How to stretch and “punch out” your hockey skates for a better fit. (with basic tools)

It worked really well.
Heat and then tighten to expand….. repeat steps as needed.

[@rejnormandin4658]

Your shop should do that with no charge and keep the warranty of your skates …

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

That is really good advice. Going to pin the comment if possible.

[@RPierce84]

not everyone has a shop close by.

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

@@RPierce84 true! And also the shop close to me is not very good at even sharpening skates, so why trust them with a job like this? If you have a good shop, you are lucky :)

[@j.j.1517]

Yeah maybe I'm just lucky but the skate shop does this for free, they have a machine for punching out skates too.

[@BulgingTwines]

Many places sell these skates but most do not modify them any more than a quick bake. I do believe that punching out skates(which is what this is) is not covered by warranty whatsoever. The places that will do this will do very little actual stretching to avoid being blamed for ruining the skate(why many places refuse to stretch much or at all). As far as the manufacturer is concerned, they will only honor the warranty on manufacturers defects which means this would not apply. As someone who has had to resort to stretching, much like the video creator, I can say that getting a proper fit is more important. This video(like my issue with the same skates) is a "Fit 2" which means we both should have purchased a "Fit 3" boot width! Again, proper fit is far more important to avoid risking warranty and wrecking your skates!

[@jeffbandura8522]

Take your laces out, use the heat gun inside and out be careful not to overheat! Then put the boot , or shoe stretcher in and hit the problem areas. Leave in overnight if possible. I used this method on Bauer Mach and Matrix

[@boblackmore7096]

Thank you! I'm 47 and have been playing since I was 5. I've broken the bones on the sides of my toes many times causing protruding bone calcification with extreme pain until they go numb. I've been playing like that for the past ten years. I had to go with a EE toe box but this was the best fix ever. Thank for this video!

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

Great to see that! Us players 40+ don’t heal as fast as we used to. :). Have to find some tricks :). Take care!

[@bernardthefourth]

Thanks for the tip, I need to stretch my new 3X Pros.

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

You got it! Great skate choice too. A little heat, a little knob turn, heat, turn, repeat as needed. Then let that stretcher sit in there over night.

[@calgary2800]

The new Mach and Matrix has improved fit compared to Ultrasonics

[@fyter889]

Great suggestion! Thanks!

[@Dangermen101]

Thanks for the video. I bought a new pair of skates from Pure Hockey, only skated on them a few times and it's past the 30-day return window. I have a bit of extra bone on the outside of my big toe (wife says my big toe looks like a snake head LOL), which causes pain in the toe and metatarsophalangeal joint in my big toe. The pain gradually increases as I play, by the end of the game, I'm limping to the locker room. Going to give this a try and see if this can alleviate the pain. Just a few extra millimeters of room would make a big difference for me. I will report back

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

Best of luck! Foot pain is no joke.

[@mgpeters]

@Dangermen101: What was the result? I have the exact same issue you have... I blocked a shot with my right skates on the inside of the toe box. Now whenever I skate, my sesamoid bone is rubbing up against the injected plastic of the toe box, which is insanely painful.

[@whatthej]

According to your description it sounds like you have bunions. Worth checking out and it might solve some other foot problems you may have!

[@mrhaths]

howd this go? i just got hyperlites and my right foot feels great, but i am getting some hot spots on my left foot. Hoping since they're brand new this will break in after a bake and feel fine. thoughts?

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

Yeah, definitely bake and break-in first before getting wild. This went really well for me and widened the left side of the left boot just enough to ease the pain I was having after the broken bone. If your discomfort is in the really hard shell toe area, I wouldn’t heat that up as it probably won’t stretch and could come apart. However if you are widening the side like on this clip you should be able to stretch it a bit. First bake and break though! Good luck

[@anthonychi5781]

So what’s the result?

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

Worked very well!

[@Chanmantroop10]

You shouldn't have the heat gun just pointed at the boot. Should be waving it dude to side so if doesn't scorch the material. Also, how do you even know that the inserts area lined up with the exact area you need stretched out. Better method would've been the lipstick method to locate exactly where your need punched out. Then insert the stretcher with laces out and tongue down so you can see exactly where the inserts are lined up

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

Thanks for the comment and feedback. There was a lot more video and context that I edited out to help keep the video as short as possible so that it would not bore viewers too much. Before tossing the tool into the expensive skates, I had already tested it by stretching a pair of work boots and a couple pairs of shoes to ensure it both worked and had also isolated the correct spot. I had the spot figured out really well even without testing since I had been skating these for about 6 months in pain twice a week. Plus all my shoes and boots hurt in the same area as well. If the skates were not mine I would have asked the owner for a lot of feedback and spent more time prepping the tool. I was waiving the gun a bit but edited a lot of the heating video out. I didn’t move it much though because I really wanted to maintain the current fit of the rest of the skate. I kept a close eye on the material and stitching. It took to the heat very well. Nothing too hot that I couldn’t quickly touch without a real burn to the skin, but also not a temperature you want to dip your foot into :).

[@Chanmantroop10]

@@beerleagueeverything8030 how did it turn out?

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

@@Chanmantroop10 turned out really well. The stretcher works really well around the toe-box. I am not sure what options there are for the rest of a boot in the ankle and heel areas, but for the toe area its solid.

[@bittmanbobby]

How did it work out for you?

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

Worked really well. Luckily, I needed some room below the hard shell toe box. That area is malleable. I think the actual toe cap area would have been too stiff to change.

[@bittmanbobby]

@@beerleagueeverything8030 I have a really had bunion, I just punched them but they're in a hard spot to reach. I just got home and used the heat gun for a bit. We will see what happens

[@phusion88]

What temp did you use on the heat gun?

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

Unfortunately it was just on or off. I just kind of winged it.

[@HellbenderSTL]

Did it work???

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

Yup! Worked well. Imagining that if the top toe cap needed stretched it would not have worked due to the incredibly stiff plastic, but luckily I needed the side part stretched and it worked well.

[@soulrebel3880]

I am in the middle of sizing madness, i'm a shoe size 10-9.5 and i found out i'm a INT 6 reg. but in my 2022 Tacks just my right pinky and ring toes fall asleep. if i go to a 6 wide theres too much room in my heel. but my toes don't fall asleep lol what do i do? punch it out or try a different model or brand?

[@beerleagueeverything8030]

It’s tough. I don’t want to be the person to give bad advice :). Hoping somebody else can comment that has had that exact experience. I’ve had some buddies say the the True custom skates are amazingly comfortable, but just a tad heavy. Not sure how their current line compares weight wise. I wish I had confidence to give an answer. Good luck! Hopefully more comments cone this way.

[@Chanmantroop10]

You try a diff make and model. Don't get stuck on just one line of skates. Different models and brands fit slightly different and you might find one that actually fits good

[@kpvTX88]

try a pair of true skates.. unbelievably comfortable

[@CompletelyInadequate]

with basic tools ... pulls out a heat gun lol

[@Chanmantroop10]

Heat gun is pretty basic.