Mission Hockey Skates

[anml]

Howdy

I was just at CT and saw some Mission C4 XP Senior hockey skates for $89 ... supposedly down from $199.

I haven't owned skates in 15 years ... any idea of the quality of Mission skates. I can't get a true fit because they have to be heated up in a oven and molded to my feet.

I understand that Bauer bought them, mostly for there roller hockey division.

Any help would be great.

THanks

D

[CrazyJo82]

i was told the blades on mission skates are cut differently then the other brands. Mission skates are more |_____| (square-ish) where other skates are more \____/ (rounded) i can see the difference but cannot feel it. but then again, i was swearing a men size 7 bauer skate (WAY too big for me) before i bought a pair of mission boy size 5.5 that fitted me better.

i think you can heat mold mission skates but i never bothered with it.

[Arrgh]

Skates that can be heat molded used to cost a lot more. $400 and up. Unless the prices have really come down, it is unlikely these ones can be heat molded.

[anml]

Skates that can be heat molded used to cost a lot more. $400 and up. Unless the prices have really come down, it is unlikely these ones can be heat molded.

Actually, I know that they can definitely be molded ... 5 minutes in the skate bake oven ... says so right on the box and the warranty card. (then don't wear them for atleast 24 hours)

I know that the Mission hockey line was discontinued last year after Bauer bought them ... that's why they are being cleared out.

[phomp]

Heat-molding is pretty standard on any hockey skates in this day & age, from low level to high level.

Mission skates are the most under-rated skates in the industry imo (well were, as Bauer bought them). They are pretty good quality, have a good fit and usually are cheap compaired to the competitor. Mission has a pretty small market compaired to the big makers (bauer, CCM, etc..) so their top end skates are usually discounted pretty quick compaired to the other makers top end skates and that discount trickles down the line.

I remember my first pair of Missions that fit me great and that I wanted were $599 when they came out, while the top Bauers were the same price but a few months later the bauers were $599, but the Mission's were $299. I got a pair of Mission L7's when they were brought down to $199 from over $400 retail. And they had not even been out to long and they were pretty good skates, top end level at $199.

Many people consider the Pitch holder to be the best in industry, as they are adjustable and have the best steel currently. Many people consider the Mission Pure S400 to be the best skate they have come out with and they are pretty good skates (If I could find a pair my Size I would go back to them).

I do have a story about Mission's customer service, from a hockey Forum I used to visit. A Graf skater had his new graf's fall apart almost right out of the box while Graf Canada refused to do anything. Graf has a horrible track record for Customer Service. A Mission rep on the forum offered to give him a pair of the top of the line Mission's if he sent in his grafs. It made a lot of people look at mission, that is for sure. (Smart business move by the rep...lol).

[anml]

Thanks for your feedback!

One last question ... because I can't seem to remember (and come to think of it - I probably haven't skated in 25 years).

Do all skates hurt when you first wear them? I suppose with anything there is a breaking in period ... should they be killing my ankles off the bat?

I just want to know before I get these molded to my feet - or better just return them and get fitted properly (is there a huge difference between hockey skates and recreational skates?).

Thanks

D

[skewed]

If you buy a good pair of skates and they are fitted properly.... you won't get blisters.

Do not buy skates that are too big for you since the extra movement in the skate will cause the blisters. You should be able to put the skate on, kick your back heal on the ground to get the back of the foot in the back wall cushion of the skate, and have a half-inch of space from the toe to the tip of the skate.

Snug = good for skates. Generally, you will be 1.5 to 2 sizes smaller than your regular shoe size for skate sizing.

[el_diablo007]

Heat-molding is pretty standard on any hockey skates in this day & age, from low level to high level.

Mission skates are the most under-rated skates in the industry imo (well were, as Bauer bought them). They are pretty good quality, have a good fit and usually are cheap compaired to the competitor. Mission has a pretty small market compaired to the big makers (bauer, CCM, etc..) so their top end skates are usually discounted pretty quick compaired to the other makers top end skates and that discount trickles down the line.

I remember my first pair of Missions that fit me great and that I wanted were $599 when they came out, while the top Bauers were the same price but a few months later the bauers were $599, but the Mission's were $299. I got a pair of Mission L7's when they were brought down to $199 from over $400 retail. And they had not even been out to long and they were pretty good skates, top end level at $199.

