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Wild...

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!!

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

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!

Alternatively you could delay going to a curve boot even longer by trying to source the Pro Stock Bauer V Cut skates https://www.sighockey.com/collections/player-skates/products/bauer-vapor-2x-pro-v-cut-hockey-skates-9-d-a-280-ls-fly-ti

The retail store is almost done! So much time, effort, and money went into this. Just waiting on a couple more shipments and we will be open to the public! https://www.yelp.com/biz/surfside-hockey-torrance?osq=Hockey+Equipment https://maps.app.goo.gl/XpKW9WbY9LtEwq4z8 For those not local to So Cal, we will be doing online sales. Exciting times!

I think it's pretty much confirmed by the pictures. No other stick had that exact font and stripe on the underside. It's definitely a pshs.

It isn't confirmed that it is PRO, and I tried to get it confirmed and he won't... but if you use logic it is obviously a PRO stick.

For some of us who are old and set in our ways, as person who both contributed to the proliferation of p28esque curves and ultra-stiff boots, this guy is bordering on super villain status.

Poron to standard foams. 3-piece thumbs to 2-piece thumbs. Embroidered cuff rolls to I don’t even know what to call the plastic crap now. That’s just Bauer. CCM has reduced D3O, or the amount of D3O, they’re using. Palm and gusset materials seems to be getting flimsier. That said, I wouldn’t even bother with retail gloves nowadays. Plenty of pro stock options available with better builds and more options. While it’s a shame CPR and Hockey Menders closed for repalms/customization, ITR does great work and continues to improve with every pair

Sounds like you have at least two stores near you. The store with the Bauer scanner and the one without. Go and try on a ton of skates. Seems like you need to figure out what size skate you wear and what boot shape best fits your foot. You’re all over the place with sizing. Do you have access to a store with staff who are skilled at fitting skates? Go and have them help you get your size and shape dialed in. You’ve already made a 1k+ mistake. If you don’t have a local store you trust, spend some time and money driving to one you do trust. Buying skates blind off of the internet, especially customs that may have some weird stuff going on, is just throwing more money around that may or may not work.

While having a larger sample size is always good, I don’t know if MSH has enough technically sound skaters that would be able to give you an accurate assessment lol It would be like asking the hockeyplayers subreddit their thoughts about the on-ice Marsblade. Based on the initial impressions of those who got the holder, you’d think it was the best technological advancement in skate technology since boots went from leather to composite, and now look how many people are actually using it.

You should dispute the stick you got with your credit card company as a product that was as advertised. And then see if you need to do the same with the one that is in production

Labeda Gripper yellow

Round 2.

Not to be Danny Downer here but I think we all would agree that its not the stick scoring the goals, it's the player.

It’s in the PRO Hockey Sticks thread. I think it’s awesome and quietly kinda huge. When that guy started his company, the logo was a silhouette of Overchkin. Now they guy is breaking what was thought to be an unbreakable record using that brand. It’s kinda touching, honestly. And, it’s awesome that someone is producing good sticks at accessible price. It started as a passion project and the guy who runs PRO seems to genuinely enjoy it and want to do a good job, and not just cash in first chance he gets. (Cue immediately selling his company to Halliburton or something haha)

Thanks to this tutorial I decided to refresh my TF9 inline skates in hopes it'll get me to play more roller this spring/summer. New Marsblade O2 insert, new 3D printed True tongues, and carbon-look kydex 'shot blockers' around the backs to protect the heel. The Kydex and 3M tape cost a whopping $20 total so this was a cheap project to try. I even have enough material left over to make another pair. Using a jigsaw would have allowed more precision and cleaner lines, but a Dremel is what I had on hand and it worked easily enough. After cutting I sanded/beveled the edges, then used a heat gun to shape the material. Once each heel was roughly curved, I put on the 3M tape, applied more heat so the kydex was soft like play-doh, and with an oven mitt on my free hand, was able to press/conform the material to fit the odd shape of True heels pretty much perfect. If I were to do it again, I'd create a cleaner template so each piece would be identical, but whatever. Thanks again for the tips in this thread!

I've tried almost every ProSharp profile there is and recently skated on out-of-the-box Bauer Fly-X. Best skate I've ever had. Used to be a big believer in these other profiles but not anymore. I feel stupid for having skated on the quads the last several years.

First time the build code was clearly legible, I guess was my point

Just arrived. Still in the process of removing the shot blockers.

Discounts for MSH'ers? :)

@Marsblade - Any thoughts on a "pro-series" R1 chassis? I love my R1's, but do find the weight is a drawback for many considering them. The R1's feel overly chunky compared to high-end fixed frames, which I assume is because they were designed with durability in mind. A performance model would be amazing to see come to life, something a little lighter and in other colors, maybe with the TF radius included. Selling just the lowers only, could be a great upsell for the competitive roller players already using R1's, kind of like DLC blades for ice holders.

I used the quicklites for years. Really liked them. At the time I was trying to find a pad that didn’t cause me to overheat and these were what I landed on. Eventually moved onto CLs which breathed better and since the interior is entirely zote foam it didn’t retain any sweat and stayed ‘cleaner’ longer. Tried FT4 Pros which I felt didn’t breathe at all. I’m currently using FT6 Pros which I really like. IMO they’re the true successor to the CL line. Really breathable with aer-tek and don’t hold any moisture since there’s not a liner

Agreed although I’d go back one generation to the APX2 from Bauer and the QRL from Warrior. FT1 is the last ‘great’ glove IMO

I would look at ProStockHockey.com. 14 is an easy to find size and if you’re not too picky on color you can get something way nicer than 2024 retail junk.

