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Prostockhockeysticks. I use a kovalchuk big curve and the old thrasher kovalchuk cuve. Having PSHS makes finding the first that I like very easy

Having fitted and sold skates, and skating for extended periods in just about every top-end model, and currently bouncing back and forth between three (AS3 Pro, 100k Pro, and Machs), my observation is that marketing claims are worthless. I skate like me regardless, and I'm no less agile in Machs or Tacks than I was in 2xPros or Jetspeeds or Trues. It is entirely about closing your eyes and skating on what feels best on your foot. There are subtle differences and that is all they are. If you're a strong skater with a N/S game and Vapors feel best...skate them! Barzal may be THE most agile skater in the league...he's wearing Tacks...not an "agility skate." Yeah...I know...they may have boot customization but they're still Tacks. The Machs have a flexible boot with a stiffer holder...Hyperlite is the opposite. Guess what...I don't notice once the puck drops. I put sized-up CCM XS holders on my Machs and I don't feel a difference when I'm skating. I just hate getting those trigger mechanism runners in and out. Also have lots of XS Blacksteel and don't want to have two systems running. Anyway, bottom line...if it feels good and gives you confidence on your edges...ignore the marketing. That's my take Peeps👍🏒🥅🇨🇦😎.

Yes, it’s called flex-fit for the powerfly holder. They have a CCM specific blade if you want CCM. The flex fit blade fits tighter into the Bauer holders now. (Both Edge and Powerfly). I really like them a lot.

1: FT6 is a softer boot which allows more forward flex. This will give the feeling you are more on the balls of your feet. 2: As others mentioned, you would need to bring both the old and new steel in to a knowledgeable store so they can copy the profile. 3: That depends on you, as this is a debatable question. If you want to spend the time to get the skates dialed in, because you like them, then keep them. I am a huge believer in the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.” If you know what kind of skate you like, and have been using such skate, why change things?

As stated above, profiling the blades can help with the slight forward lean / pitch that you may be looking for. I went from Graf Ultra G75's to the 100k Pro's and felt the same with the steel out of the box.......a little bit on my heels. My grafs did have profiled steel in them ( pro sharp ellipse 1 ), but i had the pitch removed bc of the aggressive forward lean that are built into graf skates. After getting an ellipse 1 profile with the default 20mm pitch left in the profile, It was a seamless transition to my 100k pro's. Best skates I've ever owned.

I switched from 2018 Vapors to the ASV skates last winter and really had no issues. Love them, although I will note that I went down half a size in the CCMs. I've always skated on a 9' radius, and more recently, a 15/30 or 20/40 cag profile. All Step steel comes with a 10' radius stock, so if you were on 10' on your Vapors, you shouldn't notice a big difference. I would give you 3 recommendations - 1. The ASVs are STIFF. Don't tie them as tight at the top, which will give you more forward and lateral flexibility. I figured this out pretty quickly. 2. Consider aftermarket insoles like Superfeet, which should help put you more on the balls of your feet. 3. If those both fail to make a difference, take both your Vapors and your Tacks into a knowledgeable skate shop and have them try to emulate whatever profile is currently on your Vapors. I had my Vapors profiled fairly recently before buying my ASVs and I really did not experience what you're talking about, so I wonder if it's a result of how your Vapors were profiled.

I have a similar experience in new Catalyst 7s. I loved the flatter steel at the heel from the first step on the ice, but just felt like I was forced upright and like there was too much steel on the toe. I swapped the stock tongues out for some with more flex and the feeling was 10x better. The tongue can have even more impact on how easily you can get in the right position over your edges than the rest of the boot.

When I switched from Bauer w/ LSE to CCM w/ XS blades I also had that more in the heels feeling. A friend who works at a shop mentioned the normal pitch of the blades is slightly different between the two brands/blades (I don't have the technical data to back that up but when I described the feeling she was immediately familiar with what I was describing going from one to the other). I debated putting the Tuuks on the CCM's but figured I should try profiling at first and it made a big difference in getting that feel just right (what worked on one might not work on the other). Last year I got new skates, CCM again, same size but they had an upsized holder which also required a little tweaking to get that comfortable feeling again (ended up going from a quad .5 on a 263 to a quad 0 on a 271). So if I were you and the boot fits great, try tweaking the profile to get that more familiar feeling.

I'd give them a couple of skates before doing anything. I Skate in AS3 Pros, 100k Pros, and Machs. When I skated the Machs for the first time, felt just as you described...great fit, back on my heels, couldn't get my edges going, very unstable. The next day I couldn't lift my legs without pain cuz my hip flexors were blasted. I decided to try again before changing pitch, and the next time they felt fine. I go back and forth between skates easily now. Don't be impatient, you can easily change the pitch if you prefer.

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