TGN Deep Dive: Bauer Konekt Skates

[chile57]

@goalieThreeOne believe the idea is that the liner alone takes the place of all other foot accoutrements you'd normally use in a "regular" skate so I'd say - no.

[MrGoalie]

1 hour ago, goalieThreeOne said:

I use Superfeet insoles. Should I insert them while I'm doing the fitting process?

I just used the insoles that came with the skate.   I don’t think you’ll need super feet - the fit is incredible. 

[ThatCarGuy]

6 hours ago, MrGoalie said:

Everything is solid.  The molding process is like nothing you’ve been thru before. Plus, you have the liners which also get molded.  There is very little negative space in these skates. They are extremely comfortable.  

So little negative space in fact that’s that’s why the toe sleeves exist. They’re used to generate space in the skate for your toes so you won’t be too cramped

[WONGER]

The toes seemed to have plenty of space for me where past bauer skates didnt. I actually drove to the shop and almost pulled the trigger today but I was a bit worried about how much the instep would shape.  I have bumps on my arches that felt like they'd need that shell to really move when baked.  I trust its possible but at $960 usd after tax I'm going to wait till I hear/see more. 

[TheGoalNet]

18 hours ago, MrGoalie said:

I just used the insoles that came with the skate.   I don’t think you’ll need super feet - the fit is incredible. 

I have had my feet scanned with Aetrex Albert scanner. I am in the 90 and 95% percentile for arch height. One foot is higher than the other.

The boot hugs your arches like I have never felt. I know everyone's feet are different, but I would be shocked if you need insoles on top of Konekt.

[Jeffgtx]

Dumb question for those of you that have yours already:

i see in teh setup video you put the liner on and then put the out skate shell on.

 

but…. Once it is baked, does the liner stay in the skate shell during normal on and off for rink time?  Or is it always liner on then skate shell on?  Skate off then liner off and sits in the bag in two pieces?

 

thanks

[ZeroGravitas]

25 minutes ago, Jeffgtx said:

Dumb question for those of you that have yours already:

i see in teh setup video you put the liner on and then put the out skate shell on.

but…. Once it is baked, does the liner stay in the skate shell during normal on and off for rink time?  Or is it always liner on then skate shell on?  Skate off then liner off and sits in the bag in two pieces?

thanks

You can do whatever. I just leave the liner in the skate and put it on like a traditional skate.

[Jeffgtx]

OK, that's what i was checking.  it wasn't clear that you could do that.  I thought maybe you HAD to take it off with the liner on your foot.  These 40 second videos leave a lot to be desired, but that's a minor gripe.

 

Thank you.

[A.YOUNGoalie13]

Mine are 2 weeks out!!!

[ThatCarGuy]

For those wondering about instep problems I fitted two pairs of konekts today for proper fit 3 users and had no issues. These were people that completely filled out the fit 3 depth and then some. 

[jerd31]

I need to get these skates.  I’m on my 4th game of the week tonight and the anterior of my ankle is sore as hell 

[Neomop]

I'm expecting to give these a fitting on Monday.  I'm curious about insoles - I have collapsed arches and currently use a Ccm performance insole in custom Trues (I've tried about 3-4 different ones including various superfeet) and this is the only one that doesn't give my arches cramps. Should I fit with the stock insole first then make adjustments after, or start with the insole that works for me right now? 

[chile57]

@Neomop to reiterate what I mentioned above - I don't believe the intent with these are to supplement the liner using any kind of inserts. The idea is that your foot goes in the liner with it getting molded to your foot. Think more like casting your foot.

For anyone that's asked I don't think the idea is that you throw an insert into the mix: foot, liner, boot with both the liner and boot molded to your foot. Hope this helps.

Edited August 5, 2022 by chile57

[Punisher Goalie]

Do any of you retail employees and insiders have any info from Bauer on the minimum baking/molding temperature on these?

The reason I ask is that I use a heated boot dryer to dry my skates and gloves after every session. Given how crazy moldable these skates are I’m worried about putting my pair on the dryer. Anyone have solid information? 

I was thinking one option might be to dry the liners only, but they are moldable too so I want to be cautious. 

[goalieThreeOne]

A review I read just recently said that they ended up swapping the stock insole because they had flat feet. The stock insole looks like the same thin foam one that comes with other skates and is not moldable on its own. I'm leaning more towards using my Superfeet

[ThatCarGuy]

22 minutes ago, Punisher Goalie said:

Do any of you retail employees and insiders have any info from Bauer on the minimum baking/molding temperature on these?

The reason I ask is that I use a heated boot dryer to dry my skates and gloves after every session. Given how crazy moldable these skates are I’m worried about putting my pair on the dryer. Anyone have solid information? 

