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Louisville lock jaw

Weird yes, but I used these back in Bantam in the mid-1990s with a Bauer Composite shaft. Kept two blades in my bag and could change them out in seconds. The lock-jaw system actually worked really well.

I have the traditionally 4-fingered (+thumb) Mission Warp 2s from that era in my basement. The break pattern on the backhand and fingers was way ahead of its time, but a lot of small details were poorly executed or mistaken in their premises. Biggest issue is the thumb-index junction is too shallow, forcing the index finger into an awkward position. Otherwise, the feel is almost as natural as AK27 gloves…maybe no wonder because Kovalev experimented with Mission gloves of that vintage.

Some good ones in here, I forgot about those ninja turtle gloves.

It's funny you mention the latter and fit issues. Up until 2017 I was always a Bauer guy from 2010-2017 I wore Bauer one100 in 7d. Fit was great. No issues with heel lock or forefoot pinching etc. I don't even recall having to break them in. In 2017 I tried trues due to curiosity and not bc I've always had fit issues. I liked them and they were super comfy. In 2019 I wanted to try the as1s and found them extremely painful and killed my pinky toes at the toe cap junction. I was able to modify it enough to make them feel decent but ultimately went back to my trues. Fast forward to last year and I was curious to trying Bauer's again but like you every boot felt bad. I tried the hyperlites in fit 2 and it felt huge on me. Fit 1 still felt odd. 3s pro fit 2 felt good overall but forefoot was rubbing quite a bit and too narrow. Tried almost all the ccm models and all had the same Annoying toecap clip pressing on my pinky at the junction. I recently tried the machs in both fit 1 and 2 and both felt very similar but went for the fit 1 bc it was a touch snugger and I felt after baking it'll relax a touch and would be perfect. After bake it felt great. No hot spots. But after taking it out to a public skate my pinky was pinching during turns. I ended up returning them bc I didn't want to risk spending 1000+ on skates that caused pain. I could've tried the fit 2 as it would've had more room in the forefoot and toecap but I didn't want to go through the whole process again. I kept thinking the recent fit issues I've been having was because my feet became sensitized from how comfy trues are and every little thing I now noticed which I didn't before. But your experience made me realize maybe it's probably due to how different the fits are now adays with ccm and Bauer and the fact that boots are so stiff that you don't really break then in anymore and any little issue you'll def feel. I ultimately got scanned for a pair of cat pros. My current trues are still in decent shape but was curious about the cat line of skates since they actually look good and are lighter than the true svh customs. Hopefully they arrive next week or the week after since I only ordered them the week before Christmas. A part of me still kind of wants to try a fit 2 in the m5 pro to see how that would be. Regarding the heel lock off the trues. I know what you mean as true skates have a deeper heel pocket than any other skates. Part of it is getting used to it but for some it's just too deep. Good luck in your journey

Did you bake and mold the catalysts with the saran wrap technique? If no I'd give that another shot to see if the heel lock is an issue still. The new asv line of tacks have a wider forefoot area. Ccms boots are also a lot more moldable than Bauer so I'd give that a shot since ccm has a 90 day guarantee so you have nothing to lose. Another option is the new supreme line. They offer mich more forefoot and toe cap room width wise than it's predecessor. So a fit 1 in the mach or m5 pro mag actually work for you. The mach in fit 1s toe cap and forefoot area was noticeably roomier than the 3s pros in a fit 2. Unless you get custom trues you may have to deal with settling with retail skates that may not provide the best heel lock or ones that cause some pinching or rubbing in the forefoot. The forefoot issues I'm confident can be alleviated to some degree or even completely if you know what you're doing.

The 4500 is more of an oval fit where as the 710 is a round/square fit. I tried the predecessor of the 710 (which I think was the resistance or 110?) and got rid of it after 1 skate since it was too round of a fit, I went back to the V08 after that until I found the 910 which is also an oval fit and works great for me. My son has the opposite issue, he has a round head and all the oval fit helmets crush the sides of his head 🤦‍♂️

Thanks, @Vet88. Your description makes sense, and confirms what I feared. FWIW, I know others have complained about toe cap issues, but I actually am not experiencing any discomfort there - my issue is further up on the metatarsal. Given the shape of my feet, I was shocked that a stock boot might be too low profile for me. But it sounds like that's the case (or, at least, that something about the cut doesn't match the volume/shape of my feet).

Get it or even a re akt 85

https://jrzglobalsports.com/hockey-bags/jrz-hockey-bag-h-851-bwb-h-851-bwb JRZ has in-stock bags that are great. Giant duffels, i believe with interior skate dividers on the ends. I think the pricing is in CDN which makes them about $76 USD. Well worth it IMO

Fit 1 reduced the volume overall from the previous D sized skate. Be it Vapours or Supremes, the lower fit across the back of the toe cap and over the bottom half of the foot means I can't wear fit 1 even though the heel fit is good. I know a number of players who have managed to get the back of the toe cap to fit better by putting a wedge in there and heating it up, over time they have gained some space. A current retail boot isn't going to fit you without extensive work / modifications and compromises, you are either going custom or hunting for an old pair you know that fit.

Some thoughts: The Hespeler "offset" sticks and blades of the late 90s. The claimed benefit was that they were supposed to keep your hands in front of the puck. TBlades - I am still baffled by these. Mission's 3-finger gloves of the late 90s/early 00s. I had a pair of these and actually really liked them. The claimed benefit was that they combined two weaker fingers into one stronger one. I don't know if I buy that, but they were comfortable (perhaps veering a bit too close to hockey mittens) Cooperalls

Reebok O-Stick, the Tovi hockey stick, or any stick with holes in it (looking at you Bauer Sling 😂). CCM X-Ray helmets will also fit in here.

https://www.hockeyworld.com/RBK-9K-O-Stick-Composite-Hockey-Stick-Sr

The half cage. The shitty visibility of a cage with the lack of protection of a half shield. The worst of two worlds. TBlades

Bauer made the SGX 90, a shin pad with built in knee brace. (I vaguely remember Eric Lindros being the poster boy for these, as they were originally produced for him)