dgaronzik

Mission D1C Background - 5'8 185, moderate arch, wide foot. Skate size - 9D League - Men's League, A division (highest level, some MLRH and PIHA players) and C Division Fit- The boot has Mission's DNA technology which creates a stiff lower boot followed by increasingly softer areas of boot so that the shell wraps around you foot as you tighten the laces. Instead of the whole skate being uniform stiffness and being a box around your foot, the shell of the boot basically conforms to your foot creating a better fit. Also, the DNA system frees up the ankle more so then normal skates to allow for a more free skating stride and more ankle snap. This new freedom of movement did not take me long to get used and I noticed the increase in movement and range of motion as soon as I stepped onto the rink with the skates. The only drawback to the DNA system is that it is based on reinforced cloth eyelets to pull the skate around your foot, this creates the possibility of ripping and also makes it harder then normal skates to get the right tightness of your preference. Switching to a wax lace might help this issue from the start but you will eventually get used to it. The liner is soft and compliant, the tongue is thin but more comfortable then my previous skates (Bauer Vapor XV). I did not get my skates baked and it took around 3 games for them to feel broken in. They got even better for the next 3 games after that. In the past, the stitching where the ankle pads and liner meet have caused me rubbing/blister problems on Mission skates. I did not have that problem with the D1C's. Rating - 9/10 Chassis/Bearings/Wheels - The stock chassis is made out of 7000 series aluminum that is heavily extruded and also angled to limit the weight of the chassis. While the chassis does feel light, one can only imagine that if some of the thickness of the walls was taken out, it could be even lighter. The axle system is a double axle system with a locking nut on one side that is held in place by a recession in the frame. Ive always prefered single axle systems but the recess to hold the nut is much better then past Mission attempts. I can not comment on the bearings and wheels since I swapped them out immediately. Rating - 8.5/10 Weight- While not the lightest skate Ive owned, its definetly the 2nd lightest Ive owned. I think most of the difference is in the chassis. However, the weight of the skate is not something I noticed during games. Rating - 9.5/10 Protection- I play defense on one of my teams and offense on the other team. I tend to try and block shots when I can for the most part the protection of the skates is pretty good. However, in one game last season I blocked a shot off the tongue of the skate and immediately got a stinger. If you get these, you shouldnt try not to block shots with that part of the skate. Rating - 8/10 Durability- One of my main concerns was how these skates would hold up. Ive owned a handful of Mission skates, taking some time between my last pair and this pair to skate on Bauer Vapor XV. After about a year on the XV's, they started to get softer and were showing signs of wear in several places. Also, my past Mission skates have all had problems with the outsole staying connected to the main part of the boot (Justin has said on many occasions in the past few months that this issue has been addressed and fixed). Ive been on these skates for about 3.5 months and they show no signs of wear or outsole seperation. For me, Ive always searched for a skate that would give me the performance I demand but also have a good amount of durability so Im not changing skates every year. Im hoping that these last. Rating - 9.5/10 Intangibles- One of the things I take into consideration when buying a skate is the company's customer support and support for the game. Mission has incredible customer support and Justin is an active member of this forum. Also, Mission is a very active supporter of the game and has been since day 1. Always support the companys that support your game. Rating - 10/10 Conclusion- This is the best skate Ive ever owned, whether custom or stock. The increase in range of motion in my foot has given me an extra pop in my stride and the overall fit has kept me skating comfortably for hours on end. Im hoping in the future that Mission can address possible durability issues with the DNA strand system (kevlar perhaps?) but that is the only real issue I have with the skate and its not even a pressing issue at that. Overall Rating - 9/10.

2004 Rink Rat Hot Shot Wheels (72/80, 76A) background - 5'8 180, Roller Only Intro: The past year has seen an incredible increase in the attention given to the roller hockey wheel. Hyper introduced its 2004 Trinity wheel, adapting its world-renowned Race urethane on its top end roller wheel. A new company named Factory has started to get attention over the past several months with its innovative designs. And for the past year, Rink Rat has created a stirring with its own innovative design. For people looking for the best performance in a wheel, now is your time to be able to pick and choose. Grip: The grip on this wheel has remained the best of any wheel I’ve used. I have had these wheels for over 2 months now and all these wheels take is a little cleaning to get them back to their original grip. Around corners, the Hot Shots maintain their grip and allow you to cut as you please without worrying about your feet slipping out from underneath you. An important part of initial acceleration is grip as well. The Rink Rats have incredible starting ability. 9.5/10 Speed: Prior to skating on the Hot Shots, the fastest wheel I had ever skated on was the 2004 Hyper Trinity. However, the very first time I stepped on the rink with the Hot Shots, I knew they were faster. I could feel the extra speed beneath my feet even just rolling across the rink to my bench. These wheels have incredible straight-line speed and they enabled me to use more of my speed in every game situation. Starting, cutting, whatever, you are going to be moving faster then you have before. 10/10 Durability: Again, these wheels shine here. I have used these wheels for 2 months and they still look brand new when I clean them. They haven’t started to wear down at all. I have never had a wheel last this long, much less last this long and not been worn down. The fact that these wheels cost $7 a piece means nothing when you consider that you could be paying $5 a wheel every month. 10/10 Overall rating: 10/10. I had heard about Rink Rat a long time before I actually tried them. One of the things holding me back was the $10 price tag on both wheel lines. For 2004, they were able to lower the price of the Hot Shot wheel to $7 and that opened the door for me to try them. Rink Rat has truly made me a believer and now I would not hesitate to try out the $10 Hornets. UPDATE - 6/3/04 - Well after 2 whole seasons and nearly 4.5 months, my rink rats are starting to show signs of death. Last night before my playoff games I decided Id check my wheels and despite them showing no signs of wearing down like typical wheels do, they were showing signs of cracking/splitting/whatever you call it. I flipped them so the inside edges were now on the outside and no problem for my games. All in all, 4.5 months is over 2 times the amount of time I have gotten out of any other wheel I have ever tried. Usually wheels last me about 4-6 weeks playing 2-3 games a week.

