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Profeet - Buy their boots or just get them fitted by Profeet? Advice???

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I am seeking custom ski boots. I don’t have serious feet issues just wide size 11 feet and big calves. I usually wear Technica boots as they are wide fitting. What I am seeking is a little advice.

I am interested in Profeet boots but rather than pay retail for this years brand new models from Profeet I would sooner buy last years top boot at a discount and have it fitted with custom liners. From what I can gather Profeet are the best value London based option but I am happy to be corrected?

Thanks
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Don't you run the risk of buying ill-fitting boots by doing that, though? They'll be able to beat them into shape and mould liners for you, but that doesn't guarantee the best fit. If you already know a particular model that'll fit you well though, I guess that doesn't matter.

I got a pair of boots fitted by them a couple of years ago, and got a pair of custom footbeds done at the same time. I ended up ordering the boots from elsewhere, because I was between the sizes that profeet had available, but I'd already tried the too-small and too-large versions of the boot and the conclusion was that the inbetween would fit me well. I'm entirely happy with the end result, and I'd use them again in future.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
What are Profeet boots?

Are you confusing them with Footworks?

Which are Lange anyway, mostly.
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under a new name wrote:
What are Profeet boots?

Are you confusing them with Footworks?

Which are Lange anyway, mostly.


Are you confusing them with Surefoot? wink
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
sarah, yes, yes I am.
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Bigrobski, what you really want is properly fitted ski boots.

I used Profeet when I lived in London, with somewhat mixed results, including some preposterous advice regarding what sort of boots I wanted (I was right, the sales guy was wrong). But my experience is out of date.

In general, the usual solution is to buy your boots from the fitter. Colin at Solutions4feet in Bicester has a strong reputation here. Or head to the alps ( E.g. Chamonix) and see the folks at SOLE.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I am slightly biased (as I do some work for Profeet, online not in the shop), but having worked with them for 18 months or so now, I can highly recommend them. They do know what they are talking about. I'm not sure when underanewname went, but these guys spend a lot of time training and honing their skills. Obv if they don't have the right size boot in stock then buy that elsewhere but you can always take that in for the boot fitting aspect. This gadget also arrived recently which means they don't really need to 'beat' the boots into shape wink https://profeet.co.uk/plus/new-ultracam-ski-boot-stretcher-comes-profeet/
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
iainm, precisely why I caveated. My last experience was 2006 (!). You'll be the author of that article then Twisted Evil looks like a fine bit of kit.

Just to amplify - and I hasten to add that this is totally out of date and in the end the experience was overall positive.

Was quite funny when I was in extreme pain, the young lad wouldn't believe and then was surprised to find that he'd dropped a bolt into the clog.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
I think that every bootfitter can drop the ball sometimes.

In my case, the worst boot service I ever had was from an outfit that comes highly recommended, including on this forum (neither Profeet nor CEM, though). The guy I first saw seemed good, but I have difficult feet so as expected I had to come back for adjustments. Then things went completely wrong as the next guy I saw glued to the outside of the inner boot a few hard foam patches that were about 1 square centimer or less. I did ask "are you sure?" and he emphatically said yes. Of course every single one of them became an unbearable pressure point on the first run. Later I found out that it was the guy's second day fitting boots, and he previously worked in a bicycle shop...

...I did come back and the first guy removed the patches (shaking his head a bit) and ultimately gave me ok-fitting boots, but I still had to tinker with them afterwards and ultimately get a foam-injected liner to be truly happy.

Sorry, bit of a tangent here.
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I'd try talking to them. Having visited, had a good old chat beforehand to deal with what I thought was a fairly basic issue I wanted sorted, they told me what their solution would be and they were right. I got a lot more out of it than the bodge solution I was planning, and boots are much better than before, for about the same cost as I was expecting for the simple fix.

They may well suggest you buy the boots from them, or do some measuring up and try a few options and reccomend you buy something else. They were absolutely serious when they told me to just come back if they weren't right for any reason, to ski them a bit and we could tweak them, and from memory that would be free because I'd paid them already for session 1. But if you call them they will explain exactly what you can expect, and whether buying a random boot from elsewhere and taking it there is a good idea.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I really like Surefoot, they have a shop in London SW6. Got great advice and really good boots now in their fourth year. (they are used most days in season)
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Neither profeet nor surefoot are good value imo, plus I would never recommend buying elsewhere and getting a second place to fit as top choice. So either go to them and live with the insane pricing, or just go somewhere else (Skeetex and Finches have my vote for a decent comfort fit)
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I had great service from Ben at Profeet last year when I went there to get my footbeds done. It was a huge improvement from the unbelievable shithouse ones that surefoot made. I highly recommend Profeet.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
when you buy a boot from a shop, they will work with you to get it right, buy a boot on line or elsewhere and it may cost a lot more in the long run, just because a fitter touches your boot (if you didn't buy it form them) doesn't make it their problem if it doesn't work the way you want it to, all too often we see people who try this approach, yesterday i had a client bought what they thought was the right thing for them on e bay (saved a few quid right?) they bought a size 26.5 assuming as the seller had told them it was a size 7 it would be right, they moved from that boot down a size and down 5mm in width, so ended up buying a boot and now having a boot they bought brand new on e bay probably going back on e bay, they may win they may lose but i am sure they could have done without the hassle

