hunt3rsean

It has been a long time since I've posted on MSH. But, have had a fair amount of change over the last year. I work in Sales and was traveling pretty heavily which was taking it's toll on the family (Wife & 3 kiddos). We weren't in the worst financial situation but it was apparent some change needed to happen. Luckily, an opportunity came up about June/July last year that turned into reality. Started a new job (same profession & industry....just diff. company) in Nov. last year and moved the family in March. It allowed us to clean up debt, purchase a much more appropriate sized home, and start getting in front of our finances properly. It has been a very exciting, fun, stressful, frustrating, and ultimately great experience. Kudos to my wife and kids who helped make everything 100x easier by being the awesome people they are. And I found a rink nearby so I've been able to start playing again after about a 12mo hiatus. So that's nice too!

Background: 30 years old / 5’11 / 175lbs / right-handed Men's div 2B On ice ~ 3 hours a week I have been attempting to find a "shoulder pad" that meets in the middle of not bulky, but provides some protection. Fit I had my LHS order this in a size large based on a few other reviews I've read. Davetronz included. My LHS isn't very big and normally doesn't stock padded shirts, so I gambled on the size. Since I'm skinny I figured I should be okay. I'm glad I didn't go with a Medium because there is no way I could have gotten it on. The large goes on relatively easy when dry and feels like a compression base layer should. However, after a game and it's all wet it can be a bit difficult to remove. I'd highly recommend going a size larger than you would normally order. Length is great as it tucks well down into my pants. Shoulder caps and bicep pads are adjustable in length. Cool feature, but I'm still playing around to find the "perfect" fit. 8.5/10 Protection I do not play contact hockey. However, the league I play in allows some bumping and grinding which I'm okay with. But, this means I'd like some protection around my shoulders and forearms. For this the shirt is great. The caps and forearm pads offer good protection while being lightweight. If you are looking for a "shoulder pad" setup that offers good chest and back protection then look somewhere else. While there is stiff foam in the chest and back region it's incredibly lightweight. It might be okay for roller hockey, which I believe this was designed for, but I'm not sure how much it will do for an ice puck. I've taken a deflection off my chest and it stung. But I wasn't left with any permanent damage and hardly a bruise. If you're a minimalist like I am, then you will be just fine. Just don't go looking at this shirt for anything substantial in the chest and back areas. 7/10 Weight Hardly notice it's anything more than a base layer when you put it on. Love it. 10/10 Durability So far I've had no issue with any rips or tearing. All seams are staying strong and tight. Even after playing around with the velcro straps to adjust shoulder cap and forearm pad length there is no fraying. Very happy so far. I've been playing in this shirt for over 2 months and washing it after every game. You can't tell it's ever been used. Very happy. 10/10 Intangibles The compression "shirt" is actually a sleeveless shirt designed for roller hockey. Due to it's very tight fit it can seem to get a little warm during summer season. I'm one to wear a light base layer or nothing at all when playing, so not having any sleeves doesn't bother me. Only issue I've had so far is that the shoulder caps seem to "float" since they are left to be adjustable. Some may not have issue with this, but it tends to nag at me. I'll find a way to keep them more in place and then it will become a non-issue. Again, roller hockey players may even remove them completely. I've played a few games with only the forearm pads and it's worked out great. I would be okay if the chest and back padding was increased a bit. The shirt is so lightweight I think some minor weight added in these spots wouldn't be noticed. 9/10 Conclusion At the end of the day....this is a compression shirt with decent shoulder pads and minimal chest/back padding. If you are a player who doesn't wear shoulder pads looking to get into something I'd recommend this shirt all day long. It moves with your body, doesn't get overly hot like a heavy shoulder pad, and offers decent protection around the shoulders/forearms. I wouldn't want to take a direct shot to the chest, but knowing there is at least some padding there makes me feel good about wearing it. I'm happy with the purchase and will continue to use this shirt for quite some time. I'd recommend this shirt for shinny and for the beer league player okay not wearing a traditional set of shoulder pads.

