One of the best skates EVER
These are AMAZING skates. When I first tried them on, the toe box was a bit tight on the right foot... not painful, but I could feel some pressure on the outside of my foot. After having them baked and skating in them in a few games and a couple of practices, they feel perfect. No discomfort at all, perfect. The fit is perfect, my toes touch the end of the toe box when standing and it feels like there is very little dead space. I ended up tying them very loose toward the toe and top of my foot and tighter along the tongue. (Note: the laces these come with are great BTW). The comfort is top notch. The tongue, the inner lining... like butter. The STEP Blacksteel is legit... I had a pair of Jetspeed FT4's with standard STEP steel and they were awesome too. I think the feel is similar, maybe the Blacksteel is a bit more grippy... the feel of the skate is very similar to the Jetspeed, but maybe a little more narrow in the toe. I know the Ribcor line is dincontinued and they were marketed as "agility" whereas Jetspeed for "speed". My opinion is that they feel very similar to Jetspeeds and while they're great for agility, the Ribcor 100K Pro is also amazing for speed. I am definitely faster in these skates. I think if you can find a pair of these in your size for a good deal, its probably a good idea to scoop them up. If you're reading this, you're probably watching the review videos on YouTube and the PH site.... yes there are different skate designs with different intentions - speed, power, agility, etc.... There's also a HUGE difference between what a kid vs beer leaguer vs D1 player vs pro needs and will even notice. At the end of the day, there are a lot of amazing skates out there. Try them on, find one that fits your foot the right way. Sharpen em' and get on the ice!