you need to know what you are starting with, if you have had a model of boot before and it worked well and needed a few tweaks and a footbed then great, but if you are guessing then it can get very expensive when it doesn't work out

good luck whatever direction you go
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Bigrobski wrote:
I am seeking custom ski boots. I don’t have serious feet issues just wide size 11 feet and big calves. I usually wear Technica boots as they are wide fitting. What I am seeking is a little advice.

I am interested in Profeet boots but rather than pay retail for this years brand new models from Profeet I would sooner buy last years top boot at a discount and have it fitted with custom liners. From what I can gather Profeet are the best value London based option but I am happy to be corrected?

Thanks


I ve used Sure- and Profeet - Profeet better by miles. Profeet carry Technica as well. All in cost on the day is 50:50 boot:fitting so saving £50 on a boot is only really ~10% of the whole day out. Solutions4feet (Mrs went) are supreme but i am a 5 minute cycle ride to Profeet. If you have historic major issues, go to Bicester - you WILL save in the long run (believe me, I have c 3 pairs of totally defunct women's boots knocking around the house now!).
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Admittedly it is more difficult if you have purchased boots in resort, but I think in the UK, out of professional courtesy, I would try to buy boots from the place that I wanted any adjustments done by.

I am a really long trek from Bicester, and even Profeet and Surefoot are a complicated visit away. I buy my boots from my local and recommended Bootfitter - Justin at SkeeTex in Battlesbridge. I have only ever needed the odd tweak over 5 years boot ownership and he has been pleased to do these for me as a professional courtesy and I am now on my advanced pair from him. However, whilst I am sure the other guys would take a look and charge me for the privilege if I asked, personally I wouldn't have the cheek to do so esp. as I trust Justin to sell me appropriate comfortable boots for my standard of skiing and that fit my large calves and high instep feet - I buy from him, so they are effectively 'his' boots and he is relying on his reputation to send me away a satisfied customer - IMO that isn't someone else's responsibility until he (or anyone else that I might have trusted to sell me boots) really c*(£s it up. I think if the OP wants Profeet to do the tweaks and he is near them that I'd also ask them to sell me the boots as would personally feel a bit cheeky walking in and slapping a pair of boots that they hadn't sold me on the desk. However, that might just be my over-developed sense of 'doing what is right' coming into play. Laughing
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Megamum, all shops will work on boots from elsewhere there are normally just caveats, so if you are somewhere that means you can't get to your normal shop/fitter you don't have to suffer

1 it will cost for the work (normally)
2 we can't guarantee the fit
3 there are limitations as to when we can do the work, for us it is simple, no problem mid week, NO CHANCE at weekends (that is reserved for boot sales and working on boots we have sold)

we also have an informal agreement with a few shops that if someone needs a quick tweak we don't charge their customers they don't charge ours
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
If you have normal feet and an idea of what is a good fit, go to a big ski store and try on loads of boots to find the ones that fit and then buy them at the cheapest price you can get them.

If you have no idea what a good fit is or if you have odd shaped feet / need the shell customising, go to a boot fitter and let them supply and fit the boots.
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Flaine skier wrote:
If you have normal feet and an idea of what is a good fit...
I find it very difficult to tell in a shop whether a boot is a good fit or "just comfortable". It's only when I start to ski in them for an hour or so that I get a feel for any potential problems. Trying on lots and lots of pairs of boots in a shop won't give me much of an idea of how the boot works for me when I'm actually skiing.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Such a pain, ski boots. I have wide forefeet, and a hammer toe, but narrow heels - ironically I've been able to get a better fit in ski boots (thanks to the bootfitter's ability and the fact that you can bend the shell) than I can in normal shoes. I was in a rather expensive shop specialising in wide feet a week ago - I would have bought anything in the shop which fitted well, but nothing did because the ones which fitted the front of my foot well were sloppy on the heel.

I take 6.5-7 shoes because have having to make room for all the grotty bits but have 24.5 boots. My daughter takes much smaller shoes than I do but has 25.0 ski boots - more or less off the shelf, though bought in resort. I don't do any techy skiing but my feet do rather demand some expert fitting. And anyone who does techy skiing clearly needs the right boots. But many people with unproblematic feet and good ankle flex who are decent holiday skiers doing a couple of weeks a year seem to cope absolutely fine with relatively inexpensive boots off the shelf. My son, who's a really good skier (several seasons on top of natural ability) will grab any pair of boots that's remotely the right size - he's never bought his own. For most of one season he skied in a pair one of the chalet guests had left behind because he couldn't be bothered to carry them home (it was a VERY expensive chalet). Doesn't stop him being able to ski just about anything on one leg.

