flip12

If you look at the padding around the Achilles, if it's not too packed in, you can sort of eyeball if you have regular or wide. That's where the width difference is most visible. It's kind of a best guess scenario though without having something concrete to compare it with. What about the midsole? Is there anything printed there you can see when you take out the insole? I think sometimes there's an indication there.

@AnimalFear’s right. 703 and 704 are the same last. 704 was just stiffer and lighter. @bengels you might like the True Catalyst line when it drops this summer. True is close to the Graf cut, about an eyelet lower than standard boots. Catalyst is supposed to have a bit softer flex to it, which makes me think it could be the best of new technology and a boot pattern that works for people who like classic Grafs (I’m a die hard 703 guy myself).

I’ll second this. I’ve worn FV1 since Christmas. It’s super clear all the time. I followed the instructions and didn’t do any special prep to it, no surfactant application of anything. It just works. One big difference between FV1 and C3 is the bar pattern on the lower half. Bauer has an odd number of vertical bars and CCM an even number. Just like in Ancient Greek temples, the important thing is what this difference does to a portal (be it door in that case or mouth and nose in this one) aligned in the middle of that face. An odd number of verticals blocks the entrance, while an even number does not. The turbulence of that obstruction is one reason why I suspect C3 fogs more than FV1.

I’m not super familiar with the intricacies of recent Bauer construction, but have they gone to thicker padding around the malleoli over those two recent generations? Did you bake your Hyperlights and if so did you try wrapping the ankle when you did? It sounds like reduced padding there might help achieve what you’re going for. Again, not super familiar but my impression is this is not a level of customization MyBauer offers.

You need to try them on. If necessary, order a few sizes, try them at home, and keep the one that’s so tight you almost can’t get your foot in. These loosen up with a little use. You’ll get more comfort in the long run and better performance by going as snug as possible.

Absolutely. The combination of both worlds would be incredible. I’ve found I can replicate a lot of that ankle flex with a Scott Van Horne boot, but I have to avoid the top three eyelets entirely when thermomolding the boots and replace the stiff tongue with the softest I can find. Then the forefoot feels amazing and the ankle feels ok. They’re just so much lighter that it’s incredibly noticeable and worth the slight loss in natural motion.

They’re from 1990ish, but they’re based on a model from the 80’s, so well before Fedorov’s time: 707’s are interesting. The bottom portion of the boot and the tongue are the stiffest I’ve tried from old school Graf (haven’t tried the 709). The winged top three eyelets allow full ankle mobility front and back as well as side to side. Though the tongue is stiff, it has a flex cutout at the instep to allow full forward flex. Finding old Grafs that might suit you @clayman might be tricky. If you have time to wait a month or two and watch classifieds sites, you can find pairs in good shape for cheap. But even the same model might be different wrt stiffness. I’ve experienced variation between vintage, origin (CA or CH made), etc., so there’s a bit of mystery every time.m something pops up. Another thing to note is the boot height. Old school Grafs are soft in all the right places like you’re used to, but they tend to also be lower cut than Bauer and CCM, which could mean too much of a good thing regarding ankle movement. If you can wait a little while, when the True Catalyst line drops you might be able to find the right balance of tier-appropriate stiffness, lighter weight, and sufficient stiffness where it counts.

My reading of the catalog was it’s both a flexier boot, tongue, and tendon guard. Tongues are no problem if they’re stiff because they can be swapped in two seconds with True. I miss the soft tension of the springy facings on classic Grafs. It just makes it so much easier to do my edge work.

It carries over from their other sports. The look is a bit too Mission Fuel for me, especially compared to the subtler looks of HZRDUS gear in baseball and golf I found on Ggl image search, but if it plays nice I don’t really care.

Increased ROM is definitely exciting.

That's where we differ. I loathe the 100K. Looks like Beetlejuice meets Goldblum's Fly. Best looking current skate in my book is the Bauer Mach Supreme. Almost everything else is WTF?

