ruffage
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Posts posted by ruffage
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1 hour ago, KoT said:How to order that curve?
Contact Stephen7 from Base.
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Got hold of my Base BC27 Pro Kovalev tapered blades the other day. They look to be an exact duplicate of the pattern of my custom Reebok blades I had made a few years ago from a Pro Perron mold, which is good fortune. I'll be pairing these with a True A6.0 SBP shaft.
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Just catching up on the Kovalev/Perron news, great stuff. And perfect timing as I just installed my last brand new blade a few months ago from the run of 12 I had made in 2012. Mine are based on Perron's "1387G" pattern circa late 2011/early 2012, which has the slight heel kink as per the Kovalev pro "final"/FLA version. I picked up a Perron pro CCM 40K paint job recently and the lie feels a fraction flatter than my blades. I prefer mine, but beggars can't be choosers and whichever version goes into production I'll be a regular customer.
I can also provide a sample blade if needed, the one on the left/top here (the other blade seen is a Perron pro "1387F" variant):
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Right-hand mirror of Kovalev Pro, in 0.620 standard fit blade
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As noted in another thread, it appears he's back to tongues-out/taped tendon guards as of his Ducks debut, after going the first half of the season with tongues in/no tape for I believe the first time in his career. Certainly didn't seem to be doing much for him. I'm sure AK27 is smiling somewhere too.
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sparky1, any appreciable weight gain after the conversion?
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I've had my Mako IIs for a little over two months now. Still really happy with them, except for the last few weeks I've started getting a sharp pain on my inside ankle bone on the left foot. I believe the root of the problem could be that I was hit with a puck around that spot about a year and a half ago. It took a while to heal but eventually there was no pain again with my previous skates (G75s). Anyway, I've tried spot-heating on my Mako II a couple of times, trying to push put a spot using my thumb and the blunt end of a screwdriver. This hasn't really helped. My feeling is that a more aggressive punch with a boot stretcher could create enough of a pocket to relieve the pressure point. My ankles are fairly thick and my ankle bones sit fairly high up and relatively close to the eyelets, so my concern punching them out there may damage the eyelets. The spot in question is pretty much right around the seam between the primary liner material and the sort of faux-leather trim material that's on the top edge of the boot. (could even be that seam that's causing my problems?) Anyone had similar concerns and/or tried having this area punched? My other thought was to try and use some sort of foam/gel/silicone padding to encircle the sort spot and see if that did anything.
To follow up on an earlier post as well, my rivets seem to be holding up ok - I thought they were coming loose again. So that's good news.
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I'm closing in on 20 or so hours of ice time on my Mako IIs. Still love them as much as when I first got them, perhaps even more so as the arch pain I had initially is long gone. Only two minor issues. I get some loss of feeling in my right foot around the baby toe area. No pain but I guess the boot is snug in the wrong spot and cutting off circulation. And the other is the holder seems to be coming loose again. I had the rivets redone after the first few skates as it was very loose (disturbingly so). Anyone tried using screws and T-nuts similar to Graf's system? If this loosening is going to be a recurring issue I wouldn't mind going that route if only to enable me to re-tighten myself and avoid going back to the shop to have them do it. The heel seems fine, it's just around the toe where it's loosening it seems. So maybe a couple of screws per skate right at the toe.
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I have six skates on my Mako IIs now. Still really impressed with the performance. Balance and going from edge to edge feels amazing. Turning feels effortless, tons of confidence to dig in hard. Comfort is great now, the arch pain I experienced during the first couple of skates is nonexistant. The shape of the boot seems to encourage me to keep my weight more laterally neutral over the middle of the skate, whereas previously I tended to cheat to the inside edges in other skates.
Only complaint is that I've noticed both holders are already loose at the front towers. One is quite loose, it shifts side to side a fair bit when you press on it. Both of the rears feel solid. I had intended to get an extra copper rivet or two put into the fronts when I bought them but forgot before leaving the store. So I'll have to head back this week and get that addressed, hopefully they'll hold up better. I'm a fairly heavy guy (~225 lbs) but I can't see that being normal for this level of skate. I know other people have mentioned having this same proble though.
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I finally got out for a second skate in my Mako IIs. Was again blown away by the balance and stability, it really is amazing. After my initial skate I took the heat gun and did some spot heating around the arch area on each boot. It was definitely improved this time but still some minor discomfort. I also made sure to not tie them too tight in the mid section of the boot as was recommended. The source of the problem is I'm very slightly knock-kneed and pronate a bit, flat feet etc, so a big chunk of my weight ends up on the insides of my feet and pushing down on the molded arch support of the boot. If I consciously try and keep my weight neutral the pressure/pain goes away, so that's something to work on for sure.
About halfway through I tried swapping footbets and put my old Superfeet in, just because why not. Comfort was improved, almost all the arch pain was gone, but it felt like I lost a tiny bit of volume, and most importantly lost some of the feeling of connection to the ice. They just didn't feel as direct and pure with the Superfeet in. So back to the stock footbeds next time. I imagine my feet will adapt a bit as I wear them more too. Progress in the right direction anyway!
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If you go with Step Steel for the CXN, be advised that it has been reported to be neutral, not forward pitched as is the OEM steel. So you'll loose approximately half of your forward pitch if you don't have it profiled.
Thanks, I was curious if the profile would be different than stock. Didn't know the OEM steel was pitched forward, assumed it was all in the holder.
