Skates suck right out of the box, even if you pay big, so if you aren't playing a lot I don't recommend new because you'll never break them in. I'm 50 games in with new skates and they still hate me
I want to bring back something from the original post. The company All Black Hockey Sticks, I bought a few last season. Now I'm a goalie by trade, just started skating out 2 years ago, so I'm comparing these to lower end sticks, the best I had before these were Vapor X:60s, which ran $150 compared to $89 for ABHS. I will say they are really light, great for someone of my level. This issue I might see with them is for higher level players, they feel like a Chinese carbon frame I tested for my mountain bike, sure its light and cheap, but I feel like I'm going to snap it in half.
Also, I'm planning on moving back to the New England area this winter, and I'm more concerned with finding a league as a goalie over finding a place to live. Portland/Boston/Providence area, but my main concern is what level I should be playing at. I live in a small town called Crested Butte in Colorado, and our comp league has a couple guys that were low pro level guys, though they usually embarrass the shit out of me. I hold my own with D1 skaters, but I'm guessing I would be better off playing with average college level players. What level is that considered around there?