mhkehoe

Thanks to some of the material in this thread, I took a Mission chassis I had lying around and through it on a pair of Reebok 14k using t-nuts. It is amazing how quickly this process is after you have done it on one skate. http://i.imgur.com/f4eAUja.jpg

Sorry, I only meant that the one I received matches the PM9/Modano pattern more closely they the P88.

Yep. Probably the reason for the curve not being quite right too.

On the ABS blade, it is rounded.

It matches exactly a Zetterberg (Modano, Lie 5) wood blade I have lying around. I usually don't worry about the lie of my ABS blades since within a game or two, it will fix itself.

A little bump for this thread since I tried out a new thing from HockeyTron. Tron 2100 ABS Blade - Jarvis Curve I decided to try this blade out despite it only being a few dollars cheaper than the Reebok 2K since those savings add up when you play enough outdoor roller hockey. Thoughts: Branding: Despite having the 2100 in the name that hints that it may be similar to the Koho 2100 / Reebok 2K ABS blades, it is definitely not the same blade. If I had to make a guess based on the texture of the ABS material and the weight of the blade, I would say they are built using the Bauer One30 ABS blades. Heavy: Once I popped this blade into the shaft, I was surprised on how much heavier the blade was compared to a new Reebok 2K P44 which also has a little taller blade. I would say it is at least 20 grams heavier. It didn't help that the blade coming out of the stick was pretty thin, causing a greater difference in weight. I don't think most people would care, but I found it annoying enough to write about it. Curve: I ordered the Jarvis curve which is supposed to be a 1/2" mid curve - "Lindros Curve". It was much flatter than that, and had more of a heel curve. Closer comparison would be a PM9. Strength: It seems to be stiffer than most of the other ABS blades I have used, both in the hosel and the blade structure. It is still new, so I will post an update if it breaks early or gets noticeably more flexible. I also ordered two pairs of the HockeyTron NHL style socks to match my team's jerseys (St. Louis Blues Navy [third] and Buffalo Sabres White #2 [current uniforms]). They don't show either of these sock styles on their web site, so I went with Nashville white and Buffalo dark. The Nashville socks are accurate to the HockeyTron website, but the Buffalo socks that came are Dark #2 rather than Dark #1 as shown in their picture. I guess it is somewhat minor, but the socks shown would have gone with the St. Louis jersey far better than what I received. I e-mailed Chris at HockeyTron and he was nice enough to check stock to see if they had a few sock styles not shown on the web site that match my team's jersey styles (no luck there). My assumption is that when the new stock of the Buffalo dark sock came in, it was the newer style and the web site was never updated. Otherwise, the sock quality looks excellent and I would recommend them to anyone not wanting to drop the $20+ on the Reebok branded socks. They will be a little loose on my frame, but that is a desirable characteristic after not liking the snug fit of the 28" socks.

Since I have been mostly critical of the company, I did want to note that the pro shop at my rink (the only place to buy hockey equipment for about 100 miles) has a bunch of their youth starter kits. Assuming the kid isn't a snob about brand, it is a great way for the rink to help get kids on the rink. Also not a bad way to build a brand long term.

That is the issue I am talking about. You are not getting the same performance you would from those high price sticks, you are getting the performance expected from a not as popular manufacturer in the $130 price range. You may be getting a better performance per dollar ratio than a product under Bauer's name, but you shouldn't fool yourself in thinking you are getting a TotalOne or RS with an edited paint job at that price. Sherwood, Combat, Base, etc all have offerings in this price range similar to what HockeyTron is offering, and they are still more established names. People just need to have reasonable expectations when buying these type of products.

I can't say that I am impressed with their new direction of copying the graphics from the high end sticks. I think most of us understand that even if these sticks are in fact made "in the same factories as the big names", these sticks are not Easton RS and TotalOne sticks with a different paint job. I feel like it is meant to boost sales through the quality and performance associated with Bauer/Easton, not their own product craftsmanship. Originally I may have believed that the company's mission was to provide equipment at a more reasonable cost, but decisions like this make it clear to me that they are deceptively selling knock off products while narrowly skirting legal ramifications. I would be embarrassed to use these look-a-likes. As if the corny name "TRON" wasn't bad enough, I can't see them ever becoming a respectable low cost manufacturer (like Winnwell).

The inlines are extremely cheap looking. Basically, you are getting exactly what you would expect from a skate in that price range (low end) from a company that isn't a big manufacturer or gear (unpredictable quality). On the pair I got for a new skater, one toe cap was noticeably further forward, and the chassis was also mounted in different spots one each skate. HockeyTron also don't use the same bearings and wheels that they sell separately.

Maybe ChrisJ is of Asian decent and thought "ping" was a derogatory comment towards him. Only way I could take any of that as personally threatening.

About 3 3/16" at the middle. It is very slightly shorter towards the sides

I understand that. I mean that the bearings and wheels are completely different from the ones they sell seperately. The wheels will actually spin freely forward for part of a turn, stop, and spin back.

Bought a pair of the tron inline skates for a friend for xmas for a friend since they were cheap. They shipped the wrong item the first time, but they let me keep it. Second time I got the skates, but I have to say that you definitely get what you pay for. They seem like a Payless Shoe store version of a skate. There is glue dripping out of a number of spots, stitching is off, and the toe cap on one skate is further forward on one skate (about a half size). The material the skate is made out of feels very similar to the low end skates, so I don't know where they are getting their comparisons to the T6 and RX25. The paint on the chassis is poor, and looks like it will come off pretty quickly, even with how little this person will use them. We will see how the bearings and wheels respond once they are used, but out of the box they seem to not spin particularly well. Ultimately, if they don't fall together super quick and are comfortable, I will be happy. These are just meant to be a cheap pair to introduce someone to the sport.

