Asian Tomatoe

The CCM titanium in a large was the only one that fit right because it was longer than the REAKT cage. For reference I wear a medium helmet and a large cage. The REAKT is lighter but it never worked for me… Now if Bauer comes out with a titanium cage in the profile shape then I’ll pick one up as I‘ve been using my last two cages and the chin cup is starting to get really beat up… Is there any replacememt chin cup that would fit the CCM titanium cage? I haven’t been able to find any that fit right.

I switched from Hyperlites to Cat9’s but I switch holders out immediately to LS edge so I can’t give any feedback on the shift max holders. Compared to the Hyperlites, the Cat 9 is stiffer all around but has less forward flex. I found the Cat 9 far more comfortable and more responsive than than the Hyperlite. The pitch on the Cat 9 seems less forward given both having LS Edge holders. Cat 9 is wider in the forefoot and more volume throughout, especially in the forefoot. Overall I fit, prefer the Cat 9, better and feel its a more responsive boot. It’s more comfortable and the ankle wrap is really nice. My main complaint about the hyperlite was it felt like the ankle never wrapped well even with the cut outs and would get loose during a game because it wanted to go back to it’s original form. I like that i can tie the top two eyelets lose on the Cat 9 and still get support whereas in the hyperlites I had to tie the top two tight to get the wrap and fit i wanted. For reference I a size 6 in Hyperlite, fit 2 size 6 R in Cat 9, and size 6.5 fit 2 in Ultrasonic.

I found the Catalyst skates to be the same sizing as the TF series except that there is a thicker foam piece in the front of the toe. I was lucky able to bake both a size 6.5 and a size 6 and, as stated by everyone else, baking really changed how the skate felt from pre-bake. Pre-bake, the size 6 felt way too short and and the 6.5 was the right size but post bake, my feet settle in towards back more and it was too large and wide. The skates, open up a lot when baked but i did notice that there is a large front pad that affects the perception of sizing. For reference, I'm a size 6 fit 2 in the Hyperlites and a size 6.5 fit 2 in Ultrasonics. Mach skates I only got to try on a size 6.5 fit 2 and those seemed to be perfect with a wider toe cap than the Ultrasonics. Didn't get to try on a size 6 to see if the wider toe cap allowed me to fit smaller but the 6.5 had my toes barely brushing the toe cap pre-bake.

How is the flex rating compared to other manufacturers? Do you guys feel like it plays stiffer or weaker than normal (CCM sticks seems like they play a bit stiffer than their Bauer counter part)? Trying to decide between a 77 or 70 flex. I tend to cut at least an inch to 1.5 inch off the top of current retail sticks.

Take a look at Stark Hockey as they make gloves specifically for women’s hand. Their website will describe the fit and differences between men’s gloves. Another option, but is an older glove and harder to find now, but the STX Surgeon series gloves are super tight fitting that might work. Their 14” gloves was more like a 13” to 13.5” gloves when compared to most other gloves. For pro stock, Jason Spezza gloves are tight fitting and size 13”. He has reduced gussets all thru the fingers and the part of the palm that they fit ultra tight.

I'm noticing a lot of people are changing out the SHIFT holder with the LS Edge or XS. What are people's thought on the SHIFT holder? I find them to be ok...neither good or nor bad except for how short the steel height is. I'm thinking about changing them out and up-sizing to a 263 from a 254 but worried about how the holes will align/ overlap. I have a lot of 263 steel lying around and like the extra height on the steel compared to the SHIFT holder.

I didn't know you could still get clarino liners at retail custom. Can you get Ultrasonic without the flexible tendon guards?

Hey Thorisson#3, I'm not sure if it's because of Covid or how emails are screened or what not but I had a warranty issue with the TF9's and I called True and talked to a customer service rep. I had email but didn't get a response so I called them. Once I got a customer service rep, they were very responsive and easy to work with so try that if you haven't already.

Wasn't sure if Innovative counted since they were a bit more mainstream. Loved their composite taper blades and 1100 series shafts. While we're at it, what about Branches and their gold and black/green composite (9001?? series) shafts? Those were some nice shafts at the time, pre-Easton dominance.

Harrow - Both Shafts and Blades. Liked their blades as they had some of the older 90's curves that weren't available any more and some different variants. Also had pretty good feel to them. The shafts were decent. Solid and a little whippier than their state flex when compared to other brands but they could take some abuse. Trialage (Triliage??) - Those red triangle shaped shafts. Never owned one but had a chance to try them out in roller and it was...a really weird feeling shaft.

