Burning Bear

Phooey. I had a tiny strand of hope that perhaps CCM would bend the "update an equipment category every 2 years" rule that applies to most companies in the hockey industry and issue one of the pant models in a taller cut. Sadly, it seems my cries fell on deaf ears. I really liked the feel and look of the U+12 pants I tried out last year, but they were just too short for my freakishly long legs. I'm leaning towards the Nexus 800s at present due to some positive remarks a few guys I know have made about the Supreme line of pants, but based on my own experiences (in the last year or so, I've had a Bauer girdle, pant shell, helmet, and equipment bag fall apart on me through no fault of my own) I feel a bit justifiably iffy about handing over more cash to Bauer for something that will disintegrate after two months. I know I've been avoiding you for years now, CCM. Mostly I was upset that you canned the Tacks line and changed your iconic logo to the cheap "Demonized" font, but given the bitter disappointments other companies have been churning out, I'm ready and willing to meet you half way. Still, you have to give a little in order for this relationship to work. Skate wise, opinions on the RBZs seem to be pretty mixed, but I honestly think these are the best looking they've made since the (x)92 Tacks line. I second the person above me asking about the fit. At present, I'm in D/AA Reebok 11Ks coming from plain old D U+10s and the Reeboks feel only slightly narrower in the heel than the U+10s did. I can't help wondering if custom CCMs in a D/AA are the solution.

That Lightning set up is simply awesome. I will never not like that color palette.I think I seriously need to ditch my current plain old boring black/white set up in favor of something like this.

Wow. Nice. I can't help feeling a little stupid asking for the whereabouts of this catalog and then having it pop up the very next day. I ain't complaining, though. I have a much better idea now of what to target. Thanks. On a side note, it's kind of sad that there won't be a successor to the old Bauer Vapor MBP8 girdle. That particular bloodline ended on a pretty bad note, at least from my experiences. I've owned two Supreme TotalONE girdles, both of which fell apart easily within the same window of time it took me to wear out the MBP8. The same could be said for my Supreme pant shell in which the loop holes came undone, all because I had the sheer gall to wear it. Hopefully the Nexus pant shell is an improvement.

Pretty spiffy. Let me know how you like those. I play every week with a guy who owns a pair, but doesn't think much of them. However, I'm in need of a tall cut (only available on the One80s and TotalOnes) and Bauer pants seem to suit me pretty well.

Well, I can't speak for the CL pants, but the U+12 LE's I had were pretty nice. Very light and very comfortable. Trouble is, and as someone else here had pointed out, the leg openings are huge. That can now be safely confirmed. The segment on the side makes the legs a little unnecessarily wide from back to front. I got rid of them partially for that reason. They were also a tad short on me. Bottom line: If you can get over the thunder-thigh legs, I imagine you'll be very happy with them. P.S. - Look Mr. CCM, I really want to like your pants. Please make a tall cut and bring back the narrower leg openings like you had on the last generation of Tacks pants.

Here's a pretty good picture showing off what's underneath: The chest protection covers the sternum pretty well at the top, but opens up slightly going down towards the stomach. Here's the thing, though. I skated with them as is again on Wednesday and I can honestly say that the spine and sternum guards never entered my mind at all while wearing these. Still, if you were to cut them off (I checked again and it's actually held on by 4 straps, not 3) I don't think it'd be a tremendous step down in protection. I've seen one or two NHLers do so, but then what's good for them isn't necessarily good for the rest of us. The few things still irking me are the shoulder caps, which while aren't really all that big, feel very stiff and bulky compared to the 5030's. The worst of all, believe it or not, might be the rip wrap. I noticed that a lot while playing. Granted, that was because it bunched up with the kidney guards on my TotalOne girdle and my torso is rather short.

Well, to tell the truth, it is one of the areas of concern for me. The sternum plate in particular isn't as irritating as the one on say the Easton ST16, but I'm going to wear it as is for a few more skates before I lop it off. The good news is that it's only being held in place with 3 straps which can be easily cut and it seems like there would still be very good chest protection even if you were to remove it. Of course, should a well-placed puck or stick find that spot... I think the new Warrior Projekt shoulders have a much better sternum plate in comparison to the first generation Projekts/Koncepts. Of course, the new Projekts will set you back more, and although I only tried them on once, I didn't get the same "yes" feeling I got from the older models. I also don't think the Koncepts are as comfortable or protective as the old Projekts, and I think you can even find them cheaper than the Koncepts. Given a choice between the 3, I think I'd have gone for the old Projekts instead. That said, if you have your heart set on the Koncepts, I think you could do a whole lot worse.

(Accidental double-post. My apologies, folks.)

