Anyone use Graf Edmonton specials?

[JDC1]

I am still in search of my next boot. I have considerd and for the moment rejected SP Teri's and am still considering Klingbeils. However, I recently filled out this form with a tracing of my feet and all these measurements and sent them off to a website and they recommended Graf Edmonton specials because they were very light and had extra padding in the heel which should keep my heel from sliding. So just curious if there are any testimonials, did/do you like them? What kind of a foot do you have? I may, this week-end, go try on a pair since the Ashburn Ice House is an authorized retailer and they are not that far from me.

[kar5162]

I have them and love them. I will definitely be getting anther pair when these break down. They are very light and were easy to break in. My feet: medium to wide forefoot, narrow heel. My skates to date - Jackson Artiste 5.5B - good fit and comfortable, Reidell Silver Star 6A - horrible and they broke down really fast, SP Teri Super Deluxe 5.5B/A - pretty good, but not the best...too stiff at first so it was hard to bend and then they broke down somewhat oddly, I think because they weren't quite right for me.

Kim

[JDC1]

Your foot sounds kinda like mine, how bout your arch? I have a really low arch. My instincts tell me the SP Teris would hurt my bony ankles far too much, I could barely stand in them.

[kar5162]

My arches are fairly high. Edmuntons will probably feel nice on your ankle - they have a lot of padding on the inside and have sort of ankle pockets. Plus of course, they're heat moldable so the inside should conform to your foot. The hardest part is finding one that's the right length and width all the way around. If you have very skinny ankles and calves I'm not sure they'll work - the top of the boot is cut bigger than my Reidells and SP Teris - good for me, but maybe not for people with skinny calves.

[JDC1]

I don't know, my calves are muscular, very defined, but not really big and not scrawny either.

[Michigansk8er]

I had Edmonton Specials and am now in custom SPTeri's. Huge mistake. I've had them punched, and punched, and put in the oven.....and skated in them for months now, and they are still killing my feet. I have bones I didn't know I had. I didn't have a bit of problem with the Grafs (or Harlick or Klingbeil as far as pain.......they were just too wide in the heel) and should have stayed put. They do break down fast, however. I had mine pretty much trashed in 10 months.

[skatingbeauty]

Well I currently have the Graf Edmonton Special and I love it.I don't think it matters what kind of feet you have because it's moldable.So I'm sure it will be comfortable.But do specify the width of foot whether it's normal,large,or narrow for the forefoot.The only problem I have the boots is the price.And I say that for all boots as well.Wheew!!

[Isabelle]

I have them and I love them!! I had mine cut down though because I'm a dancer. I don't know what kind of feet I have, but apparently my right one is smaller than my left... :? (at least, that's what the guy who fitted me for my skates said)

[singerskates]

I have Graf Edmomton Specials. Ah.....................! I have wide balled feet and narrow heels. The heat moldability is great. I had to adjust the foot bed to match my orthotics though. I couldn't use my orthotics in them because my orthotics were made for my former skate boots, Jackson Competitors. My skate boots are doing fine so far. I've had them now for a year and two months, skating between 3 and 4 days mostly. However, I was only doing up to a single loop and flip for jumps. If you're going to be doing high doubles and triples, do get the extra stiff model. They still will be much easier to break in than SP Teri's and will still fit your feet like a glove.

[Lee]

Brat daughter has been in the same pair of Edmonton Specials for 2 years and loves them. She skated in 3 events in an interclub a week after getting them and didn't have a single blister.

FWIW, she's been working 2-axels and triples, as well as the Austrian Waltz in them...no problems...

[JDC1]

Excellent testimonials thanks. Well, I am 37 years old (soon to be 38) and working on singles and spinning and if I get to doubles I'll be shocked so I think the Graf Edmonton Specials will do just fine.!! Now all I have to do is get my boyfriend to order them, their my birthday present. :-)

[NYSk8Fan]

If these are molded to your feet, do you have to go to a special store to get them and have them fitted?

[dbny]

Originally posted by NYSk8Fan
If these are molded to your feet, do you have to go to a special store to get them and have them fitted?

Yes, the pro shop that sells them should have the special oven to heat treat them for the molding process.

[Mrs Redboots]

Originally posted by dbny
Yes, the pro shop that sells them should have the special oven to heat treat them for the molding process. You don't need a special oven - they do just as well in a domestic one. We were told a fan oven - convection oven? - was ideal, and told what temperature to heat them at, and for how long (I can't actually remember what we were told), but in fact our gas oven (at the correct temperature and timings) was fine.

[Lee]

Oven? What oven?

I have no idea why, but BD's skates weren't heated at the skate shop -- and yes, it was a 'professional' skate shop, with a pro fitting her. It appears that just the 'heat' from her feet molded her skates for her...

[Tania]

This "science" is too weird. Not only were my daughter's Graf Galaxies heated in an oven first but, after they were laced up, she stepped into these two giant silver cubes which air-pressed the skate around her feet. LOL... The skates are still going strong after 15 months.

