Agreed. In my experience.... if you so much as breathe on a post the LS5G gets chipped... and previous iterations we're even worse than that. I swap out to aftermarket steels almost immediately (although I use Tydan and not Step.) Even the basic offering (non-coated) holds up far better than the highest end Bauer steel.
I had Step STGoal and got a huge gash in the side running up the height of the blade shortly after I started using them. Ruined the pair entirely. Customer service was of no help and off-putting, in fact.
Fortunately, the market is moving towards home sharpening and longevity between them is far less relevant. Now, I can simply redo my own skates whenever I please.
Unless you're a pro, Bauer vs Step vs. Whomever is not going to change your game materially if you have the freedom to maintain your own edges to begin with. What matters, then, is durability against heavy impacts and ability of the overall steel to remain true.
Admittedly, the one time I did purchase Step was because their website/marketing material sold me on the idea. I didn't have any empirical data in front of me that proved their steel would stay truer, longer.
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Step Steel users with Bauer holders - Time to stock up?
in Skates + Holders + Steel
Posted · Edited by pgeorgan
I had Step STGoal and got a huge gash in the side running up the height of the blade shortly after I started using them. Ruined the pair entirely. Customer service was of no help and off-putting, in fact.
Fortunately, the market is moving towards home sharpening and longevity between them is far less relevant. Now, I can simply redo my own skates whenever I please.
Unless you're a pro, Bauer vs Step vs. Whomever is not going to change your game materially if you have the freedom to maintain your own edges to begin with. What matters, then, is durability against heavy impacts and ability of the overall steel to remain true.
Admittedly, the one time I did purchase Step was because their website/marketing material sold me on the idea. I didn't have any empirical data in front of me that proved their steel would stay truer, longer.