Since there will be no more Klings...

[taka]

I'm happy to measure Riedell Light series boot heels (910LS and 2010LS) if that'll help?

Which is the best bit to measure?

PS Since when have Riedells been thought of as narrow fitting? They fit my feet which are anything but narrow... 

[FigureSpins]

I'm happy to measure Riedell Light series boot heels (910LS and 2010LS) if that'll help?

Which is the best bit to measure?

PS Since when have Riedells been thought of as narrow fitting? They fit my feet which are anything but narrow... 

Riedells have always been more narrow than Jacksons.  If you look at the measurement charts, you can see the variance.  I wear a larger size in Riedells than Jacksons as well.  Glad you got well-fitted Riedells.

[Debbie S]

The thing about Jacksons and Riedells is that there is not much variance between ball and heel width....in other words, if the ball of your foot is wide relative to your heel, they likely won't fit. Riedell can fit wide feet, you just need to order a large width. Jacksons tend to be wider, as FigureSpins pointed out, but you also need a fairly wide heel, or just not a real narrow one. My feet are wide at the ball and narrow at the heel, so neither Riedell nor Jackson worked for me. I skated in Jacksons for about a week and returned them b/c my heel kept moving around. The only way to get a Jackson that would fit me in both places was to get a custom. I decided to just go with Klingbeil, since their skates had such a good rep. Now I'm looking at Harlicks, but I've been told their heels tend to be a bit higher than Klingbeils, although not as high as SP-Teris, which I was in previously. I actually think it might not be so much the heel but how the footbed is designed. When I first started wearing my Klingbeils, it felt like there was more under the arch, if that makes sense, so my foot felt flatter with something on the middle. That probably doesn't make sense, lol, but I do know that I feel much more stable in the Klingbeils than any other skate I've worn.

[Skate@Delaware]

With my Jacksons, I got them two sizes narrower in the heel and they are considered split-sized. If they vary more than two-sizes difference between ball and heel then they are considered custom and will cost a lot more.  Split-sized boots do take longer though (almost as long as customs).  Sometimes it's better to go complete customs if you want more bells & whistles (tongue hooks, dance elastic, different stiffness that's off the chart) etc.

[FigureSpins]

Our Jacksons have 1-3/4" heels, my new and old Klingbeils have 1-1/2" heels.  That might explain why I had a little trouble adjusting to the Jacksons, yet I felt like the heel wasn't as high.  Strange.

(I measured from sole to top, mid-heel (front to back))

[fsk8r]

Following FigureSpins measurement location, my Jacksons equally are 1-3/4" heels (needed that to baseline my other measurement). My Grafs are 1-1/2" heels.
So if people are looking to maintain the heel height Grafs might be an option.

[MimiG]

Does the boot size make a difference? I have big feet and my Risports are 1-7/8" at the mid-heel point (2" at the back), but they're also ancient, so I don't know if newer ones are as tall or not... (not much help, I suppose!)

[fsk8r]

My Jacksons are a 9 US. My Grafs are the equivalent size. I did wonder if the height was relative to boot size. If FigureSpins has different sized boots to me, then it's independent of size.

[sarahspins]

The pair of Klings I have (custom, but not made for me) measure about 1 5/8" at the mid-heel, 1 3/4" at the back.  I only skated in them a few times and they didn't feel that odd in terms of balance front to back, but they just weren't stiff enough for me (and the heels are a little too narrow).

Actually all of the boots I can find (two pairs of SP Teri's, two pairs of Jacksons, and a pair of Harlicks) all measure the same.... 1 5/8" in the middle, 1 3/4" at the back.  All of the stock boots are 6 1/2's, the custom SP Teri's are 6's and a half size too small for me but the Klings seem to be in the same size range as the 6 1/2's.

The boot heights on the other hand... vary much by much more, with the Harlicks being the tallest overall and my Jackson Elite Plus being the shortest at the back.  The only boots I haven't skated in are the Harlicks, but I have those boots because I bought them for the blades that were on them - the boots are in pretty rough shape

Interestingly when I skate in the SP Teri's I feel like I'm further back on my heels... but I actually think that the shape of the footbed and/or insoles plays a very large part in this.  The Jackson insole is much thicker at the heel than the stock insoles for SP Teri, Harlick, or Klingbeil (unless of course you have some sort of custom orthotic).

[FigureSpins]

My Jacksons are a 7-1/2 US.  The Klings are customs that are more or less a size 9-1/4", per their measurements.  (It's really based on foot length in inches.)

[sarahspins]

Interesting... my feet are probably about the same length as yours (mine may be slightly longer) but I think I would be swimming in a Jackson 7 1/2!

[MimiG]

My Risports are 270mm. Looking at conversion charts online, I see it as anywhere from 8.5-10.5 US, so, ummm... I wear a size 10 women's shoe, but my skates are obviously much more snugly fit.

[Robin]

I will be needing to buy skates in the coming months. I love the cushion inside the Klings but not sure what other brand provides that comfort. Thought about SP Teri customs but looks they are way more expensive than Klings and not sure about the cushion inside. Jackson's just seem cheap to me. I know they are good boots but the quality just doesn't seem all that great. I've seen so many skaters in them but I'm not sold yet. Harlick don't fit me and neither do Riedell. Guess my only choice is Jackson. Do all of them have that little name plate on the back? I hate that. Any other ideas for brands?

Klingbeil isn't going out of business. Your problem is solved. And if you've had Klingbeil, you'll hate Jackson. Ask me how I know.