**waves hello**
So I'm an adult woman returning to skating after about eight years off the ice completely, and I'm sad to say that in that time I've lost what meager skills I'd had before. I also lost the ability to fit into my old Jacksons; too narrow/too short/too painful, so I guessworked my way into a like-new pair from eBay, one size larger and one size wider.
Fail number one: Too wide in the front and even more so in the heel.
Our rink's pro shop is hockey-focused, so I found the local Riedell rep and had her fit me. The new skates are beautiful, and by all means of measurement are my correct size (she measured me, I measured me, I talked to Riedell)--except they're too long. The width is great, and they feel fine, but the length! And then I remember how well my Jacksons used to fit me, and start to remember all the discussions I've seen and heard about the way different manufacturers' boots fit, and conclude that I have a Jackson foot and not a Riedell foot--along with a pair of really nice, pricey new skates that are kind of awkwardly big on me.
So there's Fail number two.
Back to eBay I go, and find another pair of Jacksons, half a size smaller and a size narrower. The width is right, and my heels stay put, but they're crampy at the toebox, just on the edge of painfully so on my left (longer) foot. I skated in those for about 45 minutes today, and felt like I had more control than I've had in either the too-long or the too-wide skates, but there was some definite discomfort involved. They might stretch a bit as the padding compresses, but they might not stretch enough.
Conclusion: I should have gone a half-size up. :'(
Fortunately (?), I'm returning to the ice as a near-beginner, so I can probably fumble along for awhile in either the too-long Riedells or the too-short Jacksons. At this point, I'm just creeping along at about Adult 2-Adult 3 level, so I suspect I have some way to go before it becomes a serious issue. Still, it's been a frustrating and hilarious exercise so far, and I thought I'd come out of lurker-mode here and share it with you all.
Have any of you had this level of difficulty finding skates that fit?