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First of all, Congrats to JR on hitting the million post milestone. It's a testament to his perseverance and dedication to this community. For anyone that remembers me, sorry for dropping off the face of the planet a few years back and thank you to those that have reached out at various times over the years. After Michelle's suicide, I withdrew from almost everything I previously enjoyed in life. A big part of my disappearance was the realization that I neglected the people I cared about because I was so obsessed with the success of the site and other personal pursuits along with a healing process that required me to step away from here. I miss the friendship, the chats and the getting a chance to see so many of you around the country and world. Skipping all the boring bits... I recently relocated to Key West and finally living a healthy(ish) life again. I wish each of you all the health, wealth and happiness that you seek.

Hot Damn

Stay tuned for full reviews and video content. FYI, just from unpacking everything and tinkering with it in the house, I am impressed. They did an excellent job implementing the Aer-Tec suspension system, even though it was something we have seen similar previously in other equipment.

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...

Imagine having the extra time and disposable income to buy $1k+ custom skates you don’t want or need or even like just to endlessly complain about them before you get them, ignore advice to help them fit, and assert a bunch of unfounded assumptions, all so you can make some protracted internet argument, while lashing out at people offering advice and saying “you guys are all True fanboys, Bauer skates is the best 4eva.” It’s like when a child throws a tantrum about not wanting to eat a food that they’ve never even tried, but in those cases the child didn’t go out and spend a bunch of energy getting that food.

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.

especially after the fabled Iron Lotus incident.

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

Do you guys really think CCM put out baking instructions without checking the time and temps?? Come on guys, that basic engineering. They know better than that. Looks to me like a textbook example of overbaking or pulling way to hard on the laces when warm.

Guys, take it to PM's - all the purse swinging is cluttering up the thread .

Louisville lock jaw

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

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.

Just picked these up

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. 😬

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

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.

You'd have to re-palm the gloves and use a dyed material and yes it is very difficult to do, you have to remove the bindings and cut all the threading, then clone the shape and re-sew everything back together. There are a few places that do this still, some are not so great at it and some are pretty good. CPR (custom pre repair) is the pro level for this but impossible to get stuff done if you're not a pro since they're so backed up with work for NHL clubs, or you can check out ITR on instagram/facebook, he does some great work and has about a 2ish month turn around and some fair pricing (just a heads up, this sort of work is not cheap, we're talking prob $80-100 for a simple re-palm, much more if you also want fancy new gussets or some other custom overlays). https://www.instagram.com/itr_hockey/

Take it from someone who's strayed away from trues more than once and just ended back in trues. If they work for you and you're just curious, fight the urge and stick with ur trues. Maybe try something else when your trues are toast but don't spend money on another pair of skates when you don't need new skates just cuz.

I'm pretty sure the flex ratings on sticks are measured at the same distance. Ie. A 70 flex standard height is the same flex as a 70 flex at extended length. At least within the same company. Obviously the 64" will feel whipper when you're flexing it at it's full length vs the 60" but that's not how it's measured for quality control. It's not measured at the end of the butt end.

The flex rating doesn't change, but as the engineer said, the "bend" does. When people talk about flex, they are really talking about bend. So yeah, cutting it down doesn't change the flex rating, but it does change how it functions. Too much semantic debate when we all know what people mean.

IMHO, CCM is just putting out better sticks lately than Bauer in terms of both quality and durability.

Well, I went to my LHS and did the Bauer scanner (pretty cool) and the suggestion was for a fit 3. What's shocking is how much the sizing has changed....I'm actually a 7! WTF!? That is still bending my mind because I wear 9.5 US shoe size....it makes no sense to me, but I tried on different Bauer Supremes and CCM Tacks and the skates were snug, but my toes were juuuust at the toe box without lacing up....perfect. After trying on the Bauer's and CCM's I actually ended up with a pair of CCM ASV's. It was a tough decision becuase I have worn Bauers for over 30 years, but I had to go with the right fit and not just stick with brand loyalty.

Those are too far gone. The hole the eyelets shaft goes into has been enlarged/elongated. Putting in new eyelets will result in them just rattling around the expanded holes.

Between racism and the need to constantly start petty arguments about everything, some new people don’t fit this board and I hope they can change or they get asked not to post here.

Can u be my dad?

You're such an idiot.

From my experiences in lockerooms, lots of guys think of profiling essentially as: guy A: “my new steel is so tall and I keep catching the her and toe” Guy B: “the shop can grind down your blades to match the weird messed up shape of your old blades.“ They know the new steel has too much heel and toe for them, but rather than making any adaptations or learning what profiling actually is, they want the new $100+ runners to be shaped to the same ugly banana radius the shop mangled their old blades too. It’s like they have just enough info to completely confuse and misunderstand what it actually is.

Or it just doesn't work for you and it does for the people that enjoy them. How is sizing down a "hack"? The skate either fits you lengthwise or it doesn't. Honestly from reading your posts, I already knew it wouldn't work for you. Dont even both getting a larger size. Might as well return the skates now otherwise it's just going to be 29 more days of you complaining about them.

mission marketed one as well.

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)

At this point, it feels like companies are just rolling some various number of dice, then whatever numbers come up, making it a profile and marketing it as some mix of speed and agility. It’s like making a D&D character, but for skate blades. I’m getting elf/mage/warrior/thief for my next quad profile.

I’d go Jetspeed if you’re looking for something lighter with a good strapping system. CCM is where it’s at for protective - the current Bauer lines are overpriced junk.

I just got a Christmas sweater to go with my socks!!

