pgeorgan

Similar situation for me on rollerblades, actually. The only problem is those boots could actually flex! One of the pleasant surprises of going from Quad to 10' was that I found I didn't need to tie my laces as tight. Having so much toe shaved down in the case of the Quad was forcing me to tie my laces tighter than what was optimal, for whatever reason.

Ah gotcha. Ya I did not like the Ellipse whatsoever, tbh.

I navigated over to this site. Correct me if I'm wrong, the 981/Quad Hybrid appears to be a modified old school Hudson?

I'm thinking of trying a 9.5/10.5 but am nervous I'll lose a lot of the agility I have with a 10'. Wondering what your opinion was of the two, since it appears you've tried them both. Or anyone else for that matter. Some other folks have said that it feels like a Quad 0.5, but that's 8-10-12-14, so not really sure how those could be at all similar. In my experience, the Quad 0.5 would just be another one of those "skates on rails" profiles, which I'm not going back to. I've also heard good things about the Elite SCS 1. The SCS 1 in standard size is 6-17-13-4, which just trying to wrap my head around sounds pretty wild. They also don't tell you how much of each section is profiled to which radius.

I think a 9.5/10.5 is about the only one I'd considered trying at this point, just given the positive experience I've had with a basic 10'.

My experience was similar. Probably made me a better skater for having had the experience, but going back to a 10' for the first time in years was sort of eye opening. It dawned on me that the idea of a quad or a multi-radii profile is somewhat flawed in that I'm not sure you can really have the best of both worlds. Eg, agility doesn't just come from the front part of the runner. If you flatten the back to add stability, you're going to notice it in other aspects of your game. You're definitely going to lose some agility, somewhere. Further, I don't really feel that "unstable" on a basic 10' with neutral pitch as compared to a quad. I'm right where I need to be on my skates and I think that translates to being the most stable, IMO. That's certainly how I feel on the ice, anyway.

I've tried almost every ProSharp profile there is and recently skated on out-of-the-box Bauer Fly-X. Best skate I've ever had. Used to be a big believer in these other profiles but not anymore. I feel stupid for having skated on the quads the last several years.

I read that the Quad 0.5 kinda feels like a 10' single radius, which according to the internet is what McDavid uses. 10' or 11' depending on your source. I'm going to try it out on some unused Bauer steel I have lying around and go from there.

Side note here, I just read a post on another site that Bauer have changed their stock profile to 9.5/10.5 ?? Is that right? I can't find anything that corroborates this.

Ok so how does one decide between Junior, Standard and Large? Nevermind I see it at the bottom of the link in my last post. I like the Quad 0. I feel like if I tried a Quad 0.5 I'd be on rails, which is why I'm hesitant to get a Quad 0.5 where sections 3 and 4 are flipped (aka Polaris). Was really hoping others on here had some more feedback.

So you're saying that the Polaris cut has less acceleration than the Quad 0? Their marketing says they're supposed to be the same, but somehow I doubt that just based off the radii of the respective profiles. I mean it's basically a Quad 0.5 with the back two sections swapped with each other. It's an interesting idea, except for they only have the one size, which IME isn't going to be suitable for everyone. If I already skated on a Quad 0.5, I'd feel more comfortable giving it a go, but that's not the case for me. Edit: I'm also confused whey their marketing material has 3 sizes listed but they're all the same profile...

What's your comparison between the two I mentioned, if you have one? I have no frame of reference for your 981.

I've always maintained that all things being equal, non-coated steel has more bite than coated. The few mills? of coating or whatever have different properties/geometries than the steel when sharpened. The need for coated steel is obviated with the proliferation of home sharpening. Just skip the coated option next time. It's a gimmick.

I'm more interested in hearing about whether 9/10 or Quad 0 is the most popular NHL profile. Let's get this thread back on track!

What's the verdict on the Polaris? Polaris 8-10.5-14.5-12.5 vs Quad 0 (6-9-11-13)? I might try it out.

I thought so too, but it happened. I sent you an email.

I finally got a pair and haven't skated on them yet but can say that just from trying them on I can tell right away it solves the issue I had in my left skate where my foot twists a little because I'm at the absolute left most extreme of Bauers scale in foot arch (according to the scan). I don't really take up all the space in a Fit 1, due to this, something that I've tried to get around for years but trying all sorts of weird lace tying combinations and lace bite gel pads to fill the gaps. Barely even tied the skates, way looser than I would on the ice, and I had great heel lock, which is basically something I rarely get on my left foot. Due to the extremely low arch, I went with Fit A. Seemed like a no brainer. I currently skate with Speedplate 2.0 and also have tried Superfeet in the past. The Aetrex Fit A is clearly thicker than both, and it is little thicker at the instep, where the arches are, as expected. Worth a shot if you have a scan and/or are familiar with what type of arches you have. That being said, you might be able to find a pair elsewhere of just regular orthotics, but no guarantee they'll be designed to fit edge to edge in your Bauer boot. Try to find a pair on Sideline Swap or something. That's what I did.

Ah. I definitely wouldn't have seen that. Thanks! So it's basically like a Quad 0.5 with the back two radii flipped?

Anyone (@Elite Blade Performance??) have any more detailed info on the Elite Polaris profile? It just says it's like a quad but more agile in the back. I think my days of wasting steel to try new profiles are over. I have a Quad 0 and love it, however I have a friend that skates similar to me and recently switched to the Polaris and recommends it. I figure someone on here has to know which 4 radii it uses... Thanks!

No socks. Never. Not once.

Why is that funny. Seems like they're just responding to market conditions and market demand. Honestly I doubt it's a large percentage of either companies profits, but if people want to pay through the nose for a different foam padding, so be it. In my opinion, they should just do what the goalie market has been doing for years, which is offer total customization for no extra cost. The gear already costs a fortune, and people pay it. The fact that player skates don't use a similar model just tells me the demand isn't there. Most players just aren't that picky.

The Speedplate 2.0 does have *some* give in the way of the foot pad. Not as much as in the True custom but still.

Bauer models? Not really sure about that...

I, too, prefer the Speedplate. A custom orthotic in the way of a Speedplate would be preferred. I did try the True orthotic when I demoed a pro stock pair of their top custom line. I did not really care for it.

Ya the reddit post alluded to custom orthotics, and the link to Aetrex from @mojo122 seems to confirm. I might have a use case for that, but to be honest the Speedplate 2.0 is very very nice imo. Edit: looking at the document from @VegasHockey, the orthotics actually look pretty cool when paired with the Aetrex. I did not realize the base of the Aetrex was soft and conforms to your foot. Although you have 3 options of orthotics, so if you've been skating long enough you can probably guess which one you'd need.