matix218

I think a medium or a small would both be fine because as far as I have heard they have the same wheel-base, the only difference is the positioning of the mounting plates. My 7D Boss SEs came with a Small Vanguard just for reference but at 7.5 it may jump up to a medium. Im sure skating wise they would feel identical since the wheel base is the same it just may be trickier mount one of them (of course unless you actually hold that specific skate's outsole up to both it would be hard to know which sits more flush).

Those Axioms look really nice especially with that black LS2. I bet you get a lot of people in your league asking what the heck skates you have.

Updated equipment: Helmet: Bauer 4500 (black) with jofa FM480 Chrome cage Shoulder pads: Sherwood Classics Elbow pads: Bauer one75 Girdle: Franklin THT Pro Pants: Bauer Vapor x-lite shell (ice), Syven Pro Pants (roller) Gloves: Bauer Pro Stock One90's (gray) and Farrell HG300's (black) Shin pads: Rbk 5k Skates: CCM U+ CL (ice), Mission Boss SE (roller) Sticks: 3 x CCM U+ CL Tavares (Regular flex)

That is probably true, although I dont see anything or hear anything about these skates that leads me to believe they are not a good product. But it is always easier to give them to someone who is just going to rave about how awesome the (FREE) product they got is rather than giving them to an expert like JR or one of the other equipment gurus on MSH who are actually going to critique the product with a larger basis of knowledge. To be honest if I had not just gotten a pair of U+ CL's I would have gotten a pair of MLX's just because I am that curious to see how they are, but i can not justify spending the money to try them after just spending $550 for a pair of CLs (which I do like very much btw).

I so wish i could test a pair of MLXs for free just because i am so curious as to how they feel on the ice. Nice skates btw, they are not the flashiest or fanciest skates but they do look to be quality.

Awesome! Good to know we dont have to go all the way to bristol if we want a mount done.

Simon those vapor 40s look nice, where did you end up getting them converted?

UPDATE: Shins: RBK 4k Elbow: Old Bauer Supremes Shoulder: Sherwood 5030 classics Girdle: Franklin THT Pro Shell: Bauer Vapor X-Lite Helmet: Bauer 4500 Cage: Jofa FM-480 Chrome Gloves: Farrell HG300 Pro Sticks: 3 x CCM U+CL (Tavares) Skates: CCM U+CL (Just got them on Saturday!)

