VegasHockey

Amazon sells adhesive backed felt in various thickness. I have bought it before to add to customers skates adding some thickness to areas they wanted to be more robust. I would just order some of that. The adhesive is very strong so it should work fine without sewing it in, but if you want it to be reinforced you can sew through the felt to anchor it to the tongue.

I have found a lot of conflicting information on how VT scores are calculated. I appreciate the work VT does, but I dont think their score is a factual representation of protection. Aslo ,we all know the helmet that best protects you is the one that fits you best and the liner of the Tacks X is far more accommodating as compared to other helmets with more traditional foams and design. Agreed. Most will choose what feels, and fits best. If it also passses the mirror test that is an added bonus. I only have a few parents/customers that will reference the VT scores.

How thick? 1mm, 2mm? Thicker?

TLDR: Get the one that fits you best, dont worry too much about if its 2-piece vs 3-piece. I think it's more specific to the model of elbow pad and not the specification of being 2-piece or 3-piece. I have tried some two-piece models that fit great and provide good range of motion while being very secure on the arm. I have found some 3-piece models are. good as well. Best to try them on and find the one that fits best.

No one that I am aware of.

"Damn Good Coffee!"- Cooper (Twin Peaks)

No. We ordered some samples so I will know very soon. They look interesting. They do not.

FT4 Pro tapered. Try on both 7.5 and 8.0

Tydan is not involved in manufacturing Bauer steel. They only offer profiling and also the DLC coating for Pulse SS. 9/11/13 is a good design for a lot of players first adjusting to profiled steel. Its a good "all-around" option. You would sharpen them the same way you sharpen any other steel.

It's very possible. I am friends with an individual who sells a ton of stuff on SidelineSwap and eBay. In fact, he is one of the largest sellers on SIdelineSwap. Anyway, he buys in bulk from all types of teams; AHL, ECHL, WHL, OHL, USHL, USPHL, NCAA, ACHA, and even some pro teams in Europe. Many times they don't provide a detailed itemized list, it just gives a summary; 200 CCM sticks, 200 Bauer sticks, etc. Recently he bought a large bulk sale of stuff from a team and we later found out some items were not genuine. With players being shipped back and forth between teams, going from Europe to North America, etc. Sometimes there are items that are not genuine that make it into the mix. The fact is most equipment managers struggle to keep track of inventory.

They make them for Bauer. BAUER - XCBlade webshop

I knew it was a Team stick. 😉

To me it looks like a Jetspeed Team sticks that was dressed as a FT4 Pro.

The new STX HALO gloves are by far the tightest fitting glove I have ever used. If you can find them that would be your best option (if you can get over the futuristic looks) Also, True Catalyst gloves are pretty snug.

Tydan is very good. High quality steel. Just as good as STEP. If you want a high quality traditional style of steel, this is a good option. Massive is bad, the steel has too high of a tensile strength and tends to break/snap. Stay away. RamonEdge is very good. High quality steel. Just as good as STEP. Its slightly thicker than Tydan and STEP, roughly 3.1xmm vs 2.9xmm which can make it difficult to fit in holders. Bladetech is good steel. Sharpens nicely. Holds a good edge. Overall a high quality steel. It comes with a triple radius profile out of the box which some like. I personally didn't not feel the "flex force" spring effect. None of the customers that I have sold Bladetech to said they felt the "flex force" spring effect. Bauer Pulse and Pulse TI steel are also very good. Not as good as some of these other options but significantly better than the LS5. Have you considered Flare or XC Blade?

The Carbon do push your arch up higher, and they are stiffer. The Comfort have a more flexible arch allowing the insole to collapse slightly when under pressure. We sell significantly more Comfort insoles than Carbon insoles.

The carbon does push your arch up higher and is stiffer. T

This is actually true. I spoke with a few of the VGK players as they come into the hockey shop all the time with their kids and they confirmed exactly what was reported. Crazy times we live in.

Just use a digital micrometer and after once pass you'll know. Multiple such by the number of passes.

That reminds me! Under Armour outlets sometimes have the really nice base layers that a lot of pros use. I picked up a pair recently since the pants were only $19.99 and the top was $9.99 https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/c/sports/hockey/ I have been very impressed with them

I dunno. We sell a lot of base layers and only brands like Firstar having issues with "grip" separating from the fabric. Never had this issue with CCM/Bulletin or Shock Doctor. I can't comment about other brands as I dont have a lot of experience with them.

If the shavings are removing the sharpie that would be an issue. Not sure what markers you use but the ProSharp marker is not as easily removed. I think their marker is more of a fast drying paint pen.

I think CCM Bulletin makes the best base layer top and bottoms. They breathe nicely, are durable, and have rubber to keep pads in place. Plus they are decently priced.

This has always been my experience as well. The inner portion of the boot will widen slightly as you skate since the foams will become compressed over time. If after skating in them multiple times they don't feel wide enough have your local shop widen them slightly. Its much easier to widen a skate slightly as opposed to trying to make a skate that is too wide more narrow.

If the sharpie is gone then you are making full contact with the steel. This however would change if going from a flatter hollow to a more aggressive hollow 3/4 FIRE -> 5/8 FIRE, for example. This is because the new hollow is deeper than the old hollow. Going in the opposite direction 5/8" FIRE -> 3/4" FIRE once the marker is gone you have removed the old hollow entirely. Not sure why the 3/4" FIRE felt more sharpen than the 5/8" FIRE. Maybe you rolled the edge when honing or something...