True Catalyst Pro Skates

[Sniper9 530]

So after the rebake I did the other day I was able to test the skates out at stick and puck. I actually switched back to the car pro tongues bc the felt tongues actually caused some rubbing on the outside of my ankle bc it was so tight against the cuff. I could've opened up the cuff with a heat gun but decided to try the pro tongues again to see how those felt l and to my surprise it felt very good. I was on the ice for an hour straight with no break and the cuff area that was bothering me before was 95% resolved.  I felt it but it didn't hurt.  I actually think the only reason I kind of felt it this time was because the area is still a bit sensitive from my game on Sunday.  So needless to say I'm pretty happy overall.  I have another game on Sunday and we will see how it feels then. If anything I might need to flare the inside of the cuff 1/16" to perfect it but I'm just glad it's not causing me any pain anymore. 

I'm pretty sold on the genetix insoles as the speedplates feel odd in this skates, probably because I would need to rebake the entire skate with the speed plates for it to feel better and I'm not doing a rebake lol. Genetix provides good support but like I said earlier, it's just a touch on the thick side but I'll just deal with it. 

Still debating on whether to put an extension on my sticks bc of the taller holders and steel. 

Overall the skates feel great and how I expected them to feel from the get to. Took a little bit of tinkering but I also had to do this with my tf customs. They do feel very similar except for the noticeable flex of the cat boots. 

Anyways. Unless something else crazy pops up with these I won't bore you guys anymore with my skates. 

[flip12 714]

9 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

So after the rebake I did the other day I was able to test the skates out at stick and puck. I actually switched back to the car pro tongues bc the felt tongues actually caused some rubbing on the outside of my ankle bc it was so tight against the cuff. I could've opened up the cuff with a heat gun but decided to try the pro tongues again to see how those felt l and to my surprise it felt very good. I was on the ice for an hour straight with no break and the cuff area that was bothering me before was 95% resolved.  I felt it but it didn't hurt.  I actually think the only reason I kind of felt it this time was because the area is still a bit sensitive from my game on Sunday.  So needless to say I'm pretty happy overall.  I have another game on Sunday and we will see how it feels then. If anything I might need to flare the inside of the cuff 1/16" to perfect it but I'm just glad it's not causing me any pain anymore. 

I'm pretty sold on the genetix insoles as the speedplates feel odd in this skates, probably because I would need to rebake the entire skate with the speed plates for it to feel better and I'm not doing a rebake lol. Genetix provides good support but like I said earlier, it's just a touch on the thick side but I'll just deal with it. 

Still debating on whether to put an extension on my sticks bc of the taller holders and steel. 

Overall the skates feel great and how I expected them to feel from the get to. Took a little bit of tinkering but I also had to do this with my tf customs. They do feel very similar except for the noticeable flex of the cat boots. 

Anyways. Unless something else crazy pops up with these I won't bore you guys anymore with my skates. 

That flex makes me really want a pair of Catalysts. Plus the yellow/black/silver matches our club's uniforms perfectly.

[Sniper9 530]

8 hours ago, flip12 said:

That flex makes me really want a pair of Catalysts. Plus the yellow/black/silver matches our club's uniforms perfectly.

No harm giving it a shot since the retail skates have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. I will say as Hills posted on YouTube, the retail skates have noticeably less padding/ foam inside. Especially around the ankle area. I'm still getting used to the height of the holders and the flex of the boot vs my tf customs. I do feel I was more connected to the ice in the tf customs vs the cat pros however, it could be simply me using speed plates in the tf customs vs the genetix insoles now. The extra plastic in the shift max holders might have something to do with it as well. It's not a negative just different. Time will tell if I prefer the stiffness of the tf customs/svh. Comfort and fit/feel is pretty much the same between the tf customs and the cat pros for me other than the reduced toe box volume. 

Those who compare the tf9 and cat9 will probably notice a larger fit difference as my tf customs were made to fit my feet exactly and the cat pros are supposed to be similar on that sense as well. 

Edited January 13, 2023 by Sniper9

[Sniper9 530]

6 minutes ago, Sniper9 said:

 

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by Sniper9
Made in error

[Sniper9 530]

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[Znqt 3]

 

19 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

Overall the skates feel great and how I expected them to feel from the get to. Took a little bit of tinkering but I also had to do this with my tf customs. They do feel very similar except for the noticeable flex of the cat boots. 

