I'd suggest going to a local hockey shop and trying on almost every pair of skates in your size. I did this recently with a patient customer service rep, and came out with a model of skates I had no intention of buying when I walked in.
I have been skating in Vapors for the past 10 years, with Vapor XXXX's, then APX2s, then 1Xs. Before getting on the Vapor train, I was in Supreme 4000s, and briefly in some Eastons which I disliked. As of late, I was getting some major foot pain in my forefoot, mainly on the sides of the widest part of my forefoot. I'm a thin guy with thin feet, so I figured I needed the Vapors. Doing some reading online, I was told the Jetspeeds were basically Vapors with a wider forefoot, so I went and picked up Jetspeed Xtra Pro + skates at my LHS. They felt OK, but the heel lock was too much for me. My ankles hurt, and my mobility was very limited. Luckily my LHS was willing to take them back after a week. So I went back to the Vapors for about three months. This week I chose to go back to my LHS to try on every pair of skates they had. I ended up getting Ribcor 66Ks.
I would have never thought I'd get Ribcors when I went there. But after trying all the models on (including Jetspeeds again), these felt the best for my foot. After baking, they feel even better. Super comfortable, light, and I have a lot of ankle mobility. I'm skating faster, turning quicker, I have better balance and my feet don't hurt. When I picked up the 70Ks and compared them side by side with the 66Ks, I couldn't notice that much of a difference in stiffness, weight, etc., for me to justify spending an additional $400. I did notice a major difference between the 1Xs and X700/X600, however. I think CCM has less of a drastic difference between the top of the line skates and the mid price point, but that's just my personal opinion from holding all the skates in the store, not from skating on them. But I have seen a massive improvement in my skating, balance, etc., going from $900 1Xs to $300 66Ks.
Also one last personal opinion: I will probably never buy pro stock skates, and I'd be hard pressed to buy used skates. Skates that aren't perfect FOR YOU are going to have a negative effect on your game. So getting pro stock skates for $500 that were custom made for an NHL-er that don't fit you perfect are likely not going to be as good a choice as $500 new skates retail. Heck, how many guys are skating in V-cuts, which are what, 3 models of skates ago made to look like 1Ns?
