krisdrum

To play devil's advocate - what happens when your kid nicks both sets of blades during the weekend? Unless you are going to travel with the Sparx (he isn't) - you need to have a back up plan. Especially at the younger ages when you are playing 2-a-days, you are compressing a lot of ice time into a short time frame and as they get older and the game becomes more physical, stuff happens.

The fix for me was new skates. The heels of his Cat9s cracked and were warranty replaced. My theory is this is a materials and/or design issue. Whatever they are using to make the holders seems a bit softer than what Bauer and CCM and others are using for their holders. I think the fatigue of blade replacement cycles if you swap steel a lot, plus the stress the holders are already under loosen the holders up, creating slop that results in the movement of the blade in the holder.

Yeah. I would have been emailing and calling them daily weeks ago. 14 weeks of waiting is insanity.

Liner socks all the way! Going to be the thinnest you can find, since they are designed to go on under another pair of socks. I just picked up a few pair of the Elite liners that are ribbed. They aren't quite as thin as the older version of the liner, but not bad.

100%. My kid's T8P snapped right in the middle of the curve where the insert is. I think we got a few months past warranty on it. Least durable stick for him yet I think. And no, it didn't get stuck in the zamboni door or something freaky. And he has been a pretty loyal CCM Trigger and Jetspeed guy for awhile now.

Hasn't advances in boot technology basically made these things obsolete? With stuff like Trues that mold incredibly well to all the nuances of your foot, you can tension the laces more or less the same up and down the boot and get the snugness you want in each area.

I do a "medium" brace on my left knee (one of the ones with the springs on either side of the brace that support and create the "hinge"). I dislocated that knee a few years back and probably now have some scar tissue and arthritis there. Fits ok under my shin guard. A bit bulkier than I'd like, but seems to work a bit better than a standard neoprene only sleeve brace. I was getting pain and instability without the brace, but since starting to use the brace have been much better.

Got it. Thanks. Maybe I should have given it a try. I'm running similar sizes and set up and have plenty of room in the Player bag. Rechecked last night after my skate and I don't have any gear larger than Adult Small and 13" gloves and shins. Is your gear a pretty tight fit in the Junior bag? Or do you have room to spare?

I'd check out the Bauer Supreme line. Especially the newer ones with the AMP system. My son has been in his for awhile now and really likes them. He likes the low profile stuff as well and came from CCM Jetspeed shins from a season or two back. The Vapors definitely sit more on top of the leg. The Supremes are deeper and give you more wrap, but are ergonomic so give you a pretty low profile. Personally I really like the CCM Tacks and don't find them heavy or bulky, and they should give a similar fit compared to his Reeboks.

What size equipment are you wearing? I debated getting the Junior size when I received the senior bag as a gift, but it seemed like the Junior was going to be a really tight fit for my gear, so I stuck with the Senior. I mostly wear Adult Small gear.

@noupf Nice. Thanks. Sure looks like a Sparx. Prosharp Home may not be as pretty but looks a lot easier to transport and use for the intended purpose - travel / mobility / small footprint. Interested to learn more, but not sure I see the benefit outside of being able to watch the wheel go wheee!!!

Is it just an updated ProSharp Home?

Really all they changed was the added "spike" behind the retention hook. I think mostly as a reaction to the Shift holders being more prone to loosening up and allowing the steel to wiggle/rattle/click/move.

Like @Sniper9 I think the added security of the Max Shift holders is worth it. I found the original Shift holders sagged out a bit and allowed my runners to move around and make clicking noises in the holder. The Max do this as well, but to a much less extent and it takes longer to get there. My son's holders were getting there as the boot cracked. But he puts a lot more wear and tear on the components than most.

Max and Shift use same hole patterns, so they are a straight swap. I did it on mine, as they were starting to squeak and blades were moving in them. Haven't gotten around to grabbing Max steel yet, but that is the plan.

Not sure this is a predictable thing. I have older TF9s and have had zero issues over several seasons with them. I bought mine used in fact, but am guessing they are from the 1st 1 or 2 initial production runs. My kid's Cat9s were bought almost a year after they hit the market. Had issues within 6-8 months.