Did you read any of the previous 263 pages?

Gotta love Leo Komarov ... he's currently playing in Finland's top league and due to team rules he had to ditch the Bauer 4500 to CCM. So what did he go with? The HT2 - of course! Fully painted and refurbished 🤤 Here's the story about it in Finnish (you can Google Translate it😞https://www.jatkoaika.com/Haastattelu/HIFKn-konkarit-hämmentävät-varusteillaan-−-Leo-Komarov-pelaa-30-vuotta-vanhalla-kypärällä-ja-Antti-Pihlströmin-terissä-ei-ole-lainkaan-uraa/255798 "...I have an old CCM HT2 like that in a workshop somewhere, and it's still in its original package. I dug it, I sent Leo a message. He answered that of course! It's a good-looking helmet, Hallikainen (equipment manager) says. The question arises, why doesn't Komarov wear the same helmet as everyone else? Hallikainen answers with a small smile on the corner of his mouth. - Leksa is Leksa . It's nice that others don't have the same thing. He's an old school guy, and wants a traditional rubatex padding. It sits a little differently on the head. According to Hallikainen, the individual helmet used by Komarov was manufactured in 1994. It was originally white in color, so before being put into use it went through many work phases that took about six working hours."

Everyone over 40 thinks these look amazing, everyone under 30 is like “where are the racing stripes, grandpa?”

Kucherov changed to Jetspeed skates.

I've been doing this for a few months now. Not every time I sharpen...more like once a month or so. I use a couple of nylon washers to prop the rear up. Works like a charm. I highly recommend this to anyone with a machine.

Interesting video on using 2 of the blade lifts originally designed for Bauer's CarbonLite runners to help round out the toe. Feathering the toe

Do understand that in most cases, the NHL adoption rate is driven by convenience, not performance.

Cat 7 is fiberglass. Cat 9 was carbon fiber. Totally different construction.

Looks like a True version of the Tackla Breeze X1 ProZone Hockey Pants Tackla is the distributor of True Hockey in Finland, so there is your connection.

It's a nice machine in that all you need to do is drop the skate in and set the number of passes. Self leveling and auto height adjustment are nice features. Pressure from the wheel is much harder than that of the SPARX machines resulting in more pronounced burrs than that of the SPARX. If you own a SPARX and have had no issues then there is really no need to switch. Just another option for those who haven't yet purchased a home sharpener. About $100 more than the 3rd generation SPARX and $250 more than the 2nd generation SPARX. It will be interesting to see how this goes for Bauer since IMO I think SPARX has a done a good job in saturating the market.

I go with my own too, mainly because I find most commercial deodorizers are overly scented. I do 50/ 50 water and vinegar, and then add 20 drops or so of Tee Tree oil. It works super well for me and is cheap, effective and not overly strong-smelling.

All they need to do is bring back the XN10 and I’m sold.

It's def a "buzzword bingo" thing. Basically, the 7X4 has trace amounts of fiberglass mixed with the carbon fiber. I argued with the TRUE rep when doing booking for 2024-2025 product because I didn't understand the value of the 9X4 compared to the 7X4 if the boot itself was the 100% the same. If you look at both, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference visually. However, the actual composition is different. I agree 100%, composite = made up of various parts or elements. I hate "buzzword bingo". It makes me die a little on the inside when I see marketecture.

Average consumers too often equate price to quality, so they assume high end true skates can’t be as good as Bauer or CCM if the flagship doesn’t cost four figures. True makes the price four digits, and when Johnny Suburb and his mom go skate shopping in August, suddenly Trues are now on the same tier because they cost more.

People will probably disagree with me but as you said, I’d play around with profiles long before I’d do a holder swap. There isn’t enough difference in size or amount of steel on the ice at any given time to justify it imo. a good profiler could look at your current blades, get a general idea of the balance point and ice contact you like and get you something similar to what you’ve been using. it will likely take longer to adjust to the boots than the blades anyway.

Great to hear! Skate, skate, and skate....get on the ice as much as you can, whether it's on a pond, public skate, beginner lessons, stick & puck, etc. Try having a friend or someone close to you join the journey with you to make it more fun and motivating.

Just sold my Vapor 3x Pros today and I’m thinking of taking the True plunge. I tried on a pair of TF7’s years ago and was meh about them, but my Vapors just never felt quite snug/cozy enough around my entire foot. Looking at the TF7’s, seeing them for $179 (They have TF9’s for $249). Wore a 7, Fit 2 in the Vapor, based off research of the TF line, I should give the 6.5R a go. Does that sound right?

"...escalated to the management and will be used to improve our production process. I'm sorry the stick fell short of your expectations." Makes it sound like you are the one "at fault", what a crock! That isn't an apology, even though they used the word "sorry" in the sentence. The proper response should be "We apologize your stick made it through our rigorous QC process and was delivered out of spec to what you ordered, we'd like to offer you a discount off your next order with us if you'd be willing to continue giving us your business".

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.