RecoveringGoalie1

Biggest question I have, as I own a pair of Mach's, is whether the sliding/skin has improved in this generation? Still a tad disappointed on the Mach's vs HL's as they felt like a step back on that front. Otherwise don't see any real changes made to justify the upgrade unless I'm missing something.

Worn mine for around 20 skates - overall pretty happy with them, they've become my go-to base layer due to breathability and the comfort of the D3O pads. Only concern is that the stitching on the pants where you insert the pads is beginning to fray surprisingly quickly. I remove the pads for each wash and then insert them back in when the pants have dried fully, and I do wash after every skate / hang dry.

With an inner belt and how well designed modern C/A's are I really don't see the point of suspenders these days. Keeps the shoulders sitting nice and high naturally, and the tie down in front prevents the C/A from separating from the pants for torso protection in a scramble.

Same with my CCM pants with Mach C/A. Cinch the internal belt nice and tight, use the front lace to tie the C/A semi tight to the pants and that's about it. No suspenders or further straps.

Any particular reason you went for the Mach tune fit + and the stabilslide in the HL2's? I quite like the Mach strapping I currently have, though it seems most people are using the stock HL2 strapping.

Last season I ended up ordering a full custom Bauer Mach set with some minor modifications - Ultrasonic stiff thigh rise and I went with stabiliflex instead of slide. I was coming from Bauer 3X pads, prior to that 1S OD1N's which I was not a huge fan of, and it was a heck of an adjustment that took months to get used to the all round stiffer construction of the pads. I have a reasonably wide butterfly, though I do feel the Mach's put more strain on my hips compared to the 3X due to their overall stiffness. After a year in the Mach's I'm playing the best I ever have (moved from D div to C div), but I do feel I'm missing out on some of the mobility and smoothness that my 3X / Vapour line provided during scrambles and quick crease movements. With the rave reviews of the HL2's I'm debating picking up a new set, again with ultrasonic stiff thigh rise and stabiliflex, and am wondering if the community thinks that's worth it considering the current composition of my Mach's? I intend to borrow a demo HL2 set in general, but I find it hard to truly evaluate a pad without using it for weeks/months and that isn't possible as a demo. Any general thoughts?

Got a skate in the pants last night - fairly impressed by the knee padding as well as the breathability of the pants as a whole, I'll be switching to them as my main ones moving forward.

Got the pants today, will try them out in a game tomorrow night. For those wondering about the compression level, I'd rate the Aegis 1/10 as they fit fairly loose, my Bauer pants (https://www.thehockeyshop.com/products/bauer-elite-seamless-senior-baselayer-pants) are a 3/10 and my EC3D compression shorts are a 9/10. Tried on the pants with my EC3D's on underneath, plenty of room to fit them in. The foam inserts take a few moments to pull in and out, but I was impressed by how impact resistant they are - did a few standing butterfly's into the ground without my kneepads and they performed much better than I expected given how thin they are. With the kneepads on the cushioning was excellent, though I'll still have to tape them into place as I found they were sliding down even with the grippy bits on the pants. Sizing wise: I'm 5'11, 180lbs, wear 32 inch slim cut pants day to day, went for the medium and there's plenty of give if I was 15-20lbs heavier. Pants reach all the way down to the bottom of my ankles, these definitely run on the long side. Debating whether I'll wear my long compression socks over or under the pants, generally I've worn them under my Bauer pants if anyone has recommendations.

I do feel the heat, but my theory is it keeps the muscles in that area extra warm and further reduces the chance of injury as a trade off.

I'm planning on wearing my EC3D compression shorts underneath it as I've been doing that with my regular Bauer compression pants without issue.

Punched a hole as the others have and am very pleased with the results. The strap curls into the buckle as @jerd31 noted, but haven't had any issues with it causing the buckle to come undone. If anything the extra tension makes it harder to unlatch the buckle. As well I had another lower buckle fail as others have experienced, was a breeze to swap it in with a replacement piece. Shout out to the team at TheHockeyShop in Langley - they mailed it to me within 24 hours and I'm good to skate again this weekend. With how good the moulding process went for my feet I'd have felt comfortable skating without the buckle as I didn't realize it had popped until I was in the locker room after my skate.

Went with a similar approach as BadAngle41. Used some cut up 3/8th" thick Nash helmet foam replacement as a first pass before investing into a more permanent solution. Only a few skates in with it, but does appear to improve the loose ankle issues. Tempted to try out hole punching as @Hockey34 did, see how it compares next.

I'd be curious to hear how anyone compares the sliding on the Hyperlite 2 vs Mach. Still a tad disappointed with my Mach's even after the break in period.

Agreed, my custom Mach's are size small - I'm 5'11 and am very glad that I didn't go with the medium's as the way the tunefit strapping holds the pads higher on your legs would've resulted in a taller thighrise / reduced mobility. I technically could fit a medium based upon where I landed in the cradle, but with how stiff the mach line is you're better off being an inch 'short' than too long in my opinion.

Have any photos of the end result / tips on how you did it? Considering punching a hole as well to help with the skinny ankles.