stick9

I find it to be the opposite. When you're taking it easy or just goofing around your mind focuses on little things. When you're in the zone you just react and do. By no means am I advocating for players to swap out a single runner or mix and match two different sets of steel. Just pointing out that it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.

I've swapped out only one runner once. It was mid game and the other was a PIA to get out, so I left it in. Funny thing is. My two sets of steel don't match in height or profile. It wasn't as bad as you would think. To the OP's point. It all comes down to, do you want to rotate two sets of steel or do you want to have a spare set on hand just in case? If it's the former, then keep them as close as possible so you don't notice going from one to the other. If it's the latter, I'd say get em profiled but don't worry about much else. They're only there in case something happens.

Hmm, I wonder if those RY builds are essentially FT3 non Pros...?

I don't have any internal insight either. Like you, I've worked in product development for the last 25 years. I'm the guy in the lab building the prototypes and running the tests.

Ugh, posting before coffee. Reading it back now I can see where gets fuzzy. I edited the original post for clarity. Let me see if I can do a better job. User feedback on the 6 may be irrelevant because of the changes planned for the 7. If those changes are significant enough you really should be testing the 7. In that regard, coming up with a few hundred "looks like & feels like" samples half thru development is very difficult. I'm guessing NDA's and other legal mumbo-jumbo would also be involved. I know each version is an improvement on the previous version. I tend to look at them in a vacuum. Sometimes a tiny little change ends up having a massive impact.

I'd like to think they already know what the 6 does and doesn't do well. Waiting for the masses to chime in just confirms what you already know. Besides, any changes you have planned for the 7 may make that feedback irrelevant. FWIW, I would trust the pros word over the masses. A pro is going to know right away if the blade feels dead or the balance is crap.

Hockey companies aren't the brightest but I doubt they wait until product launch to gather and evaluate user feedback. That sort of thing is usually done earlier on so critical issues can be addressed before mass production. In most cases. Exploration on the 7 is already in progress when the 6 launches. Maybe sooner if changes in tooling or new raw materials are needed.

Nope, pretty large stores, PH and IW. Just a wild guess but I'd say the market in Massachusetts is different than Nevada.

Yup yup. 67 flex intermediate sticks were way too flexy and never felt right. 75 flex seniors stick felt way too stiff after cutting. Being able to get a senior in a 70 flex was perfect. Switching to the proper flex and a pattern that better suited my playing style and ability was one of the better things I have done. I would say, certain parts of the US. The stick market in the north east is brutal right now. Right now, I couldn't walk into a shop and buy a stick. I tried online and there is nothing available in my specs. Luckily I picked up a second FT3 when they went on clearance. In all honesty, a two year lifecycle is a little short....three seems about right to me. If you can plan it right you can release a new twig every year,

If you aren't releasing new products at a regular cadence you risk becoming irrelevant. Just ask Graf.

In some circles you'll get chirpped for wearing anything other than your gear from HS/Junior.

First off. I find it hard to believe some rando from Pure knows their done, but not a peep here or other various sites. I wear a 9/9.5 shoe depending on the brand and skate in size 6 100k pros. Two sizes down isn't all that surprising.

No complaints here. If you want something beefier you could pair them with a padded shirt.

Which is why I specifically mentioned the 2x.... Since were nitpicking, look and actual in situ protection are two different things.

Protection wise. I think the recent Bauer offerings top CCM's. I had the 2x's for a bit and they were extremely protective, more so than the Jetspeeds that replaced them. The Jetspeeds fit nicer and feel more like traditional hockey shoulder pads. Which is why I switched.

Pretty sure both Bauer and CCM still do full customs. Whether or not that's available to the general public is another thing.

The point I was getting at is, just because margins are high that doesn't mean they are actually turning a profit. I have seen plenty of examples of high ticket items where companies still lose money with each sale. No one here seems to acknowledge what it costs Bauer/CCM to design, build, market and ship a product. All that cost is factored into the product cost. Companies don't make a single penny of profit until that cost has been paid off. With these short product lifecycles and low volume sales. I doubt they make all that much profit from an $1100 skate.

Serious question, do you actually know what their margins are, or are you just guessing based on retail pricing? Even if you know what their margins are, do you actually know what it cost them to produce, market and deliver products? Even if their margins are great. I doubt they sell enough to make a decent profit. Material costs have gone thru the roof over the past few years. FWIW, if people aren't happy with the prices, don't buy the product. The customer is the main reason why prices are what they are.

The problem isn't you per se, it's everyone else. I find when I drop down into some D league games the other players aren't good enough or just don't know to hit the open man. Maybe tweak your game a bit so you aren't so reliant on others. In other words, if you want the puck, go get it.

I'm guessing the OP has a high arch too. Probably little to no arch support as well. Using a better footbed will help but that reduce the skates volume and there is another issue. Those skates don't fit...

Sounds like you'd better served looking at something mid-tier rather than top of the line. I've seen quite a fewer Bauer's that feel much softer than their top of the line siblings.

I have a brand new ft3 still in the wrapper. Im gonna see how it compares to the one I've been using for the last 6-8 months. Why do I get the feeling it's gonna break almost immediately...

The store has some skin in the game. If you get your money back you can take your business to another shop. Giving you a store credit seems like a nice gesture, and it is, but it also assures them the sale. And it's not really true to the nature of the 90 day satisfaction guarantee. Anyway, good to hear you got it sorted out.

In my opinion. CCM should automatically replace the skates as a warrantee claim. Whatever time is left on the 90 day satisfaction guarantee should be transferred to the replacement pair. My reasoning, the damage prevented you from using them for the full 90 day period. Maybe you could argue that you are no longer satisfied with the skate due to the damage from routine use. Either way, I'd reach out to CCM directly and see what they say.

10,000%, especially in that skate.