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So they didn't have any Tacks in my size in stock (and none of the new line of course). I tried on the True TF7 and TF9, I also tried the new Bauer Supreme in the higher volume fit (i forget the number), and I tried on a pair of Ribcore and a pair of JetSpeed by CCM. Of all the skates, the True line definitely put the least strain on the spot in my ankle where I'm getting bite - even before baking I'm SO happy I did this much research! If I hadn't read up on them, I would have definitely gotten too large of a skate. I've been wearing Bauer Supreme 6.5 Regular - I had them bring out a 6 and a 6.5 for me in True. I think the 6.5 Bauer are actually small by industry standards on my feet - so I started with a 6.5 True. I would have thought they were too small - it was squishing my foot laterally and my toes were all touching the cap. Couldn't even get into the 6. After baking the 6.5 feel PERFECT for me. I skate Wed and Thu this week and will report back I think i'm going to try my first game without lace extenders and see if I still feel I need them. I haven't played with the arch support pads or with the tongue yet - I'll do so tomorrow so I'm set up for success Wed in my game. FYI - local hockey monkey was COMPLETELY useless for help/sizing etc. It was like three 16 year old kids who knew next to nothing about skates, fitting, or baking. It was definitely disappointing - they had no knowledge or recommendations for me in any way. They didn't even know how to bake them properly. I asked if they use the packaging tape around the ankles and nobody knew what I'm taking about - "oh there's a roll of that on top of the True oven for some reason actually" - yeah you're supposed to use it!!! I ended up doing the entire baking process myself basically, and then they forgot about me. About 30 minutes after I got them on, I took them off myself and brought them to checkout. They said they would sharpen them for me - but nobody had any idea what profiling meant lol. So I think they just tossed my brand new skates onto the sharpening machine and gave them back to me haha.

Miller pretty much nailed the state of play. I’ve always been partial to Franchise, Eagle and Easton in that order. Warrior’s decline at retail has been catastrophically bad/embarassing. Not sure if it’s a rising materials/input cost issue or the product design team is totally clueless, or maybe a bit of both. CCM 4 rolls are OK, Nexus Pro Series are nice but not worth $200.

Where to begin... QRL were a great idea but the foams were way too soft/weak for protection and the finger pieces weren't sewn tight enough together so massive gaps appeared and sticks could easily get between them. QX glove was basically the exact same as above. QRE fixed a bunch of the foam protection issues but went down to 3 piece backhand padding. Which isn't the end of the world but annoying. DX fixed most of what was wrong with QX, it was a solid glove. QRE 10 put 1 GIANT piece of foam/plastic in the backhand which conflicts with how hands actually move. Flex cuff was more open which I think is a step backwards but is fine. FR Pro & LX Pro... killed off the solid DX to make a cheaper in everything FR Pro. Which is pretty disappointing all around, meh foams, 2 piece fingers, restrictive cuff. LX Pro is the glove no one really asked for, with good foams and overall design but a way too restrictive cuff. I think the QR5 Pro glove is probably solid, but I haven't seen it yet. The problem with Warrior now is there is just more competition for them as well. CCM still makes solid stuff, Bauer makes okay stuff, True makes excellent gloves, Sherwood even makes really good gloves. So they have to do something actually good and decent to warrant anyone going to them.

Warrior used to make some of the best gloves. Now they make probably the worst gloves on the market.

They felt like they lost too much agility due to surface area contact between the ice and steel. Basically, the Ellipse felt too long. Many players commented that the Ellipse felt more similar to a Zuperior than a Quad.