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True skates are heavy. There is no getting around it. You say you knew this going in, yet are surprised? Not entirely sure I understand that.... Anyway. If you're asking 'why' they're heavier, it's mostly because the entire True boot is made of heat-moldable carbon fiber weave, while skates from Bauer and CCM use thermoformable composite plastics. True's carbon weave is MUCH stronger than the plastics used in other skates...but it's also quite a bit heavier. Also, steel makes a big difference - particularly now that all True skates ship with Step holders and Step runners. For all of its wonderful qualities, Step is notoriously heavy steel. In the end, there is absolutely a trade-off; comfort, protection, and performance vs. weight. Is it worth it? The answer to that will necessarily vary from player to player. For me, it's worth it. For 68 NHL players, it's worth it. For your son? Only he can answer that.... ________________________ N.B. By way of comparison, my Trues with a size 272 Step holder and Step Blacksteel runners are 21.8% heavier than my old Bauer TotalOnes... ________________________ Edit: Many people have fit issues (Haglund's Deformities, unusual foot geometry, flat or high arches, bunions, extreme pronation, etc....) that make off the shelf retail skates a virtual impossibility. For them, even the lightest skates on the market would feel like they weighed a metric shit-ton, simply because they'd be so damn uncomfortable. When the choice becomes a skate that weighs more vs not being able to play at all, most people will choose to deal with a few extra grams....

I would not confuse top end speed with acceleration. The acceleration rate of players today is dramatically faster than in the past.

With all of the obsession over skate weights, the fastest skaters today are still only just as fast as the fastest were when top of the line was Graf 703s, CCM 652 Vacu Tacks, Bauer Supreme 7000s, etc. McDavid has posted some slightly faster times, and certainly the speed of average players has increased, but there isn't a new class of top end speed. To me that means you're not capped because of your skate weight. It's more about finding the skate that allows for the natural technique to unlock your maximum potential, 100% in agreement with @the_game. That could be a slightly heavier skate or a slightly lighter one. It's one thing to think your stride rate diminishes from wearing a heavier skate. That could be true. But a lower stride rate could also be caused by a more natural stride, leading to more efficient skating that requires fewer strides to keep up with the pace. I'd be interested if skating lap times decrease because the heavier skates do make one slower. I'm just saying, a slower stride rate doesn't necessarily mean a slower lap time, or less speed overall.

Ordered mine today after stalking these forums for the last few years. I’ll be sure to post pics and a thorough review once they get here. And if I don’t like them, I will be forced to hold all of you personally accountable.

CCM and Bauer pro spec skates are usually heavier. From the ones I have owned I would say about 35+ grams per skate. I had a pair of FT1 recently with integrated shot blockers and some other additions and they weigh about 120 grams per skate over retail. Very close to True.

Neither would I.

As somebody who probably gets worse nicks than most (thanks to the goal posts) it's not that big of a deal to me. Granted I still have a cross-grind ring, but have only ever used it once when I changed hollows. My weekly sharpen is 2 passes. If I go longer than a week for some reason its 4. If I have a bad nick its 8. I've never needed more than that.

Fantastic post.

Okay. So. One genius ignores the safety literature, ignores the flashing light on his machine, and proceeds to fill his sharpening room with smoke. As a result, the company completely discontinues a hugely functional part of their machine. Talk about throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water.... My kid's remote control truck's LiPo batteries can explode if charged incorrectly. The company that manufactures the batteries and chargers didn't stop selling them as a result of some dipshit starting his garage on fire - they included a warning in the literature. You don't read the instructions, sometimes you get to pay the damn price. At some point we, as a society, need to stop protecting people from their own stupidity.