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The CCM eyelets are thin aluminum - putting the visor hardware in them and cranking them down will definitely take some paint off them and maybe dent/deform them a little if you make it tight. I wouldn't worry about it too much - especially if your skates aren't CCM. colins

similarly, this is what i used and this essentially solved my lace bite problem. recommended from here a ways back. http://www.greatsaves.org/skate_lace_extenders.html i only actually use the 2 of the 3 eyelets.

Tackla has always, in my opinion, made the best pants and girdles. They have a couple of models available on different sites: The classic 4500 girdle (I used one for years and liked it much better than my Bauer girdle): https://www.icewarehouse.com/Tackla_Ice_Hockey_Girdles/catpage-TACKLAGIRDL.html The new Breezer girdle (which I've heard is incredible): https://www.hockeymonkey.com/tackla-hockey-girdle-breezer-sr.html Good luck!

I empty the tray and vacuum it out every few weeks. Depends on how much it gets used. My every few weeks might be someone else's weekly thing.

Locking mechanism looks solid. With profiling and sharpening you're probably going to go through steel with the lower profile runner quickly.

That’s precisely the point I was making. In order to opt for less of something (stiffness in this case), it has to be an actual option. I still strongly disagree with the oft expressed notion that a stiffer skate entails a stronger skater. There are plenty of counter examples, but the general rule would have to account for context, and in the current hockey skate market an argument can be made for skates being too stiff for the good even of the strongest skaters in the world. That’s what I was trying to get across. I absolutely agree it comes down to personal preference.

Some skaters with great skating ability opt for a flexier tongue to suit their taste. Skate stiffness and skating ability don’t correlate directly, just as shaft stiffness and stick skills don’t.

I find the 2S Pro tongue flexes just fine. From a performance standpoint it offers more performance than the 1S did. My only complaint is that the felt is too thick where it comes off the toecap. It does compress rather nicely or at least mine has after 9 months of skating 4 times/week. If someone isn't getting proper forward flex in the 2S Pro or 2X Pro it could be, that being a pro level skate it's too much skate for their skating ability.