z1ggy

Yeah that's true. Attention span and all... My one question that I really have after seeing this thread is simply, do low kick sticks really bend that much lower than mid kick sticks... and do they really get shots off quicker? Is anybody in the scientific community looking at this kind of thing? It's funny because with golf there are SO many 'nerd' types out there who all they do is analyze data and golf equipment and a lot of "myths" that OEMs claim like X shaft will do this and Y shaft will do that are starting to mostly get explained away. Like I said, companies say this shaft is a "mid bend" one and this other one is a "high bend point" one yet... all shafts bend in pretty much the same spot when you swing them. I know it's not apples to apples but I still wonder if it's similar for hockey sticks.

What I find interesting is if you filter by flex and look at just junior sticks (anything under 70 flex) it's an overwhelming majority low kick... about 4:1 low kick to mid kick and 9:1 low to variable. But when you look at 70 flex and up... the ratio changes quite a bit; about 1:1 low kick to mid kick and just 4:1 low to variable. So I'd be willing to say that younger kids in general are more into the low kick stuff. Now is that just a trend or because there's real "science" to it? Who knows. Would be cool if you could also add in to the poll asking why they chose the stick they did.

I'm guessing it's just a type-o on the scale they didn't catch. I'm not a mat sci engineer myself, but knowing what I do know about golf shaft manufacturing, it's pretty similar. I'm sure there's some people at Taylormade or other golf companies who would know... My old RBZ stick actually has 'Taylormade' written on it I think... in small letters, down by the blade. Probably some kind of joint project on the creation of the stick possibly, maybe CCM borrowed some intellectual property on manufacturing.

Yeah just profile your runners. Way easier than changing out holders, etc. Also, the way the boot is made can matter, too. My True's with XS holders feel much more forward pitched than my FT2 did with the same holders and same runner radius.

Could be. Would be cool to see what new players use vs what the middle aged vs the older guys. I honestly don't even feel a huge difference between my FT2 and my QRL, which according to that link I posted before has a profile more like a Supreme. I notice blade stiffness and curve more than anything... Oh and something just popped into my head that's somewhat anecdotal about this topic. I was listening to a podcast about golf pretty recently (one of my main hobbies) and and I believe it was the CEO/owner of Accra golf shafts who was saying how a golf shaft (talking graphite ones here) all flex within about 1 inch around a given focal point, regardless of if it's considered "low" "mid" or "high" flex point, i.e. they basically all flex in the same area, regardless of flex profile. This would lead me to think that it's maybe pretty similar with hockey sticks and that it's really more about feel rather than these huge differences in flex zone like in the CCM chart I posted before.

P28 I've found is the best blade for me when it came to top shelf anything, toe drags, etc but it's not the best for anything backhand. Like I saw above... you really need to sort out where the heel is when trying for backhand passes, shots, etc. I use a P90T now and it's got a little more heel to it and I find backhand passing much better and it keeps my shots from going too high.

Well a broken piece would explain the sharpness feeling. Good to see True replacing at no cost

The home made hockey punch video should work... that is basically exactly what I did. So you're saying you are correctly punching out the boot, but then it keeps caving back in again? Or it's not able to be punched out enough? I always find these stories interesting. My pro has done over 500 pairs and said he's barely had any issues. I feel like the common link here is maybe not True doing bad jobs but bad retailers. I can definitely see that spot you're referring to and I also don't get how it feels like nails. It should be like a hard/firm pressure, not something pointy and sharp.

Just putting a golf ball in the skate and taping it there or whatever isn't going to do anything most likely... You need a "negative" space for that golf ball, or whatever object it is, to push material into. For example, when I mentioned above I messed with my Mako's for a while, punching out little problem spots. I have a bone in my foot that sticks out, it was killing me because the boot wasn't moving much from baking. So I made a custom tool which was basically C clamps, with a spoon glued to one clamp, and like a 2'' long piece of round wood (basically a stick I had found and cut from outside) glued to the other clamp half. If I had just used the wooden piece and heated my boot and stuck the clamp on the boot, it would have done pretty much nothing. I needed the spoon on the other end to provide space for the boot to move into whilst the stick was pressing outward. It sounds like you are possibly not doing the correct way of spot heat molding a skate.

Right, well I know with CCM in particular, you can get some interesting combo's going on. You can get a low kick point version of a Super Tacks, you can get the Spear Variable shaft in a Jetspeed, and so on. But none of the MPN codes designate blade construction (at least I don't think?), pretty much as you said.

Makes sense. So do you think players like McDavid/Kane that are using Tacks/Supreme profiles have a different blade in there? CCM says the blade on Super Tacks is pretty stiff.

Interesting. Thought maybe he'd be using one of the LK versions that I see floating around. Has anybody ever heard from players on why they'd use the more traditional profile as a forward and not the low kick? Is it purely because they want something for one timers or is it a blade construction thing and they don't feel kick point makes a difference to their snap shots? Edit: Not sure if I can post this link or not but this may provide some insight on why players use a certain profile/stick. For example, according to this, even though Nexus is kind of labeled a "mid kick" stick, it plays pretty similarly to the 1x are far as how the profile looks. It's really interesting how quickly "mid kick" point or "clap bomb" shafts change profile but sticks meant more for quick release shots are somewhat uniform comparitively. I wonder if players just prefer a super stiff blade to help keep the face from opening up? Take a look. http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/hockeyflexprofiles.php Would seem like my QRL that I thought was a low kick this whole time plays more like a Super Tacks and less like a 1X... interesting.

