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Ok. Problem sort of solved. Ibhave a 7 and a 7.5 here. First checked the foam in the toe. No difference in thickness. 2nd looked for other stickers.... none same as mentioned above. 3rd measured the actual skates. 7.5 was infact closer to 5mm longer. So definitely bigger. No ifs and or butts. It's not a toe foam conspiracy.... lol. Hope that helps. Had me worried for a second.

Think about FZ but... reversed and white, not silver. Take away the dots, add some geometric lines... vents a bit more fang-ey. And anyone can correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like a mostly stylistic update.

Pitch of the skate required me to mess with shims until I was able to determine the proper forward pitch. Had to add a 4mm shim to the right foot and a 3mm shim to the left foot. Adjusted my profile from a Zuperior to a Quad 2. Needed to stretch the right toes a little more. My little pinky toe was being smashed by the new toe cap width. Had to change my lacing pattern to outside-in at the bottom, and inside-out at the top.

Boring but that’s the going rate since the Bauer acquisition.

I use the E700 for ice and roller and actually think the ventilation is pretty good. The pads do soak up quite a bit of sweat; so you definitely have to air it out/put it on a dryer. I feel it breathes better than my old Bauer IMS 7.0; the Bauer didn't retain the sweat in the padding though. Having said that, the new CCM Super Tacks X does look super breathable. The structure of the foam on the Super Tacks X seems like it would be lighter than the average high end helmet and way more breathable, but I doubt it'll approach the weight of the E700. I hope I'm wrong though. I think the companies are more focused on protection than weight. I'm not saying the E700 isn't protective; I think the protection in the E700 is solid if it fits you well as I've been hit in the head hard with a slap shot while wearing an E700 and it cracked the helmet, but I didn't get a concussion or even any bruising. I retired that helmet and replaced it with another E700. I just think the primary focus on new helmet designs is protection and not weight and they're willing to add weight if they believe it will be more protective. It'd be great if another company produced a protective helmet that's as light or lighter than the E700.

For skates that are hopefully going to last you several years it could be worth making a day trip (probably 5+ hours of your time between driving and trying things on at the store) to make sure you have the right size. I know that's a pain, but sometimes spending the time and effort upfront is worthwhile long term.

Best all-around stick is a stiff-flex Easton Aluminium with a wood blade. You can probably find that combo online for $50 tops. It's indestructible, you can snap any $400 composite twig in half with a good slash, and you probably won't outperform it on the ice (judging from your post). Plus, it's a classic twig so you'll look really cool. Go with any curve, since slashing and stick checking doesn't depend on what curve you have. Have fun!

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Good god we’re screwed.