voxyledbetter

Things change, 4/5 years ago I would skate on two Thursday teams and sub for two other teams on different days. If there was open floor time, I’d be there. Just not the same now. I still enjoy playing, but I don’t schedule life around it. Might take a break again this summer, depending how the summer schedule is looking. Everyone’s situation is different, but you gotta do what’s right for you too. Good luck with everything!

Just legally change your name, obviously that guy had nice mitts! jk

So much wheel on that boot they look like the profile of a speed skate, bet they are fast!!

@LoneStar77 did the same and picked up the nls2. Wasn’t a big fan of the new color scheme. It took about 6 or 7 skates after baking them at home for them to tighten down.

To see a teammate hovering around the rink looking for his teeth that just got knocked out from a loose stick. No thanks. It’s not even the sticks sometimes, it’s a deflected puck that rides up a stick or some other variation. I’ll take the chirping vs having to call my boss to explain why I can’t work the next day. Just not worth the risk to me.

Curious as to how this is going with the OP? And what did you end up doing? I had similar feelings going on last year. It would start up close to the time I needed to leave for my league games and I would start thinking of reasons not to go. I really enjoy my teammates and the ability to play, but I think my issue was the league I skate in. There are only 3 other teams and I was sick of skating against the same goons every week. Sure winning is definitely a better feeling than losing week in and out, but I was almost more worried about taking a cheap shot and being intentionally injured. I ended up taking last summer off and then the rest of the year just to give myself a break. It worked out well for me at least. Came back to my team after the beginning of the year felt a lot better about the game. Still taking some time to get my game back, and there’s still a little apprehension on my end about getting out there against certain skaters, but at the end the day I’m glad to be skating again. I definitely missed having a night out of the house with the boys! Hope everything is working out for the OP.

I'm hoping that Surgeon 500 Elbow fits the void left by the Warrior Projects that I haven't been able to fill since my set broke about a year ago.

kizzashmoney, are you going to dremel to fit 80s? or planning on straight 76s? Thats a good looking set up.

digitalshift... those look great!

Got a chance to take a look at the skates, they look great. Forgot to ask... when is the new gear coming out?

will the new products be on display at Nationals this weekend?

I havent skated in Alkali yet, but a guy on one of my league teams picked up a set of the CA4s and I had a chance to look at them last week. They seemed like a great skate for the price. Boots were stiff, and he said they were comfortable. I was impressed at that price point.

This may be a dumb question... but is there any technology or features that are specific to the roller game for Alkali sticks? any chances on a square toe pattern coming out? Something like a Heatley or Geztlaf clone.

Reebok 4k backpack bag Senior I have been using this bag for over a year now and have had some time to form an opinion about it. When I originally bought this bag I was looking for something roomy enough to put my ice and roller gear in with external skate pockets and some extra pockets for storage. Durability Overall this bag has been pretty durable. I've used for ice and roller and its held up to being tossed in and out of the car and having my gear thrown in it. I always use blade guards with my ice skates so I have no worries of the blades slicing through the bag. The only issue I had so far is that one of the zippers on the skate pockets gave way. The skate pocket is still deep enough to hold my skates without fear of them falling out in transport. So far the rest of the zippers and stitching seem pretty solid. 8/10 Storage/ features I was really interested in this bag because of the amount of pockets and storage solutions, but to tell you the truth IMO it has twice the amount of pockets that it needs. There are more pockets on this bag then a set of army cargo pants. In reality I only needed a pocket to put my washables in ie jerseys and socks, and another to keep pucks and spare items in. Most of the other pockets go unused. I really like the venting on the skate pockets and the compartment for washables. Shoulder straps are supportive for the weight and I have no problem fitting in a senior set of equipment in, whether it be ice or roller gear. My ice and roller skates both size 8.5 have no problems fitting into the skate pockets (not at the same time of course). The bottom of the bag is made with a sturdier more durable material to take the beating it get of being thrown in a locker room. 10/10 Overall I think this bag was a good purchase for the amount I paid for it. This is the first backpack bag I've owned and with this style being popular for roller which predominately what I play I will continue to use this. For future purchases I might try a new product just because of how many brands are available in the market, but I would recommend this bag especially for someone looking for the maximum amount of storage. 9/10