I have the HG97 ECHL and a HG98, both without the shot blockers and they are some of the most protective, tighter fitting 4 rolls. It's nothing like the retail models and the pro stocks one all have D3O instead of the D30 lite they use at retail. They are a bit heavier than the retail models but far more protective. I'd say they are more protective than the pro stock Bauer and Warrior gloves. I also have the FT1 in pro stock with the shot blockers and have the same comments as above. i compared them to the retail FT1's and it's night and day different in terms of protection. As far as sizing goes, I'm not totally sure but anything new that's been made after the HG96 series is the same length as retail from my experience. The 0.5 in long fit might have been true with the older pro stock gloves I tried on but aren't sure as I've only tried them on in passing but remember them fitting a bit looser than the retail equivalent at the time. The model stick9 is asking about is equivalent to the retail U+ CL model gloves and those did fit large. In particular, the finger lengths were really long. Those in pro stock, I've seen tons of variants but always fit extremely large...those in 14's felt like 15's in many gloves and hence, I never picked one of those up.

Do the custom True skates have less volume in toe cap area for those of you that have Custom skates? Oh and one more thing, these only have one insole and no red liner like the custom ones.

With the new fit im a fit 3 but in the previous Bauer lines I was a supreme EE or a Nexus D but heels on the nexus were too wide. If you can try out the True skates in both width. You're on the cusp where I’d guess you would be a D width in True but could go either way. As far as sizing goes. I was 6.5EE in Makos and a 6.5 in Bauers and CCM and i ended up in a 6.5W for Trues. One thing i noticed that’s really different from the Makos Is the toe box area. The Trues dont have the liner/extra snug Feel up on top of the foot like the Makos.

I ended up taking advantage of the True rebate and picking up a pair of the TF9's in a 6.5W. The W width seemed really wide to me (which is what I need). I'd say the True W width is similar to a Bauer Fit 3 but the shape of the front of the True's are different from Bauer or CCM to me. It doesn't taper in slightly where the toe cap meets the boot on Bauer or CCM skates but rather, stays the same width. Also, it seems like it's a deep boot overall. There is enough volume in the top of the toe box where I think I'm going to use PowerFoot inserts to take away some of that space. The insoles I'm not sold on. It's definitely nice but it's a bit thick and you have inserts to attach for the arch (medium or high). Not sure how they will work out but I'll give them a shot.

So I took the time to go try on the FIT 2 & 3 between the Vapor 2x Pro and the Supreme Ultrasonic & 3S PRO. I can't really get my feet into a fit 1 so didn't even bother with those. The tongue does play into how the skate feels based on trying a FIT 3 Ultrasonic vs a FIT 3 in the 3S PRO. The Ultrasonic tongue is much better than the previous 2S PRO but it definitely does take up more space, in terms of volume compared to the more standard 3S PRO tongue. When I tried on the 32 PRO, there was less press over the top of my foot versus the Ultrasonic in the same spot due to the tongue. I could really feel the Reflex segments in the Ultrasonic. Overall, the new supreme has more volume in the curved section of the boot or between the instep and ankle area compared to the previous Supreme and even Nexus line. There is less volume in the front half of the skate compared to the Nexus but part of that is also due to the new Toe Cap. I'd agree with the assessment that it's a slightly wider Supreme EE (Nexus D) but the heel area is definitely no where near as wide and cavernous as the Nexus. I'd call FIT 3 more like a Nexus width up front, mid section is like a supreme EE but with a little more volume, and the heel/ankle area is like a Supreme shape but the ankle and heel padding isn't like an Supreme EE (not as thick or bulky). Overall, for me, heel shape works better than the Supreme EE and Nexus as it seems like the padding is located better and shaped better for my foot. Regarding the FIT 3 between a Vapor and Supreme, they are similar but definitely feel different. The difference is most likely due to the boot cut and overall shape. Even with the asymetrical ankles, I fail the pencil test in the FIT 3 Vapor and pass the pencil test in the FIT 3 supreme comfortably. The FIT 3 Vapor feels slightly more snug overall (at least for me) and has slightly less volume overall... is the best way I can describe it. I'm going to guess depending on the foot shape, the feel difference between FIT 3 (and the other FITs) across the two lines will be more pronounced for some and not for others. I briefly tried on a FIT 2 Ultrasonic and that didn't really last long. The FIT 2 Ultrasonic seemed tighter compared to the previous generation Supreme D across all areas but I can't make much statement as it was an uncomfortable fit overall for me. Side note - the Bauer fit machine put in a FIT 2 but a second scan put in a FIT 3. Using Bauer fit system - it says I have a E Right EE Left forefoot, low end instep, high volume where the foot and ankle meet, medium ankle volume, medium/medium high heel. Length was 6.5 skate size. I like my skate tight and there was no way a FIT2 would even be comfortable for me.

