The new Jackson rentals actually look like pretty good boots, except that they only come in one shape, and are not heat moldable (of course). I also think they could be better padded. I
like the padding on high end Jackson competitive boot lines. But, alas, high end competitive level boots might not have been within our rental boot budget.
Getting back to casual skaters, hopefully the day will soon come where rental boot technology gets to the point where comfort and a minimum level of support will come hand in hand.
At least major one hockey company (CCM) makes boots with inflatable liners that mold to customers' feet. (The CCM inflatable lines are called "pump boots".)
They were also available in beginner level figure skates. I don't know if they still are made.
I'm not exactly sure why they weren't super-popular, but would guess that they were much more expensive, too complicated, therefore unreliable, and that many customers didn't figure out how to use them.
Sloppy boot fit (even if comfortable) probably contributes to some of the falls and accidents seen at crowded public sessions.
Not probably - definitely, almost all rink injuries, at least for newbies.
For a few months, I checked how tight the laces were tied on everyone coming onto the rink during my watch. There were NO injuries on my watch during that time. And, except for some very young kids, almost no one had major problems staying balanced. Then someone complained, a supervisor chewed me out, so I stopped checking, except what is very obvious to look at. (Incidentally, when I was checking, I found that at least 95% of newbies tied quite loose.) At this point, about the most I can do is tell people who important it is to tie tight, and demonstrate how to tie tight - but some people ignore me, and fall a lot and/or get hurt.
I've come to the conclusion that if you have a sports establishment, to make people happy, you have to give them the freedom to make mistakes - and some of them do dumb things and get avoidably hurt. Because it is human nature to object to being told what to do uninvited.
Kind of like motorcycle helmet laws.
But this is getting off topic. I was just shocked that our most worn out, broken down 20-30 year old rental skates are what make some people the happiest.