Curious if you notice a difference in the weight as well? The Cat's are my first pair of True's so I don't really have anything to compare them to.

[Westside 232]

1 hour ago, Znqt said:

 

Curious if you notice a difference in the weight as well? The Cat's are my first pair of True's so I don't really have anything to compare them to.

Not Sniper, but there is definitely a weight difference between the TF9 and Cat9. The guy who swrapped out my holders commented that the carbon on the Cats was thinner than the TFs so not sure if the shell thickness is where True saved the weight…

[VegasHockey 1280]

2 hours ago, Westside said:

Not Sniper, but there is definitely a weight difference between the TF9 and Cat9. The guy who swrapped out my holders commented that the carbon on the Cats was thinner than the TFs so not sure if the shell thickness is where True saved the weight…

They are significantly lighter.

[Sniper9 530]

2 hours ago, Westside said:

Not Sniper, but there is definitely a weight difference between the TF9 and Cat9. The guy who swrapped out my holders commented that the carbon on the Cats was thinner than the TFs so not sure if the shell thickness is where True saved the weight…

Probably is since it helps with more flex too I'd assume. 

Also my tf customs with SB holders and step blacksteel were 950 grams 

My cat pros with shift holders and steel are 900 grams. So not as drastic as the 850grsms I've seen but those specs are prob for the cat 9s which have less foam inside 

[Sniper9 530]

3 hours ago, Znqt said:

 

Curious if you notice a difference in the weight as well? The Cat's are my first pair of True's so I don't really have anything to compare them to.

My cat pros are 900 grams in size 7. My tf customs were 950 grams. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

11 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

My cat pros are 900 grams in size 7. My tf customs were 950 grams. 

My 100K skates 7.25R with 272 holders and Flare steel are 947 grams each.

My Cat Pros are 859 grams with 272 SHIFT holders and DLC steel.

The Flare steel does weigh a little more, about 11 grams when compared to the SHIFT DLC. Also, the 100K skates are Total Custom Plus so they have extra foam and such.

[Sniper9 530]

15 hours ago, VegasHockey said:

My 100K skates 7.25R with 272 holders and Flare steel are 947 grams each.

My Cat Pros are 859 grams with 272 SHIFT holders and DLC steel.

The Flare steel does weigh a little more, about 11 grams when compared to the SHIFT DLC. Also, the 100K skates are Total Custom Plus so they have extra foam and such.

Interesting that your cat pros are 40 grams lighter than mine. With the same holders and steel. 

[Sniper9 530]

So the rubbing I felt when I first got these skates might have actually been the edge of the tongue, afterall and not the cuff. Well I guess it could've been the cuff as well but I know for certain now that the edge of the tongue is rubbing the part of my foot that's just above the inside ankle bone whereas before the rubbing was higher up.

It doesn't hurt but it's annoying. I don't feel it while skating but I do when I'm walking in them so at least it's not that bad. I put in my felt tongues which are beefier and confirmed it as it rubs way more and harder too. 

For those who have had this issue before, does this go away after the tongue and foams inside the skate break in? I don't know why I'm having this issue with these skates and not with my tf customs.  The cat pro tongues seem pretty resilient to getting compressed as it's not super soft. I considered cutting the edge of the felt tongue but it's only really 1/4" and not sure if it'll make a difference. 

One option I might do is to lace the skates up and spot heat the area with a heat gun to see if that area relaxes and creates just a touch of negative space to alleviate the rubbing. 

Any thoughts?

With so many of these little issues I'm needing to resolve, it makes me think if I should've just gone retail, or spent the extra 200 and got the svh customs. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

On 1/14/2023 at 4:56 PM, Sniper9 said:

Interesting that your cat pros are 40 grams lighter than mine. With the same holders and steel. 

It might be the specific sizing. My left is a 6.75R and the right is a 7.25R if you compared this vs other brands. 

