Secti0n31

Oh god... This makes me realize that it may actually be a good thing that Dick's doesn't sell hockey gear anymore. I'm sure I'd have someone in a green shirt trying to explain the difference between black tape and white tape when I came for clear tape and they didn't have any... For the record the x15's have LOUSY ankle support. I've got em myself (They were $90, and I wanted skates ASAP). Fortunately the guys at my LHS really know their stuff, realize that they have a crappy selection, and often find themselves answering questions about products that they don't have. All I can say about that is.... In that situation... start laughing. Maybe you'll catch the employee's attention, and the customer's, and when they ask why you're laughing, you can tell em that he's an idiot, and that the x15's are $60 overpriced.

At least it was cheap.

Be nice you two. You both have valid points, there's no need to turn this thread into a courtroom scene from the 90's. Let's continue to let the shop employees and customers share there experiences without the need for bickering. Please?

I really am a big fan of a few of the older OPS's and Shaft/blades. I wish more people stocked them, or had leftovers. I can't find a replacement for my tri-core even on ebay. That being said if I went to my LHS and saw last years model next to this year's model and there was only a $10-15 difference I'd get the newer one 9 times out of 10. There are exceptions to that rule though. I'd give my left arm(not literally) for another pair of vapor 8 skates or a tri-core shaft in whip, even if they were overpriced. However it really is bad business to try and make too much money off of 'last year's model.' I understand that there's very little overhead on some pieces of gear, but there comes a point where you may not make a profit on something, and a customer may just buy it if you give them a good deal. I got my 08 model 6k profeel taper shaft for $50. Peranis was happy to get rid of it, and I really love it. It's a great shaft. Newer isn't always better.

You're absolutely right about that, and there's definitely a difference between a "clone" or factoty second, and a "knockoff," Here's my experience. I'm a huge fan of Taylor Made golf clubs, but there's no way I can afford a $700 set of irons, $200 per wood, and another $100-250 for the golf bag, so I started shopping around. There are a ton of websites that offer "replica golf clubs" for "ridiculously low prices" and they're not all created equal. The first can of worms are the "knockoffs;" Made with inferior metals and mass produced, which simply look like the clubs in question. They have a similar logo and a close paint scheme but none of the technological features of the brand name in question. These are junk and no better than the off-brand that looks nothing like the Taylor Mades. The second type would be the 'clones' which use the same manufacturing process, same tech features, similar logo and paint scheme, but they circumvent the patent by using a slightly different type of metal (but similar enough to produce the same results) or a different groove pattern on the face of the club, or some very minor change to avoid being sued. I have zero interest in "knockoff" hockey gear, but if someone made a 'clone' that'd be a different story. As Race said, there's no guarantee that the product you're getting is the same quality, or produces the same features as the stick/gloves/skates/helmet that it's 'cloning' but it has been done, and quite well. I also have to agree that "b" level brands in hockey don't do as well as Easton, Bauer, CCM and Reebok, so even if something like this does happen, it'd probably end up as an ebay type deal, and wouldn't even make it into pro shops. I don't think it'll happen, but it's still a cool thought, and has provoked a great discussion in this thread.

It's not easy finding <80 flex RH pro stocks, but that's beside the point. The point is that I'm not brand conscious at all, and the thought of spending $600+ on skates or $200 on a set of custom gloves actually makes me physically ill. Just because Z player on Y team is using X product doesn't make me any more likely to splurge on X product. I look for quality, not a brand name.

A good point, but if everyone found out it was a knockoff they'd want their own, and they'd buy out my suppler. LOL.

Lol! I think I could handle it. Some sticks out there are just fantastic (s17, s19, x60, r10, U+CL) and to knock $100 off the price of them would be absolutely awesome. I'd love to own an x60 or s19, but there's no freakin way I'm spending that kind of money on a STICK unless I win the lottery. If someone came out with a Gleaston super19 or a Booer Qx600 or something that used the same basic tech, they'd be (spraypainted black, and) on my stick rack.

I would honestly love to see some knock offs in USA. Even with all of the fancy tech that goes into sticks and skates coming out of easton, bauer and reebok factories, they can't be worth what they charge, and they can't claim 'marketing' money because there's really not alot of hockey marketing (not as much as there is with basketball shoes or golf clubs) Sure there are sponsorships, but that's not as big as it is in other sports. If someone made an s19 that said "Gleaston" or something, but was still a s19 at heart, and only cost $120... I'D SOOOO BUY IT!!!

