jimmy

I think it's related to the machinery. They've gone so far left in this country, kids under 18 can't even operate a tomato slicer if they work at a restaurant.

It is against child labor laws to have employees under 18 operate dangerous equipment, which includes sharpening machines.

Don't blame the skate for a bad sharpening. What you experienced has nothing to do with the skate.

Orange sucks for high volume, lots of wheel residue when dressing. You can blow thru a wheel in no time. But does a nice job on stainless.

The edge system is pretty cool, a great improvement for sure, but once you change runners a couple of time using the screw system, it really only takes a liilte longer, perhaps 1 minute.

Shops that offer FBV are few and far between, heck most don't even offer hollow choices, I doubt they'd invest in a FBV machine with all the different options. They are content to offer a "regular" that everyone gets. We see teams from all over the country when they are in town for tournys. Most give us the deer in the headlight look when we ask them what setting they would like. CB1, having a spare set of steel is always a good choice, especially when in the first period you or your son loses an edge or breaks a runner and the pro shop is closed. Being able to pull a runner out of your bag is priceless.

Exactly, when someone tries a FBV first time, if it's not done right they are not going to like it and go back to a hollow thinking the FBV is bad, when in fact it's not. I had a customer the other day come in, he got what he said was a FBV at a big online store that has some retail locations somewhere. It was done poorly, he didn't like it. I had to really convince him that if he got a real FBV done right he would like it. It helped that the 5 or 6 customers who came in while he was at our shop all asked for FBVs when they got up to the counter. A bad sharpener can fake putting a hollow in but a FBV has to be perfect.

We do 80% FBVs, 20% hollows. Would be more but we don't try to talk stragglers and out of towners into the FBV unless they ask. Once a skater tries the FBV, very few go back to a hollow, it's that much better. Problem is not all shops offer FBVs, and many of those that do, they don't do them correctly so skaters confuse it as being bad when in reality it was just how it was done that was bad.

A guy brought in 60 football helmets for sanitizing last week. We were chatting about the new technology in them, floating discs, similar to those on the new CCM Helmet. He was saying these are now the standard in football. As for hockey players, in my experience, most could care less about the protectivness, it's more about the mirror test and what's popular. it amazes me that people also want to cheap out on a helmet, yet will spend $250 on a OPS. Even more serious is the dooshbag coaches that require everyone on the team to wear the same model helmet.

We always will bake before purchase to allow the customer to ge the best fit before decision. Just today, I spent 1 hr baking, then molding a pair of Makos and a pair of Tacks for a customer. (They chose the Makos) Nevertheless, why would a shop spend the labor/time baking someone's skates they purchased elsewhere for free? We bake for free all skates purchased in our store, but if somone comes in off the street with skates they bought elsewhere,they have to pay for that service. Otherwise, what do I get out of it, a $2.00 roll of tape? The location you bought them should be doing the baking, if they don't, they shouldn't be able to sell the skates. Most stores in my area charge $50 to bake skates not purchased at their store, this seems to be the norm.

10 mins at 200 degrees, any less is probably not enough. Salisbury, pretty much weight is it, fiberglass vs carbon in the Mako. MakoII has more density in the tounge and footbed than the M8.

yes, exactly the same. M8's have more foberglass, less carbon, that's the main difference. The thermoformable material is the same. How long were your skates put in the oven at what temp? All the M8's I've done are very pliable out of the over, Just like the makos

How is it that my mako 1's which I got well before they were released to the public, still fit as perfect as the day I got them? No problem with inside anke, foams, or padding, never an uncomfortable feeling, or bump. Is it possible they were not the skate for you?

They are out, we have them in regular, Velo and Blacksteel. Not sure about others, for us selling steel is our priority so we get it as soon or before it hits the market. Others do it as an afterthought.

Good news for those who don't like the aggressive pitch of the Makos, the STEP version is neutral, so that will remove 1 degree. No more having to profile a reverse pitch to back off on the forward feel. But even if with the STEPS one feels too far forward, there is plenty of height on the STEPs to profile as well.

Three words, "Don't do it" No measurable improvements. Funny I don't see the LS2.1 runners on any bauer skates anymore. The longer runner was nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

I haven't been following the details on Blackstones adapter but I would guess yes it will work on a BM.

I can only relay what many have told me who tried the Blademaster copycat after skating on the original FBV. Many even thought they were getting the real FBV because the shop lied to them or was not upfront about it being the BFD. Virtually all said they liked the FBV better. Still, only way for you to know is to try both.

Here's a pic of the bolt attachment from the inside. It lays flat and doesnt really protrude and is covered by a decent amount of foam then the liner. Doesn't look like a shot in this location would damage you any more than a shot in a area without the bolt. The anchor sits pretty flush so even if there were no foam over it, it shouldn't dig into the skin.

Everything Chadd said is exactly correct. Easton does not copy Bauer, and the Mako is unlike any other skate. The reason it sells so well is that it fits so well. It is by no means stiff, it may appear that way because it fits so conformed with the foot. It molds like no other skate and this is why it fits so well. Simply the best skate I have ever owned. Easton has recently offered a 30-day trial, if you don't like it you can return it to your store for credit toward a different skate. It's a no brainer to try one, plus they know once you do, you'll be hooked.

There was this employee at a local hockey shop. He was respected as a great skate fitter and goal equipment fiter. He was lured away from the mom and pop store to a big mega online store that was opening a retail location nearby. After a while he was pulled into the office and chewed out for spending so much time with customers and basically told not to spend more than 5 mins on each, put em in a pair of skates fast and move on to the next. Margins are not that high on hockey equipment, so it's these type of services that are being cut. As said above, people are not willing to pay for this intangable.

Simply putting an aggressive pitch on your Vapors is not going to mimic a Mako exactly, different boot cut, different fit, different holders. I think you'll be wasting your money getting steel for your vapors. Wait till the II's come out, and skate in them. It will only take 3-4 outings to determine if you like the pitch.

Why not just get the Makos (if they fit you), skate on their stock radius/steel. Then if you don't like the pitch, just have them profiled then and have some of the pitch removed with that profile. This way you don't have to dick around with lifts or reprofiling. I wish I could get $100 for a profiling, I'd be rich!

3 degrees pitch total on the mako, Vapors do not have a 12, they are a 9' from factory. But yes, changing from a 12 to a 9 would be very noticable.

You can't judge a Mako fit till they've been molded, and they really have to be molded to fit correctly. Don't worry they can be molded over and over again. Badnews though, they really cant be stretched long.