LoneStar77

This is a super intriguing idea. Thanks!

I love my Warrior Franchise Elbows even if they are super old, but the sling wrap strap on both pads (middle strap on the pad) is no longer sticking to the inside forearm part where the loop fastener is located (the hooks from the sling wrap strap work on the lower forearm part where the pad wraps around & has another attachment point so I know it is not the strap that is the issue - I assume the jersey rubbing on the exposed loops has worn them out). Is there a method to replacing the worn out section of loops? I thought about just gluing a new section of loops over the existing loops, but I figured I would ask here before drastically altering my gear. I wear an Under Armour long sleeve undershirt with the grippy parts & still when I strap the sling wrap lower so it stays attached my pads slip down a bit sometimes & it bothers me...even if I am not very good to begin with, every little bit matters right?!?! If pictures are needed to assist, I can take & post some later...not currently sitting anywhere near my pads.

My team got these, I ordered a size up & got an XXL (I got burned once before on some no name jerseys that another teammate ordered so I tend to go XXL instead of XL now) to avoid the issue you are dealing with. The XXL isn't that much bigger anywhere else, but my Warrior Franchise elbows fit without it being super tight or super loose. I dealt with the issue you are talking about once before so I feel your pain...

Good to know, thanks. I wore a mid-level Supreme pant before I picked up the pro stock ones.

That's a shame. I love my Dallas Stars Pro Stock pants that are a version of the Nexus line, even if they are a couple of iterations old & a non-retail version. They are super comfortable & feel bulletproof on the ice (I can see why Erik Cole chose to wear them).

I think I changed wheels & bearings almost immediately, but that was due more to the surface I played regularly on did not jive well with the wheels the skates shipped with (they were too soft or at least I preferred harder wheels back then). I am also glad the mini-bearing trend died.

My old skates had a bunch of silver, black, & some purple so these are okay by me. Plus, features & stiffness are way more important to me than color/design anyway. I'm about 99% positive that the NLS2s were a bit cheaper than the RPMs too, which was nice (of course that is only because they were on clearance). I found an online pic of the Mission RPM skates...

I just picked up a pair of NLS2s on clearance since inline hockey is 20 minutes from my house & I'm taking a break from the 4 hour round trip to place ice. They fit description made them sound similar to Bauer Supreme skates so I purchased the same size & width as my Supreme S180 ice skates - the fit is almost identical, in my opinion. My previous skates were Mission RPMs from like 2000-2001 & they had really started to deteriorate in the last few months. The new skates are so much lighter & the features are very similar to the RPMs with newer technology. So far, I love them. I baked them at home following the included instructions, but am hoping to get them in an actual shop's skate oven since it didn't give me as good of a wrap/fit as I think an actual skate oven could. Just my 2 cents after 3 skates in them, I hope they hold up like my previous pair.

I've got a large Re-Akt cage on a large IMS 9.0 helmet & it works. There has got to be a way to make your setup work too.

I enjoy the stick bag NOT because I think my sticks are amazing or anything special, but it makes it easier to store them in my house, trunk, parents house, etc. I have a 2 hour commute to the rink, I want to make sure I have all my gear - equipment bag, laundry bag with clean stuff, stick bag with 2 sticks - boom done. To each his own, carry them with or without a bag - no judgement here.

The Easton RS one I got on clearance has room in the top of the bag when I have my sticks in it (like inches extra), I would guess it would fit 66"...but sadly I don't know if the Bauer that most likely replaced it would be the same. EDIT: I just measured & it appears to only be about 65" long...

I've got a pair of Bauer Nexus Pro Stock Dallas Stars pants in large & +1 length (they say Eric Cole in them too) & they are a bit big on me, but I don't mind it at all. I'm 6'2", 225 lbs with a 36 in. waist so I would guess even in the tapered Vapor design that the larges would run a bit big for you. In retail I wore a Bauer Supreme medium tall & they fit well too - both length & waist size.

I saw Pure Hockey has the Bauer 3-D scan machine when I was there this weekend. I've been to Hockey Monkey once & I agree it appeared to have more gear out for you to try on. I miss Players Bench down in Richardson for sharpenings (NRH is too far away when I already live 2 hours from the rink)...

