I hate to post asking about boots, but oh well. So I'm looking for a new pair of boots, as my Klingbeils just aren't working right for me. They're too stiff (I got the "very stiff" boots), the tongues slip, and they're a little too narrow. I know I could send them to Don for adjustments, but I'm really busy with my skating, testing and (hopefully) competing, and don't have time to send them back to New York (I live in California).

I think I'm going to go back to Harlicks. I'm hoping to fit in a pair of stocks, but may go custom again (my last Harlicks were custom). My last pair were high-tester strength, but I weighed much less and wasn't as strong a skater or jumped. Right now I have all of my doubles except double axel. I'm working on the double axel and low triples. My weight fluctuates, but is usually around the 115-120 pound range. Do you guys think I should go for finalist strength? I have pretty big jumps (or so I've been told). You can take a look at my youtube videos (link in sig) to see, but those jumps are probably slightly smaller than usual.

Anyways, like I said, Hi-Tester of Finalist?

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Youtube Videos

I have a pair of finalists and they took me about 3 weeks to fully break in...I was jumping after about the 2nd time I had worn them..I weigh right around 170 (losing more every day!), I jump big (but am only working on axel/double sal), I am also working on my novice moves...I also skate 5 days a week for 2 hours at a time...I am also very hard on my boots and I always have been...for me, I had also finalists before, so I knew what they were like...if you are questioning, I would actually say go for the lower strength then if you find that they break down quickly, you can get the finalists then...

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

I am sort of inclined to go for the lower strength because of the problems my too-strong boots caused. But at the same time, I'm worried about breaking them down too quickly (money is tight). If I get customs, I could get the double duo bond but in two piece construction. That should be between High-Tester and Finalist. Also, I am going to a really good fitter, so she should definitely be able to guide me.

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Youtube Videos

If they break down, a rebuild isn't that expensive at a good shoe repair guy.

I would recommend High Testers. Finalists seem like they'd be way to strong for your needs. Back in my 20s and early 30s, when I was still doing doubles, I wore High Testers, and they lasted me for seven years. Yes, seven! I had them rebuilt once -- I think I put in a new tongue at about year five and had the whole boot reinforced a little bit after that. At the time I was skating only about five hours a week, but even if you skate three times as much, that would still average out to the boot lasting more than two years.

When I got new boots, I got the Competitor Plus because I had to stop doing doubles. That was almost seven years ago, and I am still in the same pair! With no rebuilds, either. Harlicks are great boots. I actually am awaiting my custom Klingbeils, but if they don't work out, I am definitely going back to the Harlick stock boot.

My dd can be very hard on her skates....She received her first pair of Harlick's when she was around 9 years old - High Testers. She destroyed them. Then she moved up to Finalists when she was about 10 years old - did an axel in them within the first hour (which goes against break-in rules, I know - but hey she was 10!). She had all her Gold's at the time - so skated a lot - and that pair lasted about a year. Her next pair of Finalists broke down within a month and had to be returned to Harlick! So you never can tell! She moved on to Riedells because the Finalists were causing nerve damage where the tongue and boot meet - and while the lighter Riedells were a pleasant surprise after the heavy Harlick's - they have to be rebuilt frequently.

So you never know how long or how easy it will be for a specific skater to break in or break down -- boots.

Harlick makes lightweight boots as well. I got my second custom pair last May and they've held up great. (I'm 5'5, about 105 lbs. skating at the Novice freestyle, Gold dance level, and I passed my Senior MIF in 2005 [in regular weight Harlicks]).

The lightweight boot is actually a synthetic leather and the heel/bottom is made of a lightweight material, too. I can really feel a difference between my old regular weight Harlicks and the lightweights. I will never go back to a standard weight boot.

My first pair of custom Harlicks (I have to have customs because my feet are so narrow--AAAA front, AA heel) lasted me nearly 8 years. I only got new skates because the tongue was breaking down quite badly and the screws wouldn't stay in depsite numerous repairs (due to dry rotting).

I have to admit that I have the same boot but the mans boot and after 3 years, they have never truly broken and I have been carrying pair girls around, hence why I got the stronger boot and I weigh 13 stone so a combined weight of 21stone still hasn't had much effect on them plus I have big jumps with lots of ankle bend in them and still they are barely creased. My trainer always had custom harlick and think you are right and am tempted to switch to them. I struggle to get enough free ankle bend to actually do a decent sit spin. I will try first to get them adjusted but not sure how effective that will be