krisdrum

Oh, I can see that. The story I got was they were having issues with some pairs being baked too many times and degrading the amount they thermoform.

That is great news that hopefully sticks with the full production models. Because I know my son and I have found them to be the most comfortable skates. Fixing the durability issues makes them a no brainer for way more people. Now they need to win the retail stores back. Heard some of the box stores are dropping them because of the durability issues and the requirement to bake in order to try on.

Yeah, thanks for that perspective. It is a bit hard to tell if the cracking is an impact issue or simply a materials/design issue. If we do buy the new Cats, I would 100% cover the heels with helicopter tape in case it is an impact issue. Carbon is not known for its impact resistance unfortunately.

Thanks @VegasHockey I figured you'd or a few others would have the inside scoop. So - the marketing material says complete redesign. Based on what you've seen/heard how confident are you they've actually addressed the issue? Or is this a wait and see situation?

You should not need to size down (1/2 size less than Bauer/CCM) in the newer True retail offerings. This was correct for the TF series, but with release of Hzrdus and Cats, True sizing is now aligned to industry standards.

Shifting topic a bit... anyone with an inside track seen or heard anything about the Hzrdus and '24 Cats solving for the heel cracking issue? I'd heard they re-engineered. But yesterday a guy at one of my LHS said they hadn't yet and the improvements would be seen in the 2025 models. My kid cracked the heels on his Cat 9s, got them warranty replaced and is already seeing damage and cracking on the new pair. So he'll need new skates in the next 2 months before the season and I'm concerned with sticking to True and having the same issues pop up mid-season.

Yep, I'd start a 1/2 size smaller than your size in Bauer / CCM. Make sure they are baked before you try them on. And just be aware if you are going down in runner size (looks like you will be), you may feel instability from the shorter runner and need to adjust blade profile. I've been in TF9s for the last 2 years and love them. But I am only skating once or twice a week and not year round - so I am not really stressing them out too much. At this pace they should last me a decade.

He tried some stuff on yesterday and walked away with the Vapor 3X Pro shins. He felt like the Hyperlite fit a bit different and not quite as well. Tried them out last night, and no adjustment period - which is odd for him, as he is such a creature of habit that usually gear changes of any kind take him a bit to get used to. Hence why he fights me to get new stuff and ends up playing for way too long in 12" shins that leave a huge gap between his boot and pad.

My 14 yo has severely outgrown his current shins (Supreme 3S Pro - 12") - a good 2-3 inch gap between bottom of guard and top of boot - I'm just waiting for a low hard shot to hit him in that gap and put a baseball on his ankle. Bought him a pair of 13" Machs, but he is saying they are too wide and move around / slide down, even when taped. Could be he just needs to get used to them, or he needs a narrower cut. What shins are narrower than the Supremes? CCM Jetspeeds? Warrior? He tried my Tacks on and they were worse than the 13" Machs. He likes a nice contoured / close fit and at the moment has pretty slim lower legs.

"...escalated to the management and will be used to improve our production process. I'm sorry the stick fell short of your expectations." Makes it sound like you are the one "at fault", what a crock! That isn't an apology, even though they used the word "sorry" in the sentence. The proper response should be "We apologize your stick made it through our rigorous QC process and was delivered out of spec to what you ordered, we'd like to offer you a discount off your next order with us if you'd be willing to continue giving us your business".

Not sure how the new Hzrdus react to heat, but I know the older TF skates were impossible to properly fit without baking. Pretty sure True's policy is still that the boot should be baked for try-on, whether a purchase is made or not, so I would ask your shop if they will bake them, whether you buy them or not. Believe the concept is 1) they fit way better baked and 2) material and construction is designed to be baked many many times. I don't believe the newer skates have the "between sizes" foam pad in the toe. I've only seen that in the original "for retail" version of the Trues before they introduced the TF line.

Ouch. G*d speed you get your other orders before Christmas. Sounds like Base should try to keep you happy since you have already ordered a decent amount of stuff from them.

Way too nice in my opinion, but I can see some merit in taking that approach. We'll see how they respond (if they do). If they don't respond by end of week - I'd call your CC and dispute the charge, so you can at least get your money back and shop elsewhere.

You are taking this way better than I would be. I would have been screaming and kicking just from the delay. After that - the stick should have been perfect. The fact that it isn't, man, I'd be fuming. Sounds like they have A LOT to sort out. Very curious (as others are) to see how they respond to your feedback. If they have any business sense they'll remake the stick ASAP at no charge.

I use Tacks from a few years back and love them. Best fit to my leg shape I've found, so minimal gaps in protection. I don't think they've significantly changed the shape of the Tack pads for awhile now, but haven't tried the AS-V on. My son wears Supremes right now and really likes them. Lower profile, but also solid protection (he came from Jetspeeds that had durability issues). But I've tried the Supremes, and don't like them because of the angle of the pad as it gets down towards my ankle, it creates a gap in protection. I think it will come down to which one fits your leg better. Both should be lower profile than the Nexus and provide very similar level of protection.

2 lines.

Skates? Sticks? Not as familiar with the sticks, but for skates believe Cats are a bit narrower and a bit softer. More of an "agility" skate. Hzrdus are the newer version of the TF series. Although I am hearing they are not as wide and the sizing has been corrected to be in line with other manufacturers. The TFs you had to size down at least a 1/2 size.

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?