Ok all. Getting a little off topic here. I wasn't asking whether people should wear neck protection or not. I have made a conscious choice to wear it (I owe it to my family), and I was asking what was the most comfortable. Happy to have a debate on products. Thanks all.

I remember reading about the different Profile cages in various topics but couldn't find where it discussed the differences in profile II cages so here goes: I've used Profile II cages for a long time, have had probably 6 or 7 over the years, also tried various CCM cages, an FV1 bubble, a Profile III, and a Reakt Ti cage (not to mention the old Jofa bubble cages and Itechs I had in the 90's), but the Profile II has always been my favorite since the large size fits my face the best and I like the shape and how it looks. In one thread discussing cages someone mentioned they changed the shape somewhere along the line, well I just learned whoever said that was 100% correct. My guess is somewhere between 2017 and 2022 is when the change occurred (my newest cage had a 2017 sticker and the brand new one I just got has a 2022 sticker and is very different). The "new" Profile II cage is a little shorter and extends away from the face much more, it's more similar to the Profile III shape, and is more pronounced when the helmet and cage are on, I personally hate it. The "new" Profile II also has flatter bars similar to the Profile III, the old round ones never bothered me so I don't see any benefit in this. Compared to the Reakt, the Profile III is a similar shape but a little boxier, the Reakt curves closest to the face but is shorter/smaller than the OG Profile II which has the best combination of curve and size imo. Not sure if anyone else cares but I'm a little razy when it comes to some stuff lol, I tried to get some side by side shots for comparison... left to right is OG Profile II, "new" Profile II, Profile III, Reakt Ti: Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr OG vs New Profile II: Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr New one on red 910, OG one on white 910: Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr So that's all I have, not much of a question other than observations. So if anyone has a hook uo on OG Profile II's send them my way lol, I have a new one and a Profile II I'm never going to use (currently going to give the Reakt another try).

CCM FT6 Pro shinguard snapshot review is now live. Show less 14" CCM FT6 Pro weight: 601 grams 14" CCM FT4 Pro weight: 605 grams 14" CCM Hyperlite weight: 587 grams AER-TEC THERMOREGULATION SYSTEM Maximized thermoregulation system with multiple ventilation ports in shin cap and shin liner for maximum airflow, plus FLOFOAM knee donut contributes to comfort and pro-level protection. FLOATING COMPRESS-MOLDED HD FOAM Lightweight pro-level protection for maximum impact calf guards plus added abrasion resistance at bottom. ANATOMICAL JDP KNEECAP Removable/adjustable Flofoam knee comfort pad with premium sublimated lining plus JDP kneecap construction to disperse impact force away from the knee joint. OPTIMIZED ANATOMICAL GEOMETRY WITH STRAP GROOVE Pro-level shin cap lined with compress-molded exposed ZOTEFOAM and PE plastic anticollapse X-FRAME and multiple ventilation ports for premium breathability. MOLDED PREMIUM HD FOAM CONNECTED TO KNEE LINER One-piece knee liner offers a close-to-the body pro-level protection. UPPER-LOCK STRAP WITH COMFORT CUSHION AND LENGTH-ADJUSTABLE CALF STRAP Customize to all calf sizes for a snug and extra-comfortable fit. AER-TEC SUSPENSION SYSTEM MESH LINER TREATED WITH POLYGIENE + ODOR CRUNCH Max ventilation for evaporation to help keep shins dry and cool + abrasion-resistant 400D nylon bottom reinforcement. COMPRESS-MOLDED HD FOAM SIDE GUARD Pro-level foam for extra side protection.

I long for the day when I can put a pair of FT6 Pros and a 5 gallon drum of mayonnaise in the same shopping cart.

Feels like there’s a BMW joke or lawsuit embedded in this post.

Flex rating is a property of the material the stick is made from. It's like looking at the load bearing weight of something made of bamboo or iron. Making smaller pieces of those things doesn't change that property. So doing mental gymnastics trying to do calculations about what a sticks flex rating will be after you take a couple of inches off is not a good way to think about things. It can lead to confusion. For example, if you take two Bauer Vapor sticks both 85 flex, but one comes stock at 60". and the other comes stock at 63". If you think of flex as changing, then if you take 3 inches off the second stick, depending on what rate of change you're using, it should be somewhere around 100 flex. So how is it the first stick is still an 85 flex but the second stick is now 100 flex? In reality, they're both the exact same, an 85 flex stick that's 60" tall. When one thinks of flex as immutable, things become simpler. We all generally have a preferred stick height, so we can think of that as immutable, to. So now when we look for the right stick flex for us, we simply look at what our current flex is, and choose higher or lower as desired instead of doing unnecessary calculations. But if we do want to change the length of our stick, it's simply a change in the amount of leverage we have.

A point I got tired of making years ago. I wonder how many people have been made worse by inserts or orthotics and haven't realized it? In most cases, moving the blade is the only good fix. (which presents a major problem in most modern skates)

Switched it up from hyperlites to Ultrasonics. Feels good man.

Just let it rest my guy. Geez. We get it. Trues don’t fit you. Onto the next topic…

As someone who actively plays and officiates ice hockey, the Marsblade is the best thing to happen to inline hockey. Any other inline chassis forces someone like me to complete change the way I skate when I play inline hockey. And I'll have nights when I play both inline and ice within hours of each other. Nothing can replace being on the ice: way too unique of a process to do so. What I do know is that Marsblade makes the transition less dramatic to someone like me whose muscle memory is based off of ice hockey skating. If you just play inline, the Marsblade really isn't going to mean much to do.