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Juice

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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So I just purchased my first pair of plug boots from Dalbello and after trying them on they feel completely different than my race boots (98mm last) from the previous season. I don't really know how to describe the difference, but it feels like my foot has less feeling in the plug boot and not because it is tighter. I have not had any work done on them yet so it may be due to the freakishly tight fit out of the box. I just wanted to see if this was normal or if I somehow put the my foot with the laced up liner into the shell the wrong way.
 

hbear

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Plugs NEED work before they fit. That is their design and it is intended to be ground, punched and tinkered.
Last is also likely different as they tend to be 92 or less.
No surprise they feel different!

Get to your boot fitter stat.
 

KingGrump

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but it feels like my foot has less feeling in the plug boot and not because it is tighter.

When you say "feel" do you mean snow sensitivity or your feet going numb?
 
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Juice

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Yes, I will be visiting my boot fitter very soon before I even ski them, but I don't think the difference in feel is caused by the boots being tight. I left them on for about 3 minutes and the feel didn't change so I don't think my feet were going numb. It was more like my foot felt like every movement was connected where with my past boots everything felt more individual. I know that's a terrible description of what I'm feeling, but I don't know how else to describe the difference.
 
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Juice

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Yep, my boots came with two sets of lifters so I will have the thinner set installed and have the height of the boot adjusted.
 

Toddski13

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Plug boots aren’t designed to fit out of the box... they’re designed to be fit out of the box. A very small percentage of skiers need minimal work, but for everyone else the concept is that you accommodate bones through grinding and punching while leaving the fit elsewhere as tight as possible.
 

Andy Mink

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Plug boots aren’t designed to fit out of the box... they’re designed to be fit out of the box.
I had to read that twice. Amazing how a two letter word can change the whole story! Great quote.
 

Moose32

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Has anyone had success doing a home stretch in a Dalbello 150 (2013) or similar boot?

Scorpion-SR-150.jpg

My feet have always fit most/all plugs out of the box (Lange 150 WC, Dobies 150, Redsters 170) but not the case for this boot (same mondo and last as my other plugs).

Looking for 1 millimeter I think. Pain is on top of my foot. Had them in my oven at 250 for 15 mins, wore them with extra socks until cooled. May have retracted a bit since I had to get my feet out and did not have snow banks (or enough frozen vegetables) to get them cold again.

Any DIY thoughts?
 

Josh Matta

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you could sand the foot beds down and make them narrower.
 

Philpug

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Has anyone had success doing a home stretch in a Dalbello 150 (2013) or similar boot?

View attachment 60942

My feet have always fit most/all plugs out of the box (Lange 150 WC, Dobies 150, Redsters 170) but not the case for this boot (same mondo and last as my other plugs).

Looking for 1 millimeter I think. Pain is on top of my foot. Had them in my oven at 250 for 15 mins, wore them with extra socks until cooled. May have retracted a bit since I had to get my feet out and did not have snow banks (or enough frozen vegetables) to get them cold again.

Any DIY thoughts?
Plugs are designed to be ground more than stretched.
 

Toddski13

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Has anyone had success doing a home stretch in a Dalbello 150 (2013) or similar boot?

View attachment 60942

My feet have always fit most/all plugs out of the box (Lange 150 WC, Dobies 150, Redsters 170) but not the case for this boot (same mondo and last as my other plugs).

Looking for 1 millimeter I think. Pain is on top of my foot. Had them in my oven at 250 for 15 mins, wore them with extra socks until cooled. May have retracted a bit since I had to get my feet out and did not have snow banks (or enough frozen vegetables) to get them cold again.

Any DIY thoughts?

Are you getting pain on the top of foot right under the catch of the instep buckle? The cuneiform bone there is sensitive (like all bones in the foot) and the best DIY approach would be to put your foot in the liner alone, push until you find the offending spot, and then cut the tongue to create a relief spot for that bone. You could lower the bootboard, but that is tricky to do without a flat platten belt sander and has impacts beyond just providing space in one place.
 

Monster

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Sounds like the instep might just be too low on that shell for your foot.
 

James

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Looking for 1 millimeter I think. Pain is on top of my foot. Had them in my oven at 250 for 15 mins, wore them with extra socks until cooled. May have retracted a bit since I had to get my feet out and did not have snow banks (or enough frozen vegetables) to get them cold again.
You put the whole boot in your oven at 250F ??
Well...at least you didn't try it at 350.
Seriously though, it's a bad idea to put the whole thing in. You can warp and twist the whole thing. Have you checked to see if it still sits flat on a surface? These aren't "heat moldable" boots like newer plastics.
 

Moose32

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You put the whole boot in your oven at 250F ??
Yes, 350F is too high.
Shell went in at 250F (preheated) - liners of course did not. Plug boot plastic is more than tough enough for that temp.
250F is the recommended heat and temp they use at ski shops when they use any oven system for fitting or stretching. Same with the ~15 min timing.
 
Last edited:

James

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Yeah, well even PJ doesn't use an oven to fit a plug boot. I think you have to get that plastic at 300F, all the way through, to change its form.

Sven Coomer used to recommend putting shells in a steamy boiling pot of water before the zip fits went into the shell on the leg.
 

Moose32

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I think you have to get that plastic at 300F, all the way through, to change its form.
You may be right, was also going to try oven a 250F, put them on, and then use a heat gun to more concentrated heat and hope that would eliminate the pain. But that may need to wait until after break. I need to ski and forget about work and these boots for a couple weeks. Also need to let my feet heal a bit :)
 

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