VegasHockey

Those look interesting. Not sure how much actual function you will get from those vents. CCM introduced AER-TEC in their current pants, and I don't think it does much of anything.

Apologies, I read your post too quickly, and after having too many drinks, assumed you meant the HZRDUS skate compared with the Catalyst. The TF fit bigger than the HZRDUS and the Catalyst.

The new toe cap piece makes it feel smaller

The boot last is almost the same with the Catalyst and the TF9. I would order the same size and width as your TF9 if you are going to try the Catalyst.

FT6 skates come in tapered, regular and wide. The new boot design had added more width and volume to the boots, which also increased the heel width. The current regular width fits more like an E, while the tapered fits more like a D.

About 4 minutes.

Bingo.

These would be good for that. https://shotblockers.com/products/xt-pro-new

Durability has been very good with the Proto so far. Not nearly the same amount of breakage as the AGENT and Hyperlite2.

Ouch. You just cut a significant amount of life out of those skates. 😞 A blow-dryer does not get hot enough. You need either a skate oven or a heat gun.

I always recommend a "fast bake" when changing foot beds.

This is the best finishing stone money can buy: https://amzn.to/3G0W0d1 This is a great stone for removing damage to the blade, and then doing a final pass: https://amzn.to/3SE36fb Both of those stones will not damage coated steel, assuming you use the ceramic side. The diamond side is going for removing significant damage on steel.

A lot of players, myself included, find the Bauer Speedplate (or similar) offers the most connection to the ice. However, they are not heavily cushioned. I personally do not like super thick insoles or anything with significant foam, as it dulls the feel. Bauer Speedplate: https://www.bauer.com/products/speed-plate-2-0 Many players use Lake Cycling insoles too. They are heat moldable and also provide good feel. https://www.lakecycling.com/products/custom-insole

Head injuries and concussions don't always require high level hockey or full contact. You can catch an edge anytime and fall hard on the ice or into the boards. One guy I often skate with played NCAA D1 and got tripped on a breakaway by a player on the opposing team. He was going full speed and the trip occurred about four feet in front of the goal. He went hard into the boards head first. Unable to slow himself, other than tucking his head into his hands, he couldn't protect himself from the boards. The end result was a broken clavicle and a significant concussion.

Yeah, it got off topic. It happens. But one thing that has been pointed out is that most of the neck protection on the market today is actually lacking in genuine protection. Wearing a cut proof mock neck isn't going to prevent you from getting a crushed trachea if you take a slapshot to the throat. This is mostly due to manufacturers not focusing on these products, they usually go to where the money is; reactive not proactive. I would imagine we will see lots of new companies "pop up" too. If it become a standard globally at all levels we will likely see some new and updated products released. Hopefully these will provide better protection and also be significantly more comfortable.

FT Ghost is basically the FT7 Pro, changes from the FT6 Pro to FT7 Pro are mostly in the blade. Softened the blade, made some minor adjustments to the kick point, other minor changes too. If you like the FT6 Pro but wanted something a little more tuned, the FT Ghost is a good option. Proto is basically a updated version of the Nexus 2N Pro XL (extra light) version. They got rid of the 5 sided shaft, sticking with a more traditional Nexus shape. Updated the carbon, carbon layering, stiffened the blade, added boron, and a few other changes. Lots of updates and modifications to an already good stick. I personally prefer a softer blade, so the FT Ghost is more desirable to me. The Proto was very good though, but the stiff blade was not my personal favorite. If the Proto could be made with a slightly softer blade it would have been a very difficult time for me to decide between the two of forced.

Simple process, but I would have a professional shop do it. Not a Pure Hockey or Hockey Monkey.

I am fine not wearing a neck guard. If something happens, it was meant to be, and I accept that 🤪 Statically, I am more likely to die in the shower (It is estimated that about 1 person in the U.S. dies every day from a bathroom-related injury occurring in either the bathtub or the shower) or in my vehicle (car crashes remain a leading cause of death in the United States, with over 40,000 annual fatalities). According to available records, there have been a total of 24 reported cases of hockey players dying on the ice since 1905. So should I never shower or drive? If others want to wear protection, I am fine with it. I don't judge. I wear a full cage instead of a visor, mostly because I spent a lot of money getting my teeth fixed after taking pucks to the face when I was younger. I also wear it because my wife likes my face and wants to keep it the way it is, lol. People sometimes joke about me wearing a cage, then a year or two later, I watch them take a puck or stick to the face and their teeth are blown out of their head.

I am a size 7 Tapered with a 271 holder. The newer CCM skates are made a little bigger than previous models, which makes putting an oversized holder on much easier. However, at the price you are paying for a FT6 Pro at retail, spend the extra money and go custom with oversized as mentioned by others. It will cost about the same as buying holders/steel, removing the 254, and installing the 263. However, you get all the benefits of going custom too.

If I had a dollar for every person that quoted VT ratings... I appreciate what VT is doing, however they need to refine their testing process more. Too many times, I have had parents “explain” to me what is the ideal helmet for their kids, quoting VT ratings. They push for a helmet that doesn't fit the player's head, and cannot comprehend ideal fit is responsible for 90% of the helmet's effective protection. Things like rate sensitive foams, liquid/gel pods, and all of this other new technology are only effective if the helmet fits properly. All hockey brands perform internal testing and then partner with other companies and universities for third party testing. The fact is, if a helmet gets CSA or HECC certification, that is genuinely all that matters. That is the standard. Think of it this way, there are many cars on the road. They all must pass crash safety testing. However, some cars have better results than others, this could be in all categories or in select categories. Regardless, if they pass, they are approved and sold. I like how they word this specifically: https://driving.ca/features/safety/2023-vehicles-worst-iihs-crash-tests "ratings don’t mean they’re unsafe, but they could be better."

That's the beauty of Skatescribe machines, you can create any profile you want. It's all software driven, there are no templates.

Are you in So Cal? I assume so based on your user name.

It will cost you more to build rather than just trying to find a used one in good condition. I recently bought one that came from an AHL team for about $300 USD, and it was in perfect condition.

This is the retail Tacks X, right? The custom and retail are both entirely different. The retail model is good, but does take some adjustment time. The custom is softer, more plush, and just feels amazing out of the box.

You just need to have some friends that work or own a hockey store 😉