My SP-Teri's

[FigureSpins]

My new skates are SP-Teri Super Teri's with two modifications: split width and a flex notch.  So far, so good.

<snip>
I noticed in the show off your skates thread that you'd gotten these skates recently and I'd love to know your thoughts on them so far. Have you ever had them before? What made you choose them versus another brand or model? This is perhaps another topic or more appropriate for a PM, but I'm very interested!

I've never had this brand before, I've been in Klingbeil customs since the late 1980's.  The last two pairs weren't spectacular in terms of fit, so I figured that it was due to my body changing after having kids, gaining weight, etc.

I wanted to find a stock boot that fit well and gave me stability. 

I tried Jackson Competitors last year and didn't like them - the blade was a huge adjustment (felt like I was going to face-plant on every backspin) and I didn't like the high-top cut.  Plus, they were really, really stiff.  I ended up getting my Klingbeils adjusted at the Queens shop, but the ankle tendonitis persisted and I never really felt balanced.

A coach at our rink wears SP-Teri's and she let me try hers on, which were a size too small, but fully broken in so there was padding compression. She told me about the split-width, which felt right for me.  Most of all, the boot was level when you put your foot in, it was level, which I wasn't feeling in the Klingbeils.

Our fitter said I was between sizes so I ordered to fit my landing foot.  (Slightly smaller)  I was tired of having my landing foot slide in the skate unless I tied it tourniquet-tight.  It's dangerous. 

It's silly to buy skates that feel great for six months, then start to slip and slide.  I had the padding on my old skates replaced/restuffed to compensate, but I think the memory foam was a problem.  I would tie the skates tightly but they would loosen up within a half-hour of skating. I think the heat buildup compressed the padding further.  I can't retie my skates between every lesson, so that was a nuisance.

I know the padding in these skates is going to compress over time, so the skate will fit a little less snug later on, which is fine.  So, I've become a believer in the "buy them a little snug" theory based on this experience.

[FigureSpins]

(Continued)

I replaced the flat plastic stock insole with a heat-molded "Sole Thin" insole because I needed support for my high arches.  That's something to keep in mind: in hindsight, I could have gone up a half-size since the replacement insole is easily twice as thick as the stock insole.  I could used the room from sole to top of my foot, but hindsight is 20/20.  (Our fitter didn't think the insole would be an issue, but I don't think she realized that SP-Teri doesn't use sport insoles.  I did make it clear that I wear orthotics all the time.)

I might try switching back to the SP-Teri insole and adding just an arch support pad.  (Dr. Scholls has stick-on gel arch supports.)  That would give me a little more room in the skate while still having arch support.

The fit itself is good, although I don't have a lot of overlap of the tongue inside the boot.  That's not a bad thing for me, because I have a nerve channel along my inside ankles that smarts if anything presses against it.  It's definitely due to the replacement insole, which lifts my foot up inside the skate more than the stock insole.  It's a mixed bag that requires time for experiments.

The skates are a little tight in the toe box, but I expected that to be the case since I ordered them to fit snugly.  I have Morton's Toe, so my second toe is longer than my first.  The toe box is very pointy on the SP-Teri's, as compared to the Klingbeil rounded toe box.  It's not a bad thing, since the point aligns with my second toe, but I do need to have the toes punched a little more for comfort.

I heat-molded the skates and stretched the toe boxes myself, which has helped make them more comfortable and prevent my toes from getting crunched.  I'm going to experiment with the insoles before I do any other adjustments.  If needed, I can have the pro shop punch out the toes, which will be far more effective than what I can do at home.

The thick foam padding on the tongue is something I used to have on my Klingbeils years ago.  It does compress, but for the first few sessions, you have to really pull the laces tight to get the tongue in the right place.  There were a few times early on where I felt like I was wearing hockey skates and had to re-tie!

The more-narrow heel cup fits fine and my heel's been fitting into it better and better as I break in the skates.

I like the flex notch - I left the top hooks undone for the first few skates, mainly because I didn't have enough lace left over.  In the last week, I've found that I can lace all the way up and still have good knee bend, likely because of the heat molding and padding compression.