I've slowly upgraded my beer league equipment from mid-range to the higher end. I like the features that the higher end stuff has & most (if not all) of it I have gotten at clearance prices. The moisture-wicking, anti-microbial properties are key for me because I sweat a ton & I don't like smelly gear (I air dry it after every game). NikeBauer XXV shoulders became Warrior AXLT shoulders (clearance purchase) Bauer One80(or85, I can't remember) shins became Bauer Supreme MX3 (clearance purchase with bonus bucks off as reward points for a vendo - I think I got them for like $32 or something ridiculous like that) Older Jofa Elbows which I loved but were bulky as all get out became Warrior Franchise (clearance purchase & no I won't sell the Jofas, I enjoy having them for nostalgia purposes) NikeBauer One95 gloves became Warrior Luxe (both were clearance purchases) I also picked up some Under Armour hockey long sleeve shirts with the grippy print & 2 compression jocks at a UA Clearance House for cheap too. The pants I wear now were a pro-stock purchase at full price (Dallas Stars Bauer Nexus - Eric Cole), but I did pick up a $50 pair of Eagle 2-piece Dallas Stars pro-stock pants that I wear every once in a while too. I get that no one is going to check me into the boards consistently since I play in a non-checking league, but when it happens (or when I wipe out into the ice/boards/something else hard) I enjoy being well protected. The only things I look at now are pro-stock Dallas Stars stuff & sticks.

Picked up some new stuff thanks to the recent Dallas Stars Warehouse Sale, pants were $50 & sticks were $100 each - too good of a deal to pass up especially since my Covert DT3LT is having some flaking issues just above the heel from a slash. Helmet: Bauer IMS 9.0 Black Cage: Bauer Re-AKT Titanium Shoulder pads: Warrior Dynasty DT1LT Elbow: Warrior Franchise Gloves: Warrior Luxe Black (14") / NikeBauer Supreme One90 Black (14") / NikeBauer Vapor XXX Navy, Red, & White (13") Pants: Dallas Stars Pro Stock Bauer Nexus 1000 Large +1" (Erik Cole) / Bauer Supreme One80 Medium Tall Black / Dallas Stars Pro Stock Eagle 2-piece Pro Pants Size 54 Shins: Bauer Supreme TotalOne MX3 Skates: Bauer Supreme S180 Skates (8.5 EE) Sticks: Warrior Covert DT3LT 85 Henrique Curve (W03) / Warrior Dolomite Lags Pro Stock / 2x Pro Stock Warrior Covert QRL Patrick Eaves sticks (marked 90 flex - brand new, uncut) Shirt: UnderArmour LS ArmourGrip Hockey shirt (gray w/ orange grip)/Shock Doctor Ultra ShockSkin Shirt Bag: Warrior Covert Carry Bag (black/blue/silver/white) Stick Bag: Easton RS (royal)

Cannot wait to try out the new shins Saturday night, got a killer deal on them too thanks to some rewards dollars earned when I bought new skates & them being on sale. Helmet: Bauer IMS 9.0 Black Cage: Bauer Re-AKT Titanium Shoulder pads: Warrior Dynasty DT1LT Elbow: Warrior Franchise Gloves: Warrior Luxe Black (14") / NikeBauer Supreme One90 Black (14") / NikeBauer Vapor XXX Navy, Red, & White (13") Pants: Dallas Stars Pro Stock Bauer Nexus 1000 Large +1" (Erik Cole) / Bauer Supreme One80 Medium Tall Black Shins: Bauer Supreme TotalOne MX3 / Bauer Supreme One.8 Skates: Bauer Supreme S180 Skates (8.5 EE) Sticks: Warrior Covert DT3LT 85 Henrique Curve (W03) / Warrior Dolomite Lags Pro Stock Shirt: UnderArmour LS ArmourGrip Hockey shirt (gray w/ orange grip)/Shock Doctor Ultra ShockSkin Shirt Bag: Warrior Covert Carry Bag (black/blue/silver/white) Stick Bag: Easton RS (royal)

Got a few new pieces of gear - the Pro Stock Dallas Stars pants are the new colors & logo & are awesome, as are my new skates. Helmet: Bauer IMS 9.0 Black Cage: Bauer Re-AKT Titanium Shoulder pads: Warrior Dynasty DT1LT Elbow: Warrior Franchise Gloves: Warrior Luxe Black (14") / NikeBauer Supreme One90 Black (14") / NikeBauer Vapor XXX Navy, Red, & White (13") Pants: Dallas Stars Pro Stock Bauer Nexus 1000 Large +1" (Erik Cole) / Bauer Supreme One80 Medium Tall Black Shins: Bauer Supreme One.8 Skates: Bauer Supreme S180 Skates (8.5 EE) Sticks: Warrior Covert DT3LT 85 Henrique Curve (W03) / Warrior Dolomite Lags Pro Stock Shirt: UnderArmour LS ArmourGrip Hockey shirt (gray w/ orange grip) Bag: Warrior Covert Carry Bag (black/blue/silver/white) Stick Bag: Easton RS (royal)

They didn't fit my feet, felt really tight especially up near the toe box. I went with the s180s as they were more comfortable before the bake (I still may need an area or 2 punched out a bit). It is hard to tell from just sitting & standing in the store in each pair, but I think the s180s were stiffer.

