CCM U+ Pro Reloaded

[Chadd 916]

Open for review

[tamtamg 12]

Product: U+ Pro (size 6.5E)

Ht: 5'7"

Wt: 200 lbs (What can I say, I'm loves me some food)

Foot Size: Size 8 sneakers, 7.5 dress shoe

Foot Type: Duck like would be a good description. Med-Low arch. High Volume.

FEET PICS WARNING

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3486/391301..._e661b085ac.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3488/391380..._17cf4c297a.jpg

Level and Use: B league 1/week. Pick-up/Stick&Puck 1-2/week since July

Previous Skates: Original U+, Supreme 70, Vapor XXXX, RBK 5K, Nike Air Accel Elite

Fit: Before I say anything about the fit of the skates. I should mention that these skates must be baked for you to get an idea of how they're really going to fit your feet. If you are trying them on at the store w/o baking them, they will feel horrible on your feet. For me personally, when I first tried them on, they felt really sloppy in some areas and really tight and others. After they were baked they felt pretty good. It's truly amazing how much these skates mold to your feet yet remain a very stiff boot. As for the fit, I only have two complaints; the toe box is just slightly too narrow for my duck feet, and they slightly squeeze on my outer tarsometatarsal joint (the bump the juts out on the right side of my foot if you look at the pic provided). However, compared to the other skates I've worn, they fit me the best. I think that my feet are just too wide for me to ever find a perfect fitting skate at the retail level. 8/10

Blade/Holder: I'm really glad CCM choose to get rid of the Rocket Runner for these skates. Instead, they used their performance lite stainless steel (scalloped steel). Though this got rid of the annoying crunch noise of the RR, they do feel softer than both the RR and standard stainless steel. As for the EPRO holders, I have no complaints. They do put you on your toes more than LS2’s, but I adjusted to it quickly. 9/10

Weight/Protection: These skates aren’t heavy, nor are they considerably light. They weigh exactly how you would expect a top end skate should weigh. As for protection, I can’t really give much feedback. Not too many guys unleash howitzers in the league I play in, but on the shots I’ve taken so far to the skate, they’ve done the job in protecting my feet. 9/10

Durability: This is where the U+Pro really stepped up the game from the original model. In my original U+ skates, the liner wore out very quickly and the quarter panel began to bubble after the first couple skates. In U+Pro, I haven't had any of these issues or any other issue to speak of. 10/10

Intangibles: I can't stress enough that these skates must be baked for them to fit properly. When baked, the entire boot of the skate molds to the shape of your foot and the U+ foam expands to fill in all the spaces between your foot and the skate. The combination of the new liner, Ufoam, and the felt tongue make this a very comfortable to skate. In terms of looks, I'm not a real fan, but heck, if the skates fit, I guess I can't complain. I should also mention that this is a very stiff skate. I put it up there with the one95 in terms of stiffness, which may or may not be an issue for some skaters. 9/10

Conclusion: The U+Pro is a great skate. CCM addressed a lot of the issues that plague the original U+ skate. I'd recommend this skate to anyone who has had issues finding a skate that fits their awkward feet.

OVERALL: 9/10

*edit*

fixed pic links

Edited October 7, 2009 by tamtamg

[MLSman 22]

Product: CCM U+ Pro 2009 (Reloaded)

Height: 6' 2"

Weight: 160

Foot Size: 13 sneaker, 12 shoe

Level and use: 2-3 times a week, high level pickup play

Previous Skates: Vapor XXXX custom, One95, Vapor X:60

Background: I was debating on the skate I wanted for some time. After to speaking with the zen master of fittings and looking at different skates in the market, the decision was made to do a pure custom U+ boot to my requirements. So, a L8.5, R8.25 C/AA with pro stiff package, extra ankle padding, a 5/8" pro felt tongue, and no pre-drilled holes/holders were on the order. To my surprise, after a snafu on the stiffness, the second set came with a micro-nash liner. It compares to a single layer nash palm you would see on a pair of pro stock gloves.

