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My stick rack is growing out of control... Hopefully the new COLT is as durable as they make it out to be and I can thin out to get back in my wife's good books. Colt Gen 1 75 Flex C101 Curve (Sakic)

I would remove "friend" from your opening line because that's not something a real friend would do.

Not too bad actually. The month of December was the best I have felt in a long time. I had a liver biopsy in December of 2012 and another one a couple weeks ago. Last year the biopsy showed very little in terms of anything wrong with the cells of the liver. This latest one showed significant scarring. That is there biggest concern on how fast the disease seems to progressing this time. I plan on getting back on the ice soon and trying to get myself in the best shape that I can be. That seemed to help last time. I barely lasted long enough last time to get a transplant. The told my wife to be prepared because I could have died at any time. They thing I can get a liver before I get that sick this time. Thanks for any and all support. It really helps.

Before I write this review, you should know my journey to the Mako skates. I play C level adult league hockey, and play year round on three teams at once. I wore the Bauer One95 skates for a full year, and absolutely loved them. They were stiffer than the skates I had come from, and they just seemed like the perfect skate at the time. I tore a tendon in my ankle that was not hockey related, and after that surgery, I could no longer get the Bauers to feel comfortable. Thus began a journey of different skates that led me to the Reebok 11ks. I found the 11ks to be a great next step for me because the pump allowed me to adjust my ankle not to hurt, while the skate was not nearly as stiff as the one95, and I really enjoyed the additional range of motion the 11k seemed to provide. The 11k did not hold up for me, and I ended up splitting the quarters within a year of owning them. I had no idea where to go next. I have a wide forefoot, and high instep which limited my options, and I seriously considered dropping a few levels of skates just to get the freedom from the ultra-stiff skates that seemed to be trending at the time. On a whim I tried the MLX skates that were just released at the time, and was able to use an internet coupon that allowed me to get them for half off. At first glance I said these will never fit, and contemplated sending them back. Since you could heat them up, and still send them back I figured what the heck, and gave it a go. Boy am I glad I did, as those skates were my trusty companion for nearly three years. They gave me an unbelievably comfortable fit, with the flexibility, and range of motion I was looking for. These were the best skates I had ever owned, and I was more than a little bit nervous when it was announced that Easton had purchased the company. Was that it? Had I finally found my ultimate pair of skates only to be thwarted by a corporate takeover? When the Mako was announced, I was a preorder, and got my pair on release day. My review is below Fit/Break-in - If you have done any research on these skates, you will know that one of their main attributes is the mold-ability, and comfort that can be achieved by baking them. I have a pretty wide forefoot, a high instep, and an average to narrow ankle. The shape of the Mako skate really doesnt seem like it would fit my foot type. With the unmatched mold-ability of the Mako skate however, the skate fits very comfortably. The skate is still shallow across the instep, but the comfort of the skate is still top notch. The tongue of the skate is a fairly thick felt/composite combo, with a nice lace bite gaurd, so the depth hasn't really been an issue in terms of comfort. I would like to see a little more depth added to future skates however.. A good bake and these skates are good to go, for me there was no additional break-in. The top edge of the skate has comfort foam, but that did not stop me from getting open sores above my ankles, where the outer edge of the skates rubbed my skin raw. Some additional heating with a heat gun, and some hand shaping alleviated that problem. This is something Easton is aware of, and I am sure it will be addressed in future skates. One last item is that I went down a half size from my normal skate size for these. They fit a teeny bit more snugly than I am used to, but I like the change. As for the actual skate baking, I did that at home in my oven just as I did with the MLX before them. I followed the same instructions, and have had no adverse effects. This is not to say that you should not bake them at a shop, that should always be your first choice, however if a shop is not available to you, you might want to consider doing them yourself as I did. 9/10 ( this was a tough score to give, because they are an 11 on the comfort scale, but I had to knock a point off for the sores the top of the skate initially caused me) Performance - The idea behind these skates is a sound one in that Easton is trying to give you a skate that allows more range of motion for more explosive starts, and more maneuverability. The skates have very