Jump to content
Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble
Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble

Leaderboard


Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/06/18 in all areas

  1. 3 points
    Appreciate all the feedback! Yesterday on the way home from work, I stopped at a smaller local shop, and to my surprise, they had a pair of the True gloves in my size as well as the the Warriors and the STX Surgeons (300 not 500, so not sure comparing apples to apples with others in terms of top of the line). Tried them all on, and the Warriors were far and away my favorite of the bunch. The Surgeons were nice but maybe a touch too restrictive whereas the Trues felt like they had a lot of slop, with the thumb feeling especially off. I would definitely opt for Pro Stock if going with the Trues as I could see that zipper easily causing problems down the line. The Warrior QRL Pros were just about perfect for what I'm looking for and needless to say I'm a COnVERT (horribly lame pun intended - sorry, couldn't help myself).
  2. 2 points
    First off, if you would like to advertise, we can definitely send you a media kit with our rates. We've run advertisements since 2011. Email admin@modsquadhockey.com for details. Secondly, there were several people in this thread that couldn't find it. My distro told me they had limited stock, and something like from here on out all of that steel was going to go through True. I'm sure that member was PMd several times by people who could get it for him. I figured I would give him an option. People in the business have made a name for themselves, picked up clients and have sold numerous goods and services (either through the Gear Exchange or the PM grey market) for 14 years. Meanwhile, I have to find ways to keep the site afloat so that you guys can continue to do that. Coupled with the fact that I paid a ton of money to Chadd to own the site outright a year ago. I haven't drawn a salary since then because of that.
  3. 1 point
    Since this question comes up on here and other forums fairly regularly, I figured I would share my experiences and what little insight I have in putting together a complete set of gear for myself. If you are new to the sport or getting back into after a long time and have packed on some pounds, I hope you find this handy. The old saying goes: the bigger you are, the harder you fall. This is especially true for larger people on ice. Most folks playing in non-contact beer leagues that weigh 180-200 pounds can get away with wearing lightweight, old school-style pads and be fine. However, if you’re tall or weigh more than the typical player, that fall or going shoulder-first into the boards that may have only bruised a normal-size player, can potentially cause something on you to break. I fell on the ice during an open skate and broke my arm; someone half my size may had just gotten a bruise and been able to brush themselves off. A physical description of myself: I’m about 6’5”, well over 300 lbs with wide shoulders & hips (about a 58" chest and 48-50" waist), wear a size 14 6E (US) shoe, and wear an 8 ¼ fitted hat (about 65-66cm). Just imagine if Vince Wilfork decided to pick up hockey in retirement. Helmet: The largest helmets currently manufactured are both made by Bauer, the 4500 & 5100. Both come in a size XL, which supposedly will fit a head up to an 8 1/8 hat size. I have not been able to find a 5100 to try on but I have tried a 4500, which was too narrow for my head, which isn’t overly round. The largest helmet (and the one I currently wear) that I’ve found is the Reebok 11K VN helmets which were made for the 2014 Winter Olympics. According to the packaging, the size Large fits up to an 8 ½ head but I barely fit into mine with an 8 ¼ head. You can find quite a few of these new for about $70 on eBay and Sideline Swap in several colors (good luck finding a new one in black but beggars can’t be choosers, eh?) and you can get the matching cage for less than $20 on clearance from Hockey Monkey. Update: I tried on a 5100 and it was way too small for my head. So if you wear bigger than a size 8 hat/63cm, the Reebok 11K VN helmet in size large is by far your best bet. Update #2: I found out that CCM continued making the 11K VN after they phased out the Reebok name. They were made for a time as the CCM HT11KV, the pro stock model is what you want in size large. They'll be newer than the Reebok's so their certifications should still be good for another 2-3 years. They are some popping up on Ebay and Sideline Swap, albeit in offball colors but when you have a massive head, like me, can't be too fussy. Gloves: This is the one item where you can save money. You can find gloves in all sizes used and on clearance inexpensive. I wear an XL golf glove for reference and I’ve had no trouble fitting into any 15” gloves that I’ve tried. I bought a lightly used pair of Bauer Supreme S150 gloves for $15 and they’ve been