Fit: Um...custom. :) After baking, there wasn't a hint of negative space in the boot. Almost everything I have ever worn in the past had some space in the width of the midfoot and the toecap. In this case...none. This does take a while to get used to, as your foot now has a "sock like" feel, so I could feel more of the boot than I ever did before. It takes about 3-4 skates in the boot for it to truly form after the baking, and leads to an amazing responsiveness. The only way I can describe it is that my feet now do what my brain tells them to do. 10/10

Blade/holder: I am not a big fan of the E-pro...just personal preference, not anything against the holder. I have worn LS2s since they come with most skates in the Bauer lines, but was always more of a fan of the TUUK Custom+. Since I have switched to defense as my primary position, I really like the -1/32 position the holder puts me in. Because I had two sets brand new, the zen master agreed on this decision and was honored to pop those on for me. Great move on our part. I will not give a rating here...just a recommendation that when it comes to building your very own custom skate...except no alternatives and use what you like.

Weight/protection: I did not get a chance to "weigh" these with the extra stiffness and padding in the ankles, but the difference in the retail skate in the same size is completely unnoticeable. Needless to say, these are by far the lightest skates I have ever owned. Playing defense, I have taken at least two shots right on the inside arch...and never felt a thing. The Surlyn exterior in combination with the pro stiffness certainly lends itself to an amazingly protective quarter. 10/10

Durability: After about 15 uses on one pair, and about 3 uses on the second...there are no signs of wear. With the nash liner, I was expecting it to wear faster than the traditional liner, but to my surprise I see no signs of any fraying or ripping. This boot is very well made. I do take extreme care of my equipment, so I hang and dry everything to prevent rust and mold. Both skates look brand new. 10/10

Intangibles: This isn't your everyday retail off the shelf skate. The attention to detail in the craftsmanship shows from the perfect spacing of the toecap to the quarters, the outsole, glue, stitching, eyelets, and the tongues. I want to personally thank whoever made these skates for me...they truly take pride in their work. These skates could last me about 2-3 years with heavy use. The zen master and I were in awe of the "pro spread" I had with the fit...the perfect lace spacing like you see in the big show. We got a kick out of that. 10/10

Conclusion: CCM made a convert out of me. Special thanks to JR, Cory from CCM, and everyone that made these skates worth the wait. This experience proves that although you might think you know what's best for you...you should listen to experienced people and be willing to take advice. I am glad I did.

Overall: 10/10

[tt350z 0]

Product: CCM U+ Pro 2009 (Reloaded) size 7.5D

Height: 5' 6"

Weight: 135

Foot Size: US 8.5-9 depending on shoe

Level and use: normally 10-12 hrs of pickup a week

Current Skates: NBH ONe95

*Please note that this review is after I traded them in for ONE95's which I will be comparing it to. I'll have a ONE95 review up when I get more ice time on them*

Background: I originally played roller hockey on and off for a few years while living in San Jose and Las Vegas. Since I moved to Minot, ND, roller hockey is basically non-existent, so this is my first fore ray into ice hockey, I've been on the ice for 2½ months now. My team won the NHL Breakout in SJ in 2000 when I was a HS freshman. I currently only play for rec purposes since I'm AD mil working night shift and getting into a league would be impossible. I'd sum up my level of play as a benchwarmer on a women's college team... if that :lol: (A female UND player played pickup with us, and for the most part I could keep up skating wise, except she wouldn't get winded. Her shooting accuracy blew mine away easily)

Fit: IMO these gotta be baked to get the best fit. Very boxy out of the box but takes a shape very well when baked. I have normal ankle/heel, med arches, wide forefoot/toes. I had to get the outside forefoot by the toes punched out on both skates, along with the arches on my right foot. I wish that the toe box was wider like the NBH ergo toe caps. A area that I had problems with was the heel. I believe that the boxy boot construction may have attributed to this. The boot formed perfectly yo my ankles, but there really wasn't any foam to fill the gap between the heel and ankle. I would get a little bit of heel slip due to that. I don't have that such issue with the ONE95, the hourglass shape locks down both my heel and ankle by filling in the space. These also have a ton of volume, maybe a tad to much for my feet. When doing the pencil test, I can fit my pinky under the pencil with ease. I bought these online since my LHS didn't carry them. I could have gone down 1 size and still fit length wise, however i think that my toes would have been murdered due to the narrow toe cap. Yes, I took a gamble and lost. 7.5/10

Blade/holder: I came from mission's hi-lo and Vanguard roller frame which put you on your toes. The E-Pro gave me that feeling right off the bat vs the tuuk's which made me feel like I'm on my heels prior to adding a heel lift. I didn't notice any flexing or blades going dull quickly (probably due to my light weight). My only complaint would be that ice/water would get into the holder where the scallops are and start to rust if you didn't completely dry it, but that's just nitpicking there. 10/10

