stick9

Have you tried the chalk gymnast's use.... What about the stuff pitchers use??? I'm sure there are tons of alternatives. Trial and error.

Bauer used to do them as customs, I think they were called V-Cuts. @dkmiller3356has a pair. There are quite a few NHLer's in tech-mesh boots. They look like the regular curv version minus the shine. Jonathan Toews is probably the most notable.

I wouldn't let just anyone punch a toe cap. Even if they say they can, make sure they've done it before. That said. Why not just go custom?? I am almost positive you can upsize the toe caps on full customs.

My pro stock 90T and retail 90TM's are exact. The extra kink in the toe is the tell.

Sure, but let me start by saying these failures aren't premature. These things are happening to skates that look like they've been to hell and back. That said. It's mostly Bauer with some CCM & Eastons in there. No True cuz no one I skate with is using True.....no one I play against is using True. It should be noted that up until recently (last two years) pretty much everyone was wearing Bauers. Simple math.

I have a few friends with failing boots. The issues they are having are much worse like the outsole separating from the boot, toe caps coming loose, continually replacing rivets broken or cracked tendon guards.

Love my RE-ATK Titanium cage. I've had a few instances where I expected the cage to be damaged and not so much as a scratch. Vision wise, it's fine. I don't even notice the bars. If it's something you focus on, you'll never get used to it.

Yeah, though I think it stays at two so users have some variety within the brand.

From my experience. The 5/8ths Fire felt more like a 3/4 ROH. Why not just keep that 11/16ths fresh? It's less wear on the ring. I'll normally do 2 passes for every 4 hours or ice time.

For 98% of the people posting here, the finish in the hollow is vastly overrated. Sorry it just is. It's one of things that you can measure or calculate but never actually feel. It's only an issue because someone said it was.

JMO, before you start changing lacing patterns and looking for new skates, spend the $5 on some Howie's lightly waxed laces.

If you need an ultra stiff boot for support the issue isn't the skate...sorry. I doubt there is all that big of a difference performance wise. What you likely experienced was the difference in overall fit between the two. I also question whether or not the 88k were properly sharpened.

$199, still a decent price for that stick.

I usually need to trim the felt edges on my skate. The tongue rolls out and the edge of the felt pushes against my ankle.

I've run into the same thing. Not to the point where I need to pry the wheel off, but they are difficult to swap after multiple passes.

Oh, I didn't know CCM had started that as well. My bad.

What's being discussed is a CCM only thing. Since the steel comes with the skates, it will need to be returned with the skates.

A few years ago I dropped from a 254 to a 246. I noticed a drop in stability but not necessarily while I skating. It was noticeable when playing along the boards and out in front of the net. I also felt like I had lost some grip even though I didn't change my hollow. I've also tried a larger holder, 263 which increased my stability and overall speed. The larger holders made my feet a bit clunky....clunkier would probably be more accurate. 😉 I didn't care for the oversized holder and eventually swapped them out for my usual 254's.

I ran LS3 and coated LS3 for a bit. As I recall, LS3 required profiling to be playable. The toes needed to be shaved a bit. The Step I used was far more playable right out of the package....after a sharpening of course.

It's possible Bauer never intended on the trigger mechanism being a serviceable part. That's not unreasonable seeing how the holder would need to be removed to access it. Not all that much different then their previous holders. My gripe there. If the trigger fails it should fail to release the steel not fail to keep the steel in.

There was a legit issue with the LS4 when it was first released. Other than that I agree. I'm not disappointed or bitching at CCM. It happens. Luckily for me the steel was still under warrantee. Still an excellent holder and steel.

It's kind of funny. This place is full of posts about broken Edge holders and LS4 steel. I never had a problem with any of my edge holders or Bauer steel. I switched to CCM about a year ago and have already broke a runner (step blacksteel) and the quick release mechanism is chipped and cracked. I still like the holders and steel, just seems odd to me.

Meh, I see a fair amount of Bauer's rolling thru the various repair shops I follow on IG.

Reading thru the comments. The user mentions due to his or her size they need to buy a higher end/stiffer skate. A lower end skate would breakdown too quickly.

Just a stab at it.. MHSRTSMSP M= ???, HS = Hockey Stick, RT = Right Handed, SM = Special make up, SP = Super Tacks The M could be their factor code.