I thought I had made my decision which boots to get:
Purple SP Teri KT-2 custom made for my bunions.

But now I'm having doubts. Just abut every thread I read here about SP Teris says they are like concrete to break in. I don't want concrete, I want comfort and support.

Now my mind is again wandering towards investigating Gam custom made, or even back to the idea of Jackson hinged boots to get that extra knee bend.

Assuming one gets a custom fit and finishes off with some heat moulding, just how hard are the SP Teris to break in? How many hours of skating does it take? How comfortable do they get once they are broken in?

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

I think SP Teri's (or any other boot for that matter) are fine as long as you don't buy something that is too stiff for your level. One thing I highly recommend is to get a scallop or notch at the flex point. Even for freestyle boots, I would recommend at least one notch. It makes a huge difference when you can bend from the get go.

I just got new SP Teri custom dance boots with one scallop, with stiffness equivalent to their Super Teri. I did not find them to be too stiff.

Way back when, I bought stock Pro Teri, and then Super Teri, and was able to break them in just fine. My last pair was a pair of customs that was made for someone else. They were already broken in when I got them, and they are Super Teri Deluxe stiffness. Those would have been way too stiff for me, if I had gotten them new. As is, they are still pretty stiff and they're around 8 years old!

I also want to point out that I had bunions as well. They weren't too bad, but bad enough that I decided to have surgery. I also have very flat feet. I think SP-Teri worked well for me, both before and after the surgery.

I got custom SP teri's back in the late 90's as a graduation gift, and i can't remember them taking very long to break in at all. It was quite a change getting used to a new blade, but as for the actual boot, I just got the ankles punched out and they were always fine. I never got any blisters or anything. I think there's a certain foot type that fits an SP teri well, and not being one who really enjoys researching feet, I'm not sure what foot type that might be, but I have known people who have had some trouble with the boots no matter how long they have them and how broken in they are. They are usually folks with stock boots, though. It's just like some people prefer Nike's and some prefer Adidas or Saucony or something. I think that if you get a custom boot with the right stiffness, though, and not a stock boot you should be alright. That is the purpose of a custom, I guess... so it won't be that difficult to break in. Good luck.

I actually just started to break in my custom super teri deluxes last night. I need to get them punched out on the insides of my ankles, but otherwise they feel great. Get ready to do a lot of waltz jumps! I was able to lace them up 3 hooks, so it wasn't absolutely terrible, but it'll take a while to be able to get the proper knee bend that I had before. (Loops are impossible right now, LOL, no height whatsoever). They are pretty darn stiff, but another girl that I know said it only took her about 2 weeks in the deluxes. I think it depends on the skater though.

~Jess

EVERY boot requires breaking in, even the heat moldable Jacksons & Gams. The important thing to remember is that you have to get a boot that is right for your level. Are the SP Teri's like concrete? Yes, if you get a boot that is made for triple jumps when you haven't even gotten a single jump yet (this happened to me a long time ago because the boot fitter I went to didn't know any better & I ended up with Super Teri Deluxes!)! The concrete boots are made for skaters who NEED the extra support & they will break them in very quickly because they are putting the pounding on the boots in their daily practices.

And if you are an adult, there is the weight/height factor to consider too. My boot fitter fitted me last year for Jackson Elite Supreme 3500's (made for a skater starting on triples) since I am a very tall adult lady (5'9" or 1.75m) who has all my singles solid, working on axel. Plus, I do lots of very deep edges in my ice dance & field moves. He told me I put a lot of leverage in my boots because I am tall so this can break down boots faster. I have been just fine with these boots and they broke in fine for me.

Oh yeah, and I have really large bunions too so I know how you feel! They use the EXTRA LARGE punch on my boots and literally leave the punch on my boots overnight! It makes my boots look like there is an alien growing out the side, but man are they comfy after that! Don't worry, you can get around the bunion problem as long as you have the extra large MEGA punch!

Kristin

My Super Teri were real hard! When i first got them , i couldnt even walk in them. Didnt even think about skating in them. So i used those ankle pad and got my boot stretched ( some skater's moms told me to put a can of coke in the boot to stretch the ankle ) .And i could finially skate in them but with pain. At that time i was kidda skinny n so i think SP teri are stiff for skinny ppl? And i was only working on like one foot spin and walts jump.

But now i just love them , they are quite comfy to skate in . I mean AFTER break in!

If you skate regularly you won't have any problems with SP Terri's. They will last you a long time. I broke into mine after 4 days... It is stiff at the beginning of the session, but once you get moving everything will be ok for the rest of the session.

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Tim David's Website

SPTeris are "concrete boots", but I don't they're like concrete to break in. In fact, with the exception of the ankle bone area, my Teris (Deluxe--before heat-molding was available) were a dream right out of the gate. The ankle bone area refused to budge without punching out, unlike my previous Riedells, so that was a surprise, but once I got that done, the break-in wasn't any more difficult than any other boot.

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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

well my mom jsut got pro teri's recently and she hasnt broken them in yet. Given she rarely skates, mostly with me and just working on basic spins and waltz jumps. But I had a look at them and they do seem very stiff for a beginners boot. Definately not something I would have started out in.

Watch out with the KT2 since i think they really brought them out to replace the super deluxe which i don't think they sell anymore. I know people w/super deluxe's and trust me, those boots are as thick as your finger( and thats jsut the leather). i wear jacksons so don't really know, but it seems like they are rock hard, I have yet to see a pair of high end sp teris that have even beginning signs of a crease.

