z1ggy

Actually, I just went to check STEPs website and they apparently make runners for the XS holder? They list the XS, E Pro and SB4.0. So... I could get the XS holder on the True's with STEP and be good. Do they back the Blacksteel for the XS holder or even the SB4.0? I'm not dead set on XS but it is nice to be able to have the ability to change steel on the go if I wanted and that black looks pretty sick.

My FT1 steel was bad, about as bad as the old LS was years ago. I think I got... 4-5 skates on my runners before I felt the edges going. With my STEP previous to that, I could probably go 20+ skates before it really needed a sharpening and often it wasn't too bad. I felt a significant drop in grip with the stock FT1 steel where with STEP is was more of small, gradual reduction in edge. So yeah I'm kind of torn. Definitely want STEP but also don't want to feel like I'm up on my toes all game. I felt the stock set up on FT1 was more neutral and a bit easier on my feet/legs.

Haven't been in this thread for months but I think I'm "biting the bullet" and getting fit for True's this weekend or next. Retail FT1/2 fit me okay but the toe box was too narrow because I have bunions. Got blisters, etc and no real way to punch out. Vapor too narrow in D size, too wide in EE. Is this new True holder very aggressively pitched like the old CXN? When I had Mako's I ended up putting 1/16'' shims (well, JR did the work....) under the front tower on 10' Step Steel to make me feel a little better balanced. Then I got used to FT1 holders and how they were either a little longer than CXN or even slightly less forward pitched (or maybe longer radius?) so I'm worried looking at this fairly short steel possible combined with a really forward pitched holder.

Dunno, to me, U shape is like a flap, you peel it open and the entire inside is exposed. The straight open zipper I felt like I had to hold one side back to make the opening wide enough to my liking. Plus the straight zip bags they had didn't have external or internal pockets large enough for helmet or skates. Again, somewhat illogical but I just like having a large pocket for those 2 items specifically. I don't mind tossing tapes, pucks, etc into a large zip lock or other bag but I do like pockets for containing that stuff, too. One giant hole to just cram all my items into isn't for me.

So I ended up in hockey monkey yesterday and picked up the Warrior Q20 bag. It felt pretty light weight, had the U shaped opening and side pockets for helmet/skate. I did see the pro stock bags but even though I do think they have better materials, they just don't really appeal to me as much. If this thing starts to tear up after only a year or two then I may consider something like Mammoth, C&B, etc. I'm probably very spoiled that my iTech literally lasted me 15 years.

For me it's like 99% water/ice on my feet, 1% germs. It's a locker room; the second you walk inside like 9 billion germs slap you in the face.

I believe it is, yes. Boy I am conflicted! So many good stories and anecdote here (as usual), I'm torn. I really wish I could "try one out" for a month or something like CCM lets you do with their 90 day guarantee. I have no idea how much my current bag cost all those years ago, so I have nothing to judge value on. All I know is that it's an 'iTech' brand bag and I'm pretty sure it's canvas, but the inside has this weird liner that's now totally coming apart. Zippers are also getting jacked but I really like how it opens on top. Here is the same bag as I have, just in red/blue

That looks ssssuuuuppperr nice. I am interested. Ha, looks like I already sub to Tron's email list. Probably all gets filtered into spam.

The mesh vents... yeah not the absolute end of the world. I only drive like 20 minutes home from the rink and I immediately take all my gear out and set it on a table in my garage to dry. For $25 it could be worth a try, but there's no other pics and no real descriptions. To me, it looks like it just zips across lengthwise, which like the Dolomite, is kind of a bummer. My current bag actually has two zippers that run length wise near the edges, so it basically opens up like a giant flap, total access and visibility to the inside. I get a lot of pro bags just have that one horizontal zipper, but I'm starting to think I want more of that U shape zipper like the Mac Daddy bag here.

The description on the Easton Pro says "internal pockets" but yeah likely not large skate pockets, which I agree are nice. Probably just small ones for tape, toiletry, etc.

Thanks very much for this find. Hoping maybe another retailer has black or blue... HM only has silver, not preferred...haha. Reminds me of aluminum foil or something.

Good point on the mat, I'm going to probably buy one ASAP for the mean time. So all in all, what is the difference from something like this Warrior Dolomite bag for $55 and a Warrior Pro Bag? The details for the specs seem identical, and other than obvious external differences, I can't really tell much else apart. The Pro bag is like 100'' more volume but why is the cost essentially double?

This is what I worry about with any mesh, in general. I get it breathes, but it's just so easy to cut. Skate blades, scissors... really anything will cut it up eventually. And yeah the C&B for $150 was looking pretty crazy but $200+ for PR or Mammoth seems outright madness, unless the thing will last me the rest of my hockey career and then also my kid's (until high school gives them a bag or something). Personally I don't care about compartments for gear like shins/gloves and so on, although the foot rest on the C&B bag is a good idea. How many times I've taken my shoes off after the last group left and instantly dunked my feet onto left over snow or wetness from the last guy's skates is too many to count. I also don't like the idea of just a giant one hole. I want at least a side spot for skates, and 1 other zipped area for tape, wax, laces, etc.

