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I think many forget that not not all steel is created equal, even if its sourced from Sandvik. Even within certain categories there is minor differences, even though many companies claim to all use Sandvik 12C27 as the base for their blades. https://www.materials.sandvik/en-us/products/strip-steel/strip-products/knife-steel/ https://www.materials.sandvik/globalassets/global/downloads/products_downloads/strip-steel-and-strip-based-products/strip-steel-for-edge-applicationss-333-eng.sep.99.pdf I am not sure what steel Massive uses, but it is much harder than anything I have ever tested via rockwell or vickers measurements. However, that might be why Massive steel is very prone to snapping in half.

you can get kydex in a carbon fiber pattern. Amazon has.

That was mentioned above by JR. However myself I still don't feel it sharpens as well or holds the edge as well. .my personal opinion. Its said to be the same but I don't think its finished the same to have the same edge retention

Last pic. Looks like formed carbon shot blockers?

At least five years ago Bauer started cutting corners on steel on skates. They would put LS2 Edge steel on the $210 price point skate and LS1 on the $325 price point skate. I remember the first time they did this when the rep was showing the new skate lineup. I asked about this immediately and there was no good answer. Obviously, Bauer was cutting corners on product cost for steel in order to squeeze some more $$ out of dealers/customers. LS1 was never offered in the catalog but there it was on product. Even given Bauer's change in management over the last few years, this LS1 steel is still used on their skates. While this info is a bit off topic, it is an example to me of how Bauer has dumbed down their own statement products. After all, Bauer earned their name as a skate company !! We sold LS5 in the shop the first few months it was available. As sharpeners, we were not impressed. Once we sold our intial inventory, we never reordered. The difference in sharpening Step vs Bauer steel is so noticeable on the wheel. It really is pleasurable to sharpen Step. I have it on my skates. I've been given Bauer steel but am not interested in using it.

One thing to try before you go spending money is to try a different lacing style (if you search there is a thread or two that discusses various lacing techniques and pros/cons of each). My old Bauers were so stiff/high that I never felt I got enough fwd lean, but when I undid the top eyelet I too felt sloppy... I found the key was to skip the second from the top eyelet (look at pics of Crosby and his skates, he does the same), this gave me the support I was used to but loosened it just enough to allow more fwd lean, it was a win-win for me. Like I said, it might be worth a try before you go spending money (and even then you might like it and do it in whatever skates you get next).

I'd go see a physiotherapist - they're the ones trained to diagnose and manage musculoskeletal issues. Clearing the x-ray means no avulsion injury (tendon/ligament did not rip off its attachment to the bone) - it does not clear a ligamentous or tendinous tear. An MRI may be indicated if the subjective or physical examination points towards a tear. Ultrasounds aren't very reliable so we don't use them a lot here - and similar to the MRI, it has to be indicated for it to be ordered. With a full ACL rupture, you'd feel the pop on the inside of the knee and would be unable to skate on it after, so if anything it likely wouldn't be a full tear of that, at least. A meniscus tear could cause instability because its job is to provide stability. Clicking and catching is what might be expected from a meniscal tear. There isn't close to enough information given here to direct any kind of advice, actually. Something is definitely torn (any kind of sprain or strain is a tear, just to what degree) or there wouldn't have been oedema. See a physiotherapist is my recommendation.

I'm just going to go ahead and assume that this is a shot at me, because I'm the only person who has posted in this thread that everyone knows what I've done and where I've been, because I've been transparent since 2004. I have absolutely nothing to "gain or perks to be had." I'm merely stating the facts that are out there. To recap - Bauer had a patent. They felt a brand, STEP, was in violation of said patent. They decided to bring a lawsuit forward, and they reached a settlement. And I know it sucks for STEP, and I know it sucks for Canadian dealers, even the ones who sold across the border. But that's how it goes.

At the end of the day the choice is yours, but when ever I hear someone talk about skates, and they say they have their heart set on skate X, it always rings alarm bells in my head. Form my experience, it tends to not end well. Because it means someone is looking for all the reasons to buy skate X and are looking for all the reasons to not buy skate Y and are not giving the pros and cons enough of an equal measure. I'm not saying this is the case with you, because I honestly do not know, but I'm just saying be careful of getting blinded by the glitter of the new and shiny. With that said, you can adjust the way your laces are done up to help with the stiffness of a boot, and IMHO, that is a smaller adjustment to make than trying to make a skate that's too big work. My right foot is a quarter size larger than my left, and it's quite annoying. I couldn't imagine the challenges of trying to deal with an even bigger difference in foot size.

We never landed on the moon, it was all faked & done on a sound stage by Stanley Kubrick, therefore we’ll never have personally moldable composite blades in hockey. At this point probably 90% of the people playing hockey, maybe more, know about curving your own stick like some of us did with wood blades. Not to mention most of that group have been indoctrinated to the P92 or P28, frankly I don’t see a reason for the manufacturers to even explore this. Would a crazy John leclair heel curve benefit any player or provide better shooting or stickhandling than a P28? I love the idea and would love to see it, I just don’t see it coming to fruition in today’s gear market.

See a specialist.