CigarScott

To me, it seems like if you're going to drop $800+ on a pair of skates, just based on my experiences with getting fitted for skates, I would go with True. I've been fitted for True, Bauer, and CCM using all of their gadgets and I found the Bauer and CCM scanners suspect. The Bauer 3D scanner recommended to me size 11EE Vapor but my toes touch the end of my boot and I had to have my skates stretched to be widened in my 12EE Nexus skates and I know others who have had goofy readings. The guy at the shop suspected that it wanted me in Vapors due to my relatively flat left foot even if the Vapor's are way too narrow for me and perhaps that because I probably could wear a size 11 skate on my right foot since it's smaller; I couldn't even get my foot in a 12EE Supreme when I tried them so Vapors were out of the question. I got the CCM scan, too to see what my options where with them for a custom skate as if I'm having trouble with 12EE Nexus skates for width and volume, then there isn't anything that CCM makes off-the-shelf that would work for me. Much to my suprise, their 3D scan recommended size 11EE Tacks. On top of the fact that a fully custom AS1 is $1200+ and there is no option for a boot-only order, I don't trust CCM's scan results to invest in in getting a pair of their custom skates. I found that the True fitting process was far more thorough than Bauer or CCM's where they would ask for height, weight, photos of your feet where they can circle and pinpoint areas right in the app of where you may have hotspots and also take photos and scans of your feet while forward flexing along with taking photos while in a Bradock-like device to make sure that they can see how big my feet actually are in scaled photos in case their scanning software does silly things like the other two companies. I also like the fact that I can get the boot only if I want and they will predrill them to whatever holder type and size you decide to go with. So, I can spend $840 on the boots, $70 on a pair of Lightspeed Edges and then Stepsteel Black, which I forget what I paid for those. Either way, still less than the custom AS1. This post wasn't made to be a True homer or be anti-Bauer or CCM like some other threads turn into. This is just my assessment based on my personal experience and my situation with my weird, giant feet. I don't think that 95% of beer league players need to go the custom route or really need skates that cost as much as a mortgage payment but for those of us that have to go that route, the True option was the best for me. I would rather go with Bauer or CCM since the closest True dealer to me is a six hour drive and I'd like to support the LHS in my neck of the woods and they're more established brands but I don't want to get stuck with skates that don't fit me.

According to Bauer, only 15% of people have feet that require Nexus skates so that may explain why they dramatically cut down the number of Nexus line for 2018 and why CCM doesn't bother with a high volume skate. Graf G709 is the only other high volume skate that I'm aware of but good luck finding anyone that sells them...

I'm back from Dallas and I agree with everyone's assessments on here. I didn't have time to venture into Fort Worth so I didn't check out Blades by Todd's shop. Hockey Monkey is what you all described: a giant place with a huge showroom but I wouldn't trust any of the employees that I dealt with to do anything to my skates. Their warehouse has to be bigger than a Wal-Mart. Granted, they also sell baseball/softball and lacrosse gear but it is impressive. I found it odd that I couldn't collect rewards points for in-store purchases and some of the prices were different between the online store and in-store but they applied some kind of discount code and was able to get a good price. Pure Hockey was a great experience for me. It's a large store but their stock was a little low which is understandable as they're waiting for all the new stuff to come in next month. Chase, the manager was fantastic and bent over backwards to help me and my fiance. He scanned my feet for True's and once I sell a kidney, I'll pull the trigger and order a pair. He figured out that my fiance was in the wrong type of skate and we were able to order a pair to be shipped to us from the store with free shipping, no tax, and was able to use my reward points on them. After countless emails back and forth with him regarding the work on my skates, he took care of them and was quite generous with his time and could have charged me for a lot more than what he did. I will be back the next time I'm in the neighborhood.

I was at Hockey Monkey's HQ in Dallas on Friday buying some black Lightspeed Edge holders and the employee stated that they did have some grey LS Edge holder still in the warehouse. It may be worth a call to see what they still have.

Looks like I'm excluded from the party as I need a 306mm runner...

Is there pics of the codes on the sticks available? This post should help you once you get that info: http://www.sports2k.com/forum/index.php?/topic/15186-pro-stock-stick-codes-what-do-you-have/

If you look at some of the sticks for sale on prostockhockey.com, they'll sometimes have multiple stick models for the same player with sometimes really different specs from each other in regards to curve, lie, length, flex, etc. Perhaps players need different specs as they get older or accumulate injuries or work on their shots in the off season. I play the drums and over the years I have used sticks with wildly different specs in terms of weight, length, diameter, tip, etc. as my playing evolved so it probably happens more than we think with pro players changing their stick specs as they evolve in their careers...

