Nordica Dobermann Agressor WC 130 Ski Boots 07/08 (not EDT)

 Anyone have these particular Dobies?  Or experience with them?

I just picked a pair of these up and am excited but nervous.  How can I soften this boot without cutting it?  Is it as simple as taking out the top rivet?  
I have very narrow feet, ankles, an calves so I think it should be a good boot for me.  I have been skiing for 30 years and am an expert/agressive big mountain skier 175 # 6'2''.  I have a 10 1/2 to 11 street shoe.  Got a pair of 8.5 (or 8) Dobies (305 mm).  Going to try them on Monday.  Any advice?

Edgeski,
Congrats! Last night I bought a pair of '09 Pro 130's. I, too, have so called "chicken legs" and found the Dobies to be a great fit out of the box. You have sized them pretty aggressively. My shoe size is 9.5 and I am in the 305mm which gave me one finger shell fit. Most recent boots were Krypton Pros in 306mm and Tecnica XT 17 plugs in 303mm. At 1 to 1.5 sizes bigger that my feet what kind of shell fit did you have? I am a 45 year skier and am willing to give up a bit of performance for comfort. Now that I think about it, part of the fit differential may me in the liner - assuming the shell sizes are the same. The Pro comes with what I would describe as a medium volume liner. I am guessing that the Aggressor comes with the leather lace up race liner? I have a pair of those too - which I have used in the XT 17's. I tried those in the Pro's last night and found that the shell did not fit as tight as the stock liner because the leather lace up is noticeably thinner. But a great feel. There is something about the "feel" of a leather liner. I might have been able to go with the next shell size down with this liner, but, like I said, I would not mind a bit more comfort and warmth that the Pro liner will give me.
As for softening the 130's. I would definitely not do it until you ski them and see if they have to be softened. One of the great qualities of this shell is the progressive flex which may give you the feel that the boot is not as stiff as it is. Frankly, I do not find the 130 Pro's to be that stiff, at least in living room temps. At 0 F it will be different. Bottom line is that you can always may the boot softer if you need to. But once cut, if you do that, it is done. As for taking one of the rivets out, the boot guy said that you lose some lateral integrity by doing this. But I will leave such a technical opinion to an expert.
Good luck with your boots. I have high hopes for mine - they are the most expensive slippers I ever bought.
David

There are two bolts at the back of the boot.  I have taken both out, then added one back.  My fitter informed me that it's ok to take one out but not the other.  He specified which one, but I can't remember?  I have one in now, but I have sliced and diced the boot.  It's probably an 80 flex at this point

Boot skis well.

I measure a 12 street shoe, but wear an 11.5.  I am in 27. shell and it's been ground to fit.

Agree on holding off softening them until you ski them! I have a pair of 150s that I would have never believed that I would leave at their out-of-the-box flex (at 48 years old and 175-185 lbs), but I did. Especially in Colorado, they won't stiffen as much as they would at Stowe. Give 'em a try first and see. I'd suggest that it might take a few days to dial in the feel of the responsive Aggressors before you'll understand what the stiffness is contributing.

 First of all, Thank you for the replies.  Im glad to see heads as excited as i am about it all.  A few things.

I just tried my Dobies on for the first time tonight.  OMG OMG.  I have been skiing for 30 years with these feet and i (at this point) feel like this is the first ski boot I have had on.  I told my friend tonight that I cant wait to ski with him in more than a flip flop.  Boot are too wide for me.  Womens and juniros boots too soft.  that is how "chicken feet"/skinnymy feet are (or the latest boot fitter from all over the world has to tell me)

Dalbello was great.  They bought Rachle.  They changed.  They are now ok boots for some people.  I was in the Krypton Pro for the last two season (more on that).  My best boot was...I was in Plake's Dalbello Red Transulscent CRX with Zip fit liners.  I was convinced it was the best boot ever made (until now).  It had four buckles overlap fit, stiffer flex, and seemed to fit narrow feet ( id did have a 300 $ zip fit put in though).  Eventually they gave up and the plastic packed out.

In comes the Krypton.  BS boot.  Nice, warm and comfortable though.  Use them for AT.  Flex is 100 at best.  It is NOT a narrow last boot.  If you are an expert and agrressive skier you will CRUSH this boot eventually (probably within 100 days).

Now the Dobie.  Could this be a revelation?  Could it ski as well as it fits? Will it ski well? Will it Will it? Am I really feeling pressure on the outside of my foot with my narrow chicken feet?.  Thank you ski gods.  Let it snow...

