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Apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere, but I'm curious about the relationship between lateral and forward bend stiffness. For years, I wore the stiffest skates I could find because I felt better in skates that provided lots of lateral support. One of my feet pronates significantly, and I skated better with more lateral support. I never had any issues with my forward knee bend or lace bite despite tying my skates as tightly as I could up to the top eyelet. In a more modern composite boot, though (Bauer One 9), I have struggled with insufficient forward flexibility (i.e., I feel like I'm not getting as much knee bend, and I developed lace bite), even as the boot has broken down and - over time - weakened in terms of lateral support. Initially, I had concluded that the composite boot might simply be too stiff for me, which was causing the forward flexion issue. But, I'm starting to struggle with pronation (usually a sign for me that the boot is breaking down, and it's time for new skates), and I still am not getting as much forward flex as I was used to in older skates (8090s, Grafs, old top of the line Vapors and Supremes). I'm in the market for new skates and am curious if others have struggled with similar issues. If so, did you conclude that the forward flexion issues/lace bite were caused by an overly stiff boot? Or, are there skates that continue to provide grate lateral stiffness, while allowing for more forward flex?

No idea if it's still available, but I have very fond memories of protectoe application as a key component of the new skate buying ritual back in the day. As JR says, I'm not sure how well it ever worked, but putting it on your skates seemed like the responsible thing to do. The first time I bought Grafs, I remember being disappointed that the toe caps couldn't be treated.

The sale is tempting, but has anyone tried the Cypress pro or Pro+? Very little info out there beyond what's already in the thread

HockeyMonkey actually sells pro stock sticks for less than that (or around the same price). ProStockHockey.com & Hockeystickman.com generally have a number of options for $100-$150. And, if you have the patience to wade through postings, bid, etc., there's always ebay.

I picked up a couple of Cypresses on sale - one v92 and one v28, both 95 flex. I haven't tried them out yet, but they're light, feel reasonably well-balanced, and are about what I'd expect flex wise. To my eye, the 92 looks like it starts a bit deeper in the heel then a Backstrom/some other clones. I will note that the grip/finish seems a bit weird. One of the sticks had a very tacky grip, almost as though some adhesive had been left on it. The other was way less tacky, but still a little "stickier" than I generally like my grip. We'll see how they do on the ice...

I remain skeptical, but I couldn't resist trying one at a sale price. I'll post my reactions once I get it and try it out. Here's hoping it lasts more than one skate...

Has anyone tried a Verbero OPS (https://www.verbero.com/collections/sticks#sticks-6553)? If so, any thoughts/reactions?

Thanks, folks! Kgbeast, which HockeyMonkey store is that?

I know there are a bunch of threads about the demise of Graf Canada, but I was curious if anyone had any insight re: whether Graf is making a comeback. They seem to be (at least somewhat) active on social media, but it looks like they're just focused on custom orders, and the only website I can find is the Swiss one. Any idea if those of us in the States might be able to buy Grafs again in the near future?