VegasHockey

Sometimes the easiest way to outperform the competition is to buy them, shut them down, and take/use whatever IP you find valuable. This happens in nearly every industry. Bauer could easily buy Tydan or any other aftermarket steel company yet they don't seem to have any interest. IMO buying STEP would have been a VERY smart move for them and they really missed out there. Same with buying Tydan.... But who knows what they have planned. I will admit the new PulseTI blades are decent. The steel itself still isn't as nice as Tydan, STEP, Flare, or many others but it's tremendously better than the LS4/LS5 steel. I also have to applaud them for the partnership with Prosharp helping to educate the general consumer on profiling.

They are not the same. 😞

I dont disagree. Just stating the facts, thats all. 🙂

I doubt it.

I dont understand the question. The retail model will be in hockey stores so you would just walk in and buy the skate off the shelf.

Probably becuase they would not allow for tendon replacement. Do you dislike the ability to replace parts on your skates if or when they fail?

I never had any issues but maybe thats becuase I flare my coppers after I set them as opposed to others. Ive never once had an issue with rivets in any pair of my own skates or skates for others I have worked on.

While I dont diagree with your statement, there is always a way to get items imported that "should not be allowed." Many years ago I had a friend who worked for a company that specialized in doing this for nuts. Yeah, sounds crazy, right? But there is a bunch of restrictions in place when exporting/importing nuts to Asia.

I like the ability to swap tongues. They seem to be the main thing that I wear through quickly on skates so having the ability to just swap the tongue when it starts to lose it shape or denisty is nice. This was the thing I always loved about TRUE so I am glad to see other larger companies starting to adopt this.

I think that is due to the new tongue system.

The ankle padding is very similar between the two. The AS3 has the same level of soft padding (comfort foam) as the AS3 Pro but has slightly less high denisty hard foams. The AS3 carbon does not entirely wrap around like the AS3, if you look inside the skate there is a plastic midsole sitting on top of the shell, under that you can see a seam.

Yes, this is possible and many players request this. Just make sure a reputable shop does the work. I am not sure where you are located...

It was just a matter of time before Bauer went after others. I am not shocked at al by this. I am sure Byonic, Flare, Massive, and RamonEdge are next in line.... assuming they have not been served already. Massive is most likely to have no issues through all of this considering they are based out of China.

TRUE has plenty of connections with steel. I am not sure who they are sourcing it from but the quality looks good from what I have seen. Is it as good as STEP? I personally dont think so. But its still very high quality. Note: Pro Customs still come with STEP steel and they have a lot in stock from what I have been told.

This is correct. its now a locknut. Much easier to swap/replace.

I saw about 65 grams difference between v1 and v2. They dont allow orders without a holder attached.

There is a few very minor changes but its mostly the v2 version of the skates. I weighed the TF9 vs my 2019/2020 Pro Customs and the weight was within 20 grams. I have held them both. The TF7 is a fiberglass composite and looks very durable, the weight was also very close between the TF7 and TF9.

The AS3 Pro is very comfortable compared to the AS1. CCM included the donut and forefoot foams in the AS3 Pro which they previously offered as a custom option for the AS1. The skate has a better foot lock and much more padding now.

The TRUE TF9 will be the same specifications as the TRUE Pro Custom skate so it will compete against other Tier 1 skates from CCM and Bauer. I would say the TRUE TF7 could probably hold its own against skates costing $699+ as it a very well built skate that was designed to be very thermoformable but at a very nominal price point. The premise is players who do not require a full custom skate and can fit into a retail skate can buy the TRUE TF9. Those that need a custom skate due to foot issues have the option to go with the TRUE Pro Custom.

I think this item is unnecessary, but to each their own.

Sure, if you want. I don't think its needed though unless you are storing it in a cool damp place where it might rust. I would also give it a good cleaning before running it as I am sure its dusty.

Rinks have been open here in AZ for a while now. I've been skating 3-5 times a week at private ice time, drop-in/pond hockey, and stick-time sessions. They have a few precautions in place when entering the arenas but the everything else is pretty normal.

Where you located?

Those will work nicely

I agree with all of this. As player who also owns multiple hockey stores and also does team sales I think we have hit a point where the only innovations are decreases in weight. The problem is the materials they are incorporating to decrease weight by such a very minimal margin are also making equipment less durable and more costly. The good news is that the second or third from the top price points are now just as good as the top of the line product from a year or two ago. So anyone thats not playing at a ridiculously high level no longer needs to buy top of the line sticks and such to get a high quality product. For example, the new AS3 skate is very nice and I don't see many people wanting to spend the money on an AS3 Pro unless they are wanting to go custom. Otherwise it seems like a poor investment, unless you are getting it for cost, your team is paying for it, or you have money laying around and want to waste it. I think other companies such as TRUE are also recognizing this as well with their retail strategy. Lastly, the market has been flooded with pro stock items so even if you want to go with a top of the line product you can usually find it the very same thing in pro stock with equal or better specifications for significantly less than retail. There is an equipment manager for a WHL team that sells a ton of stuff on the side and he has made my life miserable for some time now. Why would anyone spend $250 on a top of the line stick when they can get the same stick in a pro stock model from him for $100?