65" is actually about where I need them. I just put a 6" plug in a cheap standard-length that I picked up to mess around with and the extra inch hasn't been an hindrance and am too lazy to track down a saw to cut it down an inch unless I need to.

Know of a particular model that a 65" twig will fit in? I can cut my one twig down an inch if I need to...

I saw that and that will be my fallback option if I can't find a full-length bag that my twigs will fit in. I'm going to be in Dallas in a couple weeks so I'll pick this is up from the flagship Hockey Monkey store when I'm there if I need to. I wish our dollar stores sold hockey equipment but unfortunately I live in Alabama where there is exactly two places in the entire state that sells hockey equipment so that should tell you all that you need to know about where hockey stands in the sports pecking order here...

So I've been throwing my twigs into my almost new car without any thought of the consequences. I finally looked at the ceiling and some of the upholstery and saw black marks all over the place. I need to find a bag to but my sticks in that is long enough for my 66" sticks, does anyone know of any on the market now or were made in the past that can accomodate long sticks? Also, anyone have any suggestions for removing tape marks from my car's upholstery?

They seem to make great stuff, it's a shame that they've become an obscure brand. It probably doesn't help that they follow the European sizing model in pants instead of just making small, medium, large, etc. It has to be expensive and a logistics nightmare to make and carry a dozen or more sizes of each model of pant in each color they offer. At least Tackla has the market cornered for rink ball and bandy; I'm not aware of any other companies making equipment specific for those sports.

I did hear that this new girdle is supposed to be really nice.

Wow, that's interesting. I figured that Tackla gear would be as common as Bauer or CCM in the sporting good stores of Finland, Sweden, and the other hockey-playing countries in Europe. So outside of their two company-owned stores, you can't find their stuff in Finland? Do they sponsor any of the hockey leagues there where they are using their pants, gloves, and other equipment?

Here's the recent topic that has been banging around in my head: I am a proud owner of Tackla Air 9000 NHL pants and love them. I had to order them directly from Tackla in Finland since I couldn't find anyone that had a pair in my size in North America. Thankfully, I was able to get them when they had some 22% off sale so I was still able to pay rent that month. From what I remember and have read, they were THE hockey pant for a long time in the NHL and now no one, at least overtly, wears them any longer. Did Tackla refuse to pay the NHL lisensing fee which is why nobody in the league is wearing them or did other companies catch up to them and make a comparable product that is much easier to obtain in the Western Hemisphere? Also, I see on their site that they make gloves and other protective gear but I've never seen anyone use them or know anyone that has ever put their hands on any of their stuff. Occasionally, you see the odd pair pop up on Sideline Swap and Ebay but I've never seen a shop in the US sell any of their stuff other than on closeout. Did something happen that their distribution collapse in North America or did they just say "screw it" and let one dude up in Connecticut have the exclusive rights to sell their stuff in North America? Thanks for reading my random thoughts...

I seem to have read somewhere that True's largest holder is 296mm so if you need a 306mm holder then you would have to use a Tuuk or other third party; can anyone confirm this?

Should we try a Tacks in 10.5 EE and not D?

I'm going to get mine done in a couple weeks since I have to ship them to another state to do it. I hope they can since I need the to cap stretched.

I belong to that, they didn't have his size.

Well, that a luxury that people in the Deep South don't have. We have literally two places in the entire state that sell hockey equipment and 90% of their inventory is either for kids/juniors or figure skaters so we can't just run down to the local Pure Hockey and try a bunch of skates on...

I just order a pair of Nexus N7000 in 10.5D for a family member since he wants to get into hockey. The length, heel lock and the width in most of the skate is good for him but he feels pain and tightness in the area of the skates that I drew in red. He tried my same N7000 skates on in a 12EE and he said they were too wide. Will this area bake out or break in or should I look at getting him perhaps a Supreme in a 10.5EE?

They have it at North Georgia Hockey. The next time you're in Atlanta, hit that place up.

I don't see why people keep trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Skates aren't a one type fits all product which is why Bauer has three lines and CCM has several of their own. You're not going to get the performance benefits of a skate if they don't fit correctly or if you're in constant pain wearing them. According to geargeek.com, roughly 11% of NHL players are in some version of Nexus skates so if almost one in nine NHL players rocks them then they're good enough for anybody playing beer league. If they had poor performance, nobody in the league would be wearing them. Try out everything that Bauer and CCM make and if you can't find a pair that works for you, you may have to look at True's.

I was told the same by my LHS...

A lot of the pros, even in 2018 are still rocking Jofa-derived Reebok pads. You can find the pro stock models on Ebay and Sideline Swap. I have a pair of the 7k, I believe and they're fantastic. If it's heavy duty enough for them, it certainly will be for you.