Salming F1 Pro Skates . . . what's a Salming?
Written: Dec 28 '04 (Updated Dec 30 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Light, comfortable, Pro-level skates
Cons: Too wide for some feet
The Bottom Line: If these fit you, they are an excellent pair of skates
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Salming Sports F1 Pro Skates |
Free Stuff?
One of the perks of being a highly accomplished reviewer is that people give you free stuff all the time. Well, that’s what I’ve heard anyway. For me, an email from the Salming rep asking if I might consider reviewing some of his gear if he supplied me with some samples was a first. It came just a couple of days after a book offer was generated by my reviews. The book offer had come just a couple days after I decided I didn’t have time to write anymore reviews.
Interestingly I’m here writing more reviews. Hey, good things have been happening and my fans have been inundating me with email requests for more reviews. Frankly, I couldn’t deny all four of them!
One of the things about getting free stuff is that it might impair the reviewer's ability to write an objective review. This is why I encourage all of the other manufactures of hockey gear to offer me free stuff as well. It will help me to remain objective (grin). No really, if you read my Nike THG V-Force Skates review you will see that I can remain objective even about free stuff. I loved them for a while, but when they fell apart I let Nike have it despite the kind gift of free stuff.
I mention this, because frankly, I am very impressed by these Salming skates and don’t want the price I didn’t pay to put questions in your head about how valid my opinion here is. They really are an excellent product.
Salming?
Most people in the United States haven’t actually heard of the Salming Brand. Rest assured, being among them doesn’t put you out of the hockey know. The brand was founded by hockey great Borje Salming who was among the first European players to truly make a mark in the NHL. Salming has been a popular brand in Europe for several years.
While Salming’s US success certainly hinges on the company to market their product here, my impression of their product line indicates they have the quality to break into the market and perhaps even thrive here.
First Impressions
The F1 Skates borrowed a bit of their outward charm from Bauer’s highly popular Vapor XX skates. They boast similar silver, ribbed quarter panel. Closer inspection indicates that the material is much different from that of the Bauer skate however, more akin to Easton’s shimmering, slippery composite quarters. This is a good thing as the Bauer’s material is never long for this world.
One guy in the locker room did however mistake the skates for Vapors asking me, “New skates, huh? Are those the new Bauer XXX’s?” as I laced them up for the first time. I told him they were Salmings and he wasn’t sure what to think. Was I messing with him? What the heck is a Salming? I could see it on his face.
The first thing that I noted of a possible negative variety was the vacuous width of these skates. The heels seem to be quite wide on first inspection and the ankle pads noticeably thin as well. The arch support appears a little understated. Those with narrow feet need not apply. However, players with super big dogs will find these skates a nice change to the cramped, vice-like fit of most other brands. The F1 is wider even than CCM and Easton’s skates.
The F1 skates are very light. Perhaps they are not quite in the Vapor and Vector range, but much lighter than a standard skate. In addition, they appear to be well constructed and built to last more than six months unlike some lightweight models.
Stiffness of the skates is certainly at a pro level. These are on par with the top of the line brands from big name skate builders for stiffness. The word Pro in the name is not a joke here.
Fit and Comfort
In actuality the fit of the Salming F1 wasn’t as bad as I feared when first looking at it. I have a fairly wide forefoot, but narrow heels and ankles. Thus my first impression was one that my heel would be floating in the open space that the F1 provided. I found that a size 9 fit me quite nicely, while an 8.5 was painfully short. (for comparison my Koho and Nike skates are 9.5 and my Graf skates are size 10 Wide).
The fit is pretty good after about 4 hours of ice time. They have a light break in now and heel slippage is minimal in the left foot, non-existent in the right. I think the left foot will get a little bit better with a few more hours on the ice as I didn’t get the skates heat molded.
I did feel like it took a while to get some forward flex on the left skate as well. While the eye stays do have flex darts, the pitch of the carrier is a little more heel oriented than that of my Kohos (which have heel lifts installed). I will likely install lifts in the F1 skates as well. Still, the break in process has been completely painless, which is a pretty big deal for a skate as stiff as these with no heat mold.
Tongue and Eye-Stay
The tongue is of the standard felt lined variety with synthetic leather facing the laces. It appears ample to ward off lace bite in the most tender of feet. I haven’t had any issues with lace bite despite lacing the skates very tightly the first few times out to make sure they broke in properly.
The eye-stay is cut rather high. Again, people with fat feet (no offense to your feet) will find these skates comfortable. The cut of the eye-stay is similar to that of a High Volume Graf boot with a gentle slope and ample room for high insteps.
Toecap
The toecap is of uncovered molded plastic. This will minimize wear and tear on the toecap and is one of the items that I personally prefer on a skate. Covered caps tend to wear out and look stupid, like an old pair of cartoon boots, after a while. No problem with that here.
Outsole, Holder and Blade
The outsole of the F1 is a composite carbon fiber material. Carbon fiber is the best material currently used by any brand in outsoles as it holds rivets well, provides excellent torsional strength and is lightweight.
The t’blade system adds to the rigidity of the skate. The t’blade is, in my opinion, the strongest holder currently on the market. Its toe to heel, closed design and fiberglass construction actually adds to the rigidity of most skates rather than being a question mark in itself.
The only complaint that I can come up with about the t’blade system (other than the fact that it looks a little goofy) is the pitch. The t’blade has a rather negative pitch to it which puts skaters in more of a heel-oriented stance. It isn’t unlike Bauer’s TUUK in this respect, so I would hardly say it is a complete negative. I just prefer to be balanced a bit more on the balls of my feet.
Even with the standard medium, approximately 11 foot, rocker, the agility of the t’blades is outstanding. They have a perfectly true edge that you cannot possibly get in a machine-sharpened pair of skates. In fact the only complaint I have about the runners is that I kept cutting myself on them before I realized just how sharp they actually are.
Cornering on the t’blades gives a sense of confidence that I have never felt on regular steel. The boot will always hit the ice before the edge breaks loose with the t’blades, even then they are sharp enough to typically recover from a would be ice tasting event. The other cool thing about t’blades is the loud scritch they issue with each turn or stride on the ice. People know you are coming (and in my case often get out of the way).
Insole, lining
The boots are lined with Clarino which is, to date, the best material found lining hockey boots. Clarino is comfortable, durable, and quick drying. I have skated without socks in several Clarino lined skates and found it quite comfortable.
The insoles are fairly standard in the Salming F1 skates. They are a little better than many of the big name skate makers put in their typical skates. However, a few of the top end skates do have pretty impressive insoles these days (most notably Nike). The F1 insoles hold up against all but the heat moldable insoles in Nike’s V-12.
Final Thoughts
The F1 is a pretty impressive skate which I would put up against anything in the $300 to $350 range. With a MSRP of $279.90, these are a steal. Compared to the skates that Salming was offering in the US about 4 or 5 years ago, this is an outstanding improvement. It is light, attractive, apparently well built and quite comfortable.
On the negative side, Salming doesn’t currently have a skate for people with narrow feet. Those who fit in a Bauer or Mission skate will not likely be able to wear the F1 without significant slippage.
Still if the boot fits, this skate would be an excellent choice. I would recommend these skates for competitive players and recreational league skaters who are playing several hours a week. Players who skate infrequently will have a hard time breaking in a skate this stiff.
Some other reviews you might find interesting:
Hockey Skate buying demystified
How to Care for Skates
Nike THG V-Force Skates
Bauer Vapor XX Skates
Graf 727 Cyberflex Skates
Recommended:
Yes
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puckmugger
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