Many people consider the Pitch holder to be the best in industry, as they are adjustable and have the best steel currently. Many people consider the Mission Pure S400 to be the best skate they have come out with and they are pretty good skates (If I could find a pair my Size I would go back to them).

I do have a story about Mission's customer service, from a hockey Forum I used to visit. A Graf skater had his new graf's fall apart almost right out of the box while Graf Canada refused to do anything. Graf has a horrible track record for Customer Service. A Mission rep on the forum offered to give him a pair of the top of the line Mission's if he sent in his grafs. It made a lot of people look at mission, that is for sure. (Smart business move by the rep...lol).

The quality of the Mission skates is very good, as this poster has mentioned, but I don't know if I would put too much weight in the pitch-adjustable holder. The vast majority of people don't need any pitch adjustment, in fact, different skate lines feature different pitch depth.

With re: the blade, that's replaceable, and I get the feeling that the OP doesn't really care if his blade is top quality steel. Doesn't sound like he's a competitive hockey player who needs the quality steel that hardcore players need.

My biggest issue with the Mission skates isn't the quality, but the fit. They are REALLY narrow and aren't comfortable at all to wear. If you know you have narrow feet, and fit well into the Missions, you've got yourself a great deal. For most people, these things are really uncomfortable to wear.

As always though, try them on before you decide.

[Stock R]

Try on different brand skates and see which ones fit you best. If they hurt during the test fit, they'll hurt after.

I was stupid to believe that my Eastons just needed some "breaking in" because I had a particular hot spot when I was trying them on. Not only did it not go away, during games it got noticably worse. I tried having the skates punched to loosen up the hotspot, but they just didn't fit my feet to begin with.

I ended up buying another pair of CCM's that fit much better. I can stay in my current skates much longer.

As for sizing, only use the numbers and widths as a guideline. Everybrand is a little different. For example, most skates run 2 sizes smaller than street shoes but Mission runs the same as street shoes. Don't get so caught up on the #'s that you buy a skate that doesn't fit.

[anml]

Try on different brand skates and see which ones fit you best. If they hurt during the test fit, they'll hurt after.

I was stupid to believe that my Eastons just needed some "breaking in" because I had a particular hot spot when I was trying them on. Not only did it not go away, during games it got noticably worse. I tried having the skates punched to loosen up the hotspot, but they just didn't fit my feet to begin with.

I ended up buying another pair of CCM's that fit much better. I can stay in my current skates much longer.

As for sizing, only use the numbers and widths as a guideline. Everybrand is a little different. For example, most skates run 2 sizes smaller than street shoes but Mission runs the same as street shoes. Don't get so caught up on the #'s that you buy a skate that doesn't fit.

I will definitely be going to try on a few different ones and see which fit best. A good deal is only a good deal if it works for you (plus I now see on the SportCheck site - they list the Mission C4 Senior for $59.99!

[blexann]

Thanks for your feedback!

One last question ... because I can't seem to remember (and come to think of it - I probably haven't skated in 25 years).

Do all skates hurt when you first wear them? I suppose with anything there is a breaking in period ... should they be killing my ankles off the bat?

I just want to know before I get these molded to my feet - or better just return them and get fitted properly (is there a huge difference between hockey skates and recreational skates?).

Thanks

D

There is a HUGE difference between the brands. Bauers fit differently than Eastons and infact Bauer Supremes fit differently than Bauer Vapours. I have no experience with Missions but the many players I know use either Bauer or Easton.

I would suggest either Eastons Synergy/or S series or Bauers (Vapours or Supremes) - it's hard to go wrong with those brands.

..and the fitting should be right BEFORE you get them molded - not after

[phomp]

The quality of the Mission skates is very good, as this poster has mentioned, but I don't know if I would put too much weight in the pitch-adjustable holder. The vast majority of people don't need any pitch adjustment, in fact, different skate lines feature different pitch depth.

With re: the blade, that's replaceable, and I get the feeling that the OP doesn't really care if his blade is top quality steel. Doesn't sound like he's a competitive hockey player who needs the quality steel that hardcore players need.

My biggest issue with the Mission skates isn't the quality, but the fit. They are REALLY narrow and aren't comfortable at all to wear. If you know you have narrow feet, and fit well into the Missions, you've got yourself a great deal. For most people, these things are really uncomfortable to wear.