perfectly fine. Elbow pads: CCM is the only company that currently makes size XL elbow pads. I tried on several by multiple manufacturers and the CCM Tacks 7092 was the only one that was comfortable on my large, flabby arms. These have the Jofa JDP technology in them with a stretchy neoprene strap at the elbow and stretchy strap on the bicep for comfort and can be had for less than a $100. If you want to go baller, you may be able to find some old-school Jofa elbow pads in a size 7 on eBay & Sideline Swap but in that size, they’re unicorns and will cost as much as a car payment. Shoulder pads: There are two sets of shoulder pads that I’m aware of that have been made in a size XXL; both of which are not currently in production. If you’re a new player and/or a poor skater where you’re going to fall regularly or play in a full contact league, you will want to locate a pair of Reebok Jofa Pro Stock 6K pads; these were never made for retail but you can find new sets on eBay for less than $100. These are a heavy duty pad with large shoulder caps, sternum protection, and I feel infinitely better protected in these than option B. I’m not sure what the size chart states what chest size these are for but I wear a 58” suit jacket and these fit without any modification. Option B is the Sher-wood 5030 pads in XXL. There are two versions: one has a drawstring in only the front and the other has a drawstring in the front and back. I was rocking the pair with the drawstring on both sides which was great since you could replace them and widen out the pads as wide as you want them. I would only recommend these for experienced players and/or good skaters who won’t be falling constantly playing in a non-contact league. You can usually find these on eBay new for about $50. Pants & girdles: Most manufacturers make pants and girdles in a XXL which typically go up to a 40-42” waist. If you’re in the 42-46” neighborhood, Bauer makes the Nexus N8000 pants in a XXXL. If you’re in the 46-52” neighborhood, your only option is Tackla. Montreal Hockey USA (http://www.montrealhockey-usa.com/) is the importer of Tackla products to North America. Contact them and see what they have in the way of pants, girdles, and shells; depending on the time of year, the selection may be slim. Otherwise you can always order directly from Tackla in Finland and pay the international shipping rates. They make the Pro 9000 NHL pant up to a size 60 (50” waist) and if you wait until Tackla has a sale, you can get them delivered to the US for about $150 otherwise you may spend $200+. They at one time made pants & girdles up to a 62 (about 52”) waist but you may have to dig around online to find them. If you need longer pants than average, most manufacturers make tall pants. Tackla makes some in a 56L, which is about a 46” waist with 2” in additional length. Update: It appears that Tackla is no longer producing size 60 pants and Bauer doesn't have any XXXL pants in the 2018 catalog. Hockeyworld.com still has some 3xl Bauer pants available if you need a pair or you can be patient and scour Ebay and Sideline Swap and hope a pair show up on there. Shins: After trying on everything currently on the market made by Bauer, CCM, and Warrior (haven’t been anywhere that stocks STX or other smaller companies), the only ones that I found that would fit on my fat legs were the Bauer Supreme S190; these can be had for about $110. These are available up to 18”. If you are extra tall and need an 18” or 19” shin, Reebok pro stock pads can still be had; they can be found on eBay and other sites. The Reebok pro stock shins are wider than their “retail” models and are an option but unless you can get a used pair cheap, if you have large legs, I would recommend trying on shins at a LHS so you don’t get stuck with a $150+ pair of shins that don’t fit you properly. Skates: Unless you can afford to spend $1000 on some custom skates from True, the biggest skates that you can get on the market are Bauer Nexus series. They go up to a 12EE, which is about a 13 ½ wide in a US shoe. These have the most volume for people with thick feet, high arches, and need a lot of room. The Graf 709 is another option but good luck finding anyone that stocks them for you to be able to try on and they are an “old school” skate so they will weigh significantly more than current offerings from Bauer & CCM. If you wear larger than a 13 ½ US shoe but don’t need overly wide skates, Bauer makes the Vapor X700 up to a size 15 skate (about a 16 ½ US shoe). They list it in a single E width but with the Vapor being the narrowest and lowest volume skate that Bauer makes, it would most likely be a D width in the Supreme and Nexus line. Update: CCM is now doing fulling custom skates but it'll set you back over $1200 US. Bauer will also be doing customs soon but the features and costs aren't known to me yet. Sticks: If you need longer than standard (60”) sticks, you have three options: Warrior twigs, custom