birky

Had a custom Backstrom last about 2 weeks. It's closer to a P88 than a P19, but with a slightly longer blade and the toe shaved down like a P28. I actually found it did play a little loftier than a retail P88, but not dramatically.

I switched from 2018 Vapors to the ASV skates last winter and really had no issues. Love them, although I will note that I went down half a size in the CCMs. I've always skated on a 9' radius, and more recently, a 15/30 or 20/40 cag profile. All Step steel comes with a 10' radius stock, so if you were on 10' on your Vapors, you shouldn't notice a big difference. I would give you 3 recommendations - 1. The ASVs are STIFF. Don't tie them as tight at the top, which will give you more forward and lateral flexibility. I figured this out pretty quickly. 2. Consider aftermarket insoles like Superfeet, which should help put you more on the balls of your feet. 3. If those both fail to make a difference, take both your Vapors and your Tacks into a knowledgeable skate shop and have them try to emulate whatever profile is currently on your Vapors. I had my Vapors profiled fairly recently before buying my ASVs and I really did not experience what you're talking about, so I wonder if it's a result of how your Vapors were profiled.

@iamericThanks!

Does anyone know what the "F" means in Warrior build codes? Haven't seen until recently. Looking at a stick with a "T8LXPF" code.

I picked up the aegis interceptor last month and simply took the D30 insert out. The neckguard material itself is kevlar and should be cut proof. The D30 insert is for impact protection AFAIK. With the D30 insert removed, I have full range of motion and I barely notice I'm wearing it at all. Even though the odds of having my throat cut by a skate are very small, the inconvenience of wearing a modern neckguard is minimal, so to me it's a no brainer.

Sorry, don't think that's right. "T8", etc., refer to the build. If you scroll further down the thread you mention, you'll see the discussion about the first 2 characters being the build - Warrior has codes for fused constructions like the old Dynasty mid-kick, which is denoted as "F4". I believe the "T" refers to a true 1-piece construction, and the number refers to the kick-point/taper. F4 is a true mid-kick, T3 refers to an older Covert, T8 to the Alpha, and T9 to the QRL. The letters show the blade construction - T8DX refers to a true Alpha DX build, T9QRE would be a true QREdge build. To the best of my knowledge, Joe Pavelski uses an F4QRX construction, which is a fused mid-kick shaft build with an extra stiff QRL blade construction (denoted by the X after QR).

Think you have it reversed. T8 is the shaft/kick build and the blade is the LX2 Pro build. T8 is the warrior alpha build.

Warrior pro stocks seem to have a lot less variety (and much easier to decipher codes) than, say, CCM. If you're buying from Pro Stock Hockey or Hockey Stick Man, I'd just ask them to snap a picture of the code before you buy. You'll be able to tell immediately the shaft build and the blade build.

I bought a Kolesar LX2 Pro from PSH - it's a slightly deeper P88-type, but with more heel. I don't love it, sadly. But I've long been a fan of Warrior sticks and I still think the DX is one of the best I've ever used.

I don't think he has announced it yet, nor is it available in the customizer or the store, but it looks like Geppetto is reviving the old Iginla curve: https://prostockhockeysticks.com/collections/pro-stock-stick-curves-3d/products/pro7-st-e7-iginla-retail-curve-3d-visualizer Edit: Well, guess I was a day early. It's now available in the customizer. Just ordered one.

Can you explain the changes they made to the blade? I found the Catalyst 9x blade just far too dampened, and vastly preferred the old BRT blades. I mean I can't buy one of these anyways because they dropped the MC curve but just curious what I'm missing out on.

FWIW, I have the E5 Pro (Nexus), ASV, and LX20 and they have all been extremely durable.

When I started skating again after covid, I bought 2 sticks from Hoapa (PM9 & P88). Thought they were really nice for passing & stickhandling, but shooting had little to no pop. Durability was questionable. On the other hand, they're one of the few places you can still get a PM9 in less than a week (they ship direct from Taiwan to your door in a few days).

Pro stock Warrior Alpha LX2 Pro, dressed as Covert QR5 Pro. Really like the black & white scheme here, and the [basketball?] grip is really nice. Curve looks to be somewhere in between a P88 and P46, possibly? Has more heel and a deeper pocket than the P88, and a tad more open throughout the blade, but not as deep as a W71 or P46 (from what I remember).

True used to not dress sticks but it appears they do now. Based on some sleuthing, I believe True adds a build code to the namebar if the stick is dressed as something else. For example, a Project X build but dressed as a HZRDUS would have the "PXC" code. A Catalyst dressed as a HZRDUS would have the "CTC" code (or similar, like "CTA"). The first 2 letters indicate the build, not sure what the 3rd letter indicates (maybe the blade build?). If the stick does not have a build code, then I believe it's not dressed. Connor Clifton of the Bruins uses mid-kick sticks. DKhockey has a few True pro stocks for him, both are dressed as HZRDUS sticks but they have the CTC code on the namebar, indicating they are Catalyst builds.

Have you considered a 5 lie P92? True makes one for retail (TC2.5/T92.5). So does Sherwood (PP92). You can also get it through the Bauer custom store if you want to splash the cash.

sorry this is so late. The Backstrom is fairly similar to the P88. It's not as tall as the P88, and it has a slightly longer blade, but it has that pocket like the P88. The Barkov does not. The Barkov is more like the Malkin through the first 2/3rds of the blade. It has some heel loft that the Malkin doesn't, but overall it's pretty straight.

Yes. The Barkov curve has a huge rocker. Even coming from the P92 would be an adjustment. I'm a P88 guy, tried the Barkov and went back to the P88.

This is just my experience, but I hated the stainless Pulse steel I bought for my 2015 Vapors. I recently switched to a new pair of AS-Vs with Step V-Steel and have had none of the problems I was having with the Pulse stainless. I skate on a pretty short profile (20/40 cag, 3/4 hollow) and it feels great on the Step steel but like skating in mud on the Pulse. Step is just so much easier to skate on; my legs were on fire by the 3rd period in the Bauers and I wound up going back to my old stock LS2 runners. Now maybe the Tacks being a much stiffer boot than my old Vapors plays a role, but my experience with the Pulse runners was a factor in switching to CCMs (and also, the new AS-Vs are really great fitting skates).

TBC - To Be Confirmed

The simple answer is Yes, CCM is discontinuing the Ribcor line of skates. The more complicated answer is that CCM is integrating some of the Ribcor specs into the Jetspeed line, but I have to defer to others on exactly how that's being done.

I tried two and found the shooting to be very inconsistent. But otherwise the feel of the sticks was similar.

I skate on a 20-40 CAG profile with 272mm steel. I think it's closer to a 10' radius than 9'. I just went from a 280mm holder to 272mm and didn't notice any difference, but can't speak to 288mm. I've tried 15-30 in the past (on 280mm) and that was closer to 9'. A 30/40 is going to pitch you pretty far forward, but whatever floats your boat.

Can't answer regarding the lie, but it's generally very difficult to find specific player pro stock sticks, especially once they are out of the league. Pro Stock Hockey Sticks makes a clone of Datsyuk's real curve: https://prostockhockeysticks.com/collections/pro-stock-stick-curves-3d/products/pro13-st-pavel-datsyuk-pro-stock-curve-3d-visualizer.

You'll find the ASV's are very, very stiff. I adjusted by leaving my skates pretty loose at the top, which felt weird to do but because the boot is so stiff, it feels fine on the ice.