OzziesDad

I'm guessing it's not for sale quite yet. It definitely wasn't on the website earlier this week. I remember when they put that 4500 helmet branded as a Cooper on their website a year or 2 ago, it was a few weeks before you could actually buy it.

Limited quantities. Honestly, I'll probably pick one up just to add to the collection. https://www.bauer.com/en-US/hockey-sticks/sticks-limited/easton-synergy-senior-672420.html

I'll stick to regular tape. That thing doesn't even cover the full area the blade that I would generally tape, and I don't use a ton of tape relative to most people to begin with. I'm all for ingenuity, and advancing technology, but all these blade skins, and butt end grips really do nothing better than what tape has done for decades upon decades, and they all cost way more.

I'm not impressed with the couple I've tried. There is a guy that must be a franchisee for one of the stick repair companies, and he's at a lot of youth and adult tournaments in my area. He had one of my favorite sticks ever for sale that was repaired (APX2) and while the repair looked pretty solid in terms of quality, the price was still a little steep in my opinion for what it was. My concern was that if I hated it, I wouldn't be able to recoup near what he wanted for it (129.99) due to the fact that the repair stood out so much (in a visual sense. It just made the stick ugly imho). So I passed on that one. Kind of glad I did, as the 2 guys I know that have bought from him have been less than impressed. I was able to give each of theirs a try in warm ups a few times though. First thing I noticed is that the puck feel was just unresponsive. Both sticks felt like a lower tier stick in that regard. Just sort of "dead". I should have prefaced that one was a 1x and the other an Ultra Tacks. Shooting left a lot to be desired as well. I can't describe it, it just felt "off" and it felt like a chore to really get the stick to get off a decent and accurate shot. I understand it's the archer and not the arrow. However, I've shot enough pucks in my 5 decades to know if a stick feels good or not to me. Take it all with a grain of salt though. This was one guy, and it was 3 years ago. However, it was a pretty big name in the stick repair game. I just think for the price he was selling sticks for (not sure what others sell them for) there are much better options. I'll also add, that if I spent 80-90.00 to have a stick repaired (I believe that to be the going rate), I would be really bummed out if the stick was like the ones I tried, and would have MUCH preferred to put that money towards a new stick. That's just my experience, and it's an extremely small sample size. So take it for what it's worth to you.

Nice haul! Totally didn't know this was happening. I definitely would have swung by.

A couple years back I picked up a few True A-Series sticks that were sent to Bruins players to try out. Performance was solid, but all 5 sticks had blade issues in one way or another in a very short usage period. Take that with a grain of salt though, as this was 5-6 years ago. So maybe things have changed.

Correct. The new CCM holders will be 287.

I dropped my TF7's off at the shop during my lunch break. Swapping out the Shift holders and steel, for the CCM XS holders and Step Steel. I just can't get used to them. I LOVE how the skate fits, and how the boot feels. I'm just far more comfortable overall in my FT4's, and it 100% has to do with the holder and steel, when comparing the two skates, and my skating in both skates multiple times each week. Can't wait to get them back, and really put them to the test.

Nope! New England Sports Center in MA. https://www.nes.com/

I can only speak anecdotally in terms of a heavy work load over an extended period of time (I use mine for maybe 4-10 passes per week). I have a rink near me with 8 ice surfaces that has had 4 original Sparx machines for years now (originally purchased to lighten the load on manual sharpening during tournaments held there). As well as a hockey retailer right down the road from this rink that has 4 machines running fairly constantly as well. All machines are home units, and not the commercial version. By all accounts, the machines have been virtually problem free. The only real maintenance done to them is vacuuming the machines out, and tray/filter checks/cleaning. Not one machine has had major issues, and these are getting far more use than anyone in their home setting. Like them, or hate them, I don't think anyone can really question the build quality and reliability of these machines. As far as opening it up to clean, if the machine is running fine, and you clean it regularly, I wouldn't bother or worry about getting inside it. The internals are fairly sealed and closed off. So to be honest, I wouldn't worry about it unless there is a need to open up the unit.

Just a follow up, I went back to my FT4's for a game on Monday. Then I went back to the TF7's for pickup last night. I dropped down from the 1/2" ROH, to a 5/8", and it made a HUGE difference. It pretty much alleviated most of my concerns in my previous post. Skating felt much more natural and normal (even in new skates). I'm really enjoying how comfortable these skates are. I'm seeing zero need for a second bake, or wrap. We will see if the difference in holder size becomes a detriment. From this point, I'll do another 12-15 skates on them before formulating a concrete opinion on them. However, so far, so good.

