penum

Can't agree more with the MSH2. I tried numerous other gloves and nothing comes close to MSH2 for me. Does your shaft have grip?

BASE Savoy Special Flex: 75 Curve: BM 12 (Datsyuk clone, sort of, they compare it to Easton Iginla, Bauer P88 Kane, Warrior Kovalchuk, Reebok P40 Hedman, CCM Tavares but it looks very close to my rbk 6k sickkick Datsyuk). Lie: 6.00 Height: 5'7" Weight: 150 lbs Age: 26 Postition: Winger Level of hockey: Beer League, Drop-in, Roller Beer league Time-frame of use: Purchased Oct. 20, 2010, received October 30, 2010 (custom stick) Fitment Session: I went in for my fit session with my skates, current stick, gloves, and helmet as directed. Met Cliff Ronning in the lobby and had a little chat with him, he wasn't going to be there for my fit because he had to go to his kids hockey game but left me in the hands of one of the other expros ( \Ii don't think he made it past the AHL). First thing to mention is if you have not been of aritifical ice before ask if you can skate around for a bit on the practice rink that way you won't be all out of wack for the camera session. Before you start the camera session they take your current stick and check what lie you are using and check the flex to see if it is true or what it equates to if you have cut it down they also add the tragets to your stick for the highspeed camera . In the camera session they get you to warm up through your shots and then they do each of your shots with the camera rolling. While the process the footage you go the practice rink and the fitter will give you a bunch of other sticks with varying lies and flexes and will pass and shoot around with you. The analysis part of the fit shows how much angle your stick is flexing through your various types of shots and they will also provide feedback on your body position how you can improve and anything else they notice. They will then recommend a flex, and lie that they think works best for you leaving you to pick a blade and finishes as well as the name plate and a logo that goes in the oval near the base of the shaft. I found the process to be very helpful and I came away thinking if you were pretty decent at hockey ie. better than someone like me who started at 22 years old you would probably stand to gain a lot from the experience. 9/10 Aesthetics: Pretty basic black with whichever pin-stripping or highlighting you want, I chose Gold. Wish they would produce the all black verison NHL players had. 5/10 Weight and Balance: Still lighter than than any other stick I have held in my hands. The blade end feels like it has some weight to it giving a very "balanced" feel to the stick. 10/10 Blade: I also opted for what they say the pros "like" with the shark skin blade finish. I really can't say I notice any difference with this blade finish compared to a normal OPS blade finish. The blade is stiff and has kept rigidity over the last 6 months. The shark skin seems to come off fairly quickly as i have flat spots all over my blade where the shark skin has chipped off. 9.5/10 Shaft/Flex: I prefer a square normal sized senior shaft. My previous stick was an INT which was very thin and rounded. I much prefer the stock square shaft that BASE provides. I went for the grip finish which feels great and very similar (if not that same) to Warriors grip, it was different (and better) from the "ribbed" grip on my RBK. Considering this is a custom stick I was a little disappointed that I have to order a 75 flex (lowest you can go in a senior shaft) then cut it down making it stiffer than my uncut INT RBK 6K sickkick 75mid-flex but I guess you can't expect them to make you a stick in your length at your flex. Nevertheless, I like the lower kick point in this stick coming from a mid-flex, I get a lot more whip on my slap shots than before. I would still like to seem them produce a 70 flex senior shaft. 8.5/10 Stick-handling and Passing: As with most of the time changing sticks I couldn't receive a pass for the first game and I will agree with the previous reviewer it is very "pingy". However, I have since gotten used to it and although I think the blade stiffness definitely still makes receiving a pass slightly more difficult than before the trade off for a harder more accurate shot is worth it. 8.5/10 Shooting: The low kick point and shaft feel really improved my shooting and more than anything my accuracy. 10/10 Durability: Shark skin finish chips off fairly easily but does not effect the strength of the blade. Otherwise no other durability concerns to report as of yet. 9.5/10 Overall: Great stick that for the $149.99 price tag. Compares to sticks in the $200+ price range in weight and feel. Low kick point is very nice and the shaft grip is also done well. I would avoid the shark skin blade finish seems gimmicky to me (but strangely doesn't cost you any extra). The fitting session is great fun and you can get a lot of excellent tips and feedback from expros, not bad for $50 (gives you roughly an hour plus all the high speed camera footage). Would like to see them produce a 70 flex senior stick in the future. 8.75/10