Seriously? You are one lucky man. I've been trying to track down a pair of those for myself for some time now. There's an LHS nearby that sells a bunch of the Synergy 700 NHL elbow pads, but I need the extended wrist protection. I have a pair of Easton slash guards to compliment my elbow pads, but somehow I keep getting nailed between the pad and slash guard, so I need something that is affixed to the elbow pad itself. I'm eyeing the Jofa 5066 (I like the idea of the inner-arm strap crossing over on to the forearm a la the Easton Synergy 700) or the Synergy 800's; whichever I find on eBay first. I digress. Here are some of my more recent acquisitions and my contribution to the thread: Warrior Koncept Shoulders I wanted an upgrade from my Sherwood 5030, but still wanted to salvage as much of my flexibility and low profile appearance as possible. Obviously, the protection's much better, my flexibility doesn't seem to be hindered all that much, but I'm still iffy on the bulk thing. I mean, nothing's more low profile than the 5030 (other than a padded shirt... or nothing), but if I still feel the bulk's too much for me after a few games, I may make some slight alterations. CCM U+12 LE Pants I got these because I wanted a little more protection than my Bauer Supreme TotalOne Girdle (which is the 2nd one of those I've owned and both have fallen apart after only a few games. They fit great, but the quality is simply awful. The MBP8 was much better in that respect.). Well, they definitely deliver on that front, but I also have to say they are extremely comfortable, light, and flexible, and that's coming from a guy who's been using a girdle exclusively the last 5 years. However, these are too short and as someone else on here has mentioned, the leg openings are enormous. I'll be scrapping these in favor of an older pair of CCM's or Nike's. Reebok 11K Roller Girdle This is an interesting one, since this is Reebok's top of the line entry in their new, more form fitting inline girdle offerings. I bought these along with the MIssion Thorax Flow and ended up sending those back. I felt that the Mission offered slightly better protection, but the waist couldn't be cinched to suit the needs of a tall, lanky dude like me. Anyway, while I think they're above average as far as roller girdles go, I can't help feeling like I'm being shortchanged a bit given how expensive they are. See, the JDP hip cap they've put on these is a great idea, but the foams around the thigh and kidneys feel extremely minimalistic by comparison. I'd like to see similar pads on those areas as well. If you're going to offer an inline girdle at that price, then I want to see the line dividing ice and inline girdles blurred a little bit more. Someone someday is going to create a really great inline girdle that closes the gap. The Warrior Projekt is close, but I think somewhere between the Projekt and the 11K is where the spot is. CCM U+10 Skates (Mission Vanguard Aluminum Chassis) The skates themselves are nothing new, but I've been skating on the CCM/Reebok Tri-Di chassis for about 7 years now, and I FINALLY got tired of how bad they were. Well... that, and they're no longer being made. The Vanguard is a huge improvement by comparison, although the pitch isn't as aggressive as the Tri-Di. I wound up having to put 2 1/16" thick washers between the outsole and the chassis to create a 1/8" forward pitch, which helped immensely. While a shim or heel lift would've been much more preferable, no one here in central PA seems to have heard of such a thing, so this was my last resort. Seems to be a sound solution... so far. Bauer XR5 Inline Pants I was hesitant to buy these when they first came out given Bauer's track record with inline pants, even though these have been garnering rave reviews. After I tried on a pair, I finally understood why they were so good. Coming from the ridiculously overpriced, heavy, and restrictive but bulletproof Valken V-Pro pants, these are a tremendous step forward. My only gripes are the Velcro on the leg openings which I removed (I tape my shins to my legs on the outside of my pants; same as I do with my ice hockey socks), and the waist, which even at a size down from my V-Pro's, feels like it was tailored to accommodate 2 The Biggest Loser participants simultaneously. Definitely buy these AT LEAST one size smaller. Also, and maybe it's just me, but I prefer the old fashioned belt around the waist. *sigh* I apologize for the long post. Just thought I'd do my part to share my thoughts on the off chance someone with power is paying any attention to this thread, and to help steer anyone who is thinking of buying any of this stuff sight unseen. Of course, if I still haven't elaborated enough, feel free to ask questions.

I've thought about upgrading to these myself. They look pretty nice. There's just a few things that bug me about them. One, is the EPP foam hard like the Easton RS pads, or is it an "active" (flexible) foam? I'd be more inclined to look at the Nexus 600 series if they are indeed like the RS. Two, the vents on the front, do they actually channel air into the pad or are they purely cosmetic? I'll probably be making a trip to MonkeySports in the near future to find this stuff out for myself, but I thought I'd ask, anyway.

Nice. I've been considering those for myself since I've first seen them. I'm also really tired of my Supreme TotalOne girdle slowly falling more and more apart every time I put them on. Let us know how you like them once you get them out on the ice.

Those pants are friggin' awesome. I always wanted a pair like that from the Flames, but living in central Pennsylvania hasn't boded well in my search. Hopefully, something will eventually turn up on eBay but for now, you have my greenest of green envies.

True, although I like the idea of having the dagger taper married with a rounded, concave shaft, and from what I understand that's pretty much what the Diablo is. Frankly, given a choice of any Warrior stick, I'd probably go with the Diablo, but I can't see Warrior replacing the Dolomite on the customizer with that. If anything, I figure they'd replace the Dolomite with the Dynasty since that's what's happening with the normal retail sticks. In any case, I think a better solution would be to offer the Widow with different shaft dimensions a la Dolomite. I'm sure there's a perfectly valid reason why it isn't offered up as such, but I can't figure it out. One last thing, I third the Kovalev pro curve. Love to try that one out... just not sure I have the hands to match it.

