stick9

So you think the store is covering up employee theft, wouldn't that be bad for their business? Or am I misreading it?

Could they be stuck in Customs? I'm surprised UPS or the store weren't more helpful. If the store has an account they should have a higher level of support than the average joe.

My guess, the new boots have modified the angle of your foot/ankle. Maybe you pronate slightly in your old skates, not uncommon with old broken down skates. The new skates have you more neutral. Just a guess

@iceman8310 check your inbox.

I wonder if these experiences are exclusive to the coated steel. I know someone that raves about his BT steel. He is also a Sparx owner, not mention of issues sharpening.

Totally agree on the sharpening of BT. Total PIA.

The truth is out there.... Both are listed as a 5 but who knows if they are exact or not, same goes for the pattern.

Especially if you aren't worried about growing out of them.

I passed on a pair of Warriors shortly after the Jets Heritage classic game. Not this time. I just cut them off using a small pair of wire cutters. It took all of 10 minutes. You can barely tell they were ever there.

Just arrived. Still in the process of removing the shot blockers.

It was free and I didn't like it. So I have this really flat ring that I never use. Hmm, maybe I could use it to grind off the first few passes of new steel or in the odd chance I sharpen for someone else and they require many many many passes to un-bleep their edges... When it dies it dies. I won't replace it or be buying a flat grind. Im simply pointing out an alternate way to use a tool you may already have. Especially if that tool is going unused.

JMO. That kind of defeats the purpose of THIS ring. When cutting a new hollow I always do a few passes with the flattest ring I have. This allows me to flatten things out without burning up passes on. I do this on brand new steel too. Now if you want to start cutting a hollow, that's a completely different purpose. For that I'd say your best bet is just to use whatever ring you plan to sharpen with. I can see where you're coming from I just don't think it would be as useful as flat cut.

Sparx is now offering what they are calling a Flat Grind ring. Curious how much this differes from their old cross grind ring. https://sparxhockey.com/products/flat-grinding-ring

Larger or thicker doesn't mean a higher level of protection and vice versa. My knock on some of the newer gear has been durability and price. I also find some of the newer stuff a bit gimmicky too. Defenders aren't a bad choice. They've always been a great pad. I might opt for a padded shirt with a lower profile pad for better mobility.

I had the same experience. I think every boot/holder/runner setup is unique. The same goes for player needs and wants. Some setups just work with little to no tweaking, others require tweaking. Some tweaks are just personal preference as opposed to "I can't skate in these skates".