 As far as shell size.  I am fitting for a VERY tight (aka wc fit) for multiple reasons (agressiveness, power, but mostly my thin foot) so I have always shell sized 3 sizes down.  I do think that almost everyone is fit with boots that are too big.  I say 1 pinky finger at most ( I go  with 0 fit though).  For comfort and performance i would go two sizes, comfort 1 size?  

I would go a size smaller.  from what I know...."you can always soften, and you can punch if it is too small, but it will always pack out" quote by me.  Different liners will always feel different.  go with shell size and the liner that comes with it.  You can always upgrade.
I have skied a 304-306 mm shell size for the last 7 years which is 2-3 sizes down from my shoe size.  I will stick with this shell size most likely unless it is a lange.   

Why did you go up in size so much?  for comfort?  It will pack out..

I will not soften the boots...Just soften them with Pow......or maybe the top rivet... which yes does compromise some lateral movement but heh

I prefer to grind.  It sounds like you have a great fit out of the box.  Lucky you.  I know you will like the way they ski.

Ive been skiing in the Aggressor 130 for 2 years now. I have a zipfit in them and have them just about perfect. I have very skinny shins and still have a little tongue discomfort which I hope to cure with a tongue insert.
Wait until you see how good the boot goes to the inside edge with the abduction. I like it YMMV. It' s a tight fit, don't hurt yourself trying to take them off at the end of the day, they are very stiff when cold. The flex however remains good. They are not the warmest boot and I use a heat bag to slip them on in the morning.

Enjoy

KLM

 Well,
I wore them right out of the box with a wc fit ( 0 fit) very tight.  I skied one day in wolf creek 10 days ago on hard pack in very warm temperatures.  Fairly easy on, easy off, great flex.  I loved the stiffness of the boot.  I did notice a little heel slip (very nominal compared to what im used to) in my right boot (my slightly smaller foot).  Took a little used to get used to skiing compared to the mushy Dalbello Krypton Pro I was on.....I couldno't believe a boot fit this well out of the box for my narrow foot/ankle/calf/chiken....and it felt like it was fairly stiff and could be pushed...in that temperature.

WC one week later a whole different story.  32 inches of fresh champagne powder, 20 degrees, new Dobies.  Here are the lessons I have learned.....and questions if you have answers????????????

1)Make Sure to put them under a heater before putting them on. obviously take the liner out and put that on your foot into the liner.
2) These boots are COLD!!!!Make sure to unbuckle. Does snow really get into the boot? In through the rubber piece?  Any suggestions. A foot warmer will not work with custom hansen orthotic ski footbeds.
3)I like the fit.  I dont want to jeapordize anything.  Should I punch out my left big toe area to avoid injury?  How much is too much?
4) I have a bit of heel slip on my right foot (smaller). I was thinking a 1mm heel/arch lift right under my custom footbed?
5). I am already concerned about needing to move the buckles to accomodate for my thin calf area and pack out issues?  Suggestions?
6) I like the boot liner thus far, but i wonder how it would feel with a Zip-Fit, and if the Dobie shell/plastic will last long enough for me to replace liners ( ie. most boots just die on flex, so are these really as tough as they feel?)

I will say that after 30 years of skiing, trying to find a boot to work, finding 1 or 2 here or there that work, but usually have little last, I am encouraged about the Dobie.  It seems as if the boot were made to be grind and molded, but it seems to fit my foot perfectly.  I wonder if it is because my foot really is just that narrow or if i am just imagining it.  All I know is that they felt damn good in 32 inches of fresh.............................

 I bought some Atomic RTC 130 Race Boots that were a half size too big and I found putting an extra layer of thin foam or rubber sheet
 under the footbed improved the fit by raising the foot a fraction higher in the boot. I had a wedge in the heel area to reduce any lift.
 I agree race boots are cold but I have never suffered any soreness after skiing as a result and feel that as I have more control at speed
 in these boots which equals fewer falls which equals hopefefully fewer injuries cold feet are a worthwhile trade off. Mind you the temp at the  resorts I go to is rarely below -5C.

Edgeski, tell us about the performance.  Do you like it?  The Dobie is my boot, and it's really not the right choice for my foot.  But the performance of  that boot is exceptional IMHO.

The heal skip and "small toe" pressure are boot fitting questions.  I am not a boot fitter, but I will say this - grinding is probably the way to go for the toe.  Putting stuff under the foot should be done by a fitter.

I think I'm going to ebay myself a pair of these for cheap. My big toe joint has calcified on my right foot due to karate training, and I just don't think I can stand my dobie 150s with that in mind. It will be a bit of a bummer, since the performance of the 150s can only be described as telepathic, but I think the nerves in my toes will thank me, until I can justify having another pair of plugs fitted the right way at least.