CCM U+ Reloaded

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

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[flyers10 57]

Reviewing the CCM U+ Pro's that had been a custom order for another person.

My initial opinion when opening the box and picking a skate up was....wow, these things are light. I currently wear CCM Externo E60's and the U+ Pro's feel so much lighter. Anxious to see how that translates on the ice. I wear a size 8 in my E60's. The U+ Pro's are a 8.5 L and 8.25 R. They are C/AA with some extra padding in the ankle area. I'm not sure if it is because they are slightly larger than size 8 but they have a 280 holder and longer steel than my E60's. I'll have to see how that affects my glide and speed versus tight turns once I get on the ice.

Cosmetically they are flashier than say a Bauer One95 but I don't mind it. Lots of silver, gray and black in like a flying U pattern. Even if you prefer simple coloring the most important thing is finding the best fitting skate for you. I am going to get them baked in the next couple days and try to get to a public skate session this weekend until my next game in a week.

Pre-bake: I laced them up and the length was about perfect for me. Most areas of my feet felt pretty good right away surprisingly. The forefoot area was pretty good. Felt a little bit excess volume there but hopefully after baking that will be better. The bone that sticks out of the side of the foot had some pressure on it on both feet. Maybe this is because these are a C/AA and pre-bake. I think my foot is somewhere between a D & C width. The area that caused the most irritation pre-bake was the ankle bone area. The inner and outer ankle areas were red after I took them off. The inner didn't hurt at all but the pressure on the outer was bothersome. I will say that my outer ankle bones are bony and any high cuff sneaker, skate, ski boot has bothered me over the years. I am hoping that once baked that the foam will form around the bones and the pressure will be alleviated. CCM touts the foam in these to mold to your foot really well so let's see if that comes true. Another update post-bake in a few days.

[flyers10 57]

Well I got them baked today. Friday going to hit a public skate to try them out. As soon as he took them out of the oven and I put them on they felt so much better than pre-bake. They felt pretty good pre-bake for me but for anyone else interested in this skate have a shop bake them when you try them on pre-purchase if they will allow it. The materials do seem to mold well to your foot shape after baking. If your foot shape isn't even close to the U+ Pro shape the baking probably won't help but for many others it should help a lot.

Once I laced them up and was sitting there for 20 minutes as they cooled down I could feel the tightness around my foot but no pain. The tightness felt good like the skate will be very responsive on the ice. The pressure I felt on the little bone that sticks out on middle of foot was gone and the outer ankle bones pressure was all but gone. As I mentioned in my previous post I have bony ankle bones and most high cuff shoes bother me a bit. If the skate's ankle area feels this way on the ice my ankles will be happy. One area that didn't hurt but felt a little off was the middle/arch area. Maybe since these are a C and not a D width it is a bit narrow through that area. I will skate a few times with the stock footbed and if it doesn't improve I may put in some Superfeet insoles. I wish for me the toe box wasn't as spacious but it's not a big issue. If you have big toes you'll like this skate. Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the post-bake results and am excited to hit the ice this weekend. Next update this weekend post rec skate.

[flyers10 57]

Took them out over the weekend to a public skate session. Skated for about 45 minutes to an hour. First reaction upon lacing them up was that I felt I had more forward flexion than my E60's. I like having that, makes me feel more able to push off harder for more power and speed. The other thing I noticed was that I had a little pressure on outer ankle bones(not surprising given my protruding ankle bone) and pressure on the inside of my feet right at the top of the arches. The pressure on there stayed constant the whole time. I may try putting in different footbeds or rebaking to alleviate this.

On the ice they definitely are more responsive than my E60's. I feel that when I move my foot I get immediate response from the skate. Just like a high end skate should be. My crossovers felt more confident, especially going to my weaker side and the lightness of them made quick footwork easier. Some may not like a stiff boot but I love the response from it. I wasn't able to really let 'em loose due to all the public skaters but I will be attending a skills session this week and will be able to get a better feel of them then.

[flyers10 57]

Took them out for 2nd time on the ice. Went to a skills session for 1.5 hours. Damn I need to ride the bike more and do more wall sits. My legs were a burnin!

