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Pickups from some recent travels. Franklin Vipers pants Easton Pro pants navy 6K Pro M/L shoulders and a full family photo

They had this on display at Bauer World and it had a catastrophic failure on the first day and became inoperable. Lol I think it's overpriced and the fact that Bauer is wanting retailers to sell the machine and accessories doesn't make sense. Personally, if I was to use a machine at home and wanted something easy to operate, I would buy a used Sparx.

With protective especially, there is no “best.” At some point you are trading degrees of breathability and movement and weight for protection. So, you gotta figure out how to configure those different things that work for you. Think of it like creating a character in a video game. You have an allotted number of points, so you can’t just put every category at 100. If you want lighter, they’ll be slightly less protective, etc It’s been a while since I wore CLs, and everyone liked them, but it’s not like you’re gonna put them on and be like “oh, these are clearly noticeably better than everything else and it was worth paying $200 for a used pair of 10+ year old shoulder pads, plus all the time I spent looking for them.” Rather than thinking about “THE BEST,” the about “these are fine.” Get something that does its job and you don’t notice them much, and spend the money on sticks or drugs or something fun. Protective stuff generally won’t improve your game like sticks or skates might*. Just find something you can be content with and don’t overthink it. *these really don’t either, but let’s pretend.

‘Best’ is all relative, right? Do you want protection, breathability, etc. I went through this journey years back. At the time I ended up with CCM QLT shoulders. I liked the breathability and profile. They had enough protection for beer league and wouldn’t have prevented the shoulder tear I got wearing them. I wore them for 4-5 years before moving into CLs. Preferred the CLs for moisture wicking and felt the breath ability was about the same, if not slightly better, than the QLT. When the FT4 line came out they were pitched as true replacements for the CL line. Unfortunately I tried the FT4 Pros and got rid of them almost immediately going back to CLs. For me, the FT4s simply did not breathe nearly as well as the other pads and that’s my primary concern. When the FT6 line launched and I found a pair of FT6 Pros for half price I figured why not. IMO CCM improved ventilation significantly compared to the FT4 line and that’s not accounting for the aer-tec part. I sold the CLs and these are now my primary shoulder pads. So for me and my ‘best’, the FT6 Pros and CLs fit the bill. I wouldn’t pay retail price for them, but if you can get them at a discount, they’re well worth it

Howdy, I really need to show my wife that sticks picture. Mark

P28 was never associated to Hall. As far as I can recall hall was p92 (at the time E3)

Liner socks. I wear THESE.

Vapor 8 was where I gave up on Bauer. I saw Graf 705s in person in a shop and I was blown away by the craftsmanship. They were much more comfortable too, of course. But these are making me reassess all I thought about Bauer. My Vapor 8s were size 10.5 and I didn't have a clue about what they should have been. These are 9.5 EE and they feel almost perfect. I had a hot spot at the end of my large metatarsal on one foot--rubbing right at the edge of the toe cap. But the shell has great stiffness and the liner/foam combo felt very similar to my Catalyst 7s. The steel feels great. Speaking of the forefoot vice, even though these are wide, they still look quite narrow. I fully agree about the looks. I thought Vapor 8s were so cool when they came out. Vapor 10s were just a cut above. The only ones I like almost as much are the XXX and Hyperlite. A true Vapor has to have a certain balance of black and grey. These though, they almost sparkle with the metal mesh, and it's nice there's no tertiary color muddling the mix. Even the splash of red in the XXX is a drawback in my book.