good lateral stiffness, and the flexible tendon guard really allows you to keep the skate flat while you lean back for turns, or point the toe for that last flick of the toe in your forward stride. This was a major part of the MLX skate design, and Easton has only furthered its effectiveness here. Having worn the gamut of the stiff, cast like boots that are so prevalent these days, this range of freedom is downright liberating. While I would never consider myself a top level technical skater, my stride, and all around skating has improved immensely from the MLX through the Mako skate. I have read those that have not tried it, call the tendon guard, and range of motion a gimmick, but it is most certainly not a gimmick, but rather an evolution of the hockey skate that every other company will most certainly copy, and call their own. As an aside, I recently borrowed a friends CCM U+ CLs for a goof around free skate, and I could not believe how restricting those skates felt coming from the Makos. When I was done with the CCM's, I mentioned to my friend that you may not notice the flexible tendon guard when wearing the Makos, but I definitely notice its absence when I go to a stiffer boot like the CCM. 10/10 Blade/Holder - Easton redesigned their holder to have a more aggressive stance, and while it is more aggressive than the MLX it was not hard to get used to. I would liken it to a CCM/Reebok pitch, maybe a hair more. They also raised the skate off the ice by an extra couple of millimeters in order to allow you to cut harder without the boot hitting the ice surface. People seem to have strong opinions regarding holders, but this one seems fine to me. Once you get used to the more aggressive stance theres not much more to say. The steel holds an edge really well, and I find myself having to sharpen them less than with other steel. 10/10 Weight- The mako is probably not the lightest skate on the market, but it is by no means heavy. Coming from the MLX it feels way lighter, but that was a pretty heavy skate. So for me I find this skate really light, but I am sure there are lighter skates out there. 9/10 Protection - I have already taken a fair number of pucks to the skates, as I have a propensity to try and step in front of shots. Truth be told I have felt quite a few of them. Just a quick little stinger with no damage to boot or body. The skate is pretty thin though so I really was not expecting much. 8.5/10 Durability - This is the great unknown with these skates. I have heard tale of Eason skates going through rivets like water, so I remove the footbeds, and hang the skates to dry every time. So far no rust evident, but I will keep an eye on it. These skates dry really quickly by the way. As I have said, I took quite a few pucks off the skates, and holders, and so far they are holding up great. I will update this down the road, but for now I am very satisfied with their durability. UPDATE - 11/11/13 Although I remove the footbeds, and hang the skates to dry after every single skate, I needed to replace a total of 7 rivets on the front towers of my Makos. (Right skate 4, Left skate 3). I check my skates after every skate, and noticed the loose ones by tapping on them with a finger. Not a huge deal, and the skates are holding up very well considering I am on the ice 4-5 times a week. Just keep an eye on those rivets. 9/10 Conclusion - What can I say I am a huge supporter of what Dave Cruickshank has done with these skates, and could not imagine having to go back to a regular skate for whatever reason. From personal experience I know I am a better skater because of these skates, and that is enough to make me a very big fan. It seems that people dont always adapt to change easily, and the hockey community seems to be even more stubborn than most in my opinion. It may take some time, but I believe these skates will convert a lot of players over into the Easton camp, and that other companies will be modifying their lines to adapt the best parts of the Easton skates. Obviously this is just my opinion, but I have not found many who gave the skate a true test, and did not walk away very impressed. Easton if you are listening, fix the top of the skates to alleviate the ankle sores (I am not the only one), and add some depth to the skate. They fit awesome now, but I have to believe the shallow look scares some off, and many people fail the pencil test miserably with the current cut.

UPDATE: Okay, my son has now been on the FBV 75/100 for 3 team practices, 2 power skates, and a game. I need to take back all of my comments posted above (where I said that there wasn't much of a difference). It took a few times out on the ice for him to fully adjust, but then, I would have to say that there is indeed a significant improvement in glide and overall speed. I think that the sharper edges were grabbing a little bit during crossovers etc, and as a result he was checking his speed. Now, he is beating teammates in skating drills and races who were equally matched prior to the FBV. Anyhow, I would say give it a try, but stick with it for a while if you don't immediately jump for joy. Congrats to the Blackstone gang, you have a winner! :P :P :P