[Hills 712]

6 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

So the rubbing I felt when I first got these skates might have actually been the edge of the tongue, afterall and not the cuff. Well I guess it could've been the cuff as well but I know for certain now that the edge of the tongue is rubbing the part of my foot that's just above the inside ankle bone whereas before the rubbing was higher up.

It doesn't hurt but it's annoying. I don't feel it while skating but I do when I'm walking in them so at least it's not that bad. I put in my felt tongues which are beefier and confirmed it as it rubs way more and harder too. 

For those who have had this issue before, does this go away after the tongue and foams inside the skate break in? I don't know why I'm having this issue with these skates and not with my tf customs.  The cat pro tongues seem pretty resilient to getting compressed as it's not super soft. I considered cutting the edge of the felt tongue but it's only really 1/4" and not sure if it'll make a difference. 

One option I might do is to lace the skates up and spot heat the area with a heat gun to see if that area relaxes and creates just a touch of negative space to alleviate the rubbing. 

Any thoughts?

With so many of these little issues I'm needing to resolve, it makes me think if I should've just gone retail, or spent the extra 200 and got the svh customs. 

Have you tried moving the tongue up and down in the boot to try and change the angle of the tongue so it might not be hitting the same spot.

[Sniper9 530]

2 hours ago, Hills said:

Have you tried moving the tongue up and down in the boot to try and change the angle of the tongue so it might not be hitting the same spot.

I have. Like your video with the tf9 comparison of I bring it too far up I create a tonne of volume on the forefoot. And lower I don't think will help since the tongues width of relatively the same. I'm going to try to spot heat it today and see what happens

[VegasHockey 1280]

On 1/16/2023 at 8:19 AM, Sniper9 said:

I have. Like your video with the tf9 comparison of I bring it too far up I create a tonne of volume on the forefoot. And lower I don't think will help since the tongues width of relatively the same. I'm going to try to spot heat it today and see what happens

You might want to consider going with a large tongue. I had to do that with my Cat Pro skates.

If I pushed them far into the toe cap they didn't come high enough to fit under my shins without popping out mid game. I went from a Medium to a large and that fixed all of my fitment concerns. 

[Sniper9 530]

1 hour ago, VegasHockey said:

You might want to consider going with a large tongue. I had to do that with my Cat Pro skates.

If I pushed them far into the toe cap they didn't come high enough to fit under my shins without popping out mid game. I went from a Medium to a large and that fixed all of my fitment concerns. 

Hmmm. Not a bad idea. How much wider is the large tongue. 

I actually think part of the issue is the thick genetix insole. But it seems like the boot was made around this thick insole. Because when I use my speedplates there seems to be a lot of negative space especially with the cat pro tongue.

I did notice that when I had the speed plates in just to test them out the rubbing was significantly less or even not apparent. Hard to tell since my ankle area has become sensitive now. Even though I liked the arch support of the genetix insoles I don't know why they are so thick. It's kinda of overkill. So part of the issue I think might be the thickness of the heel and arch on the genetix is placing my foot higher up and in a position that is causing the rubbing. 

I just yet another rebake with my speed plates and stretch wrap.  Well see how it feels. But if the insole isn't the culprit I'll try ur suggestion of going up on a size for the tongue.  I'm not sure if this would work bc the felt tongue is already quite a bit wider than the cat pro tongue and that still have me issues. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

4 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

Hmmm. Not a bad idea. How much wider is the large tongue. 

I actually think part of the issue is the thick genetix insole. But it seems like the boot was made around this thick insole. Because when I use my speedplates there seems to be a lot of negative space especially with the cat pro tongue.

I did notice that when I had the speed plates in just to test them out the rubbing was significantly less or even not apparent. Hard to tell since my ankle area has become sensitive now. Even though I liked the arch support of the genetix insoles I don't know why they are so thick. It's kinda of overkill. So part of the issue I think might be the thickness of the heel and arch on the genetix is placing my foot higher up and in a position that is causing the rubbing. 

I just yet another rebake with my speed plates and stretch wrap.  Well see how it feels. But if the insole isn't the culprit I'll try ur suggestion of going up on a size for the tongue.  I'm not sure if this would work bc the felt tongue is already quite a bit wider than the cat pro tongue and that still have me issues. 

I am looking at a medium and large side by side, seems only the length is different and the width is the same. 

