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K

Sorry, what info are you referring to? Who is saying a bake does nothing?

For sure. It's becoming less and less common but there are still plenty of people that think that baking skates does nothing besides help them break in faster and "don't want to wear them out prematurely" But my comment wasn't really about that so much as just the idea that baking True or Mako was an absolute must to get the fit right. If that ever becomes the same for Bauer and CCM then you won't see stores unwilling to bake before purchase because it will just be normal and generally required. So in some ways, True is being the Apple of the hockey world by being willing to be kicked in the face or bitched about in the process of pushing tech forward (I recall when the first MacBook Airs were obscenely expensive because laptop SSDs weren't really a thing yet, but they bit the PR/backlash bullet and put them in anyway. Prices went down as it became more common, and now we're better off for it in the long run.) If True can figure out a model where pre-sale baking is sustainable, then it may become commonplace. They just may take a lot of shit in the process, hiccups, etc. Or it could blow up in their face, True fizzles out or just goes back to custom-only, and we continue on the same path of nothing really changing year to year. If there weren't so many people willing to forgive a bit of a cosmetic nightmare (I never experienced this personally but many many people did) for something that is unbelievably comfortable they'd likely already be dead as a brand.

Yeah I was going to add that in there as well but couldn't come up with the right wording. "Floor model" discounts for skates baked > x number of times, or some such.

True skates MUST be baked to fit correctly. Asking "will it help" doesn't make sense, because it's not an optional thing. Let's use another example of something heat moldable - mouth guards. Would you buy a "boil-n-bite" mouthguard, and just pop it in your mouth? Or would you actually follow the fitting process? I mean, you technically CAN skip the heat molding in both cases, but you can't complain about them fitting poorly if you do. Anyway, as for the baking discussion - I was actually specifically NOT talking about demo stock. I'm talking about the actual product. Here's the scenario in my head: Let's say True determines that their skates can be baked 8 times before they break down prematurely (who knows). Tell the customers their skates should never be baked more than 3 times This gives the retailer 5 attempts at selling that pair, which seems reasonable to me (but obviously you'd need to determine what is a typical number of times a specific pair of skates are fitted for customers before somebody buys them) If you hit the "retailer bake limit", the pair gets sent back to True like any other warranty claim (obviously with a note that they aren't ACTUALLY warranty skates) How many pairs would be sent to True if it was rolled out in this way? I have no idea, and obviously they'd have to figure out all the numbers and stuff. I'm just throwing ideas around - I do not know how the manufacturers operate nor how a retail store operates. Don't @ me about it - I don't actually care that much. Either way, I think it's on True to figure out how to make sure these things are being fit correctly, which means educating retailers on the baking requirements, or else True retail skates are doomed to fail. They're already behind the 8-ball just because they don't say "BAUER" on the side. I do also wonder if at some point Bauer and CCM will start making skates that also absolutely must be baked to fit them correctly as well. There still seems to be a significant chunk of the population that still thinks baking skates is just to help them break in faster.

WHOOSH

I feel like this is something that should be put on True. Once a skate is baked X number of times (to be determined by True), the item should be sent back just like any warranty return. I don't know the logistics of it, but it could be worked out. I recall this was a problem with the Mako as well. Retailers not willing to bake them during a fitting. I personally couldn't even get Makos on my feet without baking so they would have lost a sale there for sure.

Fantastic news. The reality is that nothing changes in this world unless rich people start losing money, so hopefully we start to see some real change. Very proud of the players on all of this. The Mets/Marlins did an amazing job tonight as well.

Wait. True skates are an obscure product? Or The TF7/TF9 specifically that only just came out?

They do look fairly similar for sure, whether thats a coincidence or not.

I just not so sure a "me too" product line is helped by making it look absolutely atrocious.

Mark Sertich https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/hockey/6632077-Mark-Sertich-worlds-oldest-hockey-player-dies-at-99

Just not enough people. You have to remember that this forum is going to be HEAVILY skewed towards gear nerds and not necessarily kids who won’t buy the “dusty” skate with the orange trim. So while it was clearly a hit here, it likely wasn’t at retail.

If they just stuck to budget items as a house brand, I could see the niche for beer leaguers. Just like the crazy amount of Tron sticks and socks you see in San Diego. It’s local, and it’s cheap. But it seems like they’re trying to compete which is just a waste of time. Not gonna happen.

We get it.

Yeah, it's definitely one of those "as good as you're going to get, given the situation, and better than nothing" type of things. Kind of like when I hear people say cloth masks are useless because they aren't tightly woven enough to stop 2019-nCoV, but the reality is that there aren't just viruses floating around the air. I also think people have this idea that the masks are meant to protect the wearer, which... they partially do, but that's not the general point. I don't think I'd use the player one (I'd rather use a Mission Cooling Gaiter), but the goalie one is intriguing. I may just make one myself, I have the right materials sitting here. Anyway, I don't see these selling a ton but I'm glad they're at least trying to do something at all.

Yep, agreed with that part. I was more commenting on the second half. That said, if you want to still use that analogy, a test drive is like putting the skates on and walking around the store. You never really get a chance to REALLY see what it can do until you're off the lot (usually). Anyway, let's move on. This thread has badly devolved. I know there is validity in comparing skate models but it definitely feels like we're just going in circles, here.

Most dealerships aren't going to allow you to return a car post-purchase, unless it falls under your local lemon laws. "I changed my mind" isn't going to get you anywhere.

I'm having a tough time following what you're saying because of the grammar. Are you saying there is no difference between the one95 and the 3S Pro boots?

You say that as if it wasn't a "solid concept"... They weren't about to completely change any of their 3 models, nor were they about to add a fourth.

The S19 was made by Easton. The Mako was a design purchased from elsewhere. Not really comparable. A lot of people reference the mako because the fit of them was so totally different compared to everything else on the market.

Doesn't really need to have a seal, it's really more meant to limit what gets expelled (and the distance it gets expelled initially) through coughing, sneezing, and heavy breathing. $20 is okay, but the timeline does definitely suck. As for the gaiter: wet it thoroughly beforehand. Makes it way nicer to breathe through and you don't notice the sweatyness. The one I got is a cooling gaiter so they're meant to be wet and wrung out before wearing anyway.

It would probably fog the hell out of a full shield, but probably not bad in a cage. I was thinking I was going to try the goalie one, but they aren't scheduled for release until October. By that point I'll have already been on the ice without it for over two months. If I really wanted to, I'd just make one myself *looks over at industrial sewing machine beside computer desk*

Might as well wear two different colored socks and a jersey with upside-down numbers, if you're going to worry about looking "cool"

CCM face shields are out. They actually don't seem half bad. For goalies: