Leaderboard

Hot Damn

Wild...

Just picked these up

Pickups from some recent travels. Franklin Vipers pants Easton Pro pants navy 6K Pro M/L shoulders and a full family photo

I hit the ice tonight after a little over six weeks after a facial fracture. With getting surgery to put plates in to hold my fracture back together it seemed like it would take forever to get back. Very happy to get back tonight.

Custom wheels and knock off twigs, come on.... 😁 You don't need to pay full retail for sticks and you don't need to go to a smaller company to save money. The resale market and pro-stock markets are decent enough. Right now there are 16 listings on sideline that meet my exact specs. All are under $300US, that's $415 for you north of the boarder folks. In a pinch I'll grab a pro-stock off HSM for $210US. The question is, if you can afford custom skates why are you nickel and diming sticks...

I've been hunting a VGK CCM V08 size small for 6 years!

I'm currently in Cat Pros and am happy with them, but really wanted to try the new FT6 Pros. Met up with Flooded Customs from IG who designed a wrap inspired by the black option CCM offers through their custom program, but with the last gen logo. I think they turned out awesome and I look forward to testing the skates out! Wish more skates were made to look as subtle as this off the shelf

Got home today from my surgery and related issues. On the mend. Thanks for everyone who reached out. I got a ways to go but it’s not like I haven’t dealt with other significant health issues before.

Because a lot of people can find comfortable fits for stock skates. Especially off the shelf Trues mold and fit so well the non-custom are fine for a lot of people. I suspect a lot of people need to actually just take time fitting their skates and trying things on. There’s a huge gap between ordering Vapors online because “Bauer is the best” without ever trying anything on, and going full custom. A pair of off the shelf $500 Trues would probably be the best option for a huge number of people. But the world too easily pushes the narrative of you need the most expensive things all the time no matter what.

Chiming in here as I’ve had some experiences with ordering custom Bauers recently that might shed some light into what’s possible. Customer was in a car wreck that caused his one leg to be almost permanently swollen. Knew this was going to be a tough fitting, so right off the bat I told the customer I’d like to get some additional eyes on his scan/foot. Sent the photos to Bauer and got the feedback I was looking for. Went ahead and ordered the skates and quicker than some other customs we’ve done, they arrived. Fit was absolutely perfect. Turns out they were able to almost retrofit a size 10 Fit 3 onto the midsole/outsole of a size 8 boot to give the customer the volume he needs, especially around the ankle. The results were incredible. So as far as getting a “Fit 0,” it does seem like something that could be possible however you definitely need to have an experienced fitter who can ask questions like this. Pic below for reference of the skates. His customs are next to a retail size 8 boot.

Coming from a 100k Pro the stiffness was a concern. It was noticeable, though I didn't feel like the skate was restricting me. I had to work them a little harder to get them to do what I wanted at times so my legs felt it. Oddly, my chronic hip flexor and lower back issues seemed to disappear. Overall, super impressed.

Just in... STFU with these things 🔥🔥

Getting back on the ice tonight!!! A little over six weeks from my thyroid removal surgery. A few complications that delayed my recovery, but looking forward to playing tonight!!

When I had the store in Vegas, I would charge customers the same price for a total custom skate as I would for a top tier retail model. I made a little less on the sale, but then I didn't have to carry as many items in stock for inventory, and the customer got custom skates for the same cost. IMO, everyone wins in situations like this.

Round 2.

That Hockey Tutorial guy will endorse anything for the right price, he has no shame lol, I stopped watching his stuff after the whole charity scandal and just getting tired of biased reviews. He doesn't hold a candle to Hills' "Hockey Reviews" page in terms of reviews. With that off my chest, I did enjoy the Graf video, my 705's I got in the mid 90's were my favorite skates I ever owned, partially because the brand had so much history and just stood out over Bauer/CCM at the time (it was like going for a Porsche over a Ford), and partially because they just felt so good on my feet. I haven't seen or tried any of their new offerings but they'll always have a place in my heart.

especially after the fabled Iron Lotus incident.

