Vet88

Why would they destroy your skates? Punching isn't that hard to do, albeit heel work takes a little more care and effort. As I replied to you in another forum, get them punched with a channel, not just a spot punch. Then if you get any heel lift in the boot your bump will not smack into the top of the heel pocket or the top of the punch.

It depends on who does the sharpening and on what machine. If you believe Sparx's marketing material, their machine does not change the profile, "The Sparx Sharpener will not contour the profile of the blade. But, unlike traditional manual sharpening which alters the profile after 15-20 sharpenings, the Sparx Sharpener will hold the skate profile throughout the life of the steel thanks to the consistent RPM, Speed, and Pressure applied by our Grinding Rings."

I don't know how it is included within the current CBA. I'm assuming it would be part of the overall revenue and therefore would count towards the yearly revenue of the NHL and hence would be included in the amounts that gets calculated with the owners and players.

I somehow suspect most of the players will gladly accept it. As the players are currently in a hole of around $1.3 billion to the owners, the more revenue the better.

waterproof double sided adhesive tape that will bond to plastic and rough surfaces. Dont get the foam type, that often separates. Hunt Amazon - 3M or Scotch or Gorilla to name a few (I've used gorilla with great success) https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01M7VCYFA?tag=mbn0c-22&ascsubtag=UUtbUdUnU77439YYw&geniuslink=true

+1 for shoe goo or a leather glue (apply and clamp). You want a glue that is flexible, epoxy or super glue in that area will hold for a little while and then start to release / crack as the boot flexes around it.

Use medical tape for the handle, the glues wont stick or destroy the palm of your glove over time. Sure, you have to retape it after a while but I'd rather do that than have those shitty glues destroying my Franchise or pro stock gloves.

Interesting article about speed and power. Once again, the ankle is really important, to quote "The greatest power during walking, running and jumping is produced at the ankle joint." https://www.menshealth.com.au/heres-why-lamont-marcell-jacobs-is-the-fastest-sprinter-in-the-world

Thru eyelets 4, 5 and 6 you have more depth than the Supremes. To me it looks like the boot has way too much volume for you (ergo creasing). I'd be interested to see you doing a pencil test across the eyelets, my guess is you would have around 1cm of space, if this is the case the boot isn't right for your foot shape unless you intend to fill that space over the top of the foot with an ultra thick tongue or some inserts.

Yes, the 50k was the last narrow heel fit the Ribcor had. After this the heel pocket was opened up considerably and the boot overall had more volume.

I can't comment on other Graf holders but the nt5000 was well known for its screw issues. The plastic would deform around the shoulder of the blade locking screw, the blade would start to click and then come loose. Tightening the screw only made it worse.

Cons - the stick will load differently to what you are used to so this generally means a slight change in technique to get the most out of the lighter flex and your accuracy back ie it's more a let the stick do the work. Slapshots lose a bit of zing. Receiving hard passes requires softer hands, the stick doesn't absorb the pass as well.

This doesn't make sense. The last changed by a 1/4 of a size (smaller) when Bauer introduced the 1S / 1X range. So if you were properly sized in a 7.5 apx2 (toes just off the toe cap) you would then need an 8 in any later Bauer ranges. So to go from a 7.5 apx2 to a 6.5 Hyperlite tells me that the apx2 he was in was around 1 to 1 1/2 sizes too big. fwiw I'm currently in 6.5D apx2's, I can fit size 6 apx2's but I got these cheap as a custom build and can live with the 1/2 size up. I have been sized and tried on current models of Vapour and Supremes eg I need a 6.5 in Ultrasonics to get a perfect fit, toes about 1mm off the toe cap when laced up.

I don't know enough to comment on the difference between 90 and 85 for the flex ratings, maybe someone else can provide more info. But if you believe that a softer boot is going to make a difference to the way you skate then imho you have bigger issues to worry about ie technical issues. Be it a soft or ultra stiff boot, laces tied or untied, if your technique is good then it shouldn't matter. But you may not be able to train enough to correct this, in that case buying the stiffest boot you can afford may help.

