stick9

Nah, it's all good. Anyway... I never had issues with the edge holders and runners. I liked their familiar feel and that shape is iconic. But, I'm going XS with Blacksteel here. I prefer CCM's release over the trigger. It's easier to use. We all know how big a PIA the trigger can be. That said. Don't think I haven't thought about slapping some edge holders on my retro Tacks. Man that would be killer.

It reads like only lower end skates had the plastic dial. Which up until the FT6 all skates except pro stock had the plastic dial.

No not really. My 100K Pros came with the dial pictured on top. I bought them when they were released, so about 3.5 years ago. Is STEP steel not justification enough? BTW, there is another XS holder coming. No more screw. It will be a plunger mechanism similar to a trigger

Full disclosure. I have the Pro version. I know that wasn't the ask so I'll stick to things that SHOULD be the same for both. First off, the retro Tacks are simply an XF or XF Pro with a different graphic and liner color. Some things I assume are common between the two models... The XF and XF Pro are a completely newish or tweaked boot. CCM extended the facing up along the mid foot adding depth to the skate. New swanky tongue on the Pro. The new toe box design (no more removable tongues) feels a touch wider but with less height inside. It looks small from the outside. There is a lot more padding throughout the skate, including down into the toe box. This was a massive improvement over my last skates. Out of box comfort was pretty decent. The heel on the Pro is narrower than a 100k of the same size and fit. Feels a bit deeper too, though maybe that just the padding. There are some decent video reviews comparing them to other skates.

As a bruins fan, I have never seen him use a Jetspeed in game. And it started out as a PM9-ish than moved to the more open P88. Towards the end he was using something with a toe hook as mentioned.

I went from a 100k Pro sz 6 tapered to an XF Pro in the same fit. Overall the fit is very close with a few exceptions. The XF's heel is narrower than the 100k. There is more depth around the insteep (CCM says this was intentional to fit more players). The toe cap has less negative space. All that said, I'd try both. Dropping to a tapered might be too extreme. Fwiw, the it's way nicer than the 100k. Definitely an upgrade.

If I recall correctly, the XL steel is standard steel with a longer profile. If correct that would mean any steel can be converted to XL steel. Regardless. You should be able to get 254 to feel like 263 by simply profiling your current steel.

HAHA love the name. Doesnt looks bauer to me unless bauer has decided to get rid of the trigger blade release mechanism. Holders look to have some of feature on the heel similar to the old Cobra holders. Could we be seeing yet another Marsblade holder??

Coming from a 100k Pro the stiffness was a concern. It was noticeable, though I didn't feel like the skate was restricting me. I had to work them a little harder to get them to do what I wanted at times so my legs felt it. Oddly, my chronic hip flexor and lower back issues seemed to disappear. Overall, super impressed.

Just in... STFU with these things 🔥🔥

A question for those with experience using and or ordering. Are the current generation MIC (made in Canada) pro stock CCM skates worth the money? Can I order MIC customs as a non pro player? If so, how do I go about ordering them? Have people had issues using skates made for someone else? I’m fine with retail skates. I don’t have any weird fit issues going on. That said, I’d really like a Clarino liner with the memory foam ankle packs from the old 70k’s.

Holy crap, that's brutal. I am pretty sure I could do a better job and I've never mounted a holder in my life.

Going off memory, 3/16ths thick X 3/8ths across. I cut it in half so it would have better contact with the holder. You can use just about anything or even nothing at all.

Yeah, flip the skate so the toe is facing left. Use the spacers or in my case some nylon washers to lift the heel up then raise the ring height to where it nicely kisses the heel.

I've been doing this for a few months now. Not every time I sharpen...more like once a month or so. I use a couple of nylon washers to prop the rear up. Works like a charm. I highly recommend this to anyone with a machine.