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Got a bunch of new gear over the past year or so, worth an update:
Helmet: Reebok 7K w/ Itech titanium full cage
Shoulder pads: CCM U+ CL
Elbow pads: Bauer One95
Gloves: Warrior AK27 Pro
Pants: CCM U+ CL
Shin pads: CCM U+ CL
Skates: Easton Mako IIStick: Warrior AK27 shafts (100 flex) w/ custom Reebok blades in Perron pro stock pattern
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This!! With how well the boot wraps, my laces are barely snug until you get to the top 3 eyelets.
Thanks chippa/Optimus, I'll try that before anything else. Hopefully it helps.
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I picked up a pair of Mako IIs a few days ago. Been following the concept since the MLXs and have been tempted all along, everything on paper sounded like what I wanted from a skate. Previously was in Graf G75s which started feeling sloppy the last few months. As soon as I tried on the Makos there was no turning back. No comparison in terms of fit and the feeling of being in a more natural, 'athletic' position. Love the fit around the toes in particular, no empty space to flop around.
I skated on them Friday night for the first time, ended up on the ice for 1h45m. The feeling of being directly connected to the ice is unparalleled, as many have mentioned. Balance and ability to go from edge to edge is far superior to anything else I've worn. I was particularly impressed with straight line speed, too. It felt like every ounce of push was translated into forward movement, and put simply they enabled my body to move naturally. Perfect combination of lateral support and forward flex. I left the top eyelet open as I have usually done with other skates. My only complaint was some arch pain in both feet as others have also mentioned. Hoping I can resolve this with some spot heating and insole tweaking. Don't know if swapping in my Superfeet would help. Highly impressed though on the whole, expectations exceeded for sure. Also great to learn that Step is making steel for the CXN holder.
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Got a mini glove collection going courtesy of picking up two brand new pairs of 13" AK27 Pros last weekend for less than half price. Didn't think these were still available anywhere so I snatched a couple up if only to satiate my Alex Kovalev obsession, though admittedly they're not the most exciting colour.. I'll probably end up selling the MIA MB11s and CCM U+ CLs as I doubt they'll ever get worn again.
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Picked these up today for 20% off, 15" U+ CL shins. Trying them out tonight.
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Nice job Ruff. Whats the puck feel like?
I'll be trying one in the morning.
Ruffage
So you did a custom order? I didn't realize they even had reebok blades to order, just Sherwood.
Can you give some more details?
I arranged the order through PSHG. Custom blades are not advertised (other than the Sherwoods), but they do list custom CCM/Reebok OPSs, so I figured I'd ask about blades and sure enough they could get them done. Drawback was minimum order of 12, so pretty pricey.
My request was to have the blades custom made from the codes on a Perron pro stick. Same pattern, same material/construction, just the blade only with standard hosel size. So they aren't retail blades with a custom pattern, and as such I expect durability should be excellent. Based on the packing slip, I assume they were made at the Sport Maska (Reebok/CCM) facility in Quebec, which I imagine is where they make most/all of their pro/custom sticks as well.
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Custom Reebok standard hosel blades just arrived from PSHG. Perron "1387G" pattern/construction, aka righty Kovalev pro. Turned out even better than I expected!
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I've been hunting for some of his sticks for awhile now. Mine is definitely closer to the retail Gionta than the other one Ruffage posted. I liked the Gionta a lot when I had it, I just hated how low the lie was. These seem like they will be a dream stick for me. Higher lie, huge rocker, slight open toe curve. I'm very excited that I found them, and especially for the price they were.
Yeah looks like a slightly softer curve on that one compared to mine. I've used it three times now and love it. Ripped a sweet wrister top corner from the off-wing faceoff dot last night :)
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That curve looks a lot like the Gionta
Sort of but not really. What makes the Perron/Kovalev pro patterns so unique is 1) the blade length, which is 0.5-1" longer than almost all other blades, 2) the height of the blade is which is 0.25-0.5" shorter than most blades, and 3) the amazing rounded rocker on the bottom of the blade. The heel portion has a pretty flat lie and by the time you get to the toe area the lie is upright, so whether you have the puck out away from you or in close by your feet, you've always got a flat, usable portion of blade on the ice. I'm guessing the short/thin blade is so it flexes a bit more. If you watch the Kovalev shooting technique video on Youtube he talks about generating shot speed by flexing the blade.
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Reebok 11K David Perron pro stock stick:
Been wanting one of these for years (ie a righty Kovalev pro stock basically, but with non-Superman stiff flex)... can't wait to try it tonight.
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Helmet: Reebok 6K - only helmet that fit me properly (along with 9K)
Cage: Itech Titanium - super light, I'll never go back to steel
Shoulder pads: Sher-wood 5030 - super minimal, perfect for what I need
Elbow pads: Bauer One95 - love the Max-sorb gel pad, mobility could be better
Gloves: MIA MB11 13", CCM U+ CL 13"
Pants: Bauer One75
Shin pads: Bauer Supreme 50
Skates: Bauer One75 - pretty good but fit isn't perfect, starting to break down this season
Sticks: AK27 shaft w/ AK27 blade (Vanek), CCM U+ Pro shaft w/ X:60 P92, CCM U+ CL Prostock 'Engqvist'
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131g including the two strips of tape on the tenon that they came with. The hosel is very short. My standard fit Reebok Pro Perron blades are ~180g. The hosel on those wasn't quite as long as the original/standard Pro Kovalev (I have one of the old Warrior ones).