sticks by Warrior, Bauer, or Base and lastly by going pro stock. Warrior makes select models from all three of their lines up to 63”. If you are right-handed, you will have the option to pick several blade curves but if you are a lefty, your options are much more slim. None of the lie angles seems to increase in their long sticks from their standard length ones, however. Bauer, Warrior, and BASE each offer one to order custom sticks from them. BASE starts at $199 and Warrior & Bauer start at $299. BASE allows you to go 6" over standard length, while Bauer allows 4" over and Warrior only 3", which you can get with several of their retail models. None of these three allow you to customize your lie angle which if you're tall, you will most likely want a 6-7 lie instead of the standard 5. Since Warrior doesn't custom sticks longer than their retail models, the only appeal that I see for doing a custom stick from them is if you want custom grips, blade curves not available in retail, or want to make it spiffier looking. The other option with far more flexibility is going the pro stock route. You can get new pro stock sticks typically much cheaper than high end retail sticks with far more options in length, lie, flex, curve, brands, etc. Prostockhockey.com has the best search features for sticks with allowing you to search for length, lie, flex, blade pattern, grip, brands, and even the team that the player played for. As a tall lefty, I can sometimes get sticks on here for less than $90 apiece. Jerseys: Your best bet if you're horizontally-challenged is to go the goalie cut route. These two size charts are the best that I've found when it comes to figuring out what fits. In my personal experience, the CCM practice jerseys run small compared to other brands. I found that these are the two best resources for figuring out how retail jerseys fit: https://www.hockeymonkey.com/jersey-sizingchart.html and https://www.icewarehouse.com/lc/jerseysizing.html. I haven't tried any of the pro stock practice jerseys that you see pop up on eBay and Sideline Swap but there are an abundance of size 58 and 58+ on there. Update: After trying out several different jerseys including pro stock jerseys and tons of goalie cut jerseys, I found that the following two options work the best for me. The best but most expensive option is the K1 brand jerseys that you can get up to a 5xl. These fit great on me, are plenty long and aren't right in the shoulders or elbows. The downside it that unless you can find a generic jersey, they're usually reproduction jerseys of WHA teams, NCAA teams, etc so you will spend some money on them; https://www.sportsk.com/ has the best selection of them. The other option is scoring some 4xl Reebok Premier jerseys on Ebay or somewhere like that cheap. I was able to get a 4xl Carolina Hurricanes jersey for $30 on Ebay which is a little shorter and tighter than the K1 jersey but it is a good alternative if you find regular practice jerseys as being too tight or short. NEW SECTION Base layer & jocks: This is a equipment category that I neglected the first time around as I was still searching for the best solutions. For this category, it's best to think football, not hockey as this equipment, outside of the garter is the same. For base layer/compression stuff, Old Navy's website was a great option where you could get the stuff cheap when they had their seemingly weekly sales but it seems that they're discontinuing their big & tall base layer stuff. I personally prefer the hot weather stuff since bigger people sweat a ton and typically get hotter than other people so unless you're playing outdoors in Fairbanks or Yellowknife, get the warm weather stuff. Under Armour has a good selection of big & tall base layer gear on their website which they usually have promo codes floating around; I never see it available at their retail or outlet stores, like Old Navy. For tops, I like loose long sleeve base layer shirts. Casual Male/Destination XL has Reebok ones that I really like but I'm not a fan of the Under Armor pants that they sell so I would avoid those. Another tip is get the 3/4 length pants unless you skate barefoot so you don't have to roll your socks over or under your base layer. For jocks, if you can find them, Under Armour at one time made mesh jock shorts with Velcro garters and compression jock shorts with Velcro garters up to a 3xl but you'll have to get lucky to find a new pair; they work for up to a 48" waist. If you can't find a pair or are larger than 48", then you will need to find a traditional jock/cup which you can find looking around online or at a sporting goods store that sells football gear. For a garter, you'll need to get the A&R garter belt in size XL, which not everyone stocks, which according to the packaging, will accommodate a 60" waist. If anyone has any other big & tall tips, please let me know and I can amend this. I hope that you all find this somewhat helpful.
