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Tacks are the current relative to that style still using the JDP cap, the strapping and some minor details change year after year but the guts are still the same. You can sometimes find older generation Tacks online for a good deal, also even 2nd/3rd tier from the top would be equivalent since the top models all got super beefy compared to those older styles. If they're still in good shape overall maybe try what Monty mentioned and have the straps replaced... I've used donor pads for their straps in the past, or find a shoe repair place or maybe even a tailor/dry cleaner that may be able to sew new straps on for you.

When I switched from Bauer w/ LSE to CCM w/ XS blades I also had that more in the heels feeling. A friend who works at a shop mentioned the normal pitch of the blades is slightly different between the two brands/blades (I don't have the technical data to back that up but when I described the feeling she was immediately familiar with what I was describing going from one to the other). I debated putting the Tuuks on the CCM's but figured I should try profiling at first and it made a big difference in getting that feel just right (what worked on one might not work on the other). Last year I got new skates, CCM again, same size but they had an upsized holder which also required a little tweaking to get that comfortable feeling again (ended up going from a quad .5 on a 263 to a quad 0 on a 271). So if I were you and the boot fits great, try tweaking the profile to get that more familiar feeling.

I too found this, the 910, 720, and X all fit pretty different even though they have the same shell which was surprising. I've worn 910's for a few years now, they fit great but every now and then I get hot spots near the temples (I found this was wore before I removed the ear guards, once those were removed it created a touch more room and made it better but it still happens just not as painful). I bought a couple Tacks X, one in my normal CCM size, small, which ended up being way too tight. I then tried a medium which fit but felt like my head got swallowed u too much, like my head felt way too deep inside the helmet, so I sold that one too. I recently tried on a 720 at Pure Hockey (I really liked the idea of a little less weight but also more airflow and maybe eliminating that temple hot spot), unfortunately the 720 was not right either, the small was the right size (matched the 910) BUT it felt like it swallowed my head too much like the X did, just felt awkward in how low it sat (and how much the top of my ears would stick out if the display model didn't have ear guards on which crushed my ears, which are not that big lol, I'm not dumbo I swear haha). So for now I'll stick with my 910s' and maybe try to find a way to tweak the temple area to eliminate the hot spots.

I always thought the blade stiffness was more related to the feel of the puck and softer was more beneficial for receiving passes, not much of a difference for shooting, not sure if that's totally accurate but my uneducated logic seems to think it makes sense.

Not too familiar with that one but looks like a more standard traditonal fit, so maybe a Tacks? All of the new Bauer ones seem to tapered or anatomical to me. Also, not sure what size you are but these brand new Nexus 8000's just popped up if you're a 16": https://sidelineswap.com/gear/hockey/protective/shin-pads/7362023-bauer-nexus-8000-nhl-pro-stock-hockey-protective-shin-pads-senior-size-16 That seller has a website, lockerswap.com and you can get 10% off through the site, I've picked up some shells from them in the past.

Also, pretty much all pro stock socks have a layer of cut resistant fabric sewn to the back of the leg for the past number of years (I've had a bunch, you only notice when you wash them since you see/feel the extra layer on the inside). I mean it's great for protecting your calf but unless you're overlapping the tendon guard it still leaves some room for injury if a skate comes down into an exposed tendon area.

I haven't used their cut resistant variety but Aycane makes a really nice skate sock, I would try them if I was looking. I have a pair of their normal skate socks and they're really high quality and haven't worn down/stretched out much at all over the past year.

I might trust an old school cobbler more than a local shop in this case (unless it's a legit shop with people who know what they're doing, not something like a Pure Hockey), couple stitches and could prob replace that eyelet in no time. Hardest part is finding one still in business still.

I think a white cuff would've been great, kind of how the Flyers do it now which looks so so good.

Rangers breaking in their alternate gloves... Navy with red trim, kind of wish they had some white in there too, two tone gloves are kind of boring.

especially after the fabled Iron Lotus incident.

That testing process is not the end all be all, it is not perfect by any means and has some flaws. There are many threads discussing the shortcomings of their tests and lots of opinions on how much different people value, or don't value their findings. I'm sure the ones discussing the Tacks X helmet here have already decided whether or not the VT ratings mean anything to them. I've heard that CCM does their own testing (or uses another lab/University) which is more thorough than the VT tests and I'd guess their results are pretty good which is why they're expanding the usage of the 3D Printed webbing.

Growing up it was mandatory (I started playing around 1990), wore one til I got to college and it wasn't mandatory anymore. I remember there were various brands/models, some more comfortable than others, I'm sure now there are even better ones than back then and a lot more to choose from since there's more companies making them now. I recently saw CCM, Bauer,and Shock Doctor even make base layers with them built in which seems like a nice option, albeit a very expensive one. Now, personally, I don't know if I'm going to wear one, I mean I bet you're more likely to get cut on wrists/back of legs, and most don't even wear anything in those areas. This tragedy appears to have been avoidable from what I saw, I've never seen anyone's leg naturally extend how his did but that's just my opinion.

