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IMHO, profiles have their place. I've always treated them like a tool aiding me as I work to improve. They never fixed any of my issues. They never made me a better skater. At best they masked my flaws. I used a 13/26 profile with a negative pitch for like 5 years. It's what I needed as I worked on my flaws. About 6 months ago, I moved back to a 13' neutral profile, which is what I think I need/want now as I further work on getting better. I'm sure down the road, I'll probably move a little bit closer to the 10' stock profile, but we'll see. To me, profiles are like curves. A curve makes certain things easier/harder, but it isn't going to make you something you're not. Just because you use Ovi's curve doesn't mean you can shoot like Ovi. Just as using profile X isn't going to make you McDavid. Anyone who says otherwise is selling you a bridge.

I got a bit of a bum right knee. For me, the best thing I did for it was lose 25lbs. Still working on trimming down another 5-10 lbs. Not carrying around that extra weight has improved everything on and off the ice. Next thing I did was I started running. I know this may not be an option for some, but for me, when I first started, it let me know that despite skating 3-4 times a week, my knees weren't as strong as I thought they were. After about month or two of running, the little twinges I used to get if I bent my knee a little too deep or in a funny way, they went away. I also started to notice I was more stable on and off the ice. The way I'm reading things is that as I get older--I'm 51 now--I'm starting to loose muscle. The running slows that down and for now has reversed it. I actually feel better now than I did when I was 40. And lastly, I try to always warm up before I get on the ice for a game. I do 3 sets of 10 half squats in the dressing room to get my legs warmed up. After that, I feel infinitely better when I step on the ice. Legs don't feel stiff, and it definitely feels like I can get lower into my stance right from the get go. On a side note, I try to stretch every day now. I work my way through my whole body as the week goes a long. I find it helps lessen or eliminate with all the little nagging aches and pains I used to get in my back, shoulders, neck, and I'm sure it has helped the knees, too.

There might be some demand. I've heard teammates say they miss them. For me, scooped up a few packs as they were phasing out, because I used to use them as eyelet extenders to help prevent lace bite. You might also take a look at these. https://www.hockeyworld.com/CCM-Skatelock-Eyelet-4Pack They sold these as replacements for the lace locks if you didn't like the locking mechanism. I was trying to get a hold of some, but couldn't, so I settled for the lace lock versions to address my issues. But you could sell these as eyelet extenders to help with lace bite, because there are always people that need help with that.

NVM. Misread something.

Where did you get that template? Everything I've seen, even stuff from official prosharp sources, never mentions this. Thanks for sharing.

Pitch and profile are two different things. Unless specified, I'd imagine the shop gave you a neutral pitch, well, unless they pitched the profile without you knowing. Assuming, you're on a neutral pitch, you may naturally balance yourself forward on you toes more than you're supposed to. The super smaller radii on the forward section of the profile makes it super easy to rock forward and get up on your toes, which is by design. Because I have super small feet, I used to have issues with getting onto my toes too much. I went to a 13/26 profile with a negative 1 pitch. After a bunch of years on that and lots of practise, I was able to corrected my issues and went to a 13" neutral pitch.

Making significant tweaks after one skate is not a wise move. The feel of new skates can and will change after each skate as you get dialed in on how you tie your skates and as the foams compress. The new, fluffy foams can cause your foot to seat slightly different each time. You need time to see how things settle and feel things out.

I had a similar issue when I went down in size in skates from a size 5 to 4.5. I found it was way too easy to get up onto my toes. I went from the stock 10' to 12' to 13' and then settled on a 13'/26' with a negative pitch because they didn't have larger templates for single radius.

I'll echo the comment above. All you have to do is goto a competent shop and ask them to profile your skates to what every profile you want and ask for a neutral pitch or what ever pitch you want. Simple as that. And yes, changing the pitch can make a significant difference. How much? I depends on the skater.

I've worn a neck guard for probably around 25 years. It's been so long I don't know when I started. I've always found a new neck guard feels uncomfortable for a little while, like any piece of new equipment does, and then, it breaks in a little and you get used to it. It just becomes what it's like to be kitted up for a game, and you forget it's even there.

The trick I found that worked for me was to simply not use the first set of eyelets. It opens up the forefoot area where the toecap meets the boot quite a lot.