So I made an "impulse" buy, and bought a pair of TF7's the other day, and played in them for the first time last night. A little background- I'll be 45 years old later this year. I've played hockey since I was 5. I'd say skating is the strongest aspect of my game, and always has been. I had just bought a pair of FT4 Pro's back in January, to replace my beat AS1 Super Tacks. I've always been a CCM guy when it comes to skates. The exception being a few pairs of Reeboks throughout the years. CCM skates (skates only) are the only brand of hockey equipment/gear that I've been mostly loyal to my entire life. (Still remember getting fitted for my Super Tacks that I paid for with my own paper route money back before middle school hockey season in the late 80s). I have zero issues with the FT4 Pro's. It's a great skate, that I've really grown to like how they feel and perform. The purchase of the TF7's have nothing to do with needing new skates or any issues with the FT4's. As I said- the TF7 were a total impulse buy. I essentially walked out of the store with senior TF7's for a hair under $200.00 after all discounts were applied. I figured at that price, if I didn't like them, or they didnt work for me, I could pretty easily recoup my money. So, I had them baked per the instructions in store. I opted not to do the wrap in store right then and there. It was suggested that I do the initial bake, then try them out a few times. Then if I needed to go back for another bake, or a bake and a wrap if it were needed, we could do that. The skates were also hand sharpened to my preferred 1/2". I'm also down half a size in the True skates. I'm a 10 in most CCM models. In the Trues, my foot floated in the 10. Was way too tight through the mid foot in both a 9 and 9 wide. 9.5 felt the best, and that's where I ended up. Skates seemed to bake great. The wrap was pretty solid. Heel was completely locked in. Decent volume. In store I was very pleased with how they felt after the bake. So I pulled the trigger. I tried them on a few times around the house on Saturday and Sunday. Like many of you, it's an adjustment trying to figure out the best way to get them on and off. As well as lacing the top two eyelets again, as I need to undo them entirely to even think about getting the skate off. It's tough with the tongue position to lace the last few eyelets, even with the skate off. Both of these can be very time consuming until you get more used to the most effective ways of getting the skates on/off and lacing them. I'm glad I did a few practice runs before heading to the rink. The only thing I found concerning at this point was that my pinky toe on my left foot was rubbing up against that rubber bumper piece in the toe box of the left skate (Note- I was not in actual skate socks). I felt inside the skate, and felt like this was something I could remove altogether (if needed), or at the very least use a Dremel and sort of clean out some space right there. So that was one thing I wanted to keep an eye on during my first skate. Cut to my first skate in them. Standard pickup with friends last night. Most played college hockey in some form, so while we are older, it's still a pretty good skate, with a good pace. After I got them on, the first thing I noticed was that little rubber piece that was rubbing my pinky toe wasn't as noticeable. This continued to feel fine throughout the skate, and was no longer a concern I had by the end. The boot felt great throughout the entire hour and a half skate. I don't think I've ever just put on a pair of skates that the boot was this comfortable, and I got such good heel lock essentially right out of the gate. Kinda crazy considering even at MSRP this skate is around 1/3 the cost of the skates I had just purchased a few months prior, and fresh out of the box- the True's felt better. The issue though- was actually skating in them. The absolute best way I can describe it was, I felt like I was in goalie skates. I know that doesn't make a ton of sense, I just felt like the steel felt very "long", and flat. It definitely had an edge, but just felt way off. I was not comfortable with anything other than straight-line acceleration. I understand that new skates take time to get used to, it's just I felt like Bambi out there at times. Specifically on quick/hard stops, and crossing over. It's the worst I've skated in new skates in a very long time. So this is something I need to try and understand, and alleviate. A few variables I'm considering are that I've been on 287 CCM holders for what feels like forever now. My TF7'S have a 280 holder. Second, I've been using a 1/2" ring on the Sparx Machine I own for over 5 years now. The sharpening I got in store was by hand, by a very reputable Sharpener here in MA. However, these felt soooo much sharper and had way more bite it seemed than I've ever experienced prior. So I'm going to try and start small to fix these issues. Easiest thing is to try a different sharpening. Maybe go down to a 5/8 or something. I'll try different things. Maybe put my Superfeet in them. I'm just hopefull I won't have to reach the point where a complete holder and steel swap to CCM holders with Step is what's needed to fix this. Anyhow, apologies for the long and all over the place post. My initial impressions are you get an absolute ton of value at this price point if you can make these skates work for you. Hoping I can get there.