I'm still getting used to the FBV sharpening. Not used to how they feel slippery at very low speed. I have to trust my edges more. I'm gonna go another time and if I can't get over the mental block of the FBV I will get a traditional ROH sharpening.

I definitely feel the lighter weight of the U+ Pros. My feet feel quicker and I felt a little less tired after a hard session. Probably a combination of the lighter weight and the FBV improved glide. I think many would say these are not as stiff as say the One95's but it is good for me. I'm 6'2" 180 and feel as I improve my skating that the skates will be able to handle it. I love the responsiveness I get from them. During some tight turn & pivot turn drills the skates were on...I wasn't used to the quick reaction and felt like my body was a hair behind at first. Once I got used to it I was quicker on my footwork, turns & transitions. My open ice sprinting was improved a bit but I really need to practice my stride technique there to really improve. During the short 15 minutes of scrimmage I didn't take any shots to the foot so no idea yet on how well they can handle that.

After the 1.5 hours only had 1 area on my foot that bothered me. The middle arch area on both feet(side of foot just above arch) was feeling pressure most of the night. I had put in some Superfeet and they helped from the public skate but still had issues there, especially when pushing off hard. I might go and get them rebaked or punched out a bit in that area before my next skate. This could partially be because these are a C width. My foot is between a C & D and I've heard the U+'s were made a bit narrower in general compared to the Vectors or Tacks. Heel area had a little movement the first skate but much reduced the 2nd time. If I rebake them I think movement might be completely gone. No issues with the skates like reported on earlier generation U+'s. Hopefully CCM got them all fixed with the Pros.

[flyers10 57]

Put them through another skills session. Instructor, former NHLer, has us do a lot of skating so the skates got a good run through. I've become more comfortable with the FBV sharpening on them and starting to like it. We did some edge work drills and the lateral stiffness was nice to have especially on the outside edge work. Felt so much more confident with these on than my E60's. The overall stiffness of the boot made long strides feel that much more powerful. Seemed like no energy was being wasted with the stiff sole. As mentioned before, these are lighter than my E60's by a decent amount and I definitely feel quicker on my feet. Not sure I my overall speed is better but is does feel like top line is improved too.

So far the main fit issue I am having is still the middle arch area on both feet(side of foot just above arch). I had gotten them rebaked and punched out a little bit in that area and it helped some but maybe I need to get punched/stretched a little more. The pain lessened over the 1 1/2 hour session but still had nice pressure marks when taking the skates off. Ankle area feels good except for a little pain on the right ankle bone. (Again that is my problem area in all high cuff footwear) I may have that punched a little bit. For others I think the ankle area would be problem free and supportive. I laced them all the way up and still felt like I have plenty of forward flex. I was going to leave top eyelet undone like many do on MSH but I think that since my foot is lower volume that I need to lace high or would have problems. I'd say these would fit an average to slightly higher volume foot the best.

No issues on skate wear. Still look brand new. No shots to them still either. I have a game coming up so maybe I'll take one on the foot then. (hope not)

[flyers10 57]

Played in two games with them. I had them punched out a bit and the 2nd baking to try to relieve my inner foot/arch pain before my first game. Felt better but still having the pain/pressure. I took some advice from the forum here and had a 3rd baking done but this time for 6 min @175 degrees. I definitely got a better mold of my foot with the 3rd baking. I also switched out my Superfeet for Shockdoctors as MLSman did in his U+ Pros.

As soon as I hit the ice for my second game the pain/pressure wasn't there. Part way into the first period I felt some pressure but nothing to cry home about. It subsided and was gone by the second period. Pain issue seems to be fixed.

I had felt these were very responsive skates before but with the better molding of the 3rd bake I felt more as one with the skate and more control. Whatever movement you make the skate is there for you. I'd recommend doing the longer bake time the 1st time if you buy a pair of these. The higher stiffness these have compared to my E60's makes pushing off, tight turns so much easier. Couple guys on my team thought I had been taking a bunch of lessons and said my skating was more fluid and controlled. Nope....just the U+ Pros.

Took a shot off the inside of the toe box area. Stung at first but gone within a minute. No bruise/mark on my big toe. Could be a little stronger toe area, not sure if I want a howitzer hitting me. No shots on the main boot yet...thank god.