Just got new skates in July. First the scan recommend a size 5 fit 3. My old skates were S190s, size 4.5EE. The brannock said I was a size 4.5EE. I tried on a ton of skates, the skates I walked out with were Mach 5 Pros, size 4.5 fit 3. At first blush they were extremely tight, and they were almost in the no pile because of that. But as, I tried on skates over and over, the foams in the skate warmed up the Mach 5s went from nope to yes. Ideally, this should be the end of the story, but fast forward 2 months. Everything was great for a bit, but then, I start to realize the skates are feeling off. I'm having to pull the laces tighter than I like to get the skate to feel right. The skate I realize maybe too big. Skates are out of the skate fit warranty window, but I bite the bullet and go back to the shop and go through the song and dance again. I walk out with a size 4. Again, at first blush, skates feel like they're too small. At about 2 months in to these new-new skates, they feel right length-wise, but there's a little movement in the heel, making me thing maybe I fit 2 might have been better. But I got a stash of Stable 26 socks, so it's a non-issue. But if I could do it over again, knowing what I know now, I would have just went straight to customs. Would have saved me from wasting money on a pair of skates that didn't fit properly. From this experience, it seems like the foam liner in some of the newer skates are super fluffly and can throw off the assessment of how much room there really is in the skate. Even after the bake, the feel wasn't accurate, in my estimation. As a side note to this, I found out Sport Chek had their True skates on deep discount a few weeks ago. They had their TF7s on clearance for $100, so I went in and tried on a pair of size 4s. The length was perfect. The base of the toes was a little tight, but otherwise it was a good fit. So IMHO, it's probably safer to go with the smaller fit.

Depends on if you can flex the stick or not. Other things being equal, all that matters is if you can flex the stick properly or not.

Supremes and Vapors fit slightly different, regardless of if the fits are the same. For me, the key differences will be in how the boot affects your neutral stance. The Supremes, will put you a little more on your heels. The Vapors pitch you forward and will put you a little more on your toes. If you're on your heels a bit more, it'll encourage you to start your stride further back on the blade, so you take a fuller stride. If you're on your toes a bit more, It'll encourage your stride to star a little more forward on the blade, making it a bit shorter. Now, regardless of which skate you choose, you're not stuck. If you chose Supremes and find you want to be more on your toes, you can simply profile the blades to pitch you forward more. Same with the Vapors, you can have the blades profiled to put you more on your heels. One word of warning, I just got new skates. Mach 5 Pros. One thing I found is the fit is pretty tricky. First the scanner recommended a size 5. My old skates were size 4.5. The brannock measured me at a size 4.5. Yeah, I got tiny feet. When I first put on the Mach 5s, they felt incredibly tight. I didn't think they'd fit at all. But after a long song and dance of trying and retrying on skates, it turned out after the foams warmed up, the Mach 5s started to feel fine. So I walk out with a size 4.5. Everything is fine for two months. Then as the foams in the skate liner compress more from use, things start to feel weird. It starts to feel like my skates are too big. I'm having to pull the laces tighter than I like to get the boot to feel right. It gets bad enough that I go back to the store, and do the whole song and dance again. This time I try on a size 4.0 in the Mach 5s. I think about it for a bit, and I bite the bullet and buy them. And after another month and a half or so. Yep the size 4.0 are the right size. Unfortunately, I had to eat it with the size 4.5s because it was beyond the size guarantee widow. If I knew back then what I know now, I would have just went straight for the customs. So when trying on your skates, with the new fit systems, be doubly cautious. It feels like the skate liner is extra thick and can throw the feel for the sizing off. On a side note, Sport Chek had their TF7s on clearance for $100. They didn't have any size 4.5s, but I went in and tried on a pair of size 4s. They fit.

They both fill a similar niche, but neither is the best. Once you get down to that, it becomes personal preference. Each stick has it's own characteristics that some will love and some will hate. Sorry, I can't give you a more definitive answer than that. For me, I tend to like the bigger blade and shaft, but it's not a deal breaker.

If you want a stick with intermediate shaft and blade dimensions, go with the Bauer. The blade and shaft of CCM 50 flex sticks are smaller. Though in terms of other Junior sticks, they have the largest blade and shaft dimensions aside from Bauer.

I'm 5'5 160lbs, I use a 50 flex. I'd recommend the 50 flex. Bauer 50 flex stick have the same dimensions as an intermediate, but come stock at junior height. Sherwood 50 flex sticks are classified by them as intermediate and thus have intermediate shaft dimensions and intermediate height. Warrior 50 flex Novum line and their new LX stick have intermediate blade dimensions, but have a junior shaft and junior height. Also, there isn't really a universal stock height for sticks in general, so a 50 flex junior stick from Bauer is going to be a different stock height than from Warrior. Bauer's height will be 53" and a Warrior juinor stock height will come in around 50"-51". So for comparison, if you cut a 55 flex stick down to the same height as a 50 flex junior stick or if you lengthen a 50 flex junior stick to the same height as a 55 intermediate, when you compare the two, the flex difference will still always be 5. Flex doesn't change. What changes when you cut or lengthen the stick is the amount of leverage you have to flex the stick, making the stick easier or harder to bend. regardless of if you cut or not. Here's a video from an engineer from True explaining things.

