Steel Length

[TheGoalNet]

Anyone know how much steel length typically changes size to size? Does it change for 1/2 sizes?

[ZeroGravitas]

Here's a pic from the 2018 Bauer catalog.

So for D widths for Bauer, a 9 and 9.5 are both a size 9 steel, and that's consistent throughout. Pretty easy.

However, this changes when you've got an EE skate. Basically if you're a EE width, you round up.

Size 10.0 EE would be a size 10. But size 10.5 EE would round up to 11 and be a size 11 steel.

From here, you can refer to the package for the Bauer steel, which has the measurement in millimeters written at the top of the box, if that's what you're looking for; size 8 steel is 272 mm, for example.

[TheGoalNet]

I was hoping for mm or in in length, but that does answer part of my questions. The steel does not change for half sizes.

[TheGoalNet]

One other update. Tyden blades shared with me that Bauer has 12 blades and CCM has 6. With Bauer you get 9 and 9.5 on the same runner length. With CCM, you get 9, 9,5, 10, and 10.5 one 1 runner length.

[bunnyman666]

Goalie cowls and blades were always sized on the boot, opposed to length for a player skate. For example, I wore a size 7.5 and some lines used a 268mm runner and others used a 272; I always went for the longer. If I were to order player skates, I would order it with the larger holder. 

With the goal skates, Vaughn kind of opened up a can of worms by having only two runner lengths and two cowl sizes. This is, IMO, one of the main features that ended up contributing to the skate’s demise; however- a good, qualified skate tech could make it work to a point. Vaughn tried to throw a plaster (band aid) onto the problem by offering three profiles, the “player” effectively shortened the blade length by a fair bit, though not enough to compensate for a size 6 boot with a size 8 length runner, let alone the clumsy feel with an oversized cowl. But a bit of massaging and you could have one runner length for two full sizes, i.e 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5 and round the toes and heels to suit. 

Interesting that Bauer has twelve lengths and CCM has six. I always put my boot into the smallest cowl I could shove it into, as I wanted the shortest runner length for the size. 

I wonder when goalie holders will be sized like player runners: by length and not size. Some goalies may prefer a shorter or longer runner.

[ZeroGravitas]

1 hour ago, TheGoalNet said:

One other update. Tyden blades shared with me that Bauer has 12 blades and CCM has 6. With Bauer you get 9 and 9.5 on the same runner length. With CCM, you get 9, 9,5, 10, and 10.5 one 1 runner length.

Here's CCM sizing per the 2019 catalog. CCM switched to using millimeters as the measurement of the runner length/sizing instead of a numerical size with the XSG holder.

[TheGoalNet]

Tyden Blades was nice enough to help out and actually measure steel!

XSG
Blade size 282 is ~12.5”
Blade size 298 is ~13.5”

Vertexx Edge
9 - 12 3/8”
10 - 12 5/8”
11 - 13 1/8”
12 - 13 3/8”

[bunnyman666]

18 hours ago, ZeroGravitas said:

Here's CCM sizing per the 2019 catalog. CCM switched to using millimeters as the measurement of the runner length/sizing instead of a numerical size with the XSG holder.

See? What I alluded to IS happening and you can thank Vaughn for their somewhat failed concept of two steel lengths per skate line!  Profile to suit on smaller sizes of the skate and you’re golden. More and more people profile their runners, anyway, so this can work. From a manufacturing standpoint it makes sense for cost, and for inventory, it is less nightmarish. 

The measurement graph was very useful. 

[TheGoalNet]

4 hours ago, bunnyman666 said:

See? What I alluded to IS happening and you can thank Vaughn for their somewhat failed concept of two steel lengths per skate line!  Profile to suit on smaller sizes of the skate and you’re golden. More and more people profile their runners, anyway, so this can work. From a manufacturing standpoint it makes sense for cost, and for inventory, it is less nightmarish. 

The measurement graph was very useful. 

Is there a thread on profiling? This is a topic I am poor on and would interested to try profiling.

[bunnyman666]

11 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Is there a thread on profiling? This is a topic I am poor on and would interested to try profiling.

I know profiling has been tossed about on the forum a few times, but I don’t know that a full-on thread has been done.

When Doug’s Skate Sharpening/Pooper  Hockey goes big time, a ProSharp that can profile will be the mainstay at my shoppe, whilst a Doug’s Skate Sharpening truck will travel to tournaments in the next few years. I have full belief in profiling; if for nothing else, to make both blades the same.

[TheGoalNet]

11 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

I know profiling has been tossed about on the forum a few times, but I don’t know that a full-on thread has been done.

When Doug’s Skate Sharpening/Pooper  Hockey goes big time, a ProSharp that can profile will be the mainstay at my shoppe, whilst a Doug’s Skate Sharpening truck will travel to tournaments in the next few years. I have full belief in profiling; if for nothing else, to make both blades the same.

If you could share some basics on a new thread, that would be great.

Why profile? What is the downside of not doing it? How long does it last? Can you profile on older skates? Etc

[bunnyman666]

3 hours ago, TheGoalNet said:

If you could share some basics on a new thread, that would be great.

Why profile? What is the downside of not doing it? How long does it last? Can you profile on older skates? Etc

I will answer in it’s own thread; but seeing one steel length for four half sizes will deem the procedure of profiling more necessary than ever before.