darkhors

You didn't mention it was new, old stock. Also, if you bought it recently and it is indeed new - old stock - it's possible that something could have happened to it while it was in storage before you purchased it. My point is that I wouldn't stop buying a brand because of one stick that was made 4 years ago. They don't even make that exact stick anymore so you're essentially comparing apples to bananas here. I keep my stick in the basement and have never had an issue.

This... bake them and wrap them. You don't even have to do it with shrink wrap, you can do it with an ace bandage and tape. I just got mine and had them baked and once they're on my feet it's like nothing else I've experienced. I used custom insoles in my older skates and with True's I don't have to use anything other than their standard insoles. My feet feel like they're in a slipper. I had to take mine back to the shop to have them spot heat one spot on my skate to open it up just a bit because it was pinching my foot when I was trying to get them on. Now that we did that, I don't have any issues getting them on/off and we didn't have to re-bake them to fix it. Best fitting skates I've ever worn.

I have an 80 flex AX9 and it feels like what I would expect an 80 flex to feel like. In comparison, I have 2 Xcore9 Marner prostocks that are 80 flex and it feels pretty similar to those when they were new. The kick point is different, but I don't feel like i have to do anything different when playing with either one of those to load the stick properly. I had an older A6.0 and I agree that those felt at least one flex level lower than what you would expect. I had a 75 and it felt like I was playing with a 65. I couldn't get used to it because it was too whippy. To me, it seems like they have solved that problem with the AX series though.

I have 2 AX9's, 2 Xcore9 prostocks, broke 2 other Xcore9 prostocks and have a retail 2016 Xcore9 and none of them have this problem. If you like the stick I wouldn't stop buying them because a 4 year old stick got a little tackier. They have changed their "grip" a couple times since then and the new AX9's are even different from the 2019 A series and Xcore's. You're using a stick that's 4 generations old. I'd be way more concerned wondering if that stick is even worth using at this point. That thing should've been whipped out and dead 2 years ago.

I'm a true believer in flat bottom or the Fire (from sparx). I used to use ROH and when I switched over to FBV I noticed an immediate difference in the ease of skating straight (more glide) compared to ROH. I'm now on 5/8 Fire (which feels less sharp than a traditional 5/8 FBV but I still have great edges. Like mentioned above, you'll want to get a profile on those to truly achieve the best performance out of them, but if you go to FBV or Fire you'll notice just how good the edges are and get some added glide. I've been switching over a bunch of guys in my league from their standard 1/2 ROH to 5/8 Fire and not a single one of them wants to go back. They are all so impressed with how much more glide they're getting while still being able to take tight corners. Most of these guys have been skating for years and years on 1/2 inch and it blows their mind once I get them on the Fire.

I'd jump on the CCM/Jofa bus. I had the old Jofa 5088's and upgraded to the 7092 Tacks and couldn't be happier. I've taken clappers, wrist shots, sticks to the back of the leg, etc and have never gotten a bruise. They're tanks and they have an awesome calf wrap.

Yeah I mixed it up 🙂 I'll change my post.

I know the Shift holders are symmetrical. I don't believe the XS holders are so there would probably be at least a couple new holes. I'm sure that if True can't work something out with CCM/Step, they'll find another great steel company, like Tydan, for instance, to make their steel. I'm also sure they had a signed agreement to produce the steel for at least a certain period of time. I'm guessing they'll have to honor that agreement.

I have the moisture wicking liner and I like the feeling of it. I wear the Verbero skate socks and they work well. I haven't found the liner to be excessively wet or anything like that, but I don't sweat a lot in my feet. Yes, the new ones are lighter. I don't know how they compare to the AS2's or 2X/2S skates, but considering the they were the exact same weight as the AS1's and I have the shot blockers that means that they're definitely in the "lightweight" category.

I would strongly disagree that the LS5 is better than any of the aftermarket steel. It's definitely the best steel Bauer makes, but that's not hard to do when the rest of your steel is hot garbage. The LS5 sharpens decently well and doesn't burr too much, but it still doesn't hold an edge as long as Step, Tydan or Flare. The blacksteel hone and leather strop is where it's at for any coated steel.

On another note, I've heard many people (mostly non-True users) say the skates are heavy. I weighed mine and my current Vapor x90's and they came in at exactly the same weight and I have the integrated shot blockers. I was also able to weigh a pair of 9D AS1's which also came in at the same weight. So for those that are questioning the weight of the skate, don't let that make your decision. It's also important to note that because they fit so good, they actually feel a little lighter on your foot.