Weight/protection: Very lightweight, but a tad heavier than the 08 U+ due to more foam and no more rocket runner. I haven't taken a puck of the foot so I can't comment on protection, but the boot is not as stiff as the ONE95 which should be a very well protective boot. 9.5/10

Durability: My friend has the 08 U+ and his quarter panel is coming apart with about 25% of skating time that I have. My boot is in great condition, nothing coming apart or breaking down. Cut protection is great also, I have 2 small cuts on the quarter panel but the Surlyn quarters does a remarkable job of limiting damage. The Ultima liner showed no wear except for where the tongue touches on the inside of the boot.10/10

Intangibles: A very good combination of lightweight yet stiff boot, it's not the stiffest boot but it gets the job done. I also Like how low profile these skates are. I wear my shinguards over the tongue and the boots slim fit and thin tongue makes it feel like the shinguard is right against my leg. Very good features in my book. I'm not a fan of the looks, but thats just me and it doesn't affect the performance. 10/10

Conclusion: It's a very good skate performance wise. It was responsive and quick. However the boot wasn't just right for me so I had to try something new. With a wide toe cap and more anatomical heel/ankle or a bit more foam above the heel, these would have been even better.

Overall: 8.5/10

[matix218 11]

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

[the_sock 1]

Product: U+ Pro Reloaded 2009 6.5E

Ht: 5'11"

Wt: 200 lbs

Foot Size: Size 8

Foot Type: Normal heel, very very wide forefoot

Level and Use: D/C league rec league, about 4 times a week in winter

Previous Skates: Bauer Supreme 5000 6.5EEE, tested many...many...many skates for work

Fit: This skate is made to be molded. The whole quarter package is thermaformable so you have a lot of leeway with your foot size. Technically the skate is supposed to be a wider fit than there previous CCM skates (excluding the older Tacks) but not as wide as the Supreme ONEXXX skates. Once molded, I found that the skates fit great in the mid foot, but my feet are very wide at the toes, and the stitching between the quarter and toe cap dosen't mold. This causes a huge amount of pressure on my toes/outside of my foot and it's very painful. The heel is a marked improvement from the original, but I find the material packs out way too much and there is nothing but the plastic heel cup. I also find there is still heel movement, the heel lock hasn't been dialed down yet, as the material just above the heel doesn't mold well around the lower ankle and achellies tendon area. The ankle is another matter, I found it didn't even mold around my ankle area and I have to crank the laces just for it to wrap around for support. Another issue is during the baking process, you can pull the sides of the skate together very close on the top four eyelets when tying up your skates, which once cooled, forces you to over crank that area for the skate to wrap around the ankle. This has caused me to over tighten my skates which causes more foot pain and I'd rather leave the top eyelet untied...but not with these skates unfortunately.

9/10 for mid to fore foot, 5/10 for heel and ankle area

Blade/Holder: The E pro holder is fine, works just like a TUUK. I prefer the exposed bolts to hold the runner, as my previous Bauers were a pain to work on. The runner I find is super soft for stainless steel: it rusts, gouges easily and loses the sharpening easier than my previous skates. The scalloped blade is interesting, it does lighten the skate a bit compared to a full runner.

8/10

Weight/Protection: Coming off my old Supremes, these skates are like clouds. My skating has actually changed from moving from cement blocks to these skates. Although not as light as the first generation, they're still super light compared to the Reeboks and Grafs, on par with Vapors and Supremes. The syrlyn is fairly tough, although I have a gouge due to a skate cut. Took a few shots off the skate and although they hurt, no visible damage of the skate occured.

10/10

Durability: So far so good! Liner material shows some wear, but it's holding up well. Syrlyn is a good material, weights it down a bit but protects very well against cuts. Other materials of the skate show normal wear and tear, but nothing is breaking down too quickly.

8/10

Intangibles: Proper baking is the most important part of this skate. Not enough will make them feel like boxes on your feet and too much will break it down prematurely. Looks are good, I don't mind the graphics of the skate. Easy to spot who is wearing them.

