I have a skater who has feet that are 1/2 size different. She is looking to get new - used skates. If she gets a size 4 her left will be squished, but her right foot will fit just fine. If she gets a 4.5 her left foot will fit, but her right foot will have too much room. Besides buying custom skates, which are out of her proce range right now, what should she do?

You could try one of two things. You could buy the smaller size and get the boot for the larger foot punched out in the toe box to give the additional room needed. Or you could buy the larger pair and also purchase a pair of growth insoles to help to take up some of the extra room.

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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 don't think half a size difference is unusual. In any normal shoes but skates, she wouldn't notice the difference.

I think with the first option, the punch will keep coming undone as the leather gradually returns to original shape. So unless you punch them yourself, or she does, this could require a lot of visits to the shop.

you could replace the insole for the larger foot with something cut to the same outline, but very thin, or with nothing at all (maybe tape over the threads, so they don't leave marks on her feet).

What are growth insoles? I guess you mean adding in something cut to the same outline, or replacing with one thicker, or just tape the insole bottom to thicken it.

Whether you start with a small pair and make thinner insoles (or none), or start large, and make thicker ones, the best part of using tape to alter fit is that she can make it fit exactly as she wants, all over her feet, so it feels snug but comfortable everywhere, and skating leaves no marks or pain on her feet. Also easy to adjust left/right and forward/rear balance. Tape is the true magic.

If she is still growing, I would start large, and redo when needed.

Are the adjustable size skates Reidell makes too expensive?

I have nothing useful to add- but hopefully one of the suggestions above will allow her to modify existing boots. I knew many dancers who had to buy two pairs of shoes to accomodate their feet- and toss the extra shoe, essentially. But jazz and tap shoes don't have the price of skates. (Except pointe shoes- which can be worn on either feet. Then they always had a backup pair!)

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Growth insoles are thicker than the normal insoles in a skate that are bought from the manufacturer ($20 from Harlick for Harlick skates) which help with skates for young kids who tend to outgrow skates quickly...

Buying them directly from the company ensures that you have the right shape/thickness...

Contact your skate fitter to ask them what they think...

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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

Make sure you have a good fitter and let them make the decision. My son and I both have the same problem--luckily, hockey skates are heat moldable to the point where they will resolve the size problem--so his feet are okay but mine are really a mess from wearing skates that don't fit. Even with custom skates I've still had issues with painful calluses, so even if you were willing to put out the money for custom skates there could still be problems. (you know the picture of the Harlick skate that looks like a slipper? NOT!).

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

Thank you for all the replies. I am a coach so the skater is actually my student. I told her mother that the 4 would be the better way to go, and to see if they can stretch the left foot, since the right foot fit just fine. I also told her to take the insert out of the skate and have the skater stand on it to see just how small the left skate was, since the fitter apparently didn't do this, duh! Anyway, the skater's toe ended up not being over the insert on the left foot so the fitter is going to punch out the left skate and the size 4 will hopefully work just fine, until she grows and needs a new pair of skates again .