RecoveringGoalie1

Honestly I would go for the M5 Pro's, at least for the leg pads. I haven't personally demoed them, but I played around with them in store and they seem to be 90% of what my Pro level Mach's offer. May not last as long, but if you're playing beer league 1-2x a week you won't notice a huge difference.

How'd you find it with the foam? I'm on the ice tomorrow for the first time after my shop replaced the skates for me due to the clip issue. I'm coming from Bauer 2S Pro skates and with how skinny my ankles are, I got into the habit of lightly taping them with sock tape to my ankles and didn't notice it hindering mobility. Debating doing the same with these, as the ankle simply doesn't ratchet tight enough for my liking. It's not a leg strength issue, I just have twig legs.

I tried the same buckle on the other skate and they were very firmly in place, which leads me to believe they may have defects in their process. When I strapped the broken one, if I moved the skate enough it would spring loose unless I had it on the 4th notch which is much too tight for my feet. My shop has offered to do a straight replacement for a new pair and they've contacted Bauer to let them know about it. You may want to do the same.

I spoke much too soon on my initial impressions. If we were concerned about the buckles and their longevity, this is an immediate concern from Bauer. Not been on the ice once, picked them up about 3 hours ago.

Picked mine up today - could feel some sore spots pre-baking, and after the bake no problems at all with no shims required either. Comfort wise while wearing these at home and walking around is pretty darned amazing for non broken in skates. I did move my superfeet over from my prior skates for the extra arch support. Main concern is that as someone who has skinny ankles, the top strap doesn't cinch tight enough for the comfort I'm used to. Would've been nice to be have a few more holes punched to bring it 1-2 stops tighter - if anyone has any tips / thoughts on that I'm all ears.

Having been on the ice 10+ times with my new Machs, a minor update: the pads have broken in, and overall I'm happy with them. The stability in the butterfly is unmatched with any other pad I've worn, and I've never felt limited by them during play. I credit a lot of the feel to the new strapping system and genuinely think it's the best strapping system Bauer has ever done. I customized my pads with a stabiliflex knee as I feel stabilislide is unnecessarily tough on your hips and I have no regrets on that front. Either the skin has 'broken in' or I've simply adjusted to it and I no longer it's holding me back when it comes to sliding around on the ice. That being said, if I could go back in time I would have gone with the Mach graphic on the Vapour line and simply had the Hyperlites stiffened up to feel similar to the Mach to get the best of both worlds. If you struggle with your butterfly / don't have great hip mobility, I'd highly recommend staying away from the Mach/Supreme line for longevity sake.

Personally I'm a big fan of the new strapping. It's a better version of the professor strap imo, and holds the pad a bit higher on your leg without causing you to feel detached from it. It's also the first set of pads I've felt comfortable strapping the knee block to the calf wrap. @maxtm30 beautiful set! Very similar to my 2nd choice design

IMO, from playing around with the Mach on the ice outside of game play, its the skin that is the X factor here. I've tried sliding with my weight on different parts of the pads (i.e. being more knee heavy, more calf heavy, trying to be balanced, etc.) and the 'drag' feels like it's the skin being an issue rather than pad construction and bindings. Of course this is entirely unscientific testing from me, but that's my lean from my experiences with it. There's something 'wrong' with this new skin that has increased the drag. Tempted to demo a pair of retail / stock Mach's to see if there's a difference.

You're correct on that's where I find most of the snow build up. I use elastic as it helps with my hips and its worth the trade off even if skate laces help mitigate this issue. @maxtm30 "Is the sliding issue a generalized thing or is it only when you’re static in the butterfly and you push to slide?" I find it's an issue in both cases, whether that's pushing in the butterfly or just going side to side. But it's definitely more noticeable while in the static position - you don't get that same beautiful glide of last generation where it felt like one good push could send you outside your crease. I was on the ice with them again last night and it confirmed that these simply do not slide as well as last generation. The ice was in perfect condition and I'd dialed in my strapping by this point so there's no excuses with those factors controlled for. That being said I'm still quite happy with the Mach's as the strapping on the Mach's is a huge step up for me and I don't feel like it's hurting my game as of yet. Or it's Stockholm syndrome and I don't want to lament the cost of these customs...

Good catch! Just checked my receipt - was actually submitted April 1st! So 10 weeks and a couple of days to be precise

My custom Mach's arrived yesterday after placing the order on April 1st (edited) - basically a 10 week turnaround. 120 degree soft boot, flex level 3 (Supreme), with Stabliflex rather than Slide as I prefer some give on the pad and landing area. Already got on the ice last night with them and overall positive impressions. Hot rebounds as to be expected, as I went Pro Custom I got a smaller balance plate (NHL spec) rather than the massive pillow (which is honestly too big imo), and the new calf strapping system is a game changer for me. The pad feels connected to you, but also allows for a smooth rotation while sitting the pad a tiny bit higher on your legs. It's better than the professor strap and there's no reason to strap the knee block to the wing anymore. The one concern I have so far is they definitely don't slide as well as the 3X or Hyperlites. I've seen others report this as well, and I'll update after a few more sessions but I can feel more dragging during the slide and throughout the game there was significant build up of snow along the landing area which hasn't happened with any of the other pads I've used recently. TBD after more sessions, but it's a bit disappointing considering these were supposed to be an improvement. I've seen a fair bit of chatter around the modified landing area for the calf plate in that its not perfectly flat - I honestly didn't notice the change and these pads are perfectly balanced / planted while in the butterfly. They feel glued to the ice once you're in position and with the new strapping system I found it easier than ever to push off while staying connected to the pad.

I'm completely torn between these two if people have thoughts - not sure how the red would pop with the blue, vs the more Tron inspired blue with pale blue secondary. Don't have a specific team/jersey in mind to wear with these.