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I tried on the Catalyst 7 in a 6.5 today and a Catalyst 9 in a 7. I tried them on right after trying on the TF9’s in a 6.5 and a 7. They Catalysts felt much more snug in the ankle/upper ankle area. Also noticeable was the padding or lining felt much thicker than that of the TF9, particularly in the forefoot room toe area. The associate offered to bake them for me (both Catalyst and TF9). Huge shout out to Leon of HM if you are reading this! After the bake the Catalyst 9’s felt much better around the ankles, the discomfort was gone! The toe area felt slightly better, but still kind of felt like a bunched up sock for lack of better words. Another customer tried them on prior to me and said the same thing. We both were comparing and contrasting the TF9 and Catalyst 7’s and 9’s. Like me, he felt like the 6.5 in the TF9 was too short, even after the initial bake (I’m sure the padding would settle/compress more in time), we both had our toes hanging over the edge of the footbed, could feel it inside the boot and was verified by taking it out of the skate and standing on it. What was also interesting was how the liner curled up around 1/2” before the toe, so it wrapped upwards into the toe box. The Catajyst seemed more narrow in the forefoot and toe area compared to the TF9. Now the hang up for me buying a pair of Trues is that compared to my Vapor 3x, I felt like the 3x just fit great, felt great and there was no question about it. With the Trues, there was slight discomfort right out the gate and I know I’d question my purchase if I got a 6.5. The 7 felt better, BUT also felt too roomy in the forefoot area. Which screams to me that the 6.5, with some time to break in should open up a bit. I just felt like my toes were a bit more than feathering even after the bake…but he didn’t Saran Wrap them…but did look for some and couldn’t find any. He was a very knowledgeable associate. To sum it up, the Catalysts felt more snug overall (due to extra padding/liner thickness) compared to the TF9’s. The ankle and upper ankle area of the Catakyst felt tighter around my ankle than the TF9 prior to the bake, but after the bake they felt nearly identical to me. Im far from an expert but just wanted to share my experience today with you guys. Still not sure if I will go for a TF9 in a 6.5 since my Vapor 3x in a 7, Fit 2 feel really good after five months.

Excited to give this a try. I know some are t a fan of the golf/hockey crossovers but I personally am.