Conclusion: Good stepping skate for CCM. I think that they fixed many of the blaring issues with the first generation, but still haven't solved the total problem. For me, the skate still is too narrow on the toe box and the fit around the heel and ankle is still too loose. Great light skate with good protection and materials. They have the right materials, just gotta fine tune the fit.

OVERALL: 7/10

[aarias19 0]

Product: U+ Pro (size 6 E)

Ht: 5'5"

Wt: 160 lbs

Foot Size: Size 6.5-7 EE

Foot Type: Wide forefoot, small arch

Previous Skates: Easton SE16 (6W), Flexlite 16 (5.5D), Graf G50 (goal skate; 6W)

My story: I've been looking for not just the Perfect Skate, but the perfect boot - mostly because I'm also a goalie. There are a select few player boots that fit my wide forefoot, and even fewer goal boots that do. So I've been looking for the best player boot for myself so I can use the same boot for skating out and goaltending. You might recall my previous post on the Easton SE16 conversion with a Graf cowling; I thought my perfect skate was the SE16 but I decided to take a chance on the U+ because I'd heard about how moldable it was. What's strange is I feel there's less space in the toecap in the U+, but the holder for the RL is a 263, while the SE16's is a 254 and the toecap feels closer. No matter, I like the longer blade!

Fit: Modsquad has been so much help for me in my Quest For The Skate. I knew these skates needed baking and they were very, very odd out of the box. I baked them at home with no problem and they fit, even though it was painful for the first couple of skates. Prior to baking, the fit in my forefoot was still not wide enough; but I hoped baking would loosen it up. Luckily it did; but I had to size up a little in order to get the width (I'll explain later). Some notes on baking - I still recommend that baking be done at a local store if possible... but I've had screwups at my local store so I decided not to chance it. Reading up on it here, I decided to do the 8 min at 200 F, and it worked well. Thing was, when I baked them I had to put them on their side in the oven, which meant only the quarter panel that was facing the heating element got hot enough to mold. So, I had to bake them a second time, upside down from the first time. That got efficient ankle wrap for me. The way I knew the skate was still not wide enough for me was I could see "ribbing" (creasing) just under the midfoot area where the boot had to expand to accomodate it.

The heel is really wide on this skate - it opens up a lot at the ankle bone. I tried the new CL skate and they've really tightened up the heel in comparison to the RL. I took points off for the heel fit but it's more out of frustration that I came from Easton, where heel lock is king. I really like the foam too, it's very comfortable. Thing is I wish I could have gotten more foam in the heel. 8.5/10

Blade/Holder: I skated in the SE16s and the RLs back and forth for a few weeks, just testing out things that I liked from each skate. One of the biggest reasons I liked the CCM more was because of the EPro holder - I just feel like I can wring more speed out of this skate than the Easton. The Razor Bladz just don't work for me. 10/10

Weight/Protection: I thought the Easton skates were stiff, but when these skates are baked they're even stiffer! Now I should be fitting in a 5 or 5.5E, but CCM didn't make the Reloaded in junior sizes, much to my chagrin. I would have loved a junior version! But, that was my choice to size up to get the stiffer and more protective boot. I don't really block shots, but soon I will be mounting these on a goal cowling (the One100 cowling to be exact), and I wanted the stiffest boot for it because the new Bauer cowling has much less coverage. The stiffness of this skate really lets me put in as much into my stride as I want - I might not be that heavy but I can tell that the stiffness makes a difference. The Flexlite of course is the complete opposite and I felt like I got much more performance out of the RLs. 10/10

Durability: I've been using them since July; can't say I can really speak to durability... but I have seen a few nicks already on the Surlyn layer. Cosmetic. I'm just nitpicking here, so I don't count it. 10/10

Intangibles: I've always liked the looks of the skate. And as far as a stock skate goes, this is the best fit I've been able to get so far. I have tried on the U+ CL skate and I think it incorporated everything I wanted - they have a junior version that's identical in composition to the senior version, the heel lock is improved, and I like how it looks.

Conclusion: I really like this skate as far as stock goes - it's the best I've been able to get for my wide forefoot. There's a lot of skates nowadays that I won't even come near because of my forefoot. Even the 11k was too narrow in the wide size. Add the stiffness, the EPro holder, and the comfy foam, and you get a fantastic skate. But, I think I'm gonna have to go custom to get something to actually fit my forefoot.

OVERALL: 9/10