I can't believe she had another (last I hope) growth spurt but, they were able to stretch them out another 1/2 size.

[LAdili99]

I am seriously getting a pair of Edmontons. Since I am from faraway land, I dont think that heat -oven custom fitting will benefit me.

My concern however is the issue of quality. I heard that the Canadian made are not as durable as the Swiss made? How true is this? Where did everyone order their pair of Edmontons?

I am worried about the width-heel-ball issue too. Most of the shop I asked gave me/recommended varying sizes. Now I am confused. Can anyone tell /recommend which shop to buy these boots? The shop which can help determine the best fit for skaters ordering on-line?

Thanks in advance.

[MusicSkateFan]

Well,
I was told by two different salesmen that my foot was probably shaped for a Graf. I originally tried on three or four brands and the Grafs had the best fit. Jacksons were close but felt as if they were too loose in the heel.

My first Grafs lasted for over two years but had them re-built back in May. (Bad situation with the shop I dealt with ..dont want to talk about it!)

I got my new Grafs about thee weeks before Halloween Classic and decided not to skate in them until after competition.

Been in the new Grafs for a little over two weeks now. (I skate 5 times a week) Sunday(yesterday) was the first 90 minute session I skated in them.

The new Edmontons are cut down from before and have the soft leather at the back of the boot with a different seem configuration. This is taking some getting used to. These new ones feel VERY stiff to me but they are getting better each time I use them. I also have a slightly different mounting than my old ones. I think now that my old mounting was a bit off because now my right foot has an easier time on inside edges than before.

This newer design is supposed to stop some of the splitting problems that the grafs have had(my old ones split on the back of the boot right next to the seem). They still are one of the most expensive boots out there . As a guy, we dont have much choice in the matter. Most mens boots are only made in the top of the line models, or beginner. Not much "between"

[SkatingOnClouds]

Not only were my daughter's Graf Galaxies heated in an oven first but, after they were laced up, she stepped into these two giant silver cubes which air-pressed the skate around her feet.

Wow, I have never heard of this. Has anyone else come across it? Must be a pretty hi-tech pro shop.

[Lenny2]

This is how my skater's Graf F-4000s were heat molded also--on her feet, laced up, in a machine. Our shop is not high-tech--mostly handles hockey skates, which are also heat moldable.

Also, I have always heard that the Swiss-made Grafs hold up better, which is one of the reasons she has been in the F-4000 model, with great success. They have held up great--each pair at least a year until she has outgrown them.

[Sessy]

For me it's the opposite, I'd rather have opted for Jackson, but those weren't available in my country in the strength I needed after the ankle injury (and ordering skates without ever fitting them, eh, no thanks).

I'm quite happy with my graf edmontons (which does say "special" under the edmonton part on the skates tongues) except I need to use bunga pads for the little bones *under* my ankle bones, which apparently nobody else has... Heat molding didn't help with that at all. Denting helped out some and had to be done like a dozen times, but it didn't entirely solve the problem. Edmontons are a tough cookie to dent out apparently.

I'm amazed, my foot doesn't slip in the boot like it did in the risports, so my edges don't collapse on me, and I don't have to re-tie my skates five times in a practice before I finally can skate on them.

I wouldn't really call them light, but maybe that's because I used to be in risport etoiles, a very weak skate, very light for that reason too. Obviously the much harder grafs are bulkier.

My skates were molded at the shop, I *think* he said it was at 60 centigrade.
My ankle bones didn't hurt at all from day 1, I did have blisters at first though (and I do keep putting sports tape at the back side of my shins to avoid some residual irritation from the edge of the skate) but that was for 2 weeks tops and after that I could do shoot the ducks and stuff. And remember I wasn't jumping while breaking them in, since I can't jump because of injury atm so I'd say that's not long to break skates in.

It took me a while to find a way of lacing that didn't hurt my toes, mainly because I was so used to having to tie my laces extremely tight not to slip in my risports.
I'd rather have had a less defined arch in the skates, considering my flat feet, but it's not a problem.
I really love the padding around the achilles and the tongue padding.

Btw I have the swiss-made ones, in case that makes any difference.
The one thing that did hurt was my wallet after buying them. 425 euro, owwie. Mom's car is cheaper.

[blackmanskating]

My little brother uses Graf Edmonton Specials. They fit him well but in his case they typically have to be rebuilt after 10 months. So I guess there is a drawback to them being light weight. Now that he's on tour with Disney's High School Musical, he had them rebuilt after only 4 months on tour!!! I couldn't believe he broke them down that quickly! He's really tough on boots though. My suggestion would be try whichever brand fits you the best. Heat Molding is a life saver!! They may not last as long as other boots makers. I wouldn't care though as long as they fit me well. I'm a Jackson boot kinda guy.


BlackManSkating

[gingerskate]

increasing number of skaters are talking baout Swiss-made Graf. Should I go for a new pair of SP Super-teri or Graf Edmonton? Or any oethr better choices, am doing doubles and hope to try some triples.