Has anyone had a chance to compare the new Bauer fit 3 versus a Nexus fit? Or does anyone know how different the fit 3 is versus the Nexus? I'm trying to figure out if the fit 3 has a narrower heel than the Nexus fit from previous. No around here has a fit 3 in my size. Also, how much less stiffer are the intermediate versions compared to their senior counter parts?

Regarding color of the cage...The one thing I do wish about the Zero plus is that the cage is white or chrome. I may do what I did to my Zero cage where i spray painted the inside of the cage white and made it an “Oreo” colored cage. I put several coats and it has last well over a year of use with no chipping to this day. I havent really noticed the black cage messing with my vision so far on the Zero Plus put will agree that white is definitely the least obtrusive for a cage

The Avision Zero Plus is heavier than the MK5-X as far as weight goes. Sightline between the two.. hmm.. for me... they are comparable. The bars are thicker on the Avision Zero Plus but when playing, I don't notice any difference between the two. Keep in mind I'm coming from wearing a cage for almost 2 decades and never having any issues with sightlines so I both are an improvement for me. Like I said before, the biggest thing I notice is the difference in airflow as the Zero Plus visor portion sits away from the face quite a bit more. I don't notice any deadspots or weird vision areas in the cage like I would with a Fishbowl. Hope that helps.

I’d recommend the Zero Plus because the cage breathes better, doesn’t fog and requires minimal care. I had a better experience with the Zero Plus than the MK5-X. The MK5-X started to have lite condensation towards the bottom of the shield after 2-3 games.

Interesting that everyone is saying the MK5-X would hit their shoulder pads. I never had this issue but I need large cages on a medium helmet since a big noggin. What shoulder pads are you guys using? I try to find the lowest height shoulder caps and haven't had any issues with the CCM line of shoulder pads. Bauers...not so much..they have really tall caps to me. I had to stretch out the cage for the Avision Zero Plus and that was my one complaint as well. For reference, I went from a CCM Titanium cage to the Avision Zero Plus and didn't notice the weight after a couple minutes but do agree/wish the cage was lighter and a wider.

I've been using the new Avision Zero Plus shield and have had on the ice for 4-5 games. Had zero fogging and I've only wiped it once with water due to water splatter that dried on shield. It's wire/shield combo. It's one of the few half shield/cage combos that have not fogged on me. The other half shield/cage combo that didn't really fog till the end was the HockeyNinja MK5-X hybrid shield. Between the two, the Hockey Ninja is lighter and has a more "optically" correct shield. However, the Avision really hasn't fogged on me and since the shield sits further off the face/helmet, breathability hasn't been an issue like some of the other combo shields I've tried. Also, between a fish bowl and combo shield, I prefer the combo as it has better air flow and when the puck is in your feet, the fish bowls bars are thicker and you tend to lose sight of the puck more.

Depending on how open of a cuff you like, the CCM FT1 gloves would fit this description.

You try to see if you like the CCM FT series or try to find the RBZ lines as those have a lower profile cap from my experience. Another option similar to the Tour Code 1 option but with a littler better padding would be the Bauer Official Reffing Padded Shirts. These pads are pretty much like the roller pads but with a slightly thicker protection more suited for ice pucks and around the same price. I wear them for roller and like them a lot.

I've used the E6000 glue on the S17 and other skates and it's awesome. No issues. It's a lot like ShoeGoo.... flexible glue and not rock hard like crazy glue. So far the E6000 has been the best glue since it can handle some flex. Tubing giving that a shot. I also used a clamp to help further attach the soft material to the carbon boot and have had good results

When I used to live n AZ I tried the padded shirt and didn't like it that much. I tried using lacrosse shoulder pads since they have less padding and are much lighter and thus more breathable. You could try those and see if they work for you. The goalie padded shirts out currently seem to have more padding than the current roller padded shirts that might work out the Mission roller pads last year came with minimal shoulder caps. Honestly, I ended up in the CCM U+CL while out in AZ and they worked out the best.