Well, since I only used it once, I can't really say how good or bad it truly is, but it did very well for me last night. I chose the Vapor mostly because of the shaft shape as I prefer the rounded, concave feel. Had there been shaft dimension options a la Warrior Dolomite customizer, I probably would've gone the Supreme route. I'd love to have the ability to choose your shaft dimensions or flex profile, but you can't have it all, I suppose. I can safely confirm that the stick plays stiffer than advertised. At the very least, it plays stiffer than the Supreme line. Balance and puck feel is very good. All the passes I received stuck to the blade and stickhandling was a breeze. I love how solid the blade feels coming from a 2-piece Warrior Dolomite set up. My shooting and passing took a little adjusting, but by the end of the night, my saucers were fine and my shots went right where I aimed them. I do think I need to give the stick a little more time, but the upcoming Nexus stick's supposed wood-like shaft flex profile (G3) intrigues me, so I may go that route next time.

Nightcast, that's awesome. Makes me wish I forked over the dough for those Iceland Vikings jerseys that were up on eBay years ago. As for me, Christmas came early this year. I had a pair of CCM U+10s mounted on my old Tri-Di Lites (looking back, I should've went with Hi-Los, but hindsight's always 20/20) and those got finished last night. On top of that, my custom Bauer APX came in about an hour ago or so. I'm looking forward to testing both of them out later tonight.

I apologize if this is the wrong place for this (since these aren't necessarily custom gloves), but I was bored earlier today and decided I'd tape up my black Easton Stealth S11s in the old '94-'96 Calgary Flames colors. I'm considering doing this on a pair of customized gloves in the near future, but I don't like any of the Eagle/Warrior/PSHG Easton styles of gloves. Cool? Lame? Let me know what you think.

Are those the ones that were on eBay not too long ago? I momentarily thought about picking them up since I'm looking for a pair of Bauer pro stock pants myself. Somehow, I thought similar pants would be fairly easy to find, but my search hasn't turned up much of anything. I do have to ask, though, how do you like them?

I've seen a few pairs of those on eBay. Sharp as hell. I considered a pair for myself, but the fit of Easton pro stock gloves always scared me as they fit 1 or even 2 inches bigger than their retail counterparts. Let me know how they run sizewise.

Hmm... the S19 stick is offered in a 75 flex, but no love for us weaklings who use shaft/blade combinations? Always wanted to try out a Z-Bubble shaft as I prefer a lower kickpoint. I've heard some good things and some not-so-good things about the Z-Bubble design, but I'm curious enough to give one a shot. I could just get one of the SE16 shafts, but no one makes any tapered blades I like and finding them is like trying to find a clock in a casino.

Oy... really? That actually scares me a bit since I found the Bauer One series of gloves a little too tight for my tastes. If I remember correctly, the side protection by the pinky was killing me when I began to squeeze my hand/grab a stick. I guess I could just wait until the local hockey shop gets some in the next few weeks and try them out for myself, but I'd just like to know whether or not I'm wasting my time considering something I shouldn't be.

Shame that the E-Pro isn't a very promising glove. I like Easton mitts and I was looking for something nice in that price range. How about the Stealth S11 glove? It looks pretty sharp, but I don't know anything about the actual quality of the glove. I saw that it was also at the MSH skate. Did any of you guys get a chance to check it out?

Actually, isn't the liner different? Doesn't look like something that will dramatically change the glove, but I'm just talking out of my ass until I slip a pair on. I've been gushing about the new Bauer logo for some time now, but after seeing it on the new gloves, I think it needs to go back inside a parallelogram ala the older Bauer logos. Looks good on the new helmets and pants, though. I'm also a little disappointed that they didn't update the classic shoulder pads in any way, but I don't think the people using them had any complaints about them, anyway. On the other hand, I like that they brought back the One35 ABS wood stick. Bought one last year and loved it for ball hockey. For now though, I'll be adding a Supreme pant shell and a couple of t-shirts to my wish list for this spring. Edit: Just now realized that the One35 is a Europe only model. Feel a bit stupid.

Maybe I just piss away entirely too much of my life on video games, but I'm reminded of the Xbox logo. I'll bet you anything some goalie will deck a pair of those bad boys out in green and silver.

You could also take the beaten path of the impulse buyer (me). That is, bide your time to buy a pair of skates online that you've never tried on before the minute they become available, then realize several months later that despite however many hours you futilely spend breaking them in that they're never going to fit your feet, so then you rip off the chassis and stick them on a pair of ice hockey boots that actually fit you. At least, that's how my Tacks with the Vector 4.0 chassis above came to fruition. Yes, several hundreds of dollars were practically lit ablaze and many tears were shed, but if you've got cash you're looking to flush down the crapper, a double-digit IQ and absolutely no shame, it's one route you can take.

Initially they were the correct size for the Tri-Di chassis (80-76-76-72) but since I'm terribly harsh on my wheels outside, particularly the back ones, they all look like 72mm wheels now. Yes, it looks terrible, but they work just fine.