[Sniper9 530]

Went for a skate with the speed plates on. Felt so diff than the genetix insoles in a good way. I felt so much more connected with the ice vs the super cushion feeling. Ankles didn't rub while skating but could feel it slightly only while walking. Going to accept it as is since it's not causing pain and no issues while on the ice. I did however had to use a thing piece of Eva foam like how the original trues had the red two insole system to decrease some volume since the skates were made for the super thick genetix insoles. 

I did also pin down the rubbing to the edge of the to gue landing pretty much in the inside ankle pocket.  I compared the foam on the inside ankle pocket of the cat pro to my tf customs and the tf customs foam had a broader inside ankle pocket and a precise smaller outside ankle pocket vs the cat pro which had a small precise inside and outside ankle pocket. The small foam pocket of the cat prob is also attributing to less leeway and room for the tongue to freely slide which causes more friction in my inside ankles.   I'm debating on whether to cut that portion off the side of the tongue like how ccm does with their metatomic tongues but will prob only do it if it starts aggravating my ankle.  I rather do that than essentially pushing/punching out the inside ankle pocket to create more room. 

Overall I think I would've spent the extra 200 on the svh customs after experiencing the cat pros. The boot being a pre made shells really has its limitations on terms of wrap and overall shape. Also, the carbon and materials that the cat boot is made with are different than the svh customs and aren't as malleable. Yes they get super soft during the bake but they actually don't confirm as well as the svh/tf customs.  

Hope my experience helps those out there who may experience similar problems. 

[Sniper9 530]

So I removed the protective film as it was getting a bit chewed up.  But I regret it now as when I removed it I noticed how thick it was and that it probably saved quite a bit of gashes and cuts to my boot.... Wonder if true sells these on its own. 

For those who got their cat pros before they started putting these film on, how is your boot holding up to cuts etc. 

 

[krisdrum 233]

9 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

So I removed the protective film as it was getting a bit chewed up.  But I regret it now as when I removed it I noticed how thick it was and that it probably saved quite a bit of gashes and cuts to my boot.... Wonder if true sells these on its own. 

For those who got their cat pros before they started putting these film on, how is your boot holding up to cuts etc. 

 

See if you can find a roll of "helicopter tape", designed to protect helicopter blades from damage.  Similar to what your phone screen protector film is made of and many cyclists who ride carbon fiber frames use it to protect their bikes from road or trail debris that could impact their frame and crack it.  

I have TF9s and haven't had any issues with the carbon areas.  Although I play very low level and probably am not in the situations that would cause damage very often.  

Edited March 13, 2023 by krisdrum

[Sniper9 530]

5 hours ago, krisdrum said:

See if you can find a roll of "helicopter tape", designed to protect helicopter blades from damage.  Similar to what your phone screen protector film is made of and many cyclists who ride carbon fiber frames use it to protect their bikes from road or trail debris that could impact their frame and crack it.  

I have TF9s and haven't had any issues with the carbon areas.  Although I play very low level and probably am not in the situations that would cause damage very often.  

I play only once a week and not overly competitive but would like to keep the random blemishes to a minimum of possible. I emailed true and they are actually sending me a free set. I noticed the film is pretty thick so I wonder how difficult it will be to apply without tonnes of bubbles. 

 

Thanks for the advice on helicopter tape. I'll look into that as well 

[Westside 232]

On 3/13/2023 at 11:34 AM, Sniper9 said:

I emailed true and they are actually sending me a free set

Curious if you had to provide a proof of purchase or anything? Didn’t you buy these off SLS a while back? It would be nice to have an additional layer of protection seeing as my last pair cracked

[Sniper9 530]

4 hours ago, Westside said:

Curious if you had to provide a proof of purchase or anything? Didn’t you buy these off SLS a while back? It would be nice to have an additional layer of protection seeing as my last pair cracked

Nope. Never bought any of my trues used. These were made for me back in January. But ya, I wonder if they look up your email to see if you have purchased or just that they are so disposable they will send you a set. I will say that the red insoles they used to use aren't free anymore. I inquired about those and they wanted $10 for the insoles and $10 for shipping.  I'd imagine the protective film are more expensive than red Eva foam though.