Issues with the sp3: - if the blade holder on the boot has any damage to it that affects the way it sits in the V (eg a small cut where the plastic may sit a little proud), the alignment will be out. Instead of a V they should have just had a flat surface. You must religiously check the holder every time and double check how the boot is sitting in the machine, every time. - the clamp that holds the blade is too small, in my experience a lot of blades have slight curve in them so if you want a straight edge on anything bigger than a junior size you need to remove the blade from the holder and put it into a separate holder that will hold it straight. - the clamp itself should be made from hardened steel. Instead its made from a soft steel that wears quickly (remember this is supposed to be a commercial version) where it runs around the clamp alignment bearings. You end up with different wear on each side of the clamp which starts to throw the clamp alignment out. Not only does the alignment move out on one side but it also moves out from front to back ie it slightly twists so the blade will be more left at the front and more right at the back. - now you have to realign the clamp to take care of minor wear in the clamp. wtf, it's actually not designed to be realigned, even by a few thou. You can do it but because of the way they have designed it, the bearing is meant to center the clamp and be located in just one place. But the bolt that secures the alignment bearing can float by 1/2mm in the securing the channel. 1/2mm one one side in the front bearing and 1/2mm to the other side in the back is up to 1mm deviation, f**k. Now you have to manually align it over and over with no way to move the bearing securing bolt in any controlled manner. Yes, a new clamp mechanism fixes this but I'm talking about very minor wear here and the alignment starts to go out. - the overall design of how the clamp bearing alignment bolt is secured is really piss poor (this would be my biggest complaint). They use a really thin shim to help secure the bearing where it sits over a channel. The shim gives way (the shaft of the bearing pushes the shim into the channel) and the bearing securing bolt gets loose, oh f**k, now I'm having to realign the F*****G machine again. JFC!!!!!! - You have to move the sharpening wheel forward by about one inch to access the sharpening wheel adjustment nut. wtf, all they had to do was cut the opening into the machine further to the right so you could easily access the alignment wheel without having to move the sharpening wheel, morons. And if you forget to push the start button just right so it moves the wheel for adjustment instead of a sharpen, bugger. Now it runs up the device and the sharpening wheel takes chunks out of the blade alignment clamp. I've done it, I've seen 5 of these machines where everyone else has done it, what a cluster f**k. So when these things get any wear in them, they are stuffed. This is why they end up sitting under a bench, every time you realign them and you think its ok, the alignment goes out after a few sharpens. You can't run a sharpening business with this device unless you are prepared to replace the clamp mechanism and associated parts every few months (in a commercial or rink setting) and getting support from Prosharp, what a joke (my experience and other rinks I've talked to). What I have done to fix this (if you know the machine you will know what I am talking about) - made the clamp from high tensile steel. Made multiple clamps that are longer to better hold blades straight. Changed the way the clamp is held to the arms, instead of rivets I now use a nut and bolt and miniature bearing. Modified stand offs to fit the clamp alignment bearing (so I didn't need the shim and when I secure the bearing in place it doesn't lock the bearing and stop it from spinning). Changed the clamp alignment bearings so the center spigot was bigger. Added high tensile steel flat bars that perfectly fit the channels the clamp alignment bolts go into. The bars are machined from high tensile solid steel and include a machined pin the clamp alignment bearing sits onto. This allows me to secure the clamp alignment bearing from the top instead of a nut at the bottom in the channel. I can change the clamp quickly without worrying about the clamp alignment bearing moving so the clamp alignment always stays the same. At the other end of the bar are 2 additional holes that securing bolts go into to hold the bar in place. One the bar is secured the bearing cannot move and can be perfectly centered in relation to the other 3 bearings. Added to the end of the locking bar is a tube, I can insert a threaded rod into the tube and use this to move the locking bar and therefore the clamp alignment bearing by thousands of an inch to help realign the clamp when wear occurs. I've cut openings in the side of the machine and attached some digital laser beam measurement devices that take measurements (both sides of the blade) back / middle / front of the blade. Once the machine is properly aligned, these measuring devices can be zeroed to the distance of the blade. Now every time I put a blade into the machine I can instantly check that it is centered to the wheel and centered along the length of the blade. My next project on it is to make a locking mechanism that will hold template profiles and the blade. I also have to modify the pin that holds the sharpening wheel on (add a bearing to it). Now I will be able to do profiles on the machine. I will have to take the blade out of the boot holder to do the profile but I'm ok with that.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3aa5opAi_A/