I have the exact same problem at my area shops. I understand that they can't stock a lot of product, and they don't stock things that don't sell, but still... when you only have one brand of tapered blade, it's overpriced, and only 2 curves in said blade, or when the only CCM skates you have in all sizes are the U+ crazylights, you're basically begging people to go somewhere else, and since there's nowhere else to go you buy it online. There are a few things that I'll always buy from the LHS, and several services you can't find elsewhere, like bolting holders/runners onto boots, rockering and sharpening, etc. But they definitely don't have the best selection, and if there's a website that has exactly what I want, I'm just gonna get it.

I'll agree with that slightly, I used to go to Windsor once a year because in Canada you can find off-brands, factory seconds, and pro-stock gear for peanuts in some places, but the $800 tag was very very VERY conservative and based on what I've spent since September on my mid-entry level gear set (which you can see on the 'post your gear' page). x60 or s19 stick=$200+ (and you'd damn well better have at least 2); Totalones, x60's or u+ crazylight skates = $600+, Any helmet worth a crap = $80 plus cage and the list goes on. I'm not gonna harp on shop employees at ALL because the shop I go to has great people and very reasonable prices. I'm also not gonna give anyone grief for saying that a racecar or a precision rifle is more expensive than hockey gear, because they are; but that's a whooooole different kind of sport. I figure in my area you could get bottom of the line gear (absolute bottom) for about $350. If you're a 10 year old kid make it $275.

You guys also have to keep in mind... Team sports: Basketball - $30, Soccer Ball, shins, cleats - $100, Baseball glove, cleats, ball, bat(varies) - $200-350, Football, helmet, cleats, gloves, pants, shoulders - $500, Lacrosse - about the same as football. Hockey, Helmet (w visor or cage), shoulders, elbows, gloves, pants, shins, skates, stick(s), pucks, goal, $800 - $2,000. And that's being conservative.

Yeah ok, touche. I consider any team sport to be a sport, and upper level racing is definitely a team sport. You know what I mean though.

I'd just like to say thank you to all of the LHS owners that put up with guys like me. There are only 2 major hockey shops in the Cleveland area, and there's a HUGE difference between the 2 of them. One of them will ask me after every single piece of geat I look at if I'm gonna buy it. The other will work with me, answer every question I've got, show me the subtle differences between a couple of identically priced sticks or skates, and tell me flat out if something is a ripoff, or will break the first time I use it. I can certanly sympathize with the amount of complete idiots that show up to hockey shops, and the guy that whines about the fact that there are a half hour's worth of skates to sharpen before you get to his or hers. But when a 25 year old player with 15 years of experience walks in and wants to try on 10 pairs of skates, and give 5 sticks a little push, and try on 3 brands of shoulder pads, you've got to understand that WE'RE PICKY!!! Thank you for bearing with us! Hockey is the most expensive sport on earth, and we, as customers, are a little bit finicky about spending $220 on a stick or $500+ on skates without ever getting to skate on them, or shoot with them. All of my gear is mid-level, semi-price-point gear, and the fact is, I'm not replacing any of it until it falls apart, but I'll buy everything I can from my favorite LHS because they're very cooperative, and don't care if I buy the $60 shoulder pads, or the $110 shoulder pads. To make a long story short, If I'm about to spend $150 on a stick and you tell me that I can't give it a little push??? I'm not buying it from you! That being said, I love my LHS, and I can certainly appreciate all of you hockey shop owners that have to put up with morons, kids, and rookie hockey-moms for 10 hours a day. It takes a lot of patience to do what you do. Sure I buy some things online, but if I can support local business in any way I'm glad to do it.

Helmet: Nike/Bauer 5500 (white) w chrome cage Mouthguard: Shock Doc Gel Max Shoulders: Bauer Vapor X:30 Elbow: CCM Vector V04 Gloves: Nike/Bauer Supreme 70 Black Pants: Mission Thorax Flow Girdle 10 w Eagle shell or Tour 10w30 pants (depends on my mood) Shins: Shock Doc Phantom 360 Skates: Ice-Bauer Vapor X:15 w X:60 footbeds, Inline-Bauer Vapor 2 w Rocker Chassis (very underrated chassis btw) Sticks: TPS Response R6 PTC (whip flex, Stoll Curve) Rbk 6k pro-feel shaft (Older model, mid Flex, Sher-wood 950 Coffey curve) TPS Tri-core shaft (Sr reg flex, Easton ABS blade Z-burg curve) Easton ABS Woody (90+ flex, Z-burg curve) All sticks measured heel to butt at 54"