Easton Stealth S19 Flex- 85 Curve- Zetterberg grip Stats- 5'9", 155 lbs Roller and Ice Defense man Previous sticks- 2 Easton S14 Zetterberg non grip Time Frame- 3 months Aesthetics- not that aesthetics is really that big of a deal, but I think this stick is beautiful. The black look with chrome accents and even the gloss look of the carbon on the blade and shaft look great. I'm not much for flashy sticks so this one is perfect for me. 10/10 Weight, Balance- this stick is noticeably lighter than my S14 is and the balance feels great. Doesn't feel blade light or heavy. I use tacki mac grips and with that at one end and fully taped on the blade it still feel very light to me. 10/10 Blade- The blade is stiff but has incredible puck feel. Receiving and making passes as well as stick handling is much better than my S14 10/10 Flex, Shaft- This is the odd thing about this stick. On the S19 the shaft feels much stiffer than my S14 and different flex profile that I couldn't really get used to. 8/10 Shooting- I can't feel the flex profile like I can on my S14's. On the S14 when I lean in I know where the flex is at and how to get a good shot. I still get some pretty good shots, but I find it harder to snipe a wrist shot top shelf. Since I am a defense man its not that big of deal, I find mind myself more interested in setting the that first pass that gets our team moving out of our own zone. 8/10 Durability- This was my low point with this stick, the shaft snapped at where the lower hand would be within 3 months of use, it did take some slashes but I didn't get the longevity that I expected. I know its a premium stick and you have to sacrifice some durability for performance.... but in my opinion I'm not that hard on sticks. I don't take many slappers I'm more of a wrister/ snap shot player. At least where the break was I'm in the process of having it fixed 7/10 Conclusion- I really had high hopes for this stick since it was the most expensive stick I've ever bought. At least I didn't pay full retail and bought it after the RS had already been released. I will probably stick with the mid price point sticks from now on.... I'm still using the S14 and its in good shape. 8.5/10

Mission Axiom T8 8.5 D Background - 5'10", 150lbs, Skating one to two nights a week for 6 months now of use in adult leagues. Skate as a D man. Previously I have always skated in ice to inline conversions. My last set up was a set of Bauer Vapor 10 boots put on the TUUK rocker chassis. They worked well until I developed a bunion on my left and was in pain every time I had the skates on. Usually wear a size 10 to 10.5 shoe depending on manufacture. Fit - This was my biggest issue when looking for new skates. I wanted something a little wider at the forefoot without losing the heel lock that was used to in more narrow boots. I selected these because Missions are now supposed to be true to the Bauer Supreme fit. My heels lock in well, and there is enough room in the forefoot to keep me pain free while skating. These skates are a higher volume skate .... which has been an issue for me. They have a thick felt tongue but I have had pain at the edge of my ankles where I tie the laces. I have put in superfeet yellow and G Form lace bite gel pads, and have tried tying my skates different ways to find a comfortable solution which has now helped a lot. (7/10) Chassis/ Wheels/ Bearings - These are my first set of Hi Lo skates. The chassis took a little bit of skating to get used to and the only issued I experience was crossing over forwards to backwards. Turning and stopping have been good. The rink rat wheels have been nice and grippy and have held up good. I replaced the bearings with Bones Swiss that I already owned, so I cant comment on the Mission Swiss. (9/10) Weight/ Protection - These skates feel fairly light and on par with other skates in the market place that I was looking at. As far as protection goes theses skates are really stiff but I have still felt a number of slap shots through them. I block shots on a regular basis and I took one off the heel that left me bruised and walking with a limp. (7/10) Durability- The boots still look brand new and seem like they will hold up for a long time. The sublimated logos and designs hold up to abuse. On the other hand the chassis are already showing some serious signs of wear. There are spots that look like they were shaved off. But since I play D and take some shots off of them, they take some abuse. (8/10) Intangibles - I think theses skates look great. The tongues are long so you can flop if you like that look. The logos offer some flash without having to wear white skates. And the yellow trim adds a nice touch. (10/10) Conclusion - I like these skates a lot, but ultimately I don't think they are the right fit for my foot. The are very good skate package for the money. The next set I look at will probably be Alkali or back to a Bauer Vapor since the toe caps are wider then the originals. Overall (8/10)