The guy who mounted the blades was really good.  PM me if you want his contact info - he's a coach in Virginia.   He started by tracing my feet to identify my balance and alignment!  He said right away that I tend to balance on the insides of my feet, which is true.  I now have skates where the blades feel centered.

These skates are smaller than my Klingbeils and the Jacksons, so I had to go down a 1/4" on blades.  I haven't felt anything but better balance - I can change edge at will without muscling anything, turns are fairly easy, although the backward-to-forward turns are klunky and awkward.  (I haven't been practicing, though, so that's a more-likely cause.)

All in all, I've been pretty happy with these skates.  I was switching back and forth over the past few weeks, depending on what I was coaching, but now I can use them almost all the time.  (It was hard to coach Freestyle on brand-new skates, but Figures classes were okay.)  I really need to do a few skating sessions and get these fully broken in for the new season, but I'm happy with them so far.

[FigureSpins]

Here's something I've gotten out of this search for skates: every skate fitter and pro who looks at your skates will find something wrong that can be blamed on a prior fitter/pro. 

Case in point: the gas company replaced our meter and about three days later, our pest inspector smelled gas while walking around to on an inspection.  The new meter wasn't connected right and gas was leaking from a pipe joint!  The gas company sent another team right away and they started bad-mouthing the first guy's work.  My BIL said that it's the norm for workmen: they always criticize the last person to touch something.

IME, our current skate sharpener always complains that my blades are "lower" on the right inside edge at every sharpening.  The cause is that I usually do RFI hockey stops on one foot.  I now realize that he thinks I'm using another sharpener in between, so he's putting down the imaginary sharpener's work.

For my new skates, I needed shorter blades, which I happened to have in the garage because of a pissing contest between the manufacturer and a very-experienced fitter.  Klingbeil recommends end-to-end mounting, that fitter recommended the 1/4" short sized mounting.  The blades had been mounted and removed as part of a very-expensive attempt at balancing the Klingbeils. 

That fitter goes to Nationals and ISU events as a skate tech, so he obviously knows how to sharpen.  The coach who mounted my blades on my new saktes felt that the blades hadn't been sharpened properly.  I'm sure they were fine, but I let him resharpen them just to ease his mind.   I think he was fearful that I would blame a bad sharpening on his mounting efforts.  Regardless, I'm happy with the blade mounting.

So, take any criticism of your current equipment with a grain of salt: some of it is just posturing.  I think that there's so little standardization or agreement on what's right and what's wrong, that all techs and coaches have biases.  They may feel the need to make themselves appear more knowledgeable by criticizing someone else's work.

Final example: I had a fitter tell me to NEVER, EVER reuse holes when replacing blades, even if the same size/model of blade is being mounted.  He then proceeded to do just that when he replaced my blades. Now, he said that the holes lined up, which is odd.  I always felt like the blades had a different balance point for edges at the front than at the back.  Sure enough, the blades were warped during the mounting.  Another fitter remounted them properly and they were okay after that, but still, I think it's funny that the preacher didn't take his own advice.

[sarahspins]

I might try switching back to the SP-Teri insole and adding just an arch support pad.  (Dr. Scholls has stick-on gel arch supports.)  That would give me a little more room in the skate while still having arch support.

I add arch supports to my skates rather than swapping out the insoles (to be honest I see no point in trying, most don't have arch supports high enough, plus they're usually not where I need them to be either)... and I even use different sizes for each foot since my feet aren't quite symmetrical and have always been that way   I like these on Amazon.  I've tried the Dr Scholls gel ones and didn't like them as much, but the more solid ones work great for me. Without the arch supports my feet cramp so bad I couldn't even wear my skates for 10 minutes... basically when I'm setting up a pair of new boots I try to "fill in" any space I can feel under my arches.  If there is space my feet will not be supported and will cramp up.  With my last pair of boots I was able to skip the trial and error I had with my prior pair and my feet were properly supported from day one, which was nice

[FigureSpins]

I tried the flat insole plus arch support tonight and realized that the left inside sole of the skate isn't level!  There is a rise right at the ball of my foot, so my toes were hanging down.  I had thought it was a wrinkle in the replacement insole, but no, there's a bump.  I put some moleskin at the toe area to level it out and that helped.  You're right though: I need a higher arch support than the Dr Scholl's gel provides.