RBZ was their best looking skate and it’s just been a steady decline since.

Is it just me or are CCM’s skates getting progressively uglier?

My guess, with about 30% confidence is, CCM asked McD to wear something resembling their upcoming flagship skate at the ASG because that's an identifiable event. They can use that to say, "Look at McD wearing our AS-Vs in 2022!" without having to mention that he went right back to his trusty 2015 JetSpeeds. It's a little conflicting with that hypothesis that he wore his AS-Vish boots for a few games before the ASG as well, but maybe he really is close to being happy with them. Fedorov was in and out of Nike the first year they supplied him, so transitions from a skate the best skaters in the world know they love looks like it can be really tricky.

My curiosity drove me over to the Wayback Machine, and I found ePuck's archived marketing spiel for the shaft. Now the Boron Spine's handedness makes perfect sense: "The Tapered Novius represents the pinnacle of performance in shaft design. It combines the awesome construction of the Novius shaft with the 1 Piece Stick performance of a Tapered shaft. In a word: AWESOME! The Details Through extensive research and modeling, Innovative realized that a shaft is all about loading up energy and then releasing energy. The Novius is designed to do both of these. Like a compound bow that is easier to draw back than a standard bow, the Novius is easier to load up than other comparable shafts. After the loading phase, the energy is released into the puck more efficiently than other shafts as well. This is accomplished through a design that is completely unique in the industry. The Novius uses a Boron spine on the back side of the shaft (the side closest to your hand) to stiffen this side of the shaft. The front side of the shaft is made from comparatively softer composites. In effect, when loaded, the front side of the shaft can more easily ''stretch'' as you bend it into an arc during your shot. Upon release, the stiff Boron spine on the backside of the shaft delivers a spring like power that can launch the puck 15-20% harder than other top of the line shafts. A double concave shape on the lower 1/3 of the shaft focuses this flex low to reduce torque and increase accuracy. Right or Left in a Shaft? Yes - unlike any other shaft - you must choose a ''left'' or ''right'' on the Novius. This is because the Boron spine being located on the back side of the shaft means that you must hold the shaft correctly to utilize its benefits." So you're saying I may just have a wicked backhand if I reverse the shaft...I'm tempted. My Dolomite's a 75 and it shoots nicely, never felt it torque on me and go nuts or anything. The firmer/softer split on flex sounds interesting. I may just have to give it a try.

What makes the shaft hand specific then?

What's the shaft shape like? Concave forehand side, convex backhand? Does it have that profile inside as well if you chop off the blade?

I forgot my mental note to check McDavid’s footwear after the All-Star Break...no big surprise—he’s back in his OG JetSpeeds for now. Looks like he’s been back in them for almost a week.

eBay.de-free listings. I thought for 20€+ship it was a good deal for a whippy shaft if it plays similar to my first gen. Dolomite. The curve looks nice, otherwise too! Gerade bei #eBayKleinanzeigen gefunden. Wie findest du das? https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/eishockeyschlaeger-innovative-novius-one-piece-neu-rechts/1968920100-230-7660

Ah, thanks. I didn’t know that. That’s not going to work then. It’s a righty and I’m not.

I did my best to research first, found old topics from the MSH’s early days, but didn’t find my answer so I’m wondering if people here can help out. There’s a super cheap like-new Novius I want to convert to a tapered shaft if possible. I just want to know if Novius OPS were all tapered or if they were both tapered and standard like I read from the old posts that Novius shafts were.

Double-sided Scotch tape.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZwtQNFOWaE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Have you tried taking the insoles out completely and skating for a bit? It sounds wacky, but if your arch is really low, getting material out of its way can help. I wouldn't suggest doing this for a significant length of time, but it could lead to some insight about insole tweaks that might help.

I’m a 10 in MLX, but they upsized the holders on those, so it’s 296. In TF I’m pretty sure I’m a 9, which I think is 280. I can do that range, but it is a pretty big drop.