Product: CCM U+ Pro Reloaded Skates Height: 5'9" Weight: 150 Foot Size: 9 (in regular sneakers) Foot Type: Narrow heel and midfoot, slightly wide forefoot (near the pinky toe) Skate Size: 7D Level/Use: Mens A League and whatever other hockey I play (Pickup/fill in/etc) Previous Skates: CCM 952, CCM 1052, CCM Vector Pro, CCM U+ Pro (originals with Rocket Runner) Fit: I used to wear a 7.5D CCM (in my older models such as the 952 and 1052s that I had) but with my last 3 pairs of CCM i moved down to a 7D (I feel that their new toe cap is slightly longer and my toes just feather the toe cap if I have a size 7 which is how I like them to fit). I can not stress enough that these skates absolutely must be heat moulded if you want to see how they fit because they have absolutely no shape to them until they are heated. If you try them on in a shop straight out of the box you will really wonder how anyone could skate in these things. As for baking these skates that can also be somewhat complicated. After learning from the previous U+ first gen. skates that I already owned, I opted to bake these at home. My old U+'s were originally baked at a shop with almost no results (170 for 2 mins just does not cut it for these skates). That being said I placed them on a cookie sheet and baked them at home for 7.5 mins at 200 degrees. The materials become very soft and the sides of the skate really wrap to your foot shape. I actually baked them a second time after skating in them 3 times and after this they were even better. As of now the only complaint I have is that they are slightly narrower then previous CCM models and they squeeze my forefoot slightly but it is very slight and if it continues to be a problem I may have them very slightly stretched but as it is getting less and less noticable every time I skate I may not even have to resort to this. If you want a skate that truly molds to your foot from heat fitting and fits very closely to your foot (I skate barefoot in these and they feel like I am wearing an extension of my body) this is the skate for you, just be sure that you bake them at a high enough temp. and for a long enough time or the foam will not become soft enough to mold properly. Also you will find that the heel lock is absolutely light years better then the original U+ skates and with the new felt tongue they are more comfortable flexing forward in as well. Fit Score: 9.5/10 Blade/Holder: These come equipped with the standard CCM e-pro holder and their scallopped steel. They opted to not include the rocket runner this year due to complaints regarding them being difficult to sharpen without cracking the plastic when locking them into the sharpener (I loved the rocket runners personally and my sharpener never had any issues with them). That said the CCM standard scalloped steel is very good and I can honestly say that whatever pitch that they have their stock steel at is without question the perfect pitch for me as a skater (I have tried bauers and have always felt more on my heels and grafs feel too toe-pitched, CCMs seem to have that perfect middle ground that just works for me personally). These E-Pro holders have proved over the past few years to be very durable as well so basically there are no negatives here. Also I am so happy that CCM includes a 271 sized holder on their size 7 skates as many other manufacturers do not go up to this holder size until size 7.5/8 and I love having a longer blade so for me this is very appealing as the skate fits me length wise and I do not have to get a longer holder put on (adding total cost to the skate) as I have had done in the past. Blade/Holder Score: 10/10 Weight/Protection: The U+ Pro is one of the lightest boots on the market without question. They are very stiff on the side-walls as well and I have taken a few puck deflections off of them with no pain at all. It is amazing how stiff this boot is and that it can still be so lightweight. It is similar to Easton in this respect but Easton uses carbon fiber and CCM has their own special Foam material to achieve this level of weight/stiffness. They have also added a thicker felt tongue as opposed to the wafer-thin tongue on the original U+ skates (which I actually had switched to felt on my pair). This is more protective of the ankle and also more comfortable but it may be a tad heavier for you wieght whores out there. Weight/Protection Score: 10/10 Durability: CCM really had to improve this with the Reloaded version as one of the major complaints about the original U+'s is that the sidewall material was not at all durable and neither was the liner. I can vouch for this as my old U's have bubbles/tears in the mesh side material in many places and the liner is tearing through in a few places near the upper ankle. This is simply unacceptable for a $500 plus dollar skate and CCM has absolutely addressed this with the Reloaded model. The new Surlyn side-walls are bomb-proof and the new glossier liner material seems to be much more resistant to friction-wear as well. This skate should last a long time and still look good after many hours of hockey. The glossy finish on the Surlyn side-walls also improves the appearance of the skate in general. I have been skating in these for 2 months (about 2-3 times a week) and they still look almost brand new in every way. Durability rating: 10/10 Intangibles: What can I say, I love this skate. I think skates should be very stiff but allow for good forward flex and this skate fits the bill. I do like an aggressive flex (and i dont weigh very much) so I opted to adjust the lacing pattern by skipping the second to the top eyelet to slightly lower the flex point of the skate and the results have been very good (still very tight around the top eyelet for support but just a lower flex point for better knee bend and stance). I also got the mail-in voucher for the free U+ CL stick with these skates which is absolutely the best hockey stick I have ever used in my life. It has replaced the Bauer XXX lite as my all time favorite one piece stick. As an intangible a free $220 stick can not be beat when getting a top end pair of $550 skates. I like the look and sleek glossy style of the boot as well. They may not be quite as sexy looking as the X60 or S17 but the performance is every bit as high-end and personally I prefer the U+'s more simple look. Intangibles rating: 10/10 Conclusion/Final Score: If your feet fit CCMs and you have the budget I can not recommend this skate enough. It fits very close to the foot and molds like no other. It is durable and looks good. The blade and holder are very strong. There is really nothing about this skate that is not top-notch. CCM has really improved the quality of their flagship skate over their original U+ offering which I was somewhat disapointed with. If you can still catch the free stick deal that is just an added $200+ dollar bonus but regardless the U+ Pro Reloaded is in my opinion as good as a pro-level skate can be. Final Score: 10/10

Helmet: Black Bauer 4500 Cage: Jofa Chrome Shoulders: Sherwood Classics Elbows: Old Easton ultra lites Shins: RBK 5ks Girdle: Pro Stock Franklin THT Shell: Bauer Vapor X-lite Jock: Shock Doctor Socks: RBK Edge all black Skates: 2008 U+ pros and a brand new pair of 2009 U+ Pro Reloadeds :) Gloves: Bauer pro-stock one90s and Farrell Pros Sticks: Bauer xxx lite kotalik pro stock, Bauer one90 P88, Bauer Endure P88, And I just sent my stuff in to get a free CCM U+CL with the purchase of my new U+ Pro skates, i chose an 87 flex Tavares (Recchi)