TPS XN10 OPS – GI P09 R background - 5'8 180, Roller Only Blade – The XN10 has a hard blade but felt a little softer then an Innovative blade. This made the blade feel a little bit more compliant and also gave it the best feel of any OPS blade I’ve ever used. 9.5-10 Flex – After coming from an Innovative flex of 260, I felt the Regular XN10 flex had a little bit more kick to it. The flex felt about the same but the response of the shaft is definitely faster then any other shaft/OPS I’ve used. 9-10 Stickhandling/receiving passes – Like I mentioned above, this stick has the best feel of any OPS I’ve ever tried. It even has better feel then an Innovative shaft/blade combination. I haven’t had any issues stickhandling with this stick at all and can always tell where the puck is on the blade. 9-10 Shooting – This is where this stick really shines for me. Right from the get go I was firing rockets with this stick. The shots were going where I wanted them to go every time I shot. I actually found myself picking corners more with this stick and not just trying to shoot the piss out of it like I had done with Synergy’s. The lightweight combined with the amazing kick gives you a lethal combination of shaft speed along with shot speed. I found myself getting shots off faster then I had been before. Also, I’ve only broken pucks with two sticks and one of them was the XN10. 9.5-10 Weight and balance – The very first time I picked up an XN10 I was amazed at how light the stick is. After having used them for 3 months already, I still get that feeling every game. I have teammates who pick up my stick from time to time also and they all can’t believe that they are holding a stick. 9-10 Durability – I bought two GI XN10’s off Ebay at the end of December. My first XN10 lasted me roughly 5 weeks, which is 10 games for me. The blade broke and I was able to easily make it into a shaft (a very light shaft at that). My second XN10 is still going strong after 15 games and is in no way looking like it’s on its way out. 9-10 Conclusion – This is the best stick I have ever used. I think when my second GI XN10 breaks I’m going to have a hard time keeping myself from buying another one. 9.5-10

Innovative 1100 Tapered background - 5'8 180, Roller Only Shaft/Flex- The flex I had been using was a 260 but for 1100 I wanted something with a bit more whip so I got the 300 flex. My best estimate for its flex would be around 80. I cut the shaft about an inch and half and did not use the end plug at all. The version I had was the version was the acrylic finish. Construction was perfect and it fit a inno tapered blade without needing any tape. 9/10 Stickhandling/Passing- I only used Innovative tapered blades in the shaft. The shaft had good feel when paired with an Inno blade, I think if I had paired it with my one of my custom wood blades it would have been much better. When compared to the XN10 that Im using right now, this combo had a little less feel. While accepting passes, the shaft was very compliant, I naturally give a little when receiving a pass but with this combo I didn’t need to give as much. Passing was always spot on, the extra whip actually got the pucks to my target a little quicker then with my 260 flex 1100. 9/10 Shooting-Before using this shaft I had been using a standard 1100 shaft and Innovative blade combo. The main thing I noticed was the lower kickpoint which caused my shots to be inconsistent until I got used to the shaft. Also with the change in flex I felt like the shaft would have been better as a stick for a forward and at the time I was playing more defense. However, once I got used to the shaft my shots were flying off my stick. Whether it was a slap shot, wrist shot or snap shot, it was coming off my stick in a hurry. 8/10 Weight and balance-The shaft/inno blade combo felt a little lighter then the standard 1100/inno blade combo. Not the lightest combo you can make but still pretty damn light. 8/10 Durability- I had no durability issues with this shaft. Just like every other Inno shaft I’ve used, the thing was a tank. 9.5/10 Conclusion-This is a great shaft. Durable and great feel. Not as light as an XN10 shaft but its not marketed to be. If you can get used to the different kick point you’ll definitely enjoy this shaft. Overall I give the shaft an 8.5/10.