Anybody able to find some samples of this stuff?

Yeah, I've heard a few people who have gone with the longer laces, so I'm going to give it a go. As for the tongue, I may move mine even more toward the toe as I like having zero negative space in the front.

Did they do the wrap technique on them when you baked them? If not, go back and have them rebake them and do the wrap. I just got mine last week and after the bake, I have a hard time even getting my skates on. Once they're on though, it's like a glove. They're so wrapped that right now I can't even do the top eyelet because I can't get the laces back in once I get my skate on. I'm going to get longer laces and see if I can keep them laced all the way up but still get my foot in. Also, I thought my heel was moving at first too, but after getting them tightened up, I think I'm feeling more of the forward flex than actual heel movement. I will say this, I'm very impressed with how they feel on the ice. I'm coming from Bauer X90's and it's night and day different in terms of efficiency. When I push, it really feels like all of my energy is going right to the ice. So far I'm really impressed with them and I hope that the new laces will help, but if not I'm comfortable enough to wear them without the top eyelet.

Is your 5/8's Fire new? If not, how many cycles have you run on it. I might be interested.

I believe it will stop after the last cycle runs once it turns red. Your sharpening should still be good, but I probably wouldn't do any more after that, if it will even let you.

It will be a downgrade for sure. You have to go to the 2.9's or a SMU most likely to get comparable features.

I wear the Winwell's and those stark's have to be more protective in the chest and spine than my winwells. I'd consider changing to them if I could remove the bicep guard and keep the caps on.

The super tacks are really nice, but you can probably get the Reebok 9k Pro girdle for less than that and it's more protective. I went from a Bauer Supreme MX3 girdle to the 9k and it's night and day more protective and built much better. I think I bought mine for about $100 on ebay or sideline swap brand new. it has it's own internal belt and the legs are adjustable for length and tightness around the legs. It's not a wrap style, but it does the job really well.

Ok, so the real issue here is that you aren't even charging them to sharpen their skates. I'm sorry, but this wouldn't even be an issue if you were charging them, say even 5 euro's (I don't know what the going rate is per sharpening over there, but here it's $10 at most places) you should be able to have new rings on hand that you're not having to come out of pocket for. I charge my customers $6.00 or they can buy a package of 10 for $50. This basically helps me recoup the cost of the ring after 10 sharpenings and the rest of the money usually goes to other stuff hockey related. I could probably charge $10 and most of the guys would be fine with that because of the consistency I'm putting out there for them, but many of the people I do it for are friends or play in my league or their kids. I'm not trying to run a full fledged business, but I do want to be compensated for my time and resources and wear on my machine. There's a reason why not everyone has one of these, they're still expensive.

Are you not charging people to sharpen their skates??? If that's the case, you're getting used and abused.

He sells pro stocks too 😁

I sharpen a lot peoples skates on my Sparx, from 12U kids down to 6U and a bunch of guys that play in my beer league. I think my first ring, I got about 30 pairs of skates sharpened and that was with 2 pairs that I had to do 10 cycles on and 8 cycles, respectively. If someone is bringing me a brand new pair of skates, I politely ask them to have the first sharpening done at the LHS or at a minimum have them cross grind them and then I'll sharpen them after that. Mos of the people who I tell this to are ok with that response because they understand that I can't get a cross grind ring, but they know from others that I'm putting out a good product for them. I constantly get great feedback on the edges they have after I sharpen them. I agree with most here that you know how many passes you're going to get out of the ring and it's your job as the sharpener to figure out how many passes you need to do. Also, if someone brings me steel that has a ton of larger nicks/gouges, I charge them extra as I have to do extra passes on them to get them back to normal. Even with my extra charge, it's still about the same as going to the LHS but they're getting a more consistent cut every time.

He has used the XC9 for the last couple of years. I believe he just switched to the AX9 which does not have the insert in it. I was told directly from a True rep that they do not do paint jobs for any of their players. If they're using a stick it's the same tech as the retail. They can however, change the blade stiffness, corners, flex and curve type to their preferences. Also, I have Marner's XC9 pro stocks and they all have the insert. I had 4 of them, down to 2 unfortunately.

Correct, the numbers under the name is the player code and batch. The easiest way to figure out the year is by the graphics. True does not do paint jobs. Their pro's are using the actual model of that stick but can still change things on it.