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JR Boucicaut

Vapor APX2 Skate Initial Thoughts

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I finally got around to servicing these skates; I haven't had a day off in a month due to my new job duties.

Swapped out the steel from Fusion to LS3 EDGE; one slid in perfectly, the other tended to give me some issues, but I shaved the channels a little bit and got it to snap in right.

Profiled them forward with an 11' radius.

Went ahead and put them in the oven after that; everything felt great post-bake. It is a weird sensation on my feet however, since I'm so used to how the Supreme models tend to hug your heel/back of foot.

I really hope to skate soon in them, but as I mentioned earlier, I really have no idea when I'll have some free time to.

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I finally got around to servicing these skates; I haven't had a day off in a month due to my new job duties.

Swapped out the steel from Fusion to LS3 EDGE; one slid in perfectly, the other tended to give me some issues, but I shaved the channels a little bit and got it to snap in right.

Profiled them forward with an 11' radius.

Went ahead and put them in the oven after that; everything felt great post-bake. It is a weird sensation on my feet however, since I'm so used to how the Supreme models tend to hug your heel/back of foot.

I really hope to skate soon in them, but as I mentioned earlier, I really have no idea when I'll have some free time to.

Eager to hear more! Why do so many exchange the fusion steel in the New lightspeed Edge holder?

How does the 9 to 11' Radius compare?

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Fusion steel is garbage. It bends easy and is not as good as LS steel.

True, but the advantage is it's lightness, some really like that. I have a customer who breaks a pair every month, he likes them so much he's willing to keep on replacing them. To each his own.

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So the LS3 runners keep their edges longer than the fusion? Any other advantages?

LS3 runners are taller, they copied STEP. Advantage is greater leans in turns as the higher steel raises the boot allowing greater lean angles before boot contacts ice and you slip out. If you are not an aggressive skater, you may not notice the benefit of the taller steel.

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Any links to LS3 or other LS EDGE replacement steel? Having trouble sourcing locally.

LS3 should be available at all major dealers. Don't know about other replacement steel for the new Edge holder though.

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Yesterday was my first skate in my new custom APX2s. Big up to Big Bouce!

I went from a 2 stiffness in the APX to a 3 in the APX2. Glad I did. Also went double felt on the tongue so I could leverage the new Injected lacing system. I used to get the eyelets recessed 3/8" for a tighter wrap on my skinny ankles. The additional volume of the tongue was enough to compensate for this difference. I also switched back to custom+ holders. My favorite. Sad to see it gone from the Tuuk lineup.

The boot is as confortable as the APX I had. Same size, same materials (TO liner, minicel foam, superfeet blue insole). So the real difference was the lacing system. All gimmicks aside, the D pattern does make it way easier to lace. I tend to want to tighten the bottom three and top three eyelets soon after stepping on the ice to get the best fit. A royal pain with traditional eyelets. With these, it was VERY easy. Love that.

The other thing to note is how different the molded system feels at the top of the boot. I like a very tight wrap on the ankle. With traditional eyelets and a traditional tongue, you lose some of the benefit of the flex of the Alive material. In the TO/NXG, the flex tongue had a distinct advantage of the "spring" action which would bring your foot quickly back into a striding position. My main beef with the tongue was that the felt was just too thin.

With the combined double felt and the injected lacing of the APX2s, I had that "spring" again, which was a residual benefit I never expected. It requires less effort to power in and out of the skating stride, so less work was required to get to full speed. I loved that feeling in the TO, but I now have a better combination with less concern with taking shots to the front of the tongue.

I skate in it again tomorrow. Cant wait!

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I felt the New APX2 are cut lower on the ankle - compared to previous top model X60 at least. Any idea why? Is this to provide more agility?

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I felt the New APX2 are cut lower on the ankle - compared to previous top model X60 at least. Any idea why? Is this to provide more agility?

Probably to appease all of the gram whores so that they can say the new version are X amount grams lighter than previous models and so ans so's skates....

Beyond that, they do feel lower cut on the ankles from the 60's. I felt forward flex was a bit better with the lower cut ankle.

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Probably to appease all of the gram whores so that they can say the new version are X amount grams lighter than previous models and so ans so's skates....

Beyond that, they do feel lower cut on the ankles from the 60's. I felt forward flex was a bit better with the lower cut ankle.

Great to hear! Any other noticeable improvements? (Better energy transfer, agility,..)

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Great to hear! Any other noticeable improvements? (Better energy transfer, agility,..)

Tough to say. I've only been in them once.

I'll have to probably skate in them more to know... They're a much different feel than the x60's.

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The boot is as confortable as the APX I had. Same size, same materials (TO liner, minicel foam, superfeet blue insole).

Anyone else going to APX2 from APX confirm that they kept the exact same size and width? I'm wondering what the general trend is for sizing coming from APX.

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How heel and mid width 8D compare to 7.5EE? 7.5EE have more volume?

8D perfect size but i have some volume problem, 7.5EE can fix it?

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Can't answer difference between APX and APX2 retail. Both of mine were custom off my last.

As far as height of ankle, I used to unlaced top eyelet of x60. Starting with APX I laced the top eyelets. APX2 same height as my APX.

Two more skates in the boot this week. By the end of the second skate, I could tell the fit was dialed in. No hot spots or soreness. The lacing system is really pretty amazing. I quickly readjust the fit after my first shift much quicker than before because the laces are so easy to open, fix, and tighten. And the spring action is definitely providing more agility with the rapid energy transfer. The alive material and the injection mold are working well to bring the upper immediately back into a striding position. Add in the 3 stiffness and I'm just loving this boot.

I also forgot how different I feel with the custom+ holder. I've been playing more wing than D lately, so my forward edge control is just so much more comfortable and familiar than it was with the LS2. Weaving in and out of traffic by my third skate reminded me of how I felt with my old U+ Pros - the last skate I wore with the custom+.

Glad I made all the tweaks with this skate. Can't wait for Toronto!

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JR, how is the toe box in regards to space and volume? I didnt see anythng posted either way about this. Thanks

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Would be interested to hear more about Radius, Runner length. What balance point were you using? (Like 30/60, 35/65)

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Did you compare the custom+ to The New LS3 Edge ?

I did not compare them skating, but I handled the LS3 holder unmounted. I'm not a big fan of the trigger, and the zytel in the custom+ is either thicker or more dense than the LS2/3. Having all three unmounted the custom+ is way harder to bend/flex compared to the LS. It's stiffer, which I prefer.

Skated again this morning. To my surprise, I only had to tighten the laces when putting them on. For me it's usually a ritual to dial the lacing in after the first shift. But after 90 minute hockey madness with some really good players this morning, I didn't have to adjust them. The tongue is starting to form to the top of my foot, leading to a better fit and lacing pattern. Double felt is working well.

Safe to say these skates are the best fit and performance to date.

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