Do you find the more pricey bags such as Conway and Banks which provide a lot of features such as a foot mat, mesh ports for air flow, dividers in the bag for partitioning gear, etc to be worth it? My current bag is pretty much falling apart now after 15 years of use and I'm looking to upgrade. I see a lot of decent looking bags out there for $50-$60 and wonder if the expensive bags are worth it. Other than skates & gloves, I tend to keep anything until it literally falls apart, so I'm much more concerned about durability, practicality and features such as small pockets to put tape in and so on, rather than price. I'm 100% willing to pay double or triple the price for something that lasts me many years and is quality, as opposed to cheaply made garbage I'll be replacing in 3-4 years. Let's hear your experiences below.

That in just in general Vapors have a weird fit now. D is extremely narrow and murders my forefoot and EE makes the heel sloppy. I've tried the past 4 gens of Vapor on and I haven't kept any on my foot for longer than 15 seconds. The Mako toe box is a thing of beauty and I'm honestly not sure why CCM wouldn't try to copy it as much as possible. Nobody's damn foot is shaped like a upside down "U". I'm going to have to try and see if I can punch out the spot right where cap meets the boot otherwise I don't know if my pinky toe will be able to last very long.

Can confirm after coming from Mako II's... Nothing else out there fits like it. I have no experience with True but from what I hear it's got that same anatomical fit as the Mako. Biggest difference from Bauer, CCM etc will be toe box. Now that I'm in FT1 I really miss that Mako toe box. If you slapped that on my FT1's I would be thrilled.

That's my issue... my Mako's really starting to break down on me. I have a few weird boney protrusions on my foot so I do probably want to use the 3D scan fit tool. Have a little wider forefoot myself but my heel is so narrow and my foot volume so low that Supreme's or AS1 is just too big. 1X too narrow in the forefoot... but then DD too big, so on and so on. Glad to hear the Jetspeed is working out for another Mako user. How'd you feel about the overall pitch of the FT1 boot & holder? I had my Mako's fitted with neutral step steel and small shims under my front tower because I felt the pitch was really aggressive. Much happier with this pitch now.

Anybody coming from Mako I/II go into FT1 or plan to go into FT2? Any thoughts/feed back on fit etc would be helpful. Thx.

Those look like Mako's had a love child with some Jetspeeds or something.... haha. Very interesting...Could it possibly some kind of prototype? Toe caps look just like my Mako's but obviously the "outsole" and QP is very different, along with eyelets.

Funny coincidence, I'm going to rebake mine tonight at the recommended spec above. I bought some clamps from hardware store to try and really dial in my ankle/heel fitment... Can you squeeze on that hard carbon fiber heel area with clamps right after the bake? I've used a heat gun on the boot before to press and punch in little areas on the sides, but I'm trying to use these clamps to press in as much of the heel/ankle area as possible. Don't want to crack or break these in the process.

Paging Dr Boucicaut - Please tell me what you'd need from me in order to make this happen. I've got pics of said issues, etc. Looking to try to fix this soon if possible.

After talking with somebody, I've been advised to NOT let hockey monkey touch my Mako's as far as fixing the holder issue. Since this means shipping my skates somewhere... can somebody suggest a shop in the US that would be the best place to send these? If somebody will know who does quality skate repair its gotta be here on MSH.

Not to be rude, trying to help - Step 1) Take out cell phone, and take photos Step 2) Go on the internet, go to Imgur.com and make an account Step 3) Download the imgur app for your phone Step 4) Use app to upload photos to your imgur account Step 5) Use the links provided in Imgur to post embedded photos here This should take you all of 10 minutes.

It's certainly not mental as I measured the offset with my tape measure. The left skate is installed about 1/8'' closer to the toe than the right one (not sure which is actually correct) and the rear tower is about 1/16 to 3/16 closer to the outside of the boot than the right holder's set up. Since the left skate doesn't feel balanced like the right one, I assume the entire holder is done improperly. For the past 4 years, I thought it was all in my head like you said ... but then I had to measure and find out it was real. I'll have to see what Hockey Monkey says with regards to filling the holes and redrilling. Now that I've confirmed my suspicion I feel the imbalance even more so when I am out there.

Anyone else experience their holders being installed slightly crooked? I've got pics I can post if need be, but I measured both my holder placement and they are different. The left skate holder is closer to the toe of the boot than the right, and also it's slightly skewed in the back toward the outside of the heel. This makes it tough to get my skate blade flat on the ice and also I've got to work just a hair harder to get on the outside edge. Called hockey monkey to see if they can fix but I'm not hopeful. They need to be moved less than the width of a rivet, so I'm not quite sure how that would work. It's a shame too because they are pretty much a perfect form fit for my foot. So much better than my old Vapors from 2008. I'm considering maybe FT1's but it's extremely unlikely they'll fit as good. Also considering VH/True but I'm reading some horror stories over on that thread... For all the money they are worth people seem to be having some issues.