According to CCM, the FT2 is more like two "weakened" areas with a "stronger" area between them, which creates the variable loading points. I honestly can't feel it, but I also don't rip 90mph clap bombs like they do in the pro's. Also, does McDavid really use a Tacks or is he using a dressed up one and plays something else?

Your pro shop/retailer should be the one contacting True, not you. When I got my scan done and subsequent order, I spent all of 0.0 seconds communicating with True. Granted, I've had no problems, but if I did, I would contact my pro shop to resolve it. I'm surprised you say the area keeps "caving back in" so to speak. I know you said you've tried everything, but that area of the boot is pretty moldable... After you spot heated it, did you toss them into the fridge/freezer to try to quickly lock the shape in? When I've done custom punching on my old skates, I spot heated then held it in a special punching tool I made for 2 days. Just making a guess here, but maybe you aren't "holding" the new shape that you need long enough??

I think it's more about feel, I doubt there's any real world performance differences. For example... if a mid kick stick can bend and then release a shot in .25s vs a low kick in .2 seconds... does that .05s really make a difference on a 80mph snapper from 20ft away?? Probably not. Not sure if that's a realistic comparison but if low kick point sticks were statistically shown to get shots of faster such that they got more pucks in the net, every forward would have one. I've never liked how high kick point sticks feel but now after having an FT2 I can definitely see how having my kick point up a touch higher (yes I know it's "variable" but it's still overall higher than low kick) can add some power behind the shot. I feel 0 difference in release time and I just feel like my shots are coming off with a little more umpf. I'm actually somewhat considering a 2n or maaaaybe a Tacks but I did previously use an RBZ and hated it. Also, is it just me or do the low kick sticks tend to lose their pop/ feel whippy a little faster? I just used my DT4 the other day for fun and man it felt like garbage. It felt loose and whippy, I took 2 shots with it and put it back on the bench and grabbed my FT2 again. The FT2 is even 10 flex less... feels tighter, more responsive. Edit: Is gear geek when it comes to sticks the actual stick players use or is it just looking at what the paint job is? The data is interesting. Most popular Bauer stick is the 2N pro and its the FT2 for CCM. What's the most odd is that defensemen use the Flylite as much as the 2N. Makes me think many of these sticks are dressed up and this isn't too accurate.

Have you been professionally fit for your skates? Have you been skating for a long time? I'm not a doctor but I can't imagine having both of those things and still having foot pain. If I did, then I would head to a foot doctor for a look at things because that shouldn't be happening.

Because I can... because that's what I want... so on and so on. It's not like it's cost prohibitive like with a car either... the X version of a car might be $20k more than the regular one. In this case it's maybe $80 vs $100. Since I've already got 45X's which I use for all my skates... Why not just hold out and wait to find what I exactly want? I had the regular 70's in hand, tried them on and felt like they weren't that much different than the 45's anyway.

Why do people buy "performance models" of a car that goes 0-60 in 3 seconds when the base model that does it in 5 seconds would serve them just fine?

Amazon, but USA Amazon. And yes you can pretty much spot mold anything on these pups but the time and effort you'll put in will be pretty high. I'd rather just save up all my money for a while and have my own rather than spending many many hours tinkering with the boot. I spent sooooo many hours trying to mess with my Mako's when I first got them... such a PITA. Only way I'd buy used True's would be if the seller and I took the exact same size boot in the exact model. Ie we both took 8.5D in FT1/2 as our last skate. But if I was 8.5D in Ft2 and he was a 8.5EE Supreme... then no way.

The guy at PSH said the Franchise will fit more traditional but won't have quite the padding level as the 45X. Idk I'm pretty happy with my 45's, I just like to have some variety. I'll just have to keep my eye open for 70X's.

Yeah I can't put my gear in the house... Wife's rules 😉 I'll have to try this out... maybe I can at least lay it out in my bathroom over night or something, which does have a fan and all that.

Well have you ever had to balance your entire body weight on two thin metal things attached to your feet for an extended period of time? And have you been professionally fit at a hockey store for your skates? If yes to both, then maybe see a foot doctor to check things out.

You might have something else going on then. Plantar fasciitis?

Probably because retail skates are usually flat and the stock insoles are trash, except for maybe the ones that come in the newest top of the line CCMs. I'm not a Bauer guy so I've never tried their moldable insoles... but you might want to try something along those lines to help with arch issues. Superfeet are also pretty good replacement insoles.

They are as custom as custom gets. I wouldn't do it... there are no sizes for True's, that's just his best guess since he's required to put a size in. For example, my one True is about an 8.5 and my other one is around 8.75, as far as sizing goes. Keep in mind, the boot even accounts for your arch, so if this guy has a really prominent arch and you have flatter feet, that's really going to suck for you.