Just make sure you really need that stiffness...or it will probably be a nightmare. if you really do need them and fit your foot properly, you prolly wont have a problem

My SP Teri Dance boot is about the same weight and stiffness as the SuperTeri I think. I still find them "stiff" after a year, but mostly like Tim says, at the beginning of the session I can hardly bend and then everything is okay for the rest of the session.

The actual "break-in" was nothing -- a couple of punch-outs and a heat-molding -- they always felt comfortable, just stiff.

I would also agree about the KT-2 -- I think those are for an advanced skater doing triples!

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

The SP Teri KT-2's are much easier to break in than the Super Teri Deluxe. They have a notch in the lace area so you can bend your ankle, and they are cut lower in back so you can point your toes. They are also soft at the top so they don't dig into the lower part of your leg when you do things like spread eagles (where you are leaning against the boot). Those were the problems I remember having to deal with when breaking in my Super Teri Deluxe, and they did a good job of addressing them on the KT-2.

I was able to do single jumps in these after a few hours of skating, but I am still not lacing the top hook months later (and due to the new offset 2nd hook, I may never need to). Still, I didn't need to punch these out; heat molding was all I needed to make them fairly comfortable right away (and I always wear gel ankle sleeves, even after my boots are broken in). I am 5'5", just under 120 lbs, and doing axels and a couple of doubles. If you weigh less, or are not an aggressive skater, they will probably be a little harder for you to break in. They will also be harder to break in if you are used to skating in soft, broken down boots.

If anything, the KT-2's just tend to be a little stiff in the front of the boot, in the ball area, but as long as you keep them at room temperature, they should be comfortable after you heat mold them. If they do get cold and stiffen up in the front of the foot, they should soften up again after 15 minutes of skating because they are temperature sensitive (If they got cold and stiff, I would press the leather down in the toe area to soften it up a little as I got on the ice). So just make sure to get them heat molded, and you can always heat mold them again if they stiffen up.

I don't have access to "punching out". I have to heat mould myself, relying on my husband's commercial oven at work, or using a heat gun - very carefully. In what way does punching out differ from heat moulding?

Sounds like these boots could be ankle crushers, from all the comments about getting ankles punched out. My old Altamuras (an obselete Australian brand) had like steel strips running over the ankle bones, one of my ankle bones is still flattened from these boots, 20 years later. I ended up getting specially moulded ankle covers to spread the pressure somewhat, but the agony never stopped. This is not an experience I want to repeat.

I understand all the comments about getting boots for skating standard, however I am 5'6" or 166cm tall, I weigh over 200lbs or 96kg. I don't hop my single jumps, I attack them, especially the toe assisted jumps. I hope to be working on doubles and axels by the end of the year once I have all my singles working again. I am going to need a lot of support. I notice signs of break down in my Graf Galaxies after less than 6 months jumping in them (yes I know these are reknowned for fast break down).

So I figure I need boots designed to withstand doubles at least, perhaps triples even though I'll never do triples, just because of my weight and size.
Am I right to think this?

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

This is an interesting observationi and makes sense that they would be stiff when you first put them on, especially if they are coming from your icy cold car on a winter morning.

As far as the punch-out, I only needed them "punched" in the area of the big toe/ball of toe of one foot -- if my skate-guy didn't do it, I would have figured out a way to do it myself or taken them to a reputable cobbler or shoe-repair-person in my area.

Good luck with your new skates -- it's always a harrowing decision but it sounds like you are on the right track.

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

I have Super Teri Deluxe boots and I LOVE them. I really don't think breaking them in was that difficult. I was only doing single jumps at the time (and thanks to several injuries and surgeries that is all I am still doing lol). If I were to ever get new boots, I would go with SP Teri again without any doubts. I had Reidells before my SP Teris and tried on several different brands before going with the SP Teris, and the SP Teris just fit my feet so much better.

If you plan to skate like everyday then KT3 are good too.. Thats what I have right now and I am relieved that I don't have to get new skates for another 3 to 4 years

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Tim David's Website

Oh, they are 'rock-hard', but in a good way! It means that they're not too soft and flexible, and not going to break down far too soon.

My Teris don't have a crease either, but a crease is not necessarily a sure sign of being 'broken in'. A skate is broken in when it is comfortable to skate in. For me, once I got the ankles punched out, it only took a couple of weeks of skating to make them as comfortable as they needed to be. (I'm not competitive, so I didn't skate as much as other folks might.)

I will say, though, that I don't lace the top two hooks. However, I don't feel that I need to--the support is great without doing that. I may eventually lace up one more hook, but I don't foresee ever lacing that top hook. And I don't think the support is in any way compromised by not doing it. It's all personal preferences, really.

__________________
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

Well, "icy cold" being about 50 degrees here in southern California, but it's enough to make a difference, LOL!

Okay, based on this information, I think you will be very happy with KT-2's and should not go with a less supportive boot. Both of my 2 pairs of SP Teri Super Deluxe boots were "ankle crushers" and I had to get the ankles punched out (that means stretched out in a 1-2" radius by pressing a hard ball-shaped object into that spot on the boot overnight--done by a machine at my skate shop). BUT I did NOT have to punch out the ankles in my KT-2's because they are heat moldable, and also made to allow more flexibility in the ankle area (without sacrificing support). All I ended up needed was the heat molding. But I still wear gel ankle sleeves under them, just because I got so used to them that now my ankles are spoiled.