Shrinkflation? 😆

Yes you're right. The og sakic isn't made anymore and the p92 was the "backstrom" that was slightly modified version of the sakic. I totally forgot about the evolutionary changes to the curve. I rmbr when I went to base hockey during that time and cliff ronning was telling me about the p92 they just got that was a newer sakic. After that visit I went out and got a p92 totalone lol. With that said, the p92 versions across all brands are slightly different as well. You can tell not only just by looking at it but also how the tape lays on the blade when taping. Back on the topic of the p28, I prefer Bauer and trues p28 over ccm, but I use ccm bc their sticks feel better for me. Well true feels good but they're as durable as toothpicks.

Gotcha. I thought that's what you meant, but just wanted to be sure. His pro pattern looks amazing. I know @decoy is a huge fan of it.

Good question. I don't mean his pro-stock pattern. I guess, it would be the original retail offering. The one that also jived with Warriors Drury. So probably right around the time Innovative became Warrior, or there abouts.

Agreed. Great sock for the price point.

I second FoxRiver. They're great and pretty durable for how thin they are.

Nothing beats Darn Tough's warranty!

It's not that they messed up the oven temperature but the fact that they messed up the baking process. I see it all too often.

Liner socks all the way! Going to be the thinnest you can find, since they are designed to go on under another pair of socks. I just picked up a few pair of the Elite liners that are ribbed. They aren't quite as thin as the older version of the liner, but not bad.

If heated correctly you should never see any sort of blemish. My guess, the temp was too high. Not sure anyone here makes any sort of money from playing. It's a hobby for most of us. Skates get abused during play. After a few games you won't even notice those blemishes.

That’s like “I’m never gonna change the air filter my car because once I took it to jiffy lube and there was a small mark on the bumper when I got it back. Better to just get poor gas mileage and breathe dirty air than risk a blemish on my car.” You’re spending 100s of dollars on skates, worried enough about the fit that you are posting here, but then not even taking the steps to properly fit them all the way. Go get them baked, you will be happier with fit and performance.

T8P has better feel than the T7P, but many people have reported the blade is not very durable.

Looking at the numbers, they're closer than you think. Comparing the weights listed at IW. The CCM ASV's come in at 670g vs the FT6's at 619g.

Very cool! I had Vapor 8s for a very brief time. Their vice-like grip on my forefoot put an end to that. I always liked the 10s design better.

We use Howies laces which are the “puffy” style. Thicker than the slippery nylon type ones that come with CCMs. I find they have enough friction through the eyelets to let me tighten 2-3 eyelets to get good heel lock and leave the rest barely snug.

I think this is the video I watched that helped me pack most efficiently: the only issue that you might have is skate size but you could always store your skates blade up with soakers if you had to. I don't have a bunch of extra space but really, I was carrying too much crap around anyway. the only time I wish that I had more space is when I go to tournaments.

Your kid must have huge calves, or at least a very wide shin, cuz i have 16,5” calves and see the Jetspeed Ft shins as my next pair of shin guards once my Nexus 1000 shins give up.. I really like the fit of the Ft4 and Ft6 shin guards. You should check out Warrior’s alpha series shins. My son has the older Alpha Dx shin guards and love them. He blocks shots quite frequently since he plays D, and i havent heard anything negative yet. Newer Vapor shins on the other hand fit really wierd and lack protection on the sides down towards the ankle..

I'd check out the Bauer Supreme line. Especially the newer ones with the AMP system. My son has been in his for awhile now and really likes them. He likes the low profile stuff as well and came from CCM Jetspeed shins from a season or two back. The Vapors definitely sit more on top of the leg. The Supremes are deeper and give you more wrap, but are ergonomic so give you a pretty low profile. Personally I really like the CCM Tacks and don't find them heavy or bulky, and they should give a similar fit compared to his Reeboks.