Less than 8 months (end of March skates purchased to November when I finally reached out to True), probably closer to 6 months. And that includes the entire summer, where he was on the ice much less. Maybe 1-2 times a week. He is 13 - first year of full body contact. He is in a very intense program and will have completed over 70 games by the end of the season. So definitely mix of practice and games. No obvious reason for the cracking. The only thing we can think of is he likes to bang his heels back into the skate when lacing up, but based on the position of the cracks, no way it was a shot block unless people are taking slappers at his back on a regular basis. I would think he'd be having other issues (bruises, etc. elsewhere on his back if that was the case). Maybe getting stepped on in battle drills? But I think that is doubtful as well. The irony is I also bang my heels back, but have had zero issues with my TF9s. Those heels are still smooth as the day they came out of the box.

Cracking boots is the black eye they need to fix asap. For someone like me, who is only on the ice a day or two a week, no big deal. But when the boot cracks for my kid, who is skating 5, 6, 7 days a week 8 months of the year, that is a huge problem for me. Luckily he was able to continue to use his cracked Cat 9s while the replacement was en route. If the failure of the crack had been more catastrophic, I'm not sure we would have stuck with True, despite my kid saying they are by far the best skates he has ever worn. The replacements I am keeping a very close eye on. If they start to go down the same path - we'll have to have a very serious talk about what to do next, as he also really liked the way the Bauer Machs fit pre-bake.

You bakes them all before initial try-on to determine best fit? These skates need to be warm when trying on. Trying on cold out of the box is not an accurate approach.

100% agree. At least we have options now. Everyone's feet are different. And I've suffered through enough discomfort with my feet to know a pair of well fitting skates is probably the most important piece of equipment you can invest in. I haven't been skating since I was 2 like most of the NHL guys. And I'm also not getting my skates for free. Having a "near custom" fit experience at multiple retail price points is amazing for those of us who need it or see the value in it due to unique biomechanics or whatever. And yes, the durability issues need to be addressed or what inroads they've made in the retail space will start to decline. Hopefully these new models fix at least some of those issues.

Pretty sure True's claim to fame is "built from the inside out". At least for their custom offerings. Believe some of their other offerings are similar to what you are assuming Bauer and CCM do. To me I think where the big 2 fall down is in the material and thermo-formability. I've just never seen any other boot do what the True boot does when you apply heat to it. So in some ways regardless of what others are doing, the Trues have the advantage on forming to the unique shapes and structures of each foot in a way that I don't think is really possible with the other 2.

Sure, you going to pay for the molds? No? Go check out the customizers of the folks who are in that space right now. Bauer does custom. Prostockhockeysticks does custom, Hoapa does custom, etc. The question is - do they have access to the molds that will make you what you are after? That isn't a question anyone can answer except the companies themselves. But to manage expectations, you are going to be limited by what each source has access to. I don't think there is anyone out there playing in the "design it from scratch and we'll make it" space, unless you are ordering large quantities and dealing directly with the factories, which is cost prohibitive for just about anyone out there, unless you think your spec can sell a ton of sticks and you want to hang a shingle yourself and see what happens.

Could be any number of things really. I had a similar experience when I moved to the TF7 and 9. I felt way more grounded and supported and stable. Some boots just work for some people more than others. I wasn't in custom boots prior to that, but in what I thought was a pretty well fitted pair of Grafs, a brand known for their multiple fits and "custom like" fit options. I know I pronate and collapse a decent amount. I'm sure I still do, but I've gotten stronger and the TFs support me in a way that significantly reduces it. I can feel that. For whatever reason I am better aligned over the blades. Sounds like it works for you (whether for the same reason or not). I wouldn't overthink it too much. The 5 years with the Bauers let you work on your skating and game until you discovered the TFs. Now you can really appreciate them.

The Cat 9s in the 6 should fit right and the TF7 in a 5.5 is my educated guess. Be warned if you decide to go with the Cats, the heels on them are getting a bad reputation for cracking. My kid's cracked and were warranty replaced and the new pair appear to be developing cracks as well. Supposedly they addressed the issue with the Hzdrus that are now out and the new Cats coming out this summer.

Thanks. Not cheap is an understatement. Luckily out of the question budget wise and very few of their offerings provide protection where I would want it for his injury. If it really came down to it, I'd buy some d3o sheets and figure out a way to place them to bolster the protection of his current gear.