Got the new skates baked & sharpened this weekend, can't wait to use them in a game (had to use my old ones for my last game as these had just been baked like an hour before hand). I also will switch out the laces for either Elite white or perhaps yellow waxes ones soon too. From Vapor X:40 9D to Supreme S180 8.5EE. :)

I wish they had the Comfort Edge (& maybe the fiber composite outsole because that's what my Vapors have), but they offered everything else I wanted & I couldn't justify the extra $200+ for the S190s. I'll be getting the baked as soon as I can make it to the local TH, but right out of the box they were more comfortable than the vice grip smash I get from my Vapors currently. I was trying to wait until I could post a pic before talking about them, but I saw your post & got excited all over again.

I have a pair of these on order right now, as my local Total Hockey was out of my size (so I bought from their website instead). I moved from a Vapor X:40 9D (this was the model when the X:60 was the top of the line) to a Supreme S180 8.5EE...I was just slightly in the wrong skate size & shape, which was more my inexperience buying skates than anything else (I was fit by a LHS but I don't think I was able to provide the employee good feedback because I didn't know exactly how it should feel). I tried on a set of Tacks 4052s in 8.5EE & JetSpeed Max 2.0 in 8.5EE, but the Tacks were far too tight on my right foot & neither locked my heel in place well (they were the only 8.5EEs in stock - I was able to find the Supreme S180s at another big box store where I tried them on). I can't wait to get them baked, sharpened, & on the ice. I'm going with Superfeet (yellow) in mine since I can just move them over from my Vapors.

Helmet: Bauer IMS 9.0 (black) with a Bauer Titanium RE-AKT - new helmet, very light & comfy with the RE-AKT cage. can't wait to use it in a game (my Bauer 5100 padding is coming unglued, its 5+ years old & has taken its fair share of hits & falls) Shoulder Pads: Warrior Dynasty AXLT (Nike Bauer Vapor XXV) Elbow Pads: Warrior Franchise Gloves: Warrior Luxe (black-14") / Nike Bauer Supreme One90 (black-14") / Nike Bauer Vapor XXX Pro Model (navy, red, & white-13") Pants: Bauer Supreme One80 (black - tall size) Shin Pads: Bauer Supreme One.8 (15") Skates: Bauer Vapor X:40 with yellow Superfeet Sticks: Warrior Covert DT3 LT (85 Flex, Henrique Curve) & 2 Warrior Dolomites (Pro Stock - Lags, 75 Flex, Heel curve similar to Vanek according to Hockey Monkey) with Tacki-Mac Kane Grips Bag: Warrior Covert Carry Bag (black, blue, & silver)

I had my wife sew up my Warrior Luxe pinky finger on one palm when it had 5 or stitches come out. I noticed my finger was sticking out on the bench during a game & had her fix it before the next game. I think she used some heavy nylon thread & she got some that matched the palm/the thread that was there before. It has held up well & has not come undone in over about 6+ months of play. I wouldn't hesitate to have her do it again if I noticed a loose thread somewhere else.

I really like my 14" Luxes. I picked up some Warrior Dynasty AXLT shoulders - I love the ventilation & the range of motion on the shoulder. I also got a home & away set of Oklahoma Barons game used socks (thanks to my brother & his wife & their franchise moving clearance sale).

Helmet: Bauer 5100 (black) with a Nike Bauer 8500 Cage Shoulder Pads: Warrior Dynasty AXLT (Nike Bauer Vapor XXV) Elbow Pads: Warrior Franchise Gloves: Warrior Luxe (black-14") / Nike Bauer Supreme One90 (black-14") / Nike Bauer Vapor XXX Pro Model (navy, red, & white-13") Pants: Bauer Supreme One80 (black - tall size) Shin Pads: Bauer Supreme One.8 (15") Skates: Bauer Vapor X:40 with yellow Superfeet Sticks: Warrior Covert DT3 LT (85 Flex, Henrique Curve) & 2 Warrior Dolomites (Pro Stock - Lags, 75 Flex, Heel curve similar to Vanek according to Hockey Monkey) with Tacki-Mac Kane Grips Bag: Warrior Covert Carry Bag (black, blue, & silver) I'm becoming quite the Warrior fan - first elbows, then sticks, then gloves...now shoulder pads. The AXLT's are light & felt very well ventilated. They seemed a lot more mobile than my XXVs. I've only played one game in the AXLTs, but I can't wait to get back on the ice for more games with them. I enjoy getting top of the line gear on clearance.