Comfort out of the box from Easton in the SBX Hockey Skates?
Written: Mar 04 '04 (Updated Oct 05 '05)
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Pros: Comfortable out of the box, Easton quality
Cons: Questionable holder hardware, thin tongue, narrow toes
The Bottom Line: If the boot fits buy them, but you might want to try CCM's Vectors as well.
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Easton Air SBX Ice Hockey Skates Senior |
Traditionally, breaking in hockey skates is an unpleasant experience (to say the least). Easton is following in the paths of Nike and CCM with their own injected boot which will substantially reduce, if not eliminate break in time. The question remains, how does the SBX stack up Nike’s V series and CCM’s Externo and Vector?
The Boot
With a traditional skate, the player has to gradually form the thick leather outer to the shape of their feet. This can take 10 to 20 hours of hard skating in a top of the line boot. The SBX however, is a soft boot technology. Rather than breaking in the hard materials that give the skate its support and stiffness, the player’s foot is cushioned by a gel material that resides between the external support and the boot liner. This results in a boot that is comfortable right off the shelf. The SBX is the newest of these type of skates, with Nike introducing this technology about five years ago. CCM’s Externo line and newer Vector line use similar technology.
The Easton SBX boot is a premium skate, fitting in the top 1/3 of their line-up. Still with the soft boot, this skate will be as comfortable as lower models in a traditional material. Skaters that would normally have to tend towards a softer boot and compromise some performance for comfort can wear the SBX.
The exterior of the SBX is synthetic leather. It keeps the inside of the skate fairly dry and is more durable than a true leather upper. As mentioned the soft boot exterior is very stiff, however, the SBX is a little less so than its competitors.
Clarino lining in the uppers add to the comfort, wicking away perspiration and drying quickly after skating. Clarino is the favored material of most players who skate without socks.
As with all Easton Skates, the upper on the model is among the best on the market. It will fit most people who are wearing CCM skates quite comfortably. However, the toecap in Easton Skates is not as wide as a CCM toe cap. If your foot is wide in the middle, and tapers at the toes, you will likely enjoy the fit. If your foot is wide in the forefoot and toes, it might be a problem for you.
The outsole on the SBX is composite with air vents. The vents allow excess perspiration to drain out of the skates and shorten drying time between uses. Composite soles ensure minimal flex and maximum durability.
The tongue is one sticking point on Easton Skates. Easton uses a rather thing padding on a tongue that simply is not as stiff as it should be. Many player have complained of lace bite from their Easton skates. (Lace bite is a rather painful pressure on the top of the foot caused by a hot spot in the tongue).
The toecap is a rather important fit issue in Easton skates. I have had a few customers who had such a difficult time with the narrow toes that Easton uses, that they gave up on the skates and traded them for another brand. Make sure to pay particular attention to how tight your toes are being pressed together if you try on a pair of Easton skates. Other than the toe, the fit is moderately wide, and very similar to CCM skates.
Easton’s Runners and Holder
Easton has done a great deal of work improving their holders over the years and they are now above average. The design of the holder is rigid and strong. Breakage of the holder itself is a rare thing, I see only a couple pair a year with broken holders despite Easton’s popularity.
Easton’s steel they use is top quality. It is among the hardest brands on the market, taking a little extra work to get them sharp and holding their edge a bit longer.
The parabolic runner was the first weight-reducing blade available. It is far superior to recent efforts by Nike/Bauer as it is less prone to bending and breaking. The parabolic does break a little more easily than a standard blade, but tends to be more prone to this when it is nearing the end of its sharpening life.
The holders and blades biggest negative is the skimpy fasteners they are currently using. A little lock-tite will fix the problem with these coming loose. However, it is all too easy to break the screws by applying too much pressure to them. If you break one, try to find the older Easton hardware to replace it with, it was much better.
To Wrap it up
The SBX is an appropriate skate for upper intermediate to high-level players, even as high as Pro players. At the same time, it is comfortable enough that just about anyone could use it. Generally a skate that performs at this level would be impossibly painful for the casual player to break in. The people I know skating in them have had relatively few issues when compared to other brands.
Durability in Easton skates is generally pretty good. I would expect the SBX to last several years before it breaks down.
Feedback from skaters using these skates has been very positive. The three that I have spoke to regularly had minimal break in issues and no other problems to speak of. As with all Easton skates, the toes are narrow and that was the only complaint in break in these guys had. One even claims the SBX as the most comfortable skate he has ever used.
The overall value of Easton’s skates helps to offset any deficiency in the SBX design. Generally you have to compare the boot stiffness in an Easton skate to skates in the next price bracket. So you do end up getting more boot than you pay for with Easton.
In all, I would recommend these skates to people who find them the most comfortable. I would hesitate to recommend them over CCM’s Vectors if the fit is similar as the SBX still has some negative issues while the Vector is as close to perfect as I have seen. Of course fit is the most important issue in any skate. The issues with the SBX are secondary if they fit you right.
© Scott Noble – Unauthorized use prohibited
A few of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Hockey Skate buying demystified
Easton Z-Air
Nike THG V-Force
CCM Vector Pro
Recommended:
Yes
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