  4. 1 point
    Pretty sure this is the code on the Eaves pro stock sticks I got from the Dallas Stars sale a while back that are white but made to look like a Warrior QRL. Thanks for sharing the list below too, now I know what I have (I liked the stick before knowing, but it is kind of cool to know & the stick is the lightest one I have had the pleasure of playing with for sure). The 90 flex stamped on it is pretty solid for me too, overall I am very happy with the purchase.
  5. 1 point
    I fully agree with your assessment. True gloves don’t give me the same response and dexterity as warriors or other glove manufacturers do. Sloppy is a good way to put it, and the thumb especially. Both Warrior glove lines work for me, I just give a little nod to the QX (almost bought coverts before the QX released). If I liked things a little more tight, covert would be the way I’d go, I just love how Warrior gloves move in general
  6. 1 point
    When I talked to Chase on the phone a couple months ago, I asked him about this and he said they’re pretty much identical for sizing and fit. I’d consider buying from IW if you’re unsure. They have free shipping and returns on skates, providing you follow their terms.
  7. 1 point
    Warriors "Pro" line, Alpha and QRL come 63", several curves, and up to 110 flex
  8. 1 point
    Good advice from the shop. Ease of use and repair to me far outweighs other benefits. You can find Step for Edge holders on eBay. Roughly the same price as LS3. I believe Tyden Steel is available in the US, the MSH Pro shop guy might have more info.
  9. 1 point
    I have both the True XC9 and The Warrior QRL Pros. Both are Pro Stock and both 13" gloves. The Warriors are Gaudreau and the True XC9 is Hoffman in Ottawa Colors. Truth be told I'm happy with both pair. The Trues being Pro Stock do not have the zipper palms. The Warrior's in my case have a much tighter fit.
  10. 1 point
  11. 1 point
    top pic: OLE! next two pics: STICK ON THE ICE dkmiller !!!
  12. 1 point
    I’d echo what has been said here already. STX surgeon gloves warrant a look for sure. That said, the QRL line I think is more suitable than Trues line. While I’ve been impressed by their sticks, Trues protective lines to me have seemed lackluster compared to other manufacturers. I like the Zpalm concept, but I feel the execution isn’t quite there yet. Fit wise, check out the surgeon and QRL line
  13. 1 point
    I was going to recommend the Surgeon 500 gloves before even reading the post from Santos. I tried the XC9 and QRL gloves on at Modsquadhockey events and both felt comfortable, but the QRL is the snugger fitting glove of those two. I own a pair of HSX gloves and STX Surgeons and the Surgeon gloves are definitely the tightest in the fingers and backhand, but open up more in the wrist area. If I was buying new gloves today I would go for another pair of STX Surgeons, but the QRL gloves would be on the shortlist. You could also consider the CCM Quicklite gloves.
  14. 1 point
    Yeah. Probably should have mentioned that.... I've tried both on in the store and the Warrior QRL Pros seem to fit "closer" than the True XC9s. Again. In the store. However, I cannot speak to how either glove breaks in or how it feels over the long term.
  15. 1 point
    Don’t get me wrong- I love the lower lie offering and find it much better for my stance than the L6 version...but I also have 4000+ posts on a hockey message board and am acutely aware of every nuance of my gear LOL. The average guy I’ve played with over the years typically buys sticks in pairs- if they bought a TC2 and a TC2.5 they probably wouldn’t even notice they’re different.
  16. 1 point
    Added some colour, hard to do when playing on multiple teams.
  17. 1 point
  18. 1 point
    I love it when someone derails a thread and OP's question never gets answered.
  19. 1 point
    These arrived yesterday, now I just need to find the socks.
  20. 0 points
    Sorry for the delay in responding to the input so far. also thank you for straightening me out on not being so vague on my next post... before skating yesterday I straightened the blade out...only this time I leaned in on the leaver much harder and kept it there for nearly a minute and bent the hell out of it right in the middle...then I did the same thing moving half way to the Heel and then the Toe... normally when I straighten the skate just before I play it will stay straight for almost an hour and then have a pretty good-sized bow in it, and the next day the Curve will even will be even bigger. As I look at the Skate today it is perfectly straight... also I did neglect to state that I did take one rather hard shot directly in the front of the toe and ever since whenever I go to swap out the steel I have to put the blade in a vise and smack the front of the toe with a hammer to get the steel out of the Holder.



×
×
  • Create New...