As far as I can tell by cross referencing, both Tron and Verbero currently have the same business address. Take that for what you will. I have no horse in the race. I feel like we've been down this road before though.

I never thought I'd see the day, but I'm pretty much "over it" when it comes to acquiring new equipment. As well as stuff that I had sought out for years prior. I still play 3-4x a week, and still love playing. However, my appetite to have the latest and greatest, as well as acquiring prized pieces from my past has all but diminished. The new stuff is all too similar to each other across any brand for the most part. Nothing changes all that much between retail cycles, and the nuances we used to have with all the different retail brands just isn't there any more. In other words- retail is boring nowadays to me. Pro stock stuff isn't holding its attention either these days. Now I buy out of necessity, as opposed to want. The last piece of equipment I got really happy about was a pair of old stock Eagle 4 rolls that I found in the back of a local shop about 15 months ago.

I feel my "LK" Super Tacks 2.0 shoots very different from my retail 2.0. I wouldn't say it's quite the same as shooting a QRL or EK365, but the kickpoint is definitely noticeably lower than the retail version. I like it a lot.

I'd say I still get as excited as I ever have when I get a great deal on a piece of good equipment. It's the chase/experience of getting something I wanted, and I can use, at a heavily discounted price, as opposed to getting all that excited over new product lines, and product reveals. It's no secret, we are generally at a state of vastly diminishing returns when new product lines are released. A perfect example, when the Super Tacks skates came out, I picked up the Tacks(2014) on clearance for 400.00. I really liked the skate a lot. 2 days ago, I picked up another pair of brand new Tacks skates for 200.00. I got 2 pairs for well below the price of the initial msrp of 1 pair. That to me never gets boring.

Pure Hockey sells a bucket of 18 InGlasCo pucks. I believe they are 960's, but can confirm later.

I was told it (lace locks) could be added as well to the total custom package.

I purchased the 7092's on Sunday. I did try the Super Tacks on. I don't remember any discernible difference in length between the two. At least nothing that stood out.

I was playing in a fairly large men's tourney a few weeks back, and stupid me didn't think to throw a couple extra sticks in the back of my truck just to be safe. Because hey, I dont break a ton of sticks. First game mid-way through, guy takes a whicked wrister that broke my trusty QRL in the lower hosel. Switch to my backup for the day, a True a6.0 SBP. That succumbed to a guy stepping on the blade during a puck battle along the boards. A teammate hands me a loaner. It's a CCM Ribcore. I play 2 more games with it (and thankfully it stayed in one piece). When I returned it, I told him how much I liked it. Turns out it was the Pro3. The stick was absolutely fantastic. I kind of would like to think I know my sticks in terms of price points, and I had no idea that it was a 149.99 stick. Blade is nice and stiff. Good puck feel. Shots felt crisp. Not sure what it weighs in at, but it's got great balance. CCM nailed it with this stick.

I would venture to guess we are probably neighbors then. As you stated, its crazy with how much hockey there is in this area, and even going only 15-25 minutes further into the city and/or south shore, which only multiplies the number of rinks, that there isn't really anyone that stands out that I would truly want to do my skates nowadays. Enter Sparx.

I've never once heard of an issue with anyone bringing a Sparx or Prosharp on site. I've definitely witnessed it multiple times as well, as I've officiated nunerous tourneys of all age levels at the facility. That being said, count me in as someone who purchased a Sparx solely because you seemingly never know what you are going to get from a manual sharpening at any rink, Pure, or the Hockey Monkey, from about exits 13 to 30 off rt. 495. Kind of sad that is the current state of the area nowadays.

We have a rink here in MA that has 8 full sized ice surfaces, and 2 mini rinks, that have had 4 Sparx machines running essentially non stop for 2 years with little to no problems. I'd LOVE to know what those places are doing with their machines.

Thank you for the answer. Guess I should get a pair of those Farrell designed Verbero shoulder pads before they are extinct.

Is it true that Tron owns the Verbero name now?