Updating this post... had the Mix backpack since Sep. 2022 and am now looking for a replacement. The bag itself was a good size and had good features but the quality of the inner coating was poor (it has a PVC/rubber like coating they applied to the nylon all over the inside of the bag, probably the cause for the nasty chemical smell it had for the first few weeks). I have had black pieces of coating in all of my equipment for the past 6 months or so, started as a minor thing but now is getting out of hand with so much crap finding its way into my gear. The areas where it peeled off you can now see light through the nylon so I'm guessing it's only a matter of time til the material rips through. I contacted the company to see if there was any warranty or anything, mainly just to see what they'd say and if they knew about this issue, their reply was a resounding no to there being a warranty but offered a 35% discount if I wanted to order a replacement. That's definitely going to be a no from me. So, currently I think I've settled on the Warrior Pro backpack as a replacement, the only thing I'll miss about the Mix bag is the water bottle holders which I didn't even care about at first lol So anyone looking at the Mix Hockey backpack, save your money and look elsewhere, spend a little more now to save a lot more down the road.

I have a welder, grinding wheel, milling machine and access to a lathe and cnc machine. Fabrication isn't the issue, time is. This is a hobby for me as opposed to a must have or business related going concern, I could buy a purpose built machine or have the fun of building the ps3 into something different, just because I can. As to those who asked me why bother? There are a number of reasons, besides the clamp mechanism the ps3 machine is actually well built and the way it is built means I can make many adaptations to it. And it has one huge advantage over all of the other automatic sharpeners in the lower to mid end of the cost market - minimum electronics. AND - the sharpening wheel isn't controlled by the machine. Besides Prosharp supplied wheels, I have also sourced a range of traditional stone wheels and when the right stone is used for the type of blade in the machine I get a sharpen as good as many hand sharpens I have had. I still have to remove the sharpening wheel to dress it (pita atm) but I'm going to add the pencil into the case next month and make the electronic adjustments I need so I can spin the wheel to dress it but the wheel carriage doesn't move. I'm also thinking of removing the existing front of the case and replacing it with a door so I can get quick and open access to the inserted blade and sharpening wheel and adjustments. Then I can add polishing passes and, with some other stone wheels I have coming, play around with wet and oil sharpens.

I have the FT6 Pro shoulder pads, feels very mobile and light like ur not wearing anything.

First let me say this is a never ending journey. You'll think you found the perfect pair then a season later something will pique your interest and you'll try something different and be on the hunt all over again only to return to your previous "favorite" and find it's not as good as you remember lol it's an evil cycle. I've been through a bunch but tend to prefer the U+/CL/RBZ line, never tried Jetspeeds or QL's. I've had some Ultra Tacks and they were nice but didn't breathe as well and I didn't like how boxy the shoulder caps were, they had like a ledge to them. CL's were the best overall as far as lightness and comfort but their caps are just so big (which is why I never tried QL's or Jetspeeds since they have the same caps). I tried Vapor 2X Pro and 3X Pro, the 3X Pro was the better of the two and was super light and breathable but just felt awkward when I wore it, the caps or something kept feeling like they were hitting stuff when I moved (also the caps felt like they'd break in pieces if I touched them wrong which is just how Vapor caps are). I tried Stark at one point, wasn't a big fan. Tried STX, they didn't stay in place very well. U+ ones are awesome and havre the best cap/bicep combo but they don't breathe as well as the CL's. Right now I'm wearing CL's with U+ caps, best of both worlds, they're light, mobile, and breathe really well, ansds the caps are much more low profile (they're not the prettiest since I'm not the greatest with a sewing awl but they do the trick lol).

https://www.sourceforsports.ca/products/ccm-jetspeed-control-senior-hockey-shoulder-pads-2023-source-exclusive check the JetSpeed SMU series from CCM, particularly the Control. It had some similar features to the CL and are much easier to find.