Product: CCM U+Pro Elbow pads (2010 red/white/grey) Timeframe: December 2010-present 3 times a week. Tester: 5'7 tall. Wearing 13" Eagle PPFi gloves and S/M Jofa 6500 shoulders. I purchased a size Small in these pads. Previous Equipment: Easton Synergy, old school coopers Fit I spent a couple of hours trying on all the latest offerings for top of line elbow pads from Warrior, NBH, Bauer, and these CCM. I was primarily looking for mobility first followed by elbow hold and protection. These pads, overall, provided the best mobility in the smallest or "form" fitting package. The elbow hold in these pads were much better than the competitors and even while wearing compression long sleeves the pad does not slip at all thanks in part to the neoprene stopper. The "stretch" zones work very well and allow a great range of motion considerably better than previous pads. The only real downside in the fit/comfort component of these pads is the neoprene stopper. While it does work very well in preventing slippage it can be a bit harsh on your skin if you do not wearing long sleeves underneath. 9.5/10 Protection In the areas that the pad covers I have yet to feel any slashes or puck hits. This pad is defienetly smaller than the Warrior offerings providing much lower protection in the biscep area where the elbow pad meets the shoulder pad and they are a bit shorter leaving a small gap between the cuff of my glove. Despite these gaps I have yet to have any problems. 8.5/10 Weight Light. I wasn't really concerned about weight especially when comparing to the other top line offerings from various brands, they were all going to be light. Warrior projekt did seem to be a touch lighter probably because of the CCM's 3 piece construction. 9.5/10 Durability So far no signs of wearing or falling apart. All the velcro is in tact and they have yet to develop a smell. 10/10 Conclusion These pads provide the exact fit and hold I had been looking for and are perfect for my style of level of play (beer league and chippy drop-in plus roller hockey). The pads from warrior were too big and awkward and the bauer x60s just didn't fit right in the elbow. I contemplated going for the medium in the CCM's but I am glad I went with the smalls the fact the pads don't budge at all during a game and the mobility makes them the best elbows I have tried to date. 9.4/10

Helmet - Bauer 5500 w/ old Bauer cage Shoulders - Jofa 6500 Elbows - CCM U+Pro Gloves - Mission L7 Pure pro return, Eagle PPFi tuffek (Like the Eagles better) Pants - CCM Tacks something? Shins - Easton Synergy Jock - Under Armour compression pants Undershirt - Nike compression DriFit Skates - CCM U+12 Sticks - BASE 75 Flex Datsyuk

Product: CCM U+ 12 Size 6.5 Height: 5' 7.5" Weight: 150 Foot Size: 9.0-9.5 sneaker/shoe depending on brand Foot Shape: flat arch, narrow heel, regular fore foot Level and use: 3 times a week, beer league and pickup Previous Skates: CCM Vector 4, Bauer Classic Silver Background: After buying Bauer Classics too big when I first bought ice skates, after not playing since I was a child, I picked up a pair of properly fitted vector 4s from my LHS. These served me well but have me a bit of pain in my arch and on the outside edge of both my feet. I decided it was time to get a proper moldable skate with a better insole. I got these heat molded, heat gunned in areas that still bothered my after a few skates and punched out slightly on my right foot (slightly bigger than the left). Fit: Great. Fits like a glove. Due to my narrower heel we pinched the boot when it was hot before putting my foot in, supposedly for better heel hold. So far no heel lift or problems with any kind. After several fittings and tweaking spots in the toe box that were pinching they feel perfect now. I can't comment on the comfort of the insole since I haven't tried them I went straight to a elite hockey insole that had some volume taken out of it in the right skate to accommodate my slightly larger right foot. The UFoam is amazing especially around the ankle. I still get a bit of foot pain on the bottom (around the arch and to the outside of the foot) but the reality is I need othotics to correct my foot problems but the fit is vastly improved over the vector 4s (as they should be for a $500 skate). My LHS suggested these over the CL's since he swore they were the exact same thing minus the outsole and where they were made. 9/10 Blade/holder: E-Pro. Since I have spent most of my time on E-Pro I can't comment versus other holders but I will say the edge control and foot speed has increased over the vector 4s likely due to improved steel and boot construction. 10/10 Weight/protection: Very light. didn't think it was possible to get significantly slighter than the vectors they replaced but they are and I could not tell a difference between these and the CLs. Have taken a puck on end on the side of the boot, left an ugly imprint of the puck on the boot but I didn't feel it. 7/10 Protection 10/10 Weight Durability: After 3/4 of a season on these I am impressed they still look like new thanks to the "golf ball" outer. A few annoying scars have occurred; the CCM logo mid-boot below the eyelets got hacked in half some how and a puck left a perfect puck impression (on end) on the side of one boot. Otherwise no structural problems to speak of. 7/10 Intangibles: Great skate, I personally wonder if I should have gone with a 09 U+Pro for $199 instead of dropping $499 on these, but I have been told these are significantly better than some of CCM's previous offerings. They are great skates and I am very happy with my choice. Cannot wait to get fitted with custom orthotics. Never used the stock laces as I like waxed laces better. CCM ditched the lace lock for this model, which I did like in my vector 4s so far I haven't noticed any loosening during games. Conclusion: Great skates, not so stiff that my light weight can't skate in them but stiffer than mid level offerings. Molding material is great and gives a perfect hold around your foot and eliminates lace bit across the tongue. Maybe not the best skate choice for people with flat feet like me but I also have not tried any skate that works well stock for flat feet. The outsole gets beat up but the golf ball material makes it look like new from a distance. Overall 8.5/10