AIREAYE

But they were all top of the line sticks lol. Warrior's position entering the market for the first time was built around bright, loud, slightly provocative and humorous imagery and marketing. They grabbed the attention of the market and that approach has led to success for them thus far. I think that now, having more or less solidified their position among the bigger players, they are shuffling back in line with naming and imagery, instead promoting their technology and innovation instead. Interesting transformation. Although the numerical nomenclature is standard and traditional and easier to understand, I'm beginning to miss the earlier days lol.

I've always thought that should been a retail feature regardless.

A new line (Nexus, Supreme, Vapor) every 6 months, a new lineup within that line (new Vapor, new Supreme) every 18 months.

The RBZ feels stiffer than rated, I would say 65. But obviously kickpoint is a factor in feel as well.

Ah I see. I was specifically wondering if you noticed anything like what JR mentioned here (screws vs rivets) : http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/61498-warrior-krown-360-helmet-initial-thoughtsteardown/?hl=krown

nice pickup, does it have some sort of locking meachanism in the back?

Davetronz, you're not the only one having problems with the 20K shin strapping system. Upon trying them in-store, I've experienced the same issues as you have.

What really? That was standard procedure at my old store. I thought everyone who wasn't cutting corners did it.

LOL I wasn't being sensitive, you're the one who said it I had no idea that it was a racial slur.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=zipperhead I dunno how to take this from you...

We should call you Harry Potter or something.

Thanks for the insight! Having a custom toe box option on a custom boot would be good value-added feature for those looking to go that route. As someone who could be potentially selling your product to customers, I was wondering if you guys will implement some sort of educational campaign as part of your overall marketing campaign (which I assume you will have to some degree) to teach both consumers and retailers about the uniqueness of your product?

Nazem the Dream?

Hmm, not knowing much of anything about speed skating, I would tend to agree. They absolutely sound like they know exactly what they're doing and have a plan set up, judging by that release.

Wow, you haven't posted here for a while! It seems like even greater customization is available with monocoque. Even the toebox? Everything is integrated together, no longer glued or stitched. This a very ambitious thing they're doing and quite admirable. They're slotting this skate right in amongst the other top ends and with a fully custom boot at around the same price if not slightly more expensive. I see this as a very niche product unless they get a greater presense both in NHL rinks and in stores.

Maybe lay off any facial expressions until it heals lol None of this or this

I hope it wasn't rusty steel.

The way the guard is designed though, it HAS to be flexible. If it were stiffer, I would imagine that there would be durability issues since the connection is so narrow. But that's some interesting insight; thanks!

Those were way before my time so I'm curious, what is/was so unique about them?

For this industry, one has to push out the marketing and reinforce/grow the brand image. People rely on perception and word-of-mouth recommendations. Aside from the obvious promotional aspect, price definitely plays a role as well. As the Star article mentioned, guerilla marketing is another method to get their product out there. Easton understands that they have a very small skate market share and that most people perceive their product to be inferior (The Great Skate Debacles of the Previous Decade, by : everyone I know), but in no way are they new entrants to the market, the product is. So, among other things I'm sure, they needed to sit down and come up with something big to get back in it. Enter the Mako, which, in my opinion, is the most innovative skate launch from the major players thus far. It turns the traditional perception of a hockey skate boot on its head, while capitalizing (or attempting to capitalize, at this point) on proven technologies (heat mouldability, general mobility, composite boot construction etc.). This is big, this is ambitious and Easton knows it. So why price at $799? I think that you guys nailed the perception aspect of it, so I'll try to stir up some debate by floating some thoughts out for the experts to read (and hopefully correct if need be). Easton would've had to examine sales data from their competitors, especially, in my opinion from the Reebok 20K, which, if you guys remember, we had another small discussion about its pricing. The 20K was priced similarly, along the lines of Bauer's top products where the 11K was priced lower. I think it would be useful if a comparison between the two prices, change in retail market share and brand image was compiled. Curious to see what the RBZ skate will be priced at. If Easton had put out another ski-boot stiff composite skate instead (think APX, T1), I do not think that they would've priced that at $799 because the market already has more established brands offering similar product at that pricepoint. Having a boot like the Mako there is interesting because it is almost a completely new concept; product differentiation. Overall, I would imagine that (so don't quote me obviously) Easton had two distinct options: a low risk/low potential return/low price option and a risky/high price option. Pricing at a bracket below other top-ends might result in slightly more sales when thinking of price vs demand, as well as perhaps growing the brand image positively at a steady rate (don't know how one would measure that). The ambitious pricing has its implications already mentioned by previous posters. As we can see, Easton believes that they can be sucessful with this launch (TGIF); they're going big.

I get what you're saying, so the side panels are stiff but they're sort of...hinged (?) based around the heel.

Thanks! Did you double stitch?

In addition to the attitude that once baked, they could be considered 'used' by customers, thus a potential sale lost. Put my foot into a Mako yesterday without lacing for a few seconds. Same feelings as the rest of you. Major concerns for me was the lack of depth...everywhere, especially the forefoot where getting laces into the eyelets seemed difficult Extremely flexible tendon is nice performance-wise, but a major concern for durability. Time will tell. Very surprised by how soft the boot was, another major concern for me.

That looks amazing! I was wondering if you could perhaps post a picture of the area where you made the stitches. That Speedy Stitcher is a great tool. Looking forward to reading any feedback from you, Krev, especially since you were a Stealth user too iirc.

Were they comfortable?