Agreed, “best” is definitely relative. It seems the consensus everywhere I look is that CLs>everything else. Can’t find a damn pair anywhere though!

For adult hockey, the Verbero  SSheild and Stark DC9 are great options. Thsy are both lght, mobile and modular

I see a lot of kids on the ice, 90% of them are in mid level skates. Some below. I have never seen a kid skate and attributed any shortcoming to their skates. i do see a lot of kids with no ability to get on their outside edges on get any kind of forward shin angle. They have their skates cranked and it’s like from the knee down they are an action figure, the ankle doesn’t move. my son is almost 13, a good skater, and is in the age where kids are enamored by high end sticks and skates. I could afford it but I won’t buy him top end skates.

The OMNI quads from Blackstone are an improvement over the Prosharp Quads. I exclusively profile using OMNI bars now at my shop. Below is a picture of a 272 blade on an OMNI 0.5 profile bar. As you can see, the 4 zones from the Quad has been smoothly blended together to create a profile with a radius of curvature that is continuously changing (just like an Elipse) except you know the exact radii all along the blade… unlike an elipse where the shape is bit of a mystery. In this case, the 8-10-12-14’ areas are matched to the Prosharp 0.5, but blended all the way through.

Quad 1 would feel pitch even more pitched forward if profiled on a prosharp, with the same pivot point. Since the 1 is designed for a smaller blade the 6’ toe would extend over a greater length at the toe of the blade, removing more steel and feeling more pitched. If someone happens to have a set of OMNI quad profile bars for a Blackstone you can change that pitch on a Quad 2 without moving the pivot point, and changing the pitch by a certain amount of degree and making the difference steel height between the toe and the heal much less. I think this is what you are looking for. It’s pretty simple to do.

Quick clarification. In the chart, does -20mm mean the pivot point is moved back 20mm which would translate to forward pitch?

The brands don't care. They are trying to make two fit offerings that cover 90% of players, and anyone who needs something more narrow or wide can order custom. Basically, we are going back to the two standard retail fits like we used to have previously. lol

Removing pitch is easy. Any decent pro shop should know how to remove pitch from a template. I typically do not add ANY pitch unless a customer requests it. With a profile with an aggressive toe, the steel will already feel pitched since you will in fact be more on your toe as there is less material.

Ouch! That must have been a crazy amount of pitch, poor knees. I'm glad you were able to fix it. Sometimes we really create our own suffering. I remember playing in skates that had a lot of forward pitch and my lower back would be very tired after games. I thought it was normal until I changed skates and it went away, turns out it was the pitch of the boot causing it the whole time.

I hit the ice tonight after a little over six weeks after a facial fracture. With getting surgery to put plates in to hold my fracture back together it seemed like it would take forever to get back. Very happy to get back tonight.

Just tried the ellipse 0 coming off the quad 0 for the last 7 years. Prior to that I was on a standard 9'. I definitely felt the difference. I felt more agile during transitions and turns but also noticed a bit of sacrifice in stability. Overall I like it and am sticking with it for a few more skates. But my first impressions are good and after the first skate I didn't feel like I needed to or wanted to go back to the quad 0. After a few skates I'll swap back to the quad 0 for a final decision.

But when you actually use a tape measure from the base to the cuff edge what are the numbers? Why don't you try spot heat gunning the cuff area then shrink wrapping. I think a big difference is also the length of time true skates are baked. 10+ mins vs 5 mins tops for ccm. All that said, it could be just you need to adapt to the fit of the ft6 pro and accept that the cuff won't wrap as much as the trues. Every time I try skates on whether it be Bauer or ccm, I definitely noticed more flex and ankle instability but nothing to the point I didn't think I couldn't get used to after a few skates. I'm actually thinking of trying the ft6 pros as I don't want to go back to true due to their poor QC and durability.

Those Beemer blue missions were great.

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