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Man, haven't been on this forum in forever! Garage has changed... When I relocated to NC back in 2015 I decided to grab an E46 M3 convertible. Blasting through the mountains with the 8,000 RPM S54 and the top down makes for a great time! And my 2002 Audi B5 S4. Stock looking (at least for now), but I've upgraded it to around 470 whp with hybrid RS6 turbos and some other goodies.

My new-ish twigs :) 95 flex, RH, PP28 curve BPM 150 & EK365. So far the EK365 is my favorite. can't get used to the half grip half clear on the BPM 150. I find it very annoying as the transition to grip is like right below where I would place my hands for a quick wrist shot & that throws me off.

I have read almost all of the responses in here. I’m 39. And only played in high school. Started playing again this year and it felt like my first time on the ice. But the response in here tells me I can still do this and keep trying. Because I love this game and working at it. Thank you all for this.

Length of use - 5 months Fit - I wear a medium and the fit is very good for my head, which is rounder than it is long (think circle > oval). No pressure points whatsoever, and I even wear glasses under the helmet because I'm blinder than Francois St. Laurent. The lateral adjustability that's found on the Resistance line doesn't appear to be any different, though I haven't had experience with the Resistance helmets. One thing I did notice is that initially I was using a Bauer Re-Akt cage with the helmet and the medium cage didn't come down far enough so my chin was well within the chin cup before the top of the cage hit the J-clips with them at the lowest setting. I chalked this up to the helmet not coming down my forehead as much as the Bauer does, since my Re-Akt 100 is a medium with a medium Re-Akt cage. This doesn't mean that the helmet is too small, just that there's not as much overhang compared to the Bauer; the Tacks 710 definitely feels more streamlined in that regard. I used a large Re-Akt cage and it fit perfectly. I've since ditched the cage for a half shield but I'm sure the moment I feel a stick or puck breeze past my face I'll go back to the cage. I guess I should mention that the helmet sometimes doesn't sit exactly centered on my head (maybe rotated a few millimeters to one side) when I put it on at first so I have to either find a mirror to adjust it or try to align it with my fingers. This might be due to the more circular nature of the helmet itself in that you can't really get a good feel for when your helmet is facing forward because there's perfect symmetry. For that I'll dock half a point because it's not a big deal; just fix it before you hit the ice. Once you're skating the helmet doesn't rotate at all. 9.5/10 Protection - I don't play in a checking league and I don't find myself getting whacked in the head by errant sticks so I can't really comment on this aspect. I'm sure the D30 foam does what it's advertised. N/A Weight - I don't have a postal scale but I also use a Bauer Re-Akt 100 and this feels slightly heavier than that, but nothing really noticeable. The helmet is still relatively light and when you turn your head it doesn't feel like you have to pull a large mass along. 9.5/10 Durability - Nothing that I've noticed has been unexpected. There's some embellishment on the graphics of the foam lining (to show off the colors and name of the foam and whatever) that has been peeling off but that's just cosmetic. 10/10 Intangibles - The biggest factor for me when I went to try on this helmet was that I could wear glasses under them. They've passed that test, and my glasses only slip out slightly but that's not a big deal because 1) I'm sweating and getting all oily and 2) helmets aren't designed to accommodate facegear. I haven't paid too much attention to ventilation, but I get the impression that I sweat less with the Tacks 710 (even with the cage) than when I was wearing the Re-Akt 100. It wouldn't surprise me, since this helmet seems to have more vents in it than the Bauer does. 9.5/10 Conclusion - CCM really hit a home run with the Tacks 310 and 710 helmets. They're one of the best fitting helmets on the market and have pretty high-end foam tech in them, yet they only cost just a little over half as much as the top of the line offerings (Resistance, Re-Akt). For the $130-160 price point (sans shield combo), I don't think these helmets can be beat. In fact, I find myself wearing the 710 more than the Re-Akt 100 despite the Bauer costing more than the CCM. Total score: 39/10 Pics for clicks: https://imgur.com/a/i1kDE

I've had excellent luck picking pro pairs that once baked fit close enough to my customs that I don't notice while skating. I've also put two teammates into them that wouldn't ever spend full retail on a pair of skates but jumped at $400 or less for a like new pair. As long as the sizing is right and there aren't any dramatically different anatomical differences between the skate and your foot it's the same as buying any other pro stock skate. If anything more forgiving given the pliability of VH/True once heated.

Cage size has more to do with the length of your face than the size of your helmet. That said, how a cage fits you helmet to helmet may vary depending on how high or low the mounting screws are, and if you have the clips flipped up or down.

I always try to drink at least one beer in the locker room while getting dressed. Sometimes 2, if the game before is going long.