I tried a Tacks X in small and medium (I'm normally a small in CCM with the adjustment about halfway), both pro stock but not "custom", don't think I paid more than $175 for either. The small was way too small even at the largest setting, tried it for one game and it was not comfortable at all (aside from how much more airflow there was) so I resold that and found a medium. The medium fit at the smallest setting but felt like I was wearing a bowling ball, like felt like it was not snug enough, it was odd. So I sold that and have stuck with the 910's I have but I'm curious to try the 720 since it seems to fit more similar to the 910, I was lucky in that I was able to recoup almost everything I spent on my Tacks X experiment, it might've cost me $5-10 in the end which is ok with me, just glad they were pretty easy to resell. I'm sure a Custom Tacks X would be 100% better fitting and slightly more comfortable than what I'm used to but there's no way I'd spend that kind of money on a helmet.

Currently Trigger 6 Pros, just recently switched back to those after using FT4 Pros and LX2 Pros for a while. The LX2's were harder to find since I like a P90TM curve and it's not a standard Warrior curve, but I found a couple pros that used them and that supplied me with a bunch over time.

I'm with Stick9... I'm happy paying $150-200 USD for pro stock sticks off SLS or prostockhockey, once you know what you're looking for you can get some good deals. I've never had interest in those generic brands that cost as much or more than what I'd normally pay for sticks I know I already like.

I've only had QRL's with the funnel cuffs (EK65 specs) which are the same body but different cuff, and for me, the QRL's all felt a bit wider in the backhand than HG12's. HG12's definitely take more breaking in than QRL's do (which feel broken in from the start) and, in my opinion, the HG12's are a better built glove.

Another vote for Tacks line. Construction wise they're as close to Pro Stock as you can get since the shall is essentially the same as the "pro stock" versions of the latest Tacks models (can find pro stock models of AS-V, Ultra Tacks, Super Tacks). The biggest difference is the liners... pro stock uses the classic Jofa style removable liner which has WAY more padding around the knee with the old school donut padding, the retail ones have much thinner padding so your knee can actually contact the outer part without much force.

Personally I think it's pointless. I've played with a cage almost all my life, once you play and stop focusing on the bars they just disappear if the cage fits properly (I've had some that didn't sit quite right and the horizontal bars seemed to be right in front of my eyes). I highly doubt the guys who cut a few bars out are getting any real benefit (maybe actually less b/c now there's a big gap and might mess more with your eyes?). I tried a full bubble a few games and didn't see any real benefit vision wise (just hotter and it was slightly too small for my face so that sucked), I also used half and half shields when I was a kid (think Team Iceland in the Mighty Ducks, the Itech combo) and they just seemed like more work (cleaning/de-fog spray, being careful not to scratch it, etc). I also wore a half shield for a bit but the benefits weren't worth the risk of getting sticks/pucks to the face imho.

This thread is making me feel so old... back in my day (the early/mid 90's) you had retail jerseys or authentic pro jerseys that were the same as the teams wore and were much harder to purchase (only a few stores sold those, I got mine from Gerry Cosbys who were affiliated with the Rangers). The pro ones had the embroidered NHL crest next to the CCM logo on the back and had the fighting strap, I had a Messier one and it was awesome. I'm glad I don't collect or wear jerseys anymore, this is way too confusing lol

He has also been testing a Super Novium lately so I bet he's just trying anything new at this point.

if you do the wrap method the laces don't even get tightened so they're not even necessary at all, the wrapping will tighten the boot to the foot and you won't run the slight risk of damaging eyelets.

I don't have the exact temp/time for the skates but I did my FT4 Pros at home a couple years back and the CCM directions you posted sound more like what I did, I remember it only being a couple of minutes definitely not 5-7 minutes. I used a baking sheet to lay the skate down on and did one at a time. I followed these steps below aside from the temp/time, also if you haven't read about the wrap technique I suggest you read into it as it provides some great results (you can get the wrapping stuff on Amazon or from Staples or any hardware store). https://www.icewarehouse.com/lc/skates/how-to-bake-a-hockey-skate-at-home.html

iirc, the far toe/heel are not part of the profile, I know I had my toe/heel blended a bit after getting mine done on new steel since I felt like they were too boxy. I'm no expert but that's what my friend who does the profiling told me she did for me.

There were a bunch of guys using them last season and I'm almost positive even more using them in the pre-season, on the Rangers I know Fox and Laffy had them last season and I'm almost positive I saw some training camp photos with them still using them.