Riddle me this... True Shift Max issue

[krisdrum 233]

Back in the spring bought my kid a new pair of True Cat 9s.  He has been on the Bladetech blades for awhile, so bought 2 pair of blades, 1 DLC (I was curious if they are that much more durable) and 1 standard stainless.  The season is now in full swing and I went to replace the DLCs with the SS, and the SS are super loose in the holder.  Blue retaining clip is all the way in the locked position.  I can still easily move the blade fore/aft by hand by at least 3-5mm.  Blades have the Shift Max "horn" behind the retention arm.  What am I missing?  Don't recall this being an issue in the spring.  DLC blades are nice and tight and those have spent the most time in the holders.  When I line up the top line of all blades, they match up perfectly.  I'm stumped.  Any help would be appreciated.    

[VegasHockey 1280]

13 hours ago, krisdrum said:

Back in the spring bought my kid a new pair of True Cat 9s.  He has been on the Bladetech blades for awhile, so bought 2 pair of blades, 1 DLC (I was curious if they are that much more durable) and 1 standard stainless.  The season is now in full swing and I went to replace the DLCs with the SS, and the SS are super loose in the holder.  Blue retaining clip is all the way in the locked position.  I can still easily move the blade fore/aft by hand by at least 3-5mm.  Blades have the Shift Max "horn" behind the retention arm.  What am I missing?  Don't recall this being an issue in the spring.  DLC blades are nice and tight and those have spent the most time in the holders.  When I line up the top line of all blades, they match up perfectly.  I'm stumped.  Any help would be appreciated.    

If the holders are MAX and the steel has the "locking pin" there should be no movement in the steel. I would take a video and email TRUE. This would be the first time I have seen this myself. 

The previous generation holders had some issues with smaller size holders, but the MAX holder resolved all of that. 

I too, am stumped. 

[krisdrum 233]

I just rechecked it and I am going to reach out to Bladetech, since the looseness is only happening with this 1 set.  I put the original Shift Max steel in and nice and tight.  DLC Bladetech - nice and tight.  SS Bladetech - not so much.  So I am going to start with the blade manufacturer.  

[VegasHockey 1280]

1 hour ago, krisdrum said:

I just rechecked it and I am going to reach out to Bladetech, since the looseness is only happening with this 1 set.  I put the original Shift Max steel in and nice and tight.  DLC Bladetech - nice and tight.  SS Bladetech - not so much.  So I am going to start with the blade manufacturer.  

Are both the DLC and SS exactly the same if you lay them on one another? Even a small variance could result in the problem you are experiencing. 

[krisdrum 233]

25 minutes ago, VegasHockey said:

Are both the DLC and SS exactly the same if you lay them on one another? Even a small variance could result in the problem you are experiencing. 

They certainly look it and feel it, but to your point, a small variance could create an engagement issue.  The SS blades seem to allow me to pull the blade away from the holder, where the stock and DLC blades do not. 

I know the True holders have little "pads" down in the channel the blade sits in.  I've noticed a few of those pads have fallen out.  Wondering if that small change could magnify a tolerance issue with the SS blades enough to get the wiggle I am experiencing.

Edited October 11, 2023 by krisdrum

[VegasHockey 1280]

2 hours ago, krisdrum said:

They certainly look it and feel it, but to your point, a small variance could create an engagement issue.  The SS blades seem to allow me to pull the blade away from the holder, where the stock and DLC blades do not. 

I know the True holders have little "pads" down in the channel the blade sits in.  I've noticed a few of those pads have fallen out.  Wondering if that small change could magnify a tolerance issue with the SS blades enough to get the wiggle I am experiencing.

It is possible. But then that would theoretically affect the engagement of all steel, assuming they all had the same dimensions. 

[CHIP39 0]

My son’s size 3.5 cat9s are doing the same thing. I don’t think it is affecting his skating. He has a pair of cat 5s that are not doing it. Did we come up with a fix?  

[krisdrum 233]

The fix for me was new skates.  The heels of his Cat9s cracked and were warranty replaced.  

My theory is this is a materials and/or design issue.  Whatever they are using to make the holders seems a bit softer than what Bauer and CCM and others are using for their holders.  I think the fatigue of blade replacement cycles if you swap steel a lot, plus the stress the holders are already under loosen the holders up, creating slop that results in the movement of the blade in the holder.