I was thinking one option might be to dry the liners only, but they are moldable too so I want to be cautious. 

I live in Texas and my skates stay in a barely insulated garage with no ac or fan without issue. You should be fine lol

[WONGER]

19 hours ago, ThatCarGuy said:

For those wondering about instep problems I fitted two pairs of konekts today for proper fit 3 users and had no issues. These were people that completely filled out the fit 3 depth and then some. 

how about flatter arches? 

[Punisher Goalie]

4 hours ago, ThatCarGuy said:

I live in Texas and my skates stay in a barely insulated garage with no ac or fan without issue. You should be fine lol

Ha. Thanks. 

[Pl99]

I’ll give my first skate review for what it’s worth. 
 

I posted previously about being concerned about the snug fit. I wear a 12.5 Nike and was fit into a 10 by the Bauer Computer.  I went through the whole baking process at the store. They felt tight, but not uncomfortable. 
 

At home I wore them for a bit and the usual spots started to rub from my previous Bauer skates. I rebaked using some of the foam shims (not the official Bauer ones at the store, but basically the same thing). It helped for sure when I put them on the next day. 
 

I was finally able to get them on the ice yesterday. For some reason they felt loose when I got my pads on at the ankle. I went to the tightest setting on the ankle and they felt fine, though I might want them tighter in the future (not sure how I’ll do that). Also, I found I was most comfortable at a loose setting on the boot.

On the ice the first thing I noticed was that they were wayyy too sharp. I usually do 3/8 Flat bottom V and realized I forgot the FBV part when they asked.  They also might feel sharper since you have more blade on the ice due to the ankle flex. 
 

As for performance, they really are something. The freedom of movement on butterfly pushes is something to experience.  Instantly, I could feel more in control as if everything just happened quicker and with less effort.  Smaller movements around the post felt easier.  Overall, it was like playing with less resistance in key spots.  This will take time to get used to. At times it did feel awkward because I encountered less resistance than usual and had some balance issues. A few times when butterflying I fell forward a bit since I was used to having some resistance that just wasn’t there anymore. I can see why a pro might try these and not want to switch mid season.  I expect many pros will be in these next year. 
 

As for comfort, I did start to have issues in the same spot below my ankle that I usually get in Bauer skates.  They didn’t blister, but another 20 minutes on the ice and they would have.  I probably need to rebake again and really focus on that spot. I did feel my toes at the end of the boot as well. I wish the skates were slightly bigger there. I may try to rebake with my own toe sleeve like they had at the store to see if I can open that area up a bit.  I did take a shot off the toe cap and felt nothing.    

Overall I’m happy with the skates. I think the TGN post that mentioned that they fixed a problem they didn’t know they had is pretty accurate statement.  For me, they do things no other goalie skate has ever done and will certainly help my game. 

[Jeffgtx]

They were too sharp with the stock blades or did you put other runners on item?

[Pl99]

2 hours ago, Jeffgtx said:

They were too sharp with the stock blades or did you put other runners on item?

I put LS Vertexx Carbon on them.
 

They were just too sharp on the initial sharpening. 

[jerd31]

Stopped in my local Pure Hockey and got my feet scanned.  I’m an 11 in Konekts- the only size they can’t currently order for some reason.  Their site shows every size except 11.  The manager said he can’t order it if it doesn’t show available on their site, so I’ll have to wait till 11’s show up on the website and they can order 11’s for me to the store.  

[A.YOUNGoalie13]

On 8/6/2022 at 10:02 AM, Jeffgtx said:

They were too sharp with the stock blades or did you put other runners on item?

Its all in how you sharpen them the steel type doesn’t have much to do with it

[kudot]

Went to my local pure hockey and picked up a pair this week.  They had all sizes in stock at the time but only seemed to have one pair in each size.  Im coming from a pair of custom bauer 2S skates.  Retail size off the scanner is an 8.5 EE (fit 3 is not wide enough) but my customs are something like a size 8EEEE (the bar for width is pegged to the far right on the scan).  Was worried that the size 8 would fit me since they did tell me that some guys with wider feet do have issues with pressure around the lower buckle.  Tried both the 9 and 8 but decided on the 8 since I really dont like having that extra room in the tow.

 

So far only one skate in them, fit is decent, will have to see how they feel after a couple skates but I still have pressure and some soreness on parts of my foot after one skate.  Edge bite while down is better than anything ive ever used.  That being said Im going to have to get used to these/play around with profiling.  When Im in my stance/shuffling they feel like they dig into the ice too much/too sharp eventhough Im using the same profile and 5/8 cut I had on my 2Ss.

Will see how they go for my next skate tonight

[Jeffgtx]

They never had a size 11 since it went live that I saw.