As always though, try them on before you decide.
Fair enough that the OP may not need the adjustable pitch holder and I would agree he would probably never adjust them, but the steel blades that the Pitch has is also considered top quality. The blade is replaceable but that is expensive and a pain and not worth it on a low end skate. IMO, the Pitch holder on a lower end skate is just a bang for buck to point out. On the lower end Bauer's you do not get the LS2 TUUK's.

I know players who have replaced their TUUK's with Pitch holders on top end skates but never met a mission skater who took of the Pitch for TUUK's.

The fit is a bit of an issue for most. I have narrow skate but wore EE's fine in Missions.

The op was asking about the Missions and most would agree, bang for buck wise they are great if you fit into them.

Re: asking about pain. I have had quite a few skates in different brands and had them heat moulded. I have never had a pair of skates that did not hurt the first few skates but I know many that have gotten skates with no pain in the first skates. It all depends, but it is best to get the skate that fits the best to your foot.

[phomp]

There is a HUGE difference between the brands. Bauers fit differently than Eastons and infact Bauer Supremes fit differently than Bauer Vapours. I have no experience with Missions but the many players I know use either Bauer or Easton.

I would suggest either Eastons Synergy/or S series or Bauers (Vapours or Supremes) - it's hard to go wrong with those brands.

..and the fitting should be right BEFORE you get them molded - not after

Yes, heat moulding is supposed to be done after you have picked and got fitted to a skate.

+1 to the huge difference in brands. Bauer Vapors fit a size bigger than the Supremes (IE- Vapor XXXX's would be a size 8 on me and Supreme One 90's would be a 7. Generally the Supremes ran a size smaller than what you normally wear). Across the brands, sizing can be very different.

For a recreational use it may not be so important but the Easton's have been known to have horrible quality for quite a while and the Synergy's is not a brand I would wear. They feel great and have great performance but the quality for the buck is just not there. Any Bauer's are pretty good and would definitely recommend Missions if you can fit into them.

[monkey-boy]

If you remember what you wore before and were comfortable with, use that and honestly try to stick with the same brand. I had used CCM tacks for my whole hockey playing career(lol career) then decided to switch to missions cuz they looked cool and were my first pair of expensive skates. Worst mistake of my life. Skating felt like something completely different. They felt fine in the store, but once I got to using them they were brutal. Didn't realize the difference in the blade, could be that. All I know is that the bauers right away felt terrible vs. my tacks (just because I was used to it) so I didn't buy them in the store, while the missions were deceivingly comfortable until actual use.

Long story short I now have some cheap eastons that were heat molded and they've held up ok. They were cheap and are comfortable... been using them sparingly over 3 years. Those mission skates made me quit hockey hahaha. Ok bit of an overstatement, but not enjoyable trying to get them to break in and never happen.

[Stock R]

different.

For a recreational use it may not be so important but the Easton's have been known to have horrible quality for quite a while and the Synergy's is not a brand I would wear. They feel great and have great performance but the quality for the buck is just not there. Any Bauer's are pretty good and would definitely recommend Missions if you can fit into them.

I've heard the same about recent Easton models. They feel uber light in the store but perform poorly.

Personally I like my CCM Vectors.

[MS MSP]

If you remember what you wore before and were comfortable with, use that and honestly try to stick with the same brand. I had used CCM tacks for my whole hockey playing career(lol career) then decided to switch to missions cuz they looked cool and were my first pair of expensive skates. Worst mistake of my life. Skating felt like something completely different. They felt fine in the store, but once I got to using them they were brutal. Didn't realize the difference in the blade, could be that. All I know is that the bauers right away felt terrible vs. my tacks (just because I was used to it) so I didn't buy them in the store, while the missions were deceivingly comfortable until actual use.



+1

I wore Tacks during my youth hockey "career".

After years away from the sport, i picked up a good pair of Bauer's on clearout.

Big mistake. I couldn't skate worth a damn.

gave them to my little bro and bought a pair of Tacks...happy times.

(Though I still suck)

[phomp]

I have skated in quite a few different skates and have not had much problem adjusting, except for Graf's. Totally different than everything else to adjust to for me imo. I had to take off the Graf holders and put Tuuk's on them because the Cobra's (what holders/steel graf comes with) were just to different. Still a different feel and skate to them compaired to every other brand I have skated in.. lol.

That being said, the fit of every skate is different and have been lucky that I have not had a brand of skate I could not wear.