Some of us are probably too inclined to blame our gear when we can't get something right! I once felt completely out of whack on a run which, although black, was not in bad shape, was practically empty, and really shouldn't have given me any problem. I actually stopped, thinking something was terribly wrong, and swapped feet in my (standard) skis. rolling eyes Embarassed rolling eyes
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I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Profeet 100%. I've never had a better fitting or more comfy pair of boots. And they sometimes have left-over stock from the previous year that is cheaper as well.

Re. which boot, they spend as much time choosing which boot model is best for your foot and leg and ability and ambitions, as they do actually fitting it. So I wouldn't want to miss out on that aspect of the fitting process.

If you are a member of the Ski Club of GB they do a pretty decent discount (or at least used to) - worth checking that out.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
3 friends and myself have had boots fitted by surefeet cannot recommend them highly enough .pricey yes ,but perfect fit
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I've used Profeet (more convienient for me that S4F, the only other UK place to be consistently recommended on here) and so can only speak for their boot fitting service but based on that would say buy your boots from them.

A Profeet fitting isn't an 20 minute in/out, pick some shiny boot/stand there/pay there job, it's more like 90 minutes.

Things start by examining your feet and posture and based on those they will appear with the shells they think best suit your feet. Sure you can set a budget but the point is they try and sell you the best fitting boot for you, not just any old pair then do all the fitting in the liner/footbed. It's not all about selling the latest boots either. From memory mine were from a season or 2 before, they were just a better match to me feet in their opinion - and as I can wear them fully buckled from first lift to end of apres ski I haven't got any complaints!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Another +1 for profeet from me.

Also, for what it's worth, my experience was that with large/wide feet and big calves, you're actually in a better position not to have to spend too much money - I've got very wide size 12s and once they'd stretched the shell a bit here and there and moulded a footbed, it only added c.£70 to the basic price of a mid-range pair of Heads (This was a while ago though). they certainly didn't push superfluous expense on me such as injection moulded liners etc because my feet/legs are so big (fat?) they filled the boot amply! (This was borne out when the Mrs bought her boots there a year later and with her dainty feet and slender calves, she needed all the bells and whistles for a snug fit and each of her boots cost what I paid for a pair!)
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And another +1 for Profeet (used in 2012).

I also have big calves and fairly wide feet. I did need to go back after the first week's sliding for some re-working on the custom footbed, but the issue was resolved with no fuss and the boots are now really comfortable. I'll definitely consider going back when the time comes to replace them.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Mjit wrote:

A Profeet fitting isn't an 20 minute in/out, pick some shiny boot/stand there/pay there job, it's more like 90 minutes.

Things start by examining your feet and posture and based on those they will appear with the shells they think best suit your feet. Sure you can set a budget but the point is they try and sell you the best fitting boot for you, not just any old pair then do all the fitting in the liner/footbed. It's not all about selling the latest boots either. From memory mine were from a season or 2 before, they were just a better match to me feet in their opinion - and as I can wear them fully buckled from first lift to end of apres ski I haven't got any complaints!


This is exactly how it goes at any decent bootfitter (assuming profeet also ask about your skiing style, frequency and your weight and ankle flexibility).
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Just to update this thread in case anyone else stumbles upon it with a similar question. I went with Profeet and I am really very pleased that I did. Excellent service, got a discount for both a pre-season purchase and for ski club GB membership (worth it for this at least). They sold me the best boots and fitting for me and not the most expensive or latest model. I have a very good set of boots and when I went back with a minor niggle in March it was no problem and no charge! It was money well spent!!!
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Bigrobski, nice of you to come back with an update! snowHead
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Profeet are nothing special, a good experience on the first occasion sorting an issue with boots I already owned, the second time was the worst ever, they virtually pushed me out of the door knowing I wasn't happy clutching a new pair of boots that I wasn't stable in, later sorted by CEM.

I've had better experiences elsewhere and wouldn't go back.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
My experience with Profeet was totally the opposite. I have awkward-shaped feet - very wide with a high instep.

The guy spent a LONG time finding me boots to try and making me custom insoles. He told me they would take a little while to bed in, then they should be spot-on - and he was right.

They were a bit uncomfortable for the first week on them (slight pain under my heels), but the next time I wore them, they were so comfortable I didn't know I was wearing them.

They are the best boots Ive ever had with the perfect fit and flex for me. (Atomic Carbon Waymaker 100)
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