The first thing you’ll notice about the new Easton Mako II hockey skates is the neutralised colour scheme. The original Mako skates featured that bright Mako orange look, the Mako II has dialed it down a bit by replacing the bright orange highlights with a more traditional grey and black. There was mixed feedback from the original mako colour scheme so it looks like Easton has taken note and made the desired changes.

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Easton Mako II hockey skate – Holder And Runner

The runner featured on the Mako II is the ES4 Stainless runner paired with Easton’s CXN holder. These were both brand new creations that were first premiered on the original Mako skates. Both of these have been carried onto the Mako II. The combination of the ES4 runner and the CXN holder worked incredibly well, its great to see they have been continued as we felt there was no reason for Easton to change them “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

 

Easton Mako II hockey skate – Outsole

The outsole on the Easton Mako skates isn’t like a traditional skate, the outsole is in fact built into the skates body. This creates a much more direct feel for the ice and incredible energy transfer. This again was first featured on the original Mako Skates and has been carried over onto the Mako II.

Easton Mako II hockey skates – Quater Package

The quarter package is where we’ll see the majority of changes Easton has made to the new Mako II. The quarter has been remanufactured from a different and more durable carbon fibre, this will also make the quarter much stiffer than the original Mako skates which means it will last much longer. The difference in stiffness is something you will notice immediately, this means any very big and heavy players that may have not been offered adequate support in the previous Mako skates will not have the same problem in the Mako II.

Easton Mako II hockey skate – Asymmetrical Design

Taking a look at the back of the quarter package, we notice that Easton have again carried across the asymmetrical quarter package. The inside of the quarter sits 5mm higher than the outside. This gives you a larger surface along the inside of the skate to push off from whilst skating and striding, providing ample space for an even greater angle of attack on the ice, getting you nice and low in your tight turns.

Easton Mako II hockey skate – Extendon Guard

Other features that Easton have continued to use on the Mako II skates is the Extendon Guard, this tendon guard allows the skater to move around unrestricted on the ice, which ties into Easton’s Natural Movement Philosophy which is the basis of the design for the Mako skates. The changes that we’ve noticed with the Extendon Guard is a little more resistance when flexing the Extendon back. The bolts that used to attach the replaceable Extendon Guard now use the same removal tool as the runners, which means it’s now easier to remove and replace them as the tools are provided in the box.

Easton Mako II hockey skates – Tongue

The Mako line is a skate made to maximum flexing to accommodate the natural movement of your foot, so the tongue needs to be able to handle this. Here Easton have re-engineered the tongue from thicker and more comfortable foams. This will not only improve the comfort of the tongue, but also improve the protection from impacts. Along the outside of the tongue, they have also adapted the metatarsal guard, it is now narrower and allows easier flexing while skating, yet still provides you with adequate lace bite protection.

Easton Mako II hockey skate –  Liners

Taking a look inside the skate, Easton have re-engineered the liner to provide a more durable and comfortable liner. They have also added more thermo reactive foams to provide a glove like fit, once the Mako II skates are baked and moulded.

Easton Mako II – Footbed

Easton also upgraded the footbed of the Mako II skate by adding Ortholite footbeds, this footbed provides more comfort and slip prevention inside the skate. It’s also significantly thicker than its predecessor.

 

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