I have a pretty extensive shell collection at this point but this is one of my new favs

Document

In my experience, TRUE sticks break about as often as CCM, Bauer, and Sherwood. There are a lot of variables that account for stick breakage. Its not just the level of play, but the position, size of the player, etc. For example, it is not uncommon for Centers in the NHL to use a beefier and heavier stick as compared to someone who plays Wing. As for the Catalyst skate issues, I think TRUE went too thin on the shell in an attempt to play the "weight savings game" and it blew up in their face. The 2024 Catalyst skates are very impressive, and I don't think you are going to see any of the same issues. I have been testing a pair for a while now, and the durability is very good.

It might not be suitable for full-time use, but a couple of times, I've had teammates coming back from broken or badly bruised ribs. I gave them some thigh inserts salvaged from old pants that they held in place with compression shirts. Those contoured thigh pads actually conform perfectly to your ribs and don't get in the way of anything. They're also much more protective than any padded shirt.

You just need to have some friends that work or own a hockey store 😉

I wish that we had something like Sideline swap here in Europe. Pro stock is hard to find and get.

BOOM! Playing 2-3 nights a week year round I could easily justify the expense. It's about value. The retail offering fit me really well. The question becomes, why pay extra for something I don't need...

Being able to afford it doesn't necessarily mean being willing to spend it.

To add. Of you read thru the site. I think you'll find that no one has ever said a Sparx sharpening is better than a really really good hand sharpening. It is however far more consistent and convenient. I was a Blackstone customer for years and currently own a Sparx. I have never once had a bad sharpening on my Sparx, never. I have however received uneven edges, incorrect hollows, burnt edges and ruined profiles from some very highly regarded hand sharpeners. TBH, I think the market has spoken.

Funny how people are using a dremel to widen the channel on the Powerfly holder, but the Edge holder channels widened just by skating on them for a year. 😬

It does make it whippier. People that want to argue just because it doesn't technically change "flex" is bc flex ratings are tested at the exact same points on a stick so it doesn't change the "flex rating" at for example, 50 inches from the heel. But when you and I talk about how a extending or shortening stick changes the flex, we obviously mean the perceived flex at the very butt end of the stick and our bottom hand.

Stick update... Totally love it!!! The blade feel is awesome and I get great pop on my wrist shots. The more I play it the better it gets. Huge fan!!!!

Damn that thing is ugly.

This is why the only way to go for a custom skate is True. Every other "custom" skate is just a fancy retail skate. I'm annoyed I wasted money on custom CCMs that I can't even use but I'm stuck with. I won't stray from True going forward.

A few years ago I obtained a pair of hockey pants used in the movie “Miracle”. Eventually I had them turned into a shell. I’ve dropped about 50 pounds in the last year so now they don’t fit anymore. I was able to buy a smaller shell and Capital City Sharpening performed a “stripe transplant” for me. They did a fantastic job and I couldn’t be happier! Note: they discovered that the stars on the right stripe were built upside down. Check out the “before” picture on the bottom!

With protective especially, there is no “best.” At some point you are trading degrees of breathability and movement and weight for protection. So, you gotta figure out how to configure those different things that work for you. Think of it like creating a character in a video game. You have an allotted number of points, so you can’t just put every category at 100. If you want lighter, they’ll be slightly less protective, etc It’s been a while since I wore CLs, and everyone liked them, but it’s not like you’re gonna put them on and be like “oh, these are clearly noticeably better than everything else and it was worth paying $200 for a used pair of 10+ year old shoulder pads, plus all the time I spent looking for them.” Rather than thinking about “THE BEST,” the about “these are fine.” Get something that does its job and you don’t notice them much, and spend the money on sticks or drugs or something fun. Protective stuff generally won’t improve your game like sticks or skates might*. Just find something you can be content with and don’t overthink it. *these really don’t either, but let’s pretend.

