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I'm planning to try customs for my next skates, but worth noting that customs can feel like a bigger risk than retail, even if the price tag is similar. That's in part because you can try on traditional retail skates before you buy, but also because return and warranty policies have gotten much more attractive of late. Pure offers the 30 days on all skates, True off the shelf come with the fit guaranty, and up until very recently CCM had the long warranty policy. Dropping a lot of cash on a pair of skates can be stressful, but the ability to try them on before you buy and know that you can skate on them and return no questions asked can make the big cash outlay feel a little safer. The upside of customs is incredible, and I know many folks on here have spoken about good customer service experiences with SVH if there were fit issues, but the risk for many consumers may still appear greater.

Those look great! If you don't mind my asking, how much did those set you back? Also, did you have a flex thumb option?

I have one of the round 70 flex redlines in a Benn pattern. The shape reminds me of an old Easton Cyclone that I had in the early '00s. The Pro may be even a bit rounder than the Cyclone was. I don't have particularly big hands, so YMMV, but I like the shape/feel, and it isn't too round at all for me. That said, I haven't used a 70 flex stick since that Cyclone (when I was a freshman in high school). Since then, I've played with everything from 77-110. I sometimes feel like the stick is a bit "insubstantial." To be clear, I like it, and it handles well, but in puck battles or if I take faceoffs, the combination of flex and shaft dimensions occasionally make me feel a bit like I'm playing with a junior or intermediate stick. If there were a non-custom option to get the round shaft with a 77 or 85 flex, I would grab a few of those in a heartbeat.

It looks like CCM will stop offering the 90-day satisfaction guarantee after this month. I've never used the guarantee/warranty before. I was hoping to try a couple of skates before the window closes, but I wanted to confirm the terms. I realize that it says "no questions asked," but I also imagine that there are some limits or checks in place. If I bought two pairs (ideally trying FT4 Pros and 100ks), am I right to think I could skate on both and then return one or both? Or, does the policy generally only apply to one pair at a time? Apologies if this has been covered before - I think it has, but I can't find the thread. Many thanks.

I've used girdles for about 25 year, and I got a bunch of advice on here a couple of years back when I was looking for a replacement for my very old Tackla girdle. (Thanks, @xstartxtodayx!) I was able to try on a bunch and didn't love the offerings I tried from Bauer, CCM, & Warrior. The Bauer full wrap style didn't work for me either, and neither the CCM or Warrior offered me the same fit I was used to - both were fine, but felt more like I was wearing traditional pants. I actually wound up ordering a JAMM 5000 after some discussion on here. I hadn't been able to try one on in advance, but the JAMM appeared to be a rebranded Tackla girdle, and it was - it fits exactly like my old Tacklas (albeit not stretched out from many years of use). There are more limited adjustment options than on some of the newer major brand offerings - just a belt and draw string, so no velcro or length adjustment offerings. I've been very happy with it. It's comfortable & as protective as I need for beer league. And, in fairness, it's just as protective as the models that I wore through high school and college without incident. I'm a taller, skinnier guy, so I can imagine that the limited adjustability might matter less for me than for folks with giant quads, etc.

Thanks, @VegasHockey & @Sniper9. @Sniper9, I've only used SuperFeet, not speed plates, but I should check them out. How have you found the Cat Pros in comparison to other skates when it comes to pronation? I understand, of course, that there's no better way to figure out if skates work for you than by trying them. But, the custom dynamic complicates matters. And, I'm a bit wary because I felt like I was pronating more in the Cat9s than I was used to in other skates.

Many thanks, @VegasHockey & @Sniper9. That's very helpful. I was pronating significantly on one foot w/the Cat 9s, and I couldn't get a great heel lock (I have narrow feet). I like the idea of the lighter skate and greater forward flex that the Cat Pro offers, but I worry that the same issues I encountered w/the Cat 9 would recur w/the Cat Pro. I assume that the SVH custom would take care of the heel issue, but I don't know if the pronation issue would necessarily be better.

For folks who have opted for the Catalyst Pro skates instead of the SVH customs, I'd be very curious to know why. I understand going for the Cat 9--at least at my LHS they are significantly cheaper and are available immediately off the shelf. But, at my LHS the price difference between the Cat Pro and the SVH custom is actually relatively small. The Cat 9s didn't work for me, and I haven't found an option I love at retail, so I am considering going the custom route. I'm trying to figure out if there's any reason to consider the Cat Pros instead of the SVH customs. Thanks!

Apologies - I didn't realize they had made a big change. So, OP, please disregard my Verbero take, but my PSHS rec still stands. @Stewie & @Hills: I'm not a big social media guy. What have they been up to?