I didn't realize that one had an ABS blade. My problem with the composite+ABS sticks is that I don't feel like I get my money's worth out of the composite shaft since once the blade goes, the shaft is no longer useful. To be fair to that style of product, with how many Sherwoods/Eastons/Koho Ultimates blade replacements I've broken before they were even half worn, if the CA3 survives through most of it's blade while staying stiff, it could still be worth the extra $40 over a normal replacement. I will keep them in mind when the next blade goes. Thanks for the quick reply!

I really like the look of the inline skates, I will have to give them a try once my current pair of skates get worn out (which doesn't seem to take long since I am usually playing on asphalt). Looks like a lot of thought was put into the skate design. Since your focus is on roller, any research and development going into a better replaceable ABS blade? Seems like everything but the CCM Crossover either has a common break point or has a lot of give with pucks.

At least the roller line of skates looks like the Vector line to me

Speaking of, anyone tried the Elite stick? I think I am in the same boat, with how much I have to cut off a stick, a 85 flex that long is going to be a bit too stiff for me. Very hard for me to find a stick that is in the 80-85 range after cutting.

Other than the wheeled side dragging a bit, I haven't had another other problems with the bag. I still think it is worth it

Could be that they won't have the production to meet all the pre-orders for it, and rather than upset customers that some receive the sticks and others don't, they will remove the ability to pre-order until they can get another batch going. The LE looks nice, but I think the 90 flex is a bit high for me.

I will be curious to see what people say about the sticks over the long run. I was thinking about picking one up, but I will probably hold off until I lose another blade on my 2-piece sticks. I saw one guy in an in-house game with a Tron LE (judging by the color), and it broke in the middle during the game. Kid seemed pretty rude so I wasn't about to start asking him questions.

I just wanted to give a little update on the Tron MegaHz 82A outdoor wheels. I've been using them for about twice a week since mid August, and I would say they are nearing the mid way point in their life span. They definitely feel and wear closer to a 78A rather than an 82A. The Hyper Pro 250 82A I used previous at this rink lasted a bit longer during the hot summer, but didn't have much grip on the fairly smooth asphalt we play on. These on the other hand feel a lot closer to the Labeda Shooters (78A) that I have used out at the rink (and really liked). I haven't decided if they are wearing quicker than the Labeda Shooters, but they are about a dollar cheaper per wheel and come with bearings so that may offset any minor wear differences. For now, I have placed a Revision 84A outdoor wheel in the back wheel position on both skates to alleviate a bit of wear, and this seems to have provided a good mix of grip and wear. In summary, I am still happy with what the wheels provide for the price. If you buy them, expect them to be a bit softer and grippy than other 82A wheels, and to wear accordingly.

Glad to know the pocket issue isn't just mine. I assumed that interior zipper was to get to the rail components in case they break, but I was in a rush and didn't take a thorough look at it. Maybe it has something to do with lengthening the bag. I will take a closer look at that later. I am happy with it as well.

I bought a few things from them a couple of days ago, here is some first reactions: Jersey (practice)/Socks - Haven't got to try them yet. Material is very soft compared to my CCM practice jersey. Embroidery on the socks does not look particularly cheap, but I think their logo is a bit big. MegaHz 82A (Outdoor) Wheels - Gave them a try last night at the local outdoor rink and they did provide a nice bit of grip, though the real test will be how well they grip in about 2-3 more uses. They left behind black marks on the pavement when I made quick stops (more so than other wheels). If they continue to give this amount of grip and they last a little longer than the 78A wheels I usually use, I will be very happy. To give a little better idea what kind of asphalt I play on, I tried the Revision 84A wheels and I had to be careful how much I pushed off. I have no idea how some of the other guys who play at that rink use the 84A, I slide all over the place. I bought 8 wheels so I received their ABEC 7 bearings. They look almost identical to Bones Reds bearings except the rubber seal is on both sides, not just one. The bearings had quite a good spin to them right away. These are the type of bearings that you have to open and clean more frequently (because of the rubber seal), but I prefer that design to the sealed. Very happy with these considering I loaned some wheels and bearings to someone and never got them back. Senior Rolling Travel Bag - The interior of the bag feels a bit cramped compared to my basic Bauer 36" bag from 7-8 years ago. I had to actually lay out the gear intelligently in order to fit my helmet into the bag. I am sure I can get my ice gear into the bag, but it will probably be a tight fit unless I figure out how to pack the bag better. It has a small interior bag for holding tools or pucks, but I am a little worried about putting my skate tool in there and having it rip through since the material is thin. If it happens, there is always duct tape. I managed to get a small tear in the side pocket on the wheeled side somewhere between my car and the rink. I am assuming the Gatorade I put in this pocket pushed out the bag enough where it dragged a bit. A little disappointing, but nothing that can't be fixed with... DUCT TAPE! I will try to give further updates as I get a bit more use out of this stuff.

I don't work at the shop but I caught one guy looking at the junior replacement blades so I asked him about it. Said he was a goalie playing out this season. He was fully aware they were junior blades but wanted to buy them anyway because they were slightly cheaper. He also had no clue if the shaft he was going to use was standard or tapered. Hope whoever stands in front of that guy on a shot has full face protection.