‘Best’ is all relative, right? Do you want protection, breathability, etc. I went through this journey years back. At the time I ended up with CCM QLT shoulders. I liked the breathability and profile. They had enough protection for beer league and wouldn’t have prevented the shoulder tear I got wearing them. I wore them for 4-5 years before moving into CLs. Preferred the CLs for moisture wicking and felt the breath ability was about the same, if not slightly better, than the QLT. When the FT4 line came out they were pitched as true replacements for the CL line. Unfortunately I tried the FT4 Pros and got rid of them almost immediately going back to CLs. For me, the FT4s simply did not breathe nearly as well as the other pads and that’s my primary concern. When the FT6 line launched and I found a pair of FT6 Pros for half price I figured why not. IMO CCM improved ventilation significantly compared to the FT4 line and that’s not accounting for the aer-tec part. I sold the CLs and these are now my primary shoulder pads. So for me and my ‘best’, the FT6 Pros and CLs fit the bill. I wouldn’t pay retail price for them, but if you can get them at a discount, they’re well worth it

Glad you're back out there, man! Please tell me you put a cage on? :)

Why do you need to change the steel? Is it broken, or you want to upgrade it? To put new holders and steel on, your cost would probably be around $100+ if you could find used stuff that works, much more for new. For those skates, you’re better off just putting that money towards new skates.

I know plenty of players that use their products and have had no issues, from recreational to professional levels. Historically, TRUE has had some bumps in the road, as all companies do when they are growing, and I understand that you and others have likely experienced some product defects. However, the vast majority of players have not had that same experience. I don't think its fair to use such a small sample size to determine if a product is or is not durable. An interesting story. I have some TRUE prototype sticks that have no logos on them. One person I skate with who played NCAA D1 dislikes TRUE as a company. There was no specific reason; he just said he had tried their sticks before and didn't care for them. In a recent game, he broke his primary and backup sticks and asked to use one of my extras. After the game was done, he told me that the stick was one of the best he had ever used and asked me if I could order him a few. You should have seen his face when I told him it was TRUE. It was TRUEly priceless 😜

What you say is quite...true.

It's definitely very difficult to thread the top two eyelets over the tongue with the skates on. What is much easier is threading the eyelets behind the tongue and then pulling the laces over.

I like the 2024 Catalyst skate design. Best looking retail skate they have ever made. https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:968e037d-fb71-4110-ba3d-4778ab89e1d1

The Canucks matte black helmets remind me of that one guy in every beer league with the old matte black Easton bucket that never looked good, usually paired with roller hockey pants and some skates from 20 years ago... it's a hard no from me.

Ok, so the 2 cotton socks was an experiment. In my mind, being able to even fit in there with 2 thick socks on points towards needing a more tapered and/or smaller fit. I can feel the difference between a super thin and slightly thicker skate sock in my True TF9s. Best fitting skates I've ever had, but they are pretty wide, so doesn't sound like it would be a good match for your foot shape. Getting my skates on with 2 thick socks would be impossible.

I would not give any thought to radius for a 5 year old. Kids readily adapt, and I would be amazed if a child would even notice from one to the other. I coach kids who skate on garbage used skates from Play it Again, and they do just fine. But yes...any shop that does profiles can change it if you want.

Literally everyone who is mildly selective about sticks says these are always somewhere between low end mediocre to trash. The people who hype them up are either the people selling them, or people who love a “good deal” above all else. Whats more likely - a factory in China is gonna sell unbranded Bauers/CCMs out the back door to some random suburban dad in the USA, or that those sticks are actually just off brand sticks that play poorly and weigh around 400 grams? People delude themselves it’s actually a $400 stick with no graphics but the scenario is so full of holes. If all you care about is weight, go for these. But if you care about feel, balance, performance, etc, spend $30 more and buy a prostock stick from somewhere.

They designed a hockey helmet specifically to perform well on a laboratory test that doesn’t actually test very well for real world hockey events. Uh, congrats? edit: being saucey towards the company, not anyone here.