Thoughts on Sizing
Every foot is different. This makes building a skate brand that works for everyone very difficult. We would have loved to make shells for every size foot, but that isn’t realistic. So we decided on making 4 shells which are 10mm-15mm apart in length to fit as many people as possible at launch.
Each of our four shells are marked with their internal lengths in millimeters; Small 271, Medium 282, Large 295, XLarge 310. A millimeter is a millimeter everywhere in the world, which makes it more reliable than shoe sizing. Everyone can (and should) measure their feet in millimeters.
Why did we share internal shell lengths and not just recommended boot sizes? We knew skaters wanted to use their own liners in the Omni, so our liner lengths were less relevant.
To measure the internal length we drew a straight line between the back of the heel and the front of the toes on the inside of the shell. This way you can measure your favorite liner and know if it will fit or not. These measurements are based on the 3D drawings.
It’s difficult to accurately measure the internal length of a plastic shell with the curves and angles. But as an exercise, we can measure the exterior of the shells and estimate the interior length using a baseline shell thickness.
I took a random sampling of shells of each size and color and averaged their exterior lengths:
Small 271 = 282mm exterior
Medium 282 = 294mm exterior
Large 295 = 303mm exterior
XLarge 310 = 324mm exterior
Now, let’s assume that the thickness of the shells are a constant between sizes, 10mm to make the math easy. The small shell would be 1mm longer than expected, the medium 2mm longer, the large 2mm shorter and the xlarge 4mm longer. I’d wager if we redid this test with each production run the numbers would change slightly.
What could have caused this difference in length? The shells could have expanded or contracted through curing. The molds might have been off from the drawings by a millimeter here or there. The temperature they’ve been stored in could have caused them to shrink or expand.
We’re working to get these shells as accurate as possible with each release, but plastic can be weird.
The big takeaway: 1-2 mm won’t make a huge difference in your ride. If you need every millimeter possible, you’ll probably be happier going up a shell size. I understand trying to get the best fit possible, but give your feet a little breathing room. Your toes will thank you for it.
If you’re not sure what size you need, please let us know. We’re always here to help you find the right shell for your setup. If you’ve already got your Omni and want some help dialing them in, we’ve put together a few tips on heat molding your liners and layering shock absorbers. Worst case scenario, if you still can’t get your Omni to work for you, please contact your shop and they will take care of you.
As for future plans, we shared at Winterclash that we have an XSmall shell in development. This should help people who are swimming in the Small shell. The XSmall has a 259mm internal length and is designed for skaters with 249mm feet (EU 38, US 4-5).
We’re also looking into making a new shell to fill the space between the Large and XLarge. Especially after these production measurements showed there’s more of a gap than expected, we think it’s a good investment. Finally, we have some skaters who can’t fit in the XLarge, and we would love to make a XXLarge for our big footed friends.
Of course all of this will take time. New shells are expensive. We’re going to keep trying to make the Omni fit as many feet as possible until everyone can make them work.
Thanks as always for supporting us with this project. It was always a dream to build our own skate, and we’re thrilled we finally made it a reality.