I've used both Verbero and Prostockhockeysticks. I picked up a couple of the Verbero Cypresses some time ago when they were on a big sale, and they were not good. Like All Black sticks and a number of smaller brands out there, the savings become negligible because they play like what I would imagine a budget stick should play like. Which is to say, if your point of comparison is a cheap stick from the major brands, the Cypress might be ok (or even might better) than the major brand option. But, if you're looking for something that will perform more like a higher-end stick, the Cypress won't. They felt heavy to me (a balance issue, I believe), and the puck feel wasn't good. Like a bunch of folks on here, I liked prostockhockeysticks a lot better. As @Stewienotes, it can be tough to do apples to apples comparisons with these because part of the draw is getting unusual curves/specs. So, if you're anything like me, you might wind up with sticks where you don't have a good retail comparison on hand. That said, I've gotten four and been happy with all of them. They're light, puck feel is good, and the curve/customization options are great. (The rounded shaft option really is excellent.) I haven't played with a high-end retail stick for a long time, so I can't offer a comparison there. But, they compare well to pro stocks that I've used. I will note that I've found the flex ratings a bit inconsistent, but that's not unique to PSHS. Overall, I'd recommend PSHS over big name retail because of cost. I like them as an alternative to buying pro stock off of SLS because it's easier and reliable. Geppetto (the guy who runs the brand/site) seems very nice, and I like what he's doing. But, if you can find what you want on prostockhockey or on SLS (from a seller that you trust), those might be cheaper/better alternatives.

I had one of these in a Forsberg pattern - great stick.

I'm pretty sure I could do with less volume than I have in the 70ks. They never fit me like a glove, and actually probably are a bit too bulky for me, but I've been happy in them more because they remind me of a traditional boot, so I can tie them tight and still get a bunch of forward flex. To @Sniper9's comments, the slight give in the boots means I've probably noticed fit issues less (even if the extra give in the boots might mean they don't perform as well as stiffer skates I've had).

Thanks, @Sniper9 My LHS owner baked the Cats for me and did the saran wrap. The wrap felt good, but unfortunately, they just didn't work for me - we tried a number of foam lifts, etc. to no avail. I had no forefoot issues or issues with fit otherwise, but it was the worst heel lock that I've ever had in a pair of skates. Good call re: the CCMs. I've been having a harder time tracking down taper fits in my size, but maybe it's worth a shot - the guarantee is great. Up until the 70ks, I hadn't worn CCMs since the mid 90s (they'd always been too wide), but I have been happy with my Ribcors. Re: the Supremes, I tried on the Ultrasonics and M5 pros in Fit1 and didn't like either. I'm not sure if they ran a bit wider generally or what the issue was, but I felt like I was pronating a lot in both of them. (I also tried them with superfeet, which helped a bit, but not much.) You may well be right that it's time to go the custom route. Part of what baffles me, though, is that I've never had forefoot issues. My fit issues - to the extent I've had them - in 30+ years of skate buying have always been with skates being too wide or having too much volume; never the opposite.

Thanks, @Vet88. Your description makes sense, and confirms what I feared. FWIW, I know others have complained about toe cap issues, but I actually am not experiencing any discomfort there - my issue is further up on the metatarsal. Given the shape of my feet, I was shocked that a stock boot might be too low profile for me. But it sounds like that's the case (or, at least, that something about the cut doesn't match the volume/shape of my feet).

The 4500 never fit me (going back to its initial Cooper days), so please take this with a grain of salt. But, I picked up a Tacks 710 helmet recently, and it's been very comfortable. It's definitely pricier than the 4500, but also much cheaper than some of the other options out there. I don't like the way it looks as much as the 4500, but I think it has a slightly similar low-profile appearance (and is also quite light).

I've been looking to replace my 70ks for a bit. I recently tried the Cat 9s, which I liked but unfortunately were a bit wide in the heel for me. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a pair of 3X Pros in a Fit 1. I've skated in them a handful of times and have been pretty disappointed. I have tried the skates with the stock insoles, new Superfeet, and even the old Superfeet from my Ribcors. No matter the insole, I've gotten a decent amount of pressure on my arches and an uncomfortable amount of pressure on the top of my forefoot. Neither of those spots have ever been issues for me in skates before - I've only had lace bite in one pair of skates, and that was much further up, and I've never had an issue with my arches. Despite all the pressure, my heel lock isn't even that great. I have narrow, low-volume foot, and I pronate significantly on one foot. I haven't worn a pair of Vapors since the original Vapor 10. I'm curious if anyone else has had these issues with Vapors (or otherwise) and if so how you've dealt with them. It may be that the Vapors just aren't for me, but if that's the case, I may need to go the custom route or scour SLS for old Ribcors or Grafs.