Hey Guys, Question for anyone who has step steel on a CCM/RBK holder. I know the Tuuk LS2 and other Tuuk Step Steels are a 9' radius same as the stock steel. Is the step steel that is made for CCM/RBK a 10' radius like the stock steel or is it a 9' radius like the other step steels? Can anyone confirm who has used these? Thanks

Some new equipment since I last posted in this thread: Gloves: Bauer one90 pro stock Helmet: Bauer 4500 black Cage: Jofa chrome Girdle: Pro stock Franklin THT wrap girdle (amazing) Shell: Bauer Vapor Lite Socks: Black RBK Edge Shins: Sherwood 5030 Shoulders: Sherwood 5030 Elbows: Old Easton Ultra-Lites Skates: CCM U+ Pros Sticks: Bauer XXX lite Malkin PM9 x2, Bauer Endure Lindros

Just got these today off ebay (maybe a msh member sold them to me?) Ryan Johnson pro stock easton 1500c's. They are 7.5D They have a different tendon guard (Way wider and different design) than the retail version. Thick slightly extended white felt tongue with "Johnson 17" stiched onto the front. They also have tuuk ls2's (272 as opposed to the stock easton 263 runners that come on their size 7.5 skates) They also have slight heel lifts in between the holders and the skates. They fit my foot perfectly too (I got lucky with that part having never even tried on an easton, just went off of what I heard for sizing). I may not use them right away cause my zg130s and vector pros are still going strong (and prob will for a while) but they will def see some use at some point

so just tightening the T-nuts will put enough pressure on the outsole to conform it to the chassis?

I have a question for all of you custom mounting gurus. I removed the ice holders from these nikes and I bought black vanguards for them which came in the mail today. I went to hold the chassis up to the boot and it really looks like there is no way to make them match up, there is a huge space between the front chassis mounting plate and the boot (it is like the boot is way to curved). If you make the front mounting plate line up flush there is a huge gap between the boot and the rear mounting plate. What should I do? Can these be mounted or do I have to add some kind of filler-shim so that they sit flush. On a side note I also held them up to a pair of vector pro boots that I have and they appeared to have the same exact issue even though the boot is much flatter on the bottom? Any help or advise would be great. By the way the skates are size 8E and the chassis are size M (so according to the chart they should be compatable) See pics to see what I am talking about... This pic shows the skate being pushed forward (thanks mom) so the front plate is flush with the boot. Note the huge gap in the back... This pic shows the whole boot just sitting flush on the rear mounting plate. Huge gap on the front mounting plate in this position... Closeup of the front plate gap (when the rear plate is flush with the boot) There is no way that it will line up the way it is. If I have to make some kind of shim or plastic insert can anyone recommend where I can get the proper kind of plastic? Thanks

my bad. even so still potentially a good deal if someone is looking for a magnesium vanguard in white. Prob get them with wheels and bearings for way less then just a new mag vanguard in blue would cost.

Looking forward to seeing these as mine will be the polar opposite of yours (I'm about to mount my White Accel Elites on either a white MG Vanguard or a white sprung) Dude, what size skate are you? Cause if you use a medium chassis some dude is selling a white magnesium vanguard on ebay complete with the wheels and bearings (off of a boss black skate) never used! I would have bought it but i already ordered my aluminum one. Search "mission chassis" on ebay and it should come up. Could save you a ton of money on this conversion if you can use a medium chassis.

I got them at the joe the first game of the stanley cup finals last year, they were brad stuarts. the are pretty comfortable, really suit my left foot well but the right foot kinda hurts on the side near my toes. but im pretty pleased with the way the fit considering they were made for someone else, but i hate the tounge.... to thick. What size are they?

Peckmic2, where did you score those Bauer S-9 skates? Pro return or did you have bauer make them for you?

K13, your skates look really good. Def way better fit then the other chassis. I should have my conversion posted up soon. Black Nike Air Accel Elites with Black Vanguards (non magnesium due to rediculous weight of the boot to begin with, i figured why bother because they will still be a heavy skate even with magnesium chassis).

I think he means that they used the last/shape of the discontinued Daoust skates (the ones Gretz wore for years) as a basis for the design of the first series of nike boots.

How much, PM me i might be interested actually. Be nice, im not rich :)

They definately look sick. I have 2 pairs of ZG 130s for ice and that extra pair of vector pros so you could say I am a bit of a fan of that boot!

Sick I cant wait to see them. I have a pair of Vector Pro boots I was thinking about putting a Hum'er on and this would be a similar pitch. You have to let me know if they feel really heel pitched so I can decide if i need to use a heel riser.