It looks like a Pro Tack
Indeed the 892 does share the striking good looks of its bigger brother the Pro Tack. But you cannot tell as much from the outside of a skate as the big name skate makers expect you to. Interestingly even the $50 recreational skates that big brands produce look quite a bit like the top of the line models. Just because they look the same doesn’t mean you should be playing hockey in them.

Even more interesting, I stumbled upon a Chinese manufacturing site the other day They had cleverly copied the major visual cues from all of the major brand skate on the market to their own creations offered up at wholesale to the unsuspecting retail buyer. A closer inspection revealed that these were all the same horrible skates, painted up to look like Bauer or CCM models. You really cannot judge a skate by the cover.

Fortunately, the CCM 892 is still a pretty good skate. It falls second from the top of the line, below the Pro Tack and 992 models in CCM’s Tacks line. The 892 is also one of very few skates on the market to offer two holder and runner choices—the eblade or the t’blade.

What’s new from the 852?
CCM’s previous skate line was numbered pretty much the same. They just replaced the 5 with a 9 on the 2005 models and lowered the overall number of skates in the line. However, there’s a lot more new to these skates than a change of one digit.

Holders
The biggest change in my opinion is the departure from the Prolite holder. CCM’s Prolite gave skaters and excellent feel for the ice with its special design. Essentially the feedback from the ice was isolated on the ball of the skater’s feet and their heel. Unfortunately it was also one of the least stable holders on the market for the last few years. It was prone to twisting during skating. Bigger players on prolites had issues with rivets coming out of their skates and premature breakage.

While some diehards will miss the feel of the Prolites, none will complain about the improved durability of the eblade holders. This is a proven piece of hardware that CCM introduced several years ago on the Externo line of skates and carried over to their Vectors. On the 2005 Tacks skate line it has finally supplanted the Prolite and become CCM’s only holder.

It is stiff, durable and familiar. The pitch and rocker of the eblade is unchanged from the Prolite holders of old. So while the feel for the ice might not be the same, the transition to the new holder is uncomplicated and painless for CCM loyal. The hardware is good on the eblade as well. The screws are on the outside of the holder making tightening them pretty simple for the user. The worst a player can do is break a screw as opposed to some other systems where it’s possible to strip the entire holder.

Lace Locks
The locking lace system was a big success on the Vector line and in 2005 carried over to the Tacks line of skates. It’s a pretty simple idea that makes a big impact on the skates. The last eyelet on the foot portion of the eye-stay has a D-ring that locks down to keep the lace from loosening. This allows the skater to have their laces tighter on the bottom of the skate than they would on the top.

The advantage this offers is huge. It’s possible to lock down your foot while still keeping the upper of the boot loose enough for maximum knee bend. More knee bend allows for longer strides while a tight fit in the foot ensures optimum control on the ice.

The simple device confounds a few newcomers to the lace-lock. There is a little adjustment to the fact that you have to pull your laces the wrong way at the lace lock when taking them off. But people who cannot figure out that they only unlock when you pull back on them might have bigger problems than adapting to an improved lacing system. No one who has laced on the new Tacks more than a couple of times will have issues with the learning curve here.

Materials
CCM utilizes Nytek Novasuede as the new liner for the Tacks line. This replaces the more commonly used Clarino liner previously found in the 852. Novasuede is a spun nylon material made from extremely fine fibers. It has the feel of actual suede and like its Clarino predecessor is certainly soft enough for skaters who prefer going sockless. The advantages of Novasuede are its high durability and low weight. The Nytek lining offers moisture management but no anti-microbial protection.

The uppers of the 892 are still ballistic nylon as they have been for a few years now. However, CCM added a little extra protection there in what they’ve decided to call Max Armour. You might think by the name that Max Amour is somehow better than the Pro Armour featured in their Pro Tacks, however, I’m not convinced that it isn’t the same stuff. Rumors abound that it’s Expanded Polypropylene, a Styrofoam-like material commonly found in helmet padding, but I’ve been unable to confirm that is true.

The synthetic leather on the eyestays and trims is a material called Microtex. Microtex is lighter than leather, more durable, will not fade and is water resistant. CCM also mentions that the vamping is made of Wearforce. I guess it might be best to know what vamping is. Essentially it’s the trim on the sides of boot directly behind the toecap. It’s a place that takes a lot of abuse on most skates, so it’s good to know that Wearforce is a nearly indestructible Kevlar based material. In fact Wearforce is up to five times as durable as synthetic or natural leather.