Some thoughts: The Hespeler "offset" sticks and blades of the late 90s. The claimed benefit was that they were supposed to keep your hands in front of the puck. TBlades - I am still baffled by these. Mission's 3-finger gloves of the late 90s/early 00s. I had a pair of these and actually really liked them. The claimed benefit was that they combined two weaker fingers into one stronger one. I don't know if I buy that, but they were comfortable (perhaps veering a bit too close to hockey mittens) Cooperalls

I realize that this has been addressed over the years, but it looks like it's been a while since the last thread and skate tech has changed. What's the current wisdom on how long to wait after baking new skates before skating? Thanks!

Maybe I should post this on the general True/SVH thread, but does anyone have experience with returning stock True skates? What does the process look like? I know that True advertises a 30-day return window, and I'm still within that time frame. I don't want to make trouble for my LHS, but I also don't want to be stuck with a pair of skates that don't fit me.

First off, huge thanks for all the thoughts. And, particularly, huge thanks to @flip12 who sent me some very helpful suggestions - a reminder of how great this site can be. I took my Cat 9s back to my LHS today. They were able to remove the steel with some effort. The left was slightly warped. The right was dramatically curved. They checked a bunch of the other pairs in the shop and found many others warped but eventually fixed me up with an un-warped set of steel. They concluded that the issue was the steel itself, rather than the holder mounting. We experimented with some additional foam pieces under both heels and put in the arch insert on one skate, all of which seemed to help. I'm still skeptical - I've never needed to resort to inserts (beyond SuperFeet) in any skates before. But, I'm hoping that they'll feel better this time around. (I'm sure that skating on straight steel will help, at the very least!) Do any of you use SuperFeet with Trues? I wonder whether they might help and might make for a more stable long-term solution than the assorted foam pieces.

Thanks for the suggestion, but unfortunately I don't. Also, @Hills, I tried to remove my steel, and - like you - I was unable to. At this point, I'm thinking that I might chalk the Cats up to an unsuccessful experiment on my part. I'll try another skate or two, but I'm honestly not inclined to try to start modifying the skates if I can return them. I liked the idea of the Trues, and there's clearly a lot that's great about them. But if I'm dealing with skates that don't seem to fit, maybe need different tongues, and need at least new steel (if not also re-mounted holders), then it's just not worth it for me, and I'll see if I can try some Fit 1 Bauers.

Hoping that it's not going to be necessary to return them, but do others have experience w/True's 30 day warranty? If so, have you had any issues, or has it been relatively straightforward?

Many thanks, but I'm sorry to hear that the fit has been an issue for you as well. Honestly, because of the material in the toe cap, I can't tell exactly where I am length-wise. I'd say feathering, though. I am wondering whether - despite the great heat molding - these skates actually are too wide and have too much volume for me. I can't skate again for a couple of days, but I'll share any updates once I do. And thanks for the advice re: the steel. Will double check.

@Hills mentions it in his review (in his "areas of concern"), and I noticed that a couple of (otherwise positive) customer reviews on IW mentioned the same issue (https://www.icewarehouse.com/True_Catalyst_9/descpage-TC9SK.html).

After watching @Hills's review, I picked up a pair of Cat 9s. Skated on them today for the first time and was kind of disappointed. I bought and baked them at my LHS. My LHS owner is a longtime True/SVH fan and did a great job with the saran wrap, etc. They felt very good in the store, and I was almost worried that the fit would be too snug. When I skated on them today, though, it felt like they opened up a bit too much. For want of a better word, I'd describe the fit as a bit sloppy. I actually didn't get great heel lock on either skate. And, I always deal with slight pronation on one foot, but I felt like I was getting it much more today than I ever have in a pair of new skates. (It's inevitable when boots break down, but I don't expect it to be an issue in a properly fitting pair of new, stiff boots.) I'm not sure if that's attributable to user error - I have narrow feet and usually use waxed laces and tie my skates quite tight. Today, I used the stock laces and at my LHS's urging (and based on threads on here), I took it easy on the top few eyelets. So, maybe if I go tighter and use waxed, I'll get better heel lock? That said, when I tried going tighter today, I definitely had less forward flex. Finally, any tips for determining if my steel is warped? I know this is a recurring concern with the Cat skates, and maybe that helps explain the slight lack of stability that I felt today. I'm planning to swap out my laces and try another skate or two. If things still aren't great, I'll probably try to take them back to my LHS and see about re-baking and checking the steel. Maybe the Trues just aren't the right fit for me, but we'll see...