Front of toes or side of toes touch the toe cap? Laced or unlaced? There are a lot of variables to determine a correct length and therefore size. My go to to test for length is always this (it never fails) - take the laces out, pull the tongue right out (this is important to stop the boot from binding on the foot), put your foot into the skate and push forward until the "tips" of the toes brush the toe cap (ignore the side of the toes). Now bend slightly forward and see if you can slide a pencil down the back of your heel. If you can slide the pencil down then the skates are too long (at last a 1/2 a size) for what is considered a "perfect length" fit ie your toes should settle around 1mm - 2mm off the toe cap when laced up. If the side of the toe/s are pushing against the toe cap then that's not a length issue but a width and fit issue, you either need a wider toe cap or to get the toe cap punched. 1 size difference is a lot and whilst I think the scanner gets it wrong a lot of the time wrt to the fit, the length measurement is close enough most of the time. Your shoe size should never be used as a guide to your skate size, that's a fallacy that I wish the manufacturers and skate shops would stop using.

Boulder hockey Zero Plus cages have done it much better and with a replaceable lens, except for their stupid sizing system and weight (they are heavier than what I expected so I stuck to just a cage).

It depends on his level. If he is just beginning and doesn't do a lot of one footed power stops or other similar skills then tying loose at the top is perfectly fine. In fact you can do him the the greatest favour you could ever give him for skating, start dropping eyelets. Don't lace and tie the top one, then after a couple of months like this don't lace and tie the top two. Then repeat for the top 3. Eventually you would like him to get 4 or 5 eyelets down and then you just don't tie his laces (thread the eyelets required but you leave the laces untied). Over time he will learn to use his muscles to control the skate blade and not use the boot as a crutch. This teaches him how to skate properly balanced over the skate blade, I can't stress enough how important this is as it is the foundation to be a great skater. And he will never complain about pain at the top. Kids learn fast, this is the age when you want him to develop good habits. The only caveat I add here is he is growing, Putting him in skates that are 2 or 3 sizes too big for him isn't going to help him regardless if you lace him up or not. 1/2 a size is fine, maybe even 1 size too long as long as the width isn't too bad but a boot that wobbles all over the foot is extremely hard to learn to skate in.

Can I also add to the extensive list that althoma created, the Bauer reakt 95 helmet. If you have an oval shaped head then this might the winner for you. Myself, the E700 is my go to helmet but I'd happily use the Bauer reakt 95 any day of the week. Personally I don't think you can spend too much on a helmet, there is nothing worse than getting pains in the head due to a poor fitting lid.

It's often not standing or straight line skating that is the issue. Deep turns and hard acceleration is when the impact is worse - you are pushing hard onto an extended, angled edge and the physical forces transferring thru the skate amplify any alignment issues. If you can find a good fitter for figure skates you could talk to them about moving the holder inwards and or shimming the outside edge of the holder. You can also try shims on the inside of the boot, the shims are inserted on the inside of the foot to try and correct pronation. Try a gel pad under the inside of the forefoot, this twists the forefoot towards the outside and helps to reshape the arch and can often reposition the ankle and knee alignment enough to correct a good degree of mild pronation. There are no easy fixes for pronation so its a matter of finding what works best for you.

If it's happened in the past with other skates, it's your bio mechanics. You are pronating in the skates and this forces the top outer edge of the boot to drive into the leg.

Or there is Bauer with Pulse Ti. And are you after blades for Bauer skates or CCM? The market is very different now since Bauer have actively enforced their patent rights for the Edge holder and CCM purchased Step.

Can anyone tell me the box size that a sparx or sparx pro is shipped in?

In your original post you allude that if a skate bottoms out then it is because of it's softness and then you doubled down in another post with "nothing to do with balance or the edges". Those of us with an opinion and or some experience in this field made comments to counter this, it has everything to do with your alignment over the skate blade ie your bio mechanics. You opened the door, all we did is come along to the party.

If you are bottoming out it's because your ankle is folding inwards under load and this causes the boot to collapse downwards. This can be because of pronation, poor technique, ankle strength or a combination of any of the 3. It's not caused by the boot or the softness of it.

You are in Toronto? Reach out to @oldtrainerguy28 or call (http://www.proskatecorner.ca) he will be one of the best pre and post order True fitters you could go and see and overall may offer some different approaches to help you with your issues.