghcky13]

I have G-80's and they are certainly not light, but they perform fine. Had missions for a while but they hurt my feet. I agree with wrx....don't like nike that much...

[RatmVSi]

The Red star Alloy is definately the way to go. I don't know anyone that has had any problems with it. I've had mine for a few months and they are great.

[MDE3]

To all those who have a bias against Nike skates..we used to as well since we tried an ice skate years ago where the blade assemblies were mounted crooked and my son could not even skate on them....And since then he has been almost exclusively on Graf conversions, except for one set of Nexed Stingers back in 2000. He even still likes the Nexed chassis almost more than any other he has used.

But..as for weight and comfort..the Nike HiHo's are first for him in comfort..most comfortable skate he has ever worn, and as light as anything he has used, which inludes Graf 704's(at the time the lightest boot in ice hockey) with a Labeda Sensor which we had at one time, and the Nexed Stingers which were the lightweight leader in their day. Certainly any of the Bauer Vapor X - XX series would likely be similar to this boot as well as they are basically the same, except for the vents. Cannot speak for the newer Mission skates as we stopped using them for durability reasons back in about 1998.

As for durability.... we consider durability to be measured in months, not years, as it depends on how hard on your skates you are. If the soles do not separate from the boots, if the eyelets to not rip out, if the calf protector does not fall off or rip off, if the rivets or bolts do not pull through the sole...we consider this durable.....but still rarely get more than a full year out of the skate.

[nayrbs]

Best Skates for durability, weight, appearance, performance are Bauer Vapor XX's with Labeda Sensor. Hands down the best skate possible.

[MDE3]

Well since the HiHo's are built on the same last as the Vapor 12's ..you might be right....I cannot speak much about durability(of the Nike Hi HO's) as they only hit the market in November/December.

However to catagorically say the "best ever" of any skate/chassis combination may be a little over enthusiastic.....Could be of course, but until you have had the chance to skate "in battle" on all the possible combinations or done a wide survey on those who have, I would be a little more cautious in my answer.

I assume that your claim means "better than the new "Beemers" from Tour, better than the special conversions to 72/68 from Justin over at Mission, better than the Nexed chassis fixed to a variety of boots, better than any of the new Missions with 4 or 5 different chassis combinations possible. ....etc. etc.

My only point is for you to claim that the Vapor XX/Labeda Sensor combination is the best YOU have ever tried......as many feel the same way about combinations they have discovered, or even the OEM products right out of the box.

[DannyG]

Has anybody seen any industry charts on this???

Without actually having a number of models to weigh and compare, it's kinda hard to say, but I still hafta tell ya that size 9 Mission D-Limited I held in my hands at the Cooler last August was absolutely the lightest skate I have ever imagined, let alone actually felt...

Since light was what the Mission engineers were going for, I think they succeeded beyond all expectations.

If you haven't been able to compare the D-limited side-by-side with any of the other models mentioned here, I would find it hard for anybody to make an informed statement, but then I haven't personally had the ability to compare all the other brands mentioned either...

<font color=purple>DannyG</font color=purple>

[amursko]

You're only fooling yourself if you believe that the Vapor XX boot is the most durable on the market.

[corkrebels96]

When a friend of mine got the nike hi-ho's i thought the chassis was kinda chunkie lookin and pretty heavy.

[corkrebels96]

according to the staff at epuck.com the Mission D1c is the lightest inline skate on the market at the moment. This is probably true andI found the mission D1's quite nice except that it was really hard to get the laces tight around the ankle. I think they've changed the lacing system on the D1c's. Anybody else have problems like this?

[Rebecca]

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

nike quest 1

<hr></blockquote>

ok, here is my little addiction: At events, when I am bored, I go to the proshop and try on skates. In the past year I have tried on at least 3 different kinds per proshop at about 15 events. Thats a lot of skates and a lot of different companies! I agree completely on the Quests!

Rebecca

[MDE3]

Frankly depending on how quickly and much you perspire, the original weight of the skates may become a moot point...better to worry about comfort and feel on the floor when you skate....if the chassis feel right when you skate on them, then use them, if you have a chance to try something significantly better or different anyway..do it...one hi/lo 80/72 is pretty much the same as another except for the way the wheels attach and the strength of the chassis itself...If a chassis is built too light or of the wrong materials it will flex under load and dissipate some skating energy, too brittle and it will crack from a hard shot..to soft and it will bend from a hard shot. All of these things have happened with certain chassis over the years.

Best pick one of the proven chassis, a boot you know you like right away when you step into it, and get on with it...no matter how good the skate is..you still have to know how to use them..unless your feet are hurting you , or your chassis are breaking or bending, better to spend all this extra time practicing your skating technique instead of searching for the ultimate skate.

[corkrebels96]

True..... True

[Superstar9]

Nike Hi-ho's and the Tour Beemers are the 2 best feeling skates I worn, I love em both. Nike has gone all out this year.

Street

[Superstar9]

honeslty though, any of the top model skates (D-1c, hi-ho's, beemers, etc.) are so close in weight that it really isnt gonna make that big a difference... I still think the most important thing on the floor is grip... without grip your game is doomed. Same thing as the couple ounces were talking about in one-piece composit sticks... once its cut and then taped, those reported weights mean nothing, and more importantly, the puck is still gonna go in the net just the same by that "c" league usin a wooden sherwood, seen it a million times, people need to worry more about their "game" than the few ounces in the high-end equipment most people don't even buy. Unless your're a top-caliber player, you're wasting your money because you can't really benefit from the technology anyway. Just my opinion, everyone has one.

Street

[TeamBreakaway]

I would have to agree with those who have said that the Nike Hi-Ho Silvers are the best lightest skate. I have seen many skates and different manufacturer's skates and I will say that the Nike Hi-Ho skates are the only skates that I know you can take right out of the box and skate with them without the blisters. The gelpacks in the boot make the boot feel comfortable and unlike the older Nike rockers that had the high leather lip behind the ankle area these boots are cut just right length and again are extrememly light. I am very maticulious with equipment and have taken the time to look threw the boot and everyone that I have asked to try them have all siad that I was right about the fit of the boot and the weight.

[showtime89]

I just built a Bauer Vapor 10(last years model) with a Red star e-frame. I guess the Alloy's would be lighter, but maybe the new Vapor XX with a Red Star Alloy would be my guess. Also, the Vapors are as strong as tanks.

[Kman]

I recently purchased the D1C's in hopes the lacing system would be better than the previous D2's I have.
Other than the fact they are now using regular laces (not the rounded nylon type) it is basically the same. I have the same problem. I just cannot get them tight enough. So in my opinion, they do not provide proper ankle support.
Overall, these are somewhat of a disappointment.

[TeamTayberry]

Kman,

I had the same problem with my D-Limiteds. What I finally did to resolve this was have eyelets installed between the loops. This gives you four eyelets per side. That meant going to a shoe repair place and a local hockey shop. I was not getting enough hold down, and now I have plenty. The other thing I did before this was tape a piece of cardboard on the tongue. This allowed the laces to create more down force and helped. See if that will work before spending the money for new eyelets.