Even though these are stiffer than my E60's and I lace them to the top, I feel I have greater flex in them. I like that to help get a deep knee bend. No issues with durability. Skates still like new after 5 session/games.

[flyers10 57]

Had another game with them. Logged a ton of minutes as we were short players and I dropped back to D. None of the pressure on my arch area anymore. Starting to break in more and really feeling good. Feel more confident in them as well. Lovin the higher stiffness a top of the line skate gives for the responsive feel. Best thing about these is they are not super stiff where an average level or average weight player can't flex them. Never used another top end skate before but I think these are a nice fit for me. Need to put in some better waxed laces as I like to wear em tight. Might pick up some Elite laces that people here like. Will update in a week after next game.

Still look great, no durability issues at all. Just some scratches on the holders. Hopefully this continues long term. Consider these if your looking for a new skate. Great time to pick up a pair with CCM's OVI stick promo.

[flyers10 57]

Another game....lot of minutes on them as we had only 1 sub. Still feel a little pressure on side arch area but nothing to prevent me from using or ever buying a pair. As my foot is between a C & D width and these are a C I'd recommend the stock D's to someone with a narrow to average width foot. Normally a D would be a bit wide for me but in the U+ Pros I think the D would be ideal. Also an average volume foot would do well in these. Possibly slightly high volume as well. You can get away with it pretty well with a lower volume foot like mine as I lace them tighter up high before the last eyelet.

Still feeling good on ice. Don't tire as fast with the lighter weight and less wasted energy with these compared to my E60's. Breaking in nicely....no problem flexing them deep. I think since they are slightly more forgiving than some other high end skates that a wider skill range of players can use these and get maximum enjoyment out of them.(assuming your foot shape is a good fit) I'm looking forward to see how they feel over the rest of the season and their durability.

Update again in about a week.

[flyers10 57]

Did a stick & puck time couple days before Christmas. Worked on some skating drills for 2 1/2 hours. No pain anymore in them and they are breaking in nicely. Could wear them for hours on end now. Getting nice forward flex. I need to change out my steel for a sharper set. (Got a second set through JR so I could have a backup with the FBV on it since no place in AZ does it yet) Edges getting little dull for me after 8 or 9 times out.

As mentioned before the lighter weight helps deeper into a game before getting as tired and the lateral stiffness lets skate do more of the work. Not a single issue with durability still. Thumbs up so far.

Thankful for the opportunity JR & CCM presented with reviewing these. My skating is definitely improving. Highly recommend any average level beer leaguer like myself looking to improve to consider these. Perfect for an A player but great to help the older rec player step it up.

Got some holiday time off & then league starts again around 8th.

[flyers10 57]

Will be some time off after this review. Bruised my collarbone and out for 3-5 weeks.

Played 2 games since Xmas. Everything still feeling good. Wish the skate had a little less volume as I have a low instep but they still work ok. Arch area is still good. Seems from reading about others that have these that they tend to run narrow through the arch area compared to other skates. So if you got a wider arch area, buyer beware.

Put in new steel and back to fast responsiveness. Give great confidence on the ice. Took a minor shot off the side and no pain or bruising. Still holding up well for durability.

[flyers10 57]

Back on ice after missing 3 weeks with the collarbone issue. Felt a little sluggish last night but probably more due to not skating or any exercise the past 3 weeks. No new major issues. Feel a little heel slip when walking in them but don't notice much while skating. I lace the top but don't pull it tight, it's just laced loose. This might be an area CCM still needs to work on a bit more. Guy on my team wants to buy the '08 model and I told him to spend extra for this one or try on some other brands. Hopefully I'll get more ice time next week after getting my legs & endurance back.

[flyers10 57]

Had chance to use them several more times since last update. Still feeling good. Holding up very well. No cuts, bubbling, or anything. Look in excellent condition. Wish they were a little better formed around ankle area. That seems to be a common issue many notice. Hopefully CCM will improve this in next model along with the slight heel lift. Improve those and this skate goes from a 7.5 to a 9. I don't think anything can be a 10.