JV23

My 10 yr old has been back on the ice for a week now that we moved out of lock down. That would be about 5 hours of ice, skating pretty hard. He has tried the ccm game on mask, a normal surgical mask, a level 3 mask for more water resistance, and the Bauer rtp mask with filter. He loves the Bauer one- doesn’t complain at all. Got some Filti n95 material and have cut some better fitting filters now. I start back Wednesday and I have one too...can’t wait to try it.

From a guy who had a 2 year old start skating and then migrate, don’t rush into the hockey gear. Let them deal with finding their balance and stride as unencumbered as they can be. Knee pads and elbow pads (scooter stuff) under a snowsuit worked wonders for mobility and cushioning. Then, when they’re all bulked up, everything will be a lot easier.

So what was the verdict? I have a set of profiled Bladetech arriving sometime in the next week or so and am curious for Mini-me...

When they do, I hope there’s more steel on them than the Step True for Shift holders... after a profile I feel like there’s not a ton of life left on the blade...

A few of the Canadian online stores have them. Not sure I’m allowed to post the links but a quick check on the Google for Step steel epro should find them. Depending on sizing, one store has V-steel for $65. The rest are around 90-100.

I switched out a concept III for the FV1 that I got on sale a week ago (3 skates), and I’m amazed at how much better it is. The Bauer would always start fogging up down low and get worse as the hour progressed, but the FV1 has stayed crystal clear. Not exactly sure why, they seem to look almost identical, but maybe it sits a touch further away from my face.

Thanks. That’s good context.

Hi everyone, ”Little man” is in 13.5Y Ribcor 70ks and is starting to make some grumbling noises about feeling the ends of his skates. He switched from the Jetspeeds to Ribcor at about size 12Y, and finds them a lot more comfortable. Now that it’s a jump to junior sizing, would it be crazy thinking to keep a good thing rolling with the Ribcor line? Reason I am asking is trying to get feedback is nigh on impossible other than “Good...I guess”, and I’d hate to jump him to the EE Vapors that the Bauer machine says are the closest fit and have him complain 2 months in... The best Ribcor I can find in his size are the 78K junior, which looking at price are quite affordable (as compared to the Vapor 2X or even the 2.9) or the other two CCM lines. I’m not at all adverse to paying less but my concern is whether I am somehow getting less skate for the money. He’s on ice usually 6 days per week... He’s got a wide forefoot, high instep, narrow heel - about 75 lbs right now... any impartial wisdom before I start hitting LHS’s? Thanks for any wisdom!

I am so envious. Just received in the mail a couple of pairs of Blacksteel that just came in to a retailer from True - and they were the same as my old ones. oh well, at least I have backups now to last a while.

Hah, yup...I ended up doing the same with the longer laces to keep them in for the same reason. Works great now. If the toe box has too much room, check where your tongue is attached...Apparently you can move it forward and backwards to give/take more room in the toebox. I know I pulled mine back away from the toebox a bit because I didn't like the feeling of my toes not having any "wiggle room"...sorry for the pun.

Thanks for the feedback. That’s not horrible...

I just got mine last Thursday and was in them for a good three hours the first day...fantastic comfort. My only wonder is how long the steel in the shift holders is going to last - seems tiny compared to the Step steel on my old Bauer’s with Tuuk holders...I know that’s why they gave us two sets of steel but...