[Purple Sparkly]

Long ago the SP Teri last was great for my arch.  Then they changed it and I had severe cramping in my skates.

When I got a new pair, I told George that I had arch pain and he put a removable "cookie" in the arch.  My arches are not bad enough to need a custom orthotic.  It does not bother me in street shoes.  However, the cookie moved around when I didn't want it to and it was difficult to get it in the right place.

I do not have any problems with the stock insole on my Jacksons.  I hated needing to modify my custom boot.

[alejeather]

FigureSpins, thank you so much for the detailed review. I'm still processing all the information I've gotten on different skates.

I wear super feet insoles with my current boots and my fitter recommended sending a pair of them to sp teri when I send in my order. However, I'm not sure if I'm wearing them for arch support or to take up excess room in my current boots.

I tried on a friend's pair ( just slid my foot in and didn't lace) and though they were too narrow, I liked the general snugness and shape of the boot. But maybe that's because my jackson freestyles seem to get bigger everyday.

I asked some other skaters about their SP Teri's recently and handled their skates and they felt incredibly heavy. Have you noticed the weight? If so, is it at all problematic?

[FigureSpins]

To me, the SP-Teri's feel lighter than my Klingbeils.  It's not a big difference, but enough to be noticeable.

[Sk8Dreams]

How soft/hard is the footbed in the Teri's?  I need a relatively soft footbed, because I have almost no metatarsal padding.  This was a huge problem with my Edea's, which were rock hard.

[FigureSpins]

Not soft at all, but I have stock boots, not customs.  It's a thin, completely flat insole made of vinyl.

[icedancer]

I have also heard that the Edea is like your foot is standing RIGHT on the blade - maybe that is what you are experiencing.  I don't know of any boot that has a soft footbed but you could always put a Dr. Scholls type pad in the footbed of your boot.

I have SP Teri also and am enjoying your commentary on your boots!

[FigureSpins]

Glad you're enjoying this thread - I've gotten lots of SP-Teri tips in return. skatingforums.com is the best for details like this. 

I'm very glad I switched boots.  I really liked these skates tonight with the flat insole and cobbled-together arch support.  I was able to skate Moves and edges with strength and speed.  Brackets and edge changes were easy, even tried a back three turn, which was a little klunky, but okay.  Even my most-hated LFI3 was easier than on my old skates.

Still getting that rub spot at the heel - there's a ridge along the inside of the heel cup that's causing it.  Have to punch it out. 

Wierdest thing - my left big toe was numb for about an hour after I put on my sneakers.  A nerve must have gotten squished while I was skating or maybe the sock seam was pressing on the nerve.  It wasn't circulation cutoff - my toe didn't "go to sleep," it just lost all feeling.  Very strange.

[alejeather]

I have another question. Have you noticed the difference in heel height? IIRC, you were in Jackson's before, which have a much higher heel.

This has been the latest caution from a coach, that the heel will take a lot of getting used to.

[FigureSpins]

I have another question. Have you noticed the difference in heel height? IIRC, you were in Jackson's before, which have a much higher heel.

This has been the latest caution from a coach, that the heel will take a lot of getting used to.

The Jacksons Competitors didn't cut it as Klingbeil replacements, so I went back to the Klings. I switched from Klingbeils to SP-Teri directly last month.
(Custom Klingbeils => Stock Jacksons => Rebuilt Custom Klingbeils => Stock SP-Teri's, for those keeping track.)

I've noticed the lower heel height on spins and footwork, but the change wasn't that bad.  I just have to use my feet properly to find the rocker; the higher heel kept my weight on the ball of the foot more easily.  Takes a little adjustment in technique, but truthfully, I love these skates so far.  I pulled them out of my bag this afternoon and put them on without thinking.  Balanced, light and only a little uncomfortable in the toe box.  They get better every time I skate.  Definitely a good investment and I wasn't expecting a custom fit for a stock price.

If you're getting customs, you could ask for the heel height to be higher.