I've checked them out in the past, and they still don't have what I want, a 40-45 flex stick with intermediate blade shaft dimensions. And for 189 US or 145 US, which is 256 Can or 196 Can, I might as well buy a top end retail stick. I can get a brand new 50 flex Hyperlite 2 with intermediate shaft and blade dimensions for 269 Can, or last generations Hyperlite for 195 Can. I'm not spending top dollar for what isn't a top dollar stick.

My guess is it's about streamlining operations. Back in the day, here's what I remember. If you go to a store's clearance section, you would have the 100+ flex sticks, and you would have the sticks with the least popular curves. And those sticks would stay around forever until the store eventually marked them down enough for the cheapskates to grab them. I remember going into pro hockey life and their clearance section was as big as their new stick section. Now, it's about a dozen or so sticks. Some of which are still holdovers from years back. Heck, there are still Easton sticks on that clearance rack. With three curves, they mitigate situations like that. Fewer SKUs means fewer risks. A hockey player isn't going to stop playing hockey if their favorite curve isn't offered anymore. They simply adapt. A store/company won't be losing that stick sale, so what's the incentive to offer more variety? Those who are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to get the specs they want are IMHO few and far between. For me, there isn't a stick on the market that fits my ideal of "perfect specs" for me. If a company offered my idea of "perfect specs" as a custom, I'd be interested. BUT I'd only be interested if the price was right. I'm not selling my left nut to get a luxury item that, at best, is only going to improve my performance along the margins.

Checking their website, I expected this to have less value, but I did some math, and it seems this might actually be a better deal than a puck of solid wax. A 75g puck of wax cost $7. A 233g bottle of this stuff is $17, which is more than three pucks worth of solid wax.

So what your proshop guy maybe referring to is that over time, as you sharpen over and over, the profile of the blade will get rounder (the radius will get smaller). This is because a lot of sharpening is done by hand, so there's variance. It's generally recommended, depending on how often you sharpen, to re-profile the steel approx every year to reset things back to your preferred profile. This maintains the consistency in what you're skating on. Imagine if every six months to a year your stick got shorter by half and inch. This is like putting that half inch back onto the height of the stick. In terms of types of profiles etc. I would say ignore it for now. Just get your skates profiled to whatever the stock profile was when you purchased them. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe stock should be a 10' profile. When you change profiles, it's about trade offs. You don't want to go in with no plan and no idea of what you're getting into. Changing profiles is about giving up a little of "this" for more of "that", in the hopes that what you gain helps you more than what you lost hinders. For example, if you went to a larger radius, you gain more stability and glide, but you give up some a agility. This applies to all profiles. Regardless of what marketing says, there is no profile that gives you everything. If there was, everyone would be using it. It's always about trade offs and what an individual wants and needs to help them along. Changing a profile doesn't cure a person's skating issues. It just gives someone who may have plateaued a nudge in the right direction.

If you want the skate to push you more onto your toes, that's a positive pitch, eg +1 pitch. A negative pitch puts you back onto your heels. You do not need to change profiles to achieve these things. This is not really a profile issue. It's a pitch issue. Simply ask for a positive pitch to be applied to your current profile. Changing profiles will unnecessarily complicate things.

I'm not sure fitting exactly to the larger foot was the best approach. I think it would have been beter to fit 1/2 larger than the smaller foot and then stretch the other skate 1/4 size larger. Then as the skate ages, the foams will compress and usually give you another 1/4 size in space. That way the smaller foot is only 1/2 size bigger, which is workable. In terms of lacing patterns, you can try this one I use to use. It really helps to push the foot back into the heel of the skate. Here's a post with pics that I put up a bunch of years back describing it. Give it a shot. Friends have described as like the boot sucks your foot in. In addition I've seen pictures of skates for kids that have adjustable sizing. Part of what makes that possible is a crescent shaped foam insert that gets placed into the toe box making the skate shorter. Maybe that's something you can try. FYI a full size is approx 8mm.

You're right. The example I gave is very much a trifle. I was trying to be flippant about it because I found the CO's quote to be... irksom. It took the basic shape of Pascal's wager, using the safety of the kids as the infinite benefits. It seemed like a calculated answer to manipulate people emotionally in to using their product instead of using evidence.

Isn't that just form of Pascal's Wager? Hey everyone send me $1. If you do, you'll have good fortune for the rest of your life. There's no proof that I have the ability to grant this, but what have you got to lose? If I have this ability, you have good fortune for the rest of your life. If I don't have this ability, you're only out $1. You really lose nothing by sending me a $1. Hopefully a few thousand or few million of you do this. It's worth the risk.