You can’t play hockey without skates. Without a good pair of skates, you cannot build up speed or stop on a dime.
The ability of your skates to meet your ability to use them is of the utmost importance. Since not all skates are created equally, it is important to find the best ones and those usually belong to the best brands.
Fortunately, there are several top brands that have been making the best hockey skates for years.
Bauer and the Vaper line of skates
This brand makes skates for all levels of players from the youngest to the pros. Their skates come in all price ranges, too.
The Vapor 1X is the elite skate in this brand. These skates have the latest technology in the boot and the lacing system. The boots are made of an aluminum composite that makes them light, but also stable and supportive. Your heel and ankle will not roll in these boots so you can skate with speed and agility. The lacing system includes a special taper to keep the foot in place, too. These also come with a special blade that Bauer calls the “Light-Speed” blade. These have been referred to as the most perfect pair of hockey skates on the market today.
CCM: another great brand of skates
Another top brand of hockey skates is CCM. These three letters show up on many of the products that are unique to hockey.
This company is all about hockey and has been making sticks, pads, helmets, and skates for over 100 years. The company began making bicycles in Canada, but switched to manufacturing hockey gear in 1905. The best of the best wear CCM.
Right now, their best hockey skate is the CCM Super Tacks which is on par with the price of the Bauer Vapor 1X.
They include technology that keeps the heel in place without compromising comfort. The stiffness of the boot makes them easy to accelerate and decelerate. These skates are good looking and durable, too. CCM spent five years researching and designing these skates, which is why they have turned out to be as close to perfect as a pair of skates can be. Along with the supportive and lightweight boot, the footbed is customizable. The laces have a technology that CCM calls “Lace-Bite Protection” to keep the tongue and laces in place. You cannot go wrong with any products from CCM.
Easton lets you maneuver like a Mako
Easton is another brand that makes a good pair of skates.
It is best known for its Mako lineup of skates and several professional hockey players wear them.
Easton is dedicated to making skates that fit and are comfortable so hockey players can have natural movement and multi-directional control.
Their Mako lineup of skates are affordable, but they are loaded with good design. They use a contour design in the guard to allow for full movement with a thermoplastic material that can be customized to the perfect fit. Easton uses their unique M1 Monocoque Chassis which is composite structure that allows for acceleration while on the ice, but the skates also have a quarter pattern that helps the skater powerfully push through corners with necessary speed.
The Swiss make good skates at Graf
If you are looking for an affordable pair of skates that are well-made, look no farther than Graf.
This might be a brand that is not as well known in the US, but this Swiss brand makes a fantastic product.
Graf has been making figure skates and hockey skates since 1921. Their top line of hockey skates are the Supra Xi. These skates have Graf’s “ANATOM” insole which helps support the foot while also keeping the heel and ankle in place at right angles. The structure of the Supra Xi allows for a strong use of force while skating and they are designed to keep the foot and ankle from growing tired while on the ice. The skates are lightweight due to the AMC Composite lining that includes a fast-drying technology, too.
What about Reebok?
You might see hockey players wearing Reebok skates, but Reebok no longer makes skates.
At one point, they were a top choice for the pros and for amateurs because their skates were well made. But, CCM took over the Reebok skate lineup, so it is no longer possible to find Reebok skates unless they were not sold by stores that once stocked them.
Choosing a hockey skate is important and these brands are the best options on the market today. Before you decide to spend hundreds on the top-of-the-line skates, it is a good idea to try a few different styles at your favorite pro shop.