Note: the blades I'm using were originally on a pair of Klingbeil customs with a higher heel than these SP-Teri's.  It took a bit of time for the blade to adjust to the different heel height; there was a little gap between the boot sole and the blade sole plate that compressed as I tried out the skates.  I never even thought about that, but the blade tech assured me it wouldn't be a problem and he was right.  My weight was enough to press them down onto the sole where they could be tightened properly in place.

[alejeather]

Thank you again, FigureSpins, for your detailed review! I finally placed my order over the weekend. I ended up going with the KT-2. That is what the fitter and my dance coach originally recommended for me, but the first time I called SP-Teri, the lady I spoke to told me it would be too much boot for me.

When I called back with a few additional questions, I talked directly to George and he said I was kind of on the line, but would recommend the KT-2. That was 3 to 1, so I went with those. They also come with a flex notch. (Also, bonus points, twice, to SP Teri for picking up the phone and answering my questions.)

I debated for a long time, but in the end, I decided these were the boots I wanted to try. So in a few weeks, I'll have new boots (and blades, eek!) to break in and adjust to.

With my last skates, I ordered a half size smaller than I measured on their sizing stick. They were quite tight before heat molding, but before too long, I put in a higher volume insole, was back to wearing wool socks and still occasionally have my heel move up and down. Now I'm getting to the point where I don't feel like I have the fine control over the blade that I want to.

I'm really hoping to get a better fit with these boots.

[FigureSpins]

I punched out the toe box and the heel spot where the blisters were forming. (Did it myself!) They feel better now, need a little more room on the right foot.  I should have gotten a half-size larger, but well see what happens with regular use.  I am so sick of sliding inside skates so tighter is my preference.

I was having a problem with my left big toe going numb, which was scary.  I'm not sure if it was the skates, it might have been the sneaker sports insoles I was using.  I changed back to my orthotics and punched the skates out.  That seems to have resolved the problem.  (It was a little scary, to be honest.  The toe stayed numb for almost two full days.)

[alejeather]

So I sent in my measurements to SP Teri at the end of August and ordered a KT-2. Based on my measurements, they chose to make me a size 9 1/2 B CC, which is a B skate with a C ball. My order was processed about a week later and the skates came 3 weeks after that. I put them on and they felt really long. I wanted them to work, so I kept putting them on and tying them up again and again and on my fitter's recommendation, I heat-molded them. They just didn't feel right.

It just so happened that I was going out to San Francisco in mid-October and I had a free morning so I brought the new boots with me made an excursion to go see the folks at SP Teri in person. I saw George Spiteri and he looked skeptical the moment I put the boots on. He checked the measurements that my fitter had made and came out with the same numbers. He didn't have exactly what I was looking for on hand, but I was able to try on a Super Teri in a 9 and something in 9 1/2 B. The 9 was too short, but the 9 1/2 B immediately felt more like something made for my foot. Interestingly, the super teris were not big enough around the ankle, meaning that the tongue didn't reach the boot when tying them up. He said if I'd gone with a Super Teri, I would have needed a custom tongue.

Anyway, having seen how the current boot fit my foot and the others that I tried on, he thought we should stick with a 9 1/2 but go down a width through the whole foot, so an A boot with a B ball. He treated it as an even exchange, kept the original pair of boots and told me production on the new boots would be 3 weeks, same as with the previous boots.

The new boots arrived yesterday and they feel sooooo much better. The other pair felt like boats compared to these, and because of that, they also felt like bricks. This pair may need to be punched out a tiny bit at the pinky toe. My foot lies flat, they just push my toe in a little around the corner. My heel doesn't move and when I put them on, they feel like they belong on my feet. I am so glad that I took my time with getting the right fit on these. It was fortunate that I got to go out to SP Teri in person. It was very much worth the trip. My experience with customer service with SP Teri has been fantastic since I started thinking about ordering from them.

They were made with a superfeet allowance, but I wasn't able to fit my current superfeet in them. I may try again, and I may try with the lower profile yellow insole (I have blue currently) but they also felt fine without the superfeet. One of the main reasons I was using the superfeet in the first place with my current boots is because they were two big and I needed to take up room in the boots. I'm looking forward to getting blades mounted and taking these out for a spin. I'm switching blades, too, though, so it could be quite the adjustment period!