The Skate
The 892 has the classic CCM fit (assuming that the same fit for about seven years can be considered classic). Nonetheless, CCM might have made some changes in 2005 that will upset the Tacks purist, but the fit of the boot isn’t one of them. The Tack is one of the wider fitting skates on the market, more comfortable on my big dogs in a D width than many skates in an E. It has a moderate heel width that will lock most feet in nicely. The instep and arch on the Tacks line is average.

Outsole
The 892 features a composite outsole. Unlike previous composite outsoles, the new skate doesn’t have a beveled edge. Previously, the extremities of the outsole were rounded to improve on the cornering ability of the skate. Once the boot hits the ice, the runner comes off it and the skater falls. While the lack of beveled outsoles might seem like a negative, the eblade has a slightly higher profile and offsets the need for them.

Composite outsoles provide a stiffer platform to a boot. This allows for maximum transfer of skating power to the holder. They are also lighter than plastics reducing the weight of the skates. The 892’s outsole is perforated to allow moisture (i.e. stinky foot sweat) to escape the boot.

eblade holder and runner
I previously touched on the fact that CCM utilizes the new eblade holder so I won’t rehash all of the details here. What I will mention is that the eblade is a neutral pitched holder. Compared to Bauer’s holders, players will feel like they are more on their toes. Compared to Graf’s Cobra players will feel like they are more on their heels.

CCM’s steel quality is good. They use a Stainless blade on the 892 which is to be expected on a higher end skate. It does not feature the scalloped steel that the Pro Tack boasts as a weight reducing feature. However, I would call this an improvement. Weight reducing runners have a much higher tendency to bend or break. The reduced weight isn’t much of a bonus when you have a broken runner. The rocker on the eblade is 11-feet.

t’blade holder and runner
The 892 is also available with t’blades. These are the disposable runners that are poised to take over the world. It might take ten or twenty years to happen, but they will. The 892 with t’blades is a much lighter skate as the amount of steel on a t’blade is significantly smaller.

The t’blade is a highly flexible platform allowing skaters to easily change their rocker and hollow. It takes about five minutes to change a pair of blades. While the $15 a pair price might make many players nervous, they last significantly longer than a sharpening on traditional steel does. In the long run, t’blades are much cheaper than traditional sharpening for most players. My full review of the t’blade system is available here

Tongue
CCM utilizes a pretty standard felt tongue with a bit of foam padding to back it up. The tongue is moderately stiff and should provide adequate lace bite protection for most players.

Toecap
The toecap is uncovered. This seems like the only way to go as fabric toes are destined to become eyesores in hockey. However, some skates still come with fabric covered toes adding to weight and durability issues.

The Wedge
CCM skates have long boasted the infamous heel wedge. Even if you don’t know what it’s called, you likely know what it is. That piece of while plastic on the outer of the boot was originally designed to lock in the player’s heel. It had its own eyelet which tended to make lacing up your Tacks something of a chore. In 2004 the heel wedge was integrated into the eyestay and became just another eyelet.

The addition of the locking eyelet at the top of the heel wedge has increased the effectiveness of the heel lock. Once again the heel wedge does the job of locking in the player’s heel a little better. I’ve had fewer mentions of loose heels in skates when fitting CCM models with the locking eyelet than in any other skate I’ve sold.

Final Thoughts
The 892 is an excellent skate. It is among the most durable on the market, sharing that spot with Bauer’s Supreme line and Graf’s G series skates. For a skate that’s going to last a long time, it’s going to be hard to beat.

Weight is also down from the 2004 models. However, while CCM did put the Tacks line on a diet, it still isn’t what I would call a lightweight skate. The CCM lightweight line would be the Vectors. As with any lightweight skate line, the Vector isn’t as durable as the Tacks are.

The main audience of the 892 is going to be recreational and competitive players. I would recommend this skate for players spending four to six hours on the ice and playing in competitive hockey or upper level recreational leagues.

Players in rural areas who don’t have easy access to skate sharpening will likely want to opt for the t’blade. I can sharpen my skates for free and would still opt for them myself.

© 2005 Scott Noble – All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.

You might also enjoy my book on hockey, Hockey for Weekend Warriors. Click here to read the reviews.

A few of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Hockey Skate buying demystified

Bauer Supreme 8090 Classic Skates
CCM Pro Tacks 2005 Skates
Graf G3 Skates

t’blade system


Recommended: Yes