CCM Vector Pro Sr. Hockey Girdle Size: M Reviewer Info: Level of play: Beer League (Ice) Frequency of play: 2 times per week Size: 5'11, 175lbs Fit: Fits loser in the kidney and waist area with the thigh area being adjustable. You can make this girdle fit snug around the thighs or looser like a pant utilizing the velrco straps. This pant does not offer any length adjust-ability. However, it seems that the leg padding is relatively long compared to other pants. The included belt works okay, but does not seem to keep the girdle snug in the kidney area. Buttons for hockey suspenders are built in for those who need them. I have attached laces on the two most forward facing suspender buttons on the girdle to act as a lacing system. This has allowed me to snug up the kidney/lower back area of the girdle to my body. Keep in mind I have a skinny torso and waist, so larger humans may not need to do this. 8/10 Protection: This was my first girdle after wearing pants since I started playing hockey. Padding seems great in the kidney, tailbone, and outer thigh areas. I have taken many slap shots right into the main thigh padding with no ill effect. However, the inner thigh padding is non existent due to the design of the velcro straps. Many mid to lower end hockey pants are also built without this inner thigh padding. I have "yet" to experience any issue from pucks or sticks due to this. The kidney padding and lower back padding is adequate and I've had no issues with injury there. 9/10 Weight: Lighter than regular pants I've used, but not as light as other brand girdles. I have found that snugging up the thigh padding and upper belt/kidney area hides any extra weight. 8/10 Durability: I have been using them for a year and a half now. The only issue is from snagging a loose screw on a bench and it tore through the mesh area of the girdle (and through the pant cover). In normal hockey play this wouldn't occur. Have been very happy with the overall durability of the girdle. The velcro has remained strong and no fabric tears anywhere else. 10/10 Conclusion: Great option for a girdle. Provides increased protection than the Easton girdle which I demoed prior to purchasing the CCM girdle. You can still find this girdle on clearance. Even used I wouldn't hesitate purchasing this girdle due to it's great durability. If you are looking to break the ice into wearing girdles this one is a great choice.

Very much so. I listen to a lot of comedian hosted podcasts and many admittedly have gone, or are going through, very tough emotional issues. Like many musicians and actors it's what drives their art.

Just to follow up from my last post. Had a great weekend playing in the West coast Checking For Charity tournament. Went smoothly minus some refereeing that was more comical than anything else during our first game. Our team lost the first game by a goal but ended up winning our division! Very little chippiness and everyone seemed to just have a good time playing. Was a great way to spend a hot weekend with family and friends.

The last few months have been a little stressful. Between work travel, finances, and having to replace my entire roof....it's been a little taxing. With everything going on I had to decide to take a break from hockey for a season or two to take care of things. Which also meant missing a local tournament the team I play with always participates in. Luckily, my teammates are so awesome that they are covering my fee and asking me to play since they know I'll miss the next season. Happy to know I have some more hockey with great friends for the next couple days.

It is and it isn't. Trust me. Having them available once earned is great. But the time spent flying/traveling to actually earn those points....not so cool.

Hadn't played hockey in a month or so due to holidays and work travel. Come back to our upper league to get beat 9-2. At least there was beer and laughs afterwards.

No, that's not bad business or ridiculous at all. In fact, it's the exact opposite. The day that the Mako 2 becomes available, they can't sell the original at a profit. Every manufacturer in the industry tries to sell through their product before the replacement hits the market. To do otherwise would guarantee a money losing operation. Correct. It's often called cleaning/clearing the channel. You'll see it done in all sorts of retail industries. Old and sitting inventory is costing both the manufacturer and retailer money.

Haven't shot trap in awhile apparently. 10 for 25 tonight. >_>

You can definitely run a 30cal suppressor on a 5.56. You may lose some velocity and accuracy. How much? Tough to say since multiple other variables factor in. Edit: Was posting from my phone last night and also forgot to add something. If running the .30 cal suppressor on a 5.56 you may also lose some of the flash/noise suppressing quality. I can't really say exactly how much due to so many other factors, but just a heads up on what you will probably experience. But, as far as the actual firing of the 5.56 you will have no issue.

Due to some money issues I'm having to take a season off from hockey. Weird feeling since I haven't taken any real time off since I started playing again 4 or 5 years ago. The upside is it allows me to get my wrist looked at and addressed. Have been putting it off since it's more an annoyance then anything else. But, have become worried it could grow into something worse. The upside.....hockey seasons are available all year long. Will be back in business for the following season.

My Stats: 5' 11" 160 - 165lbs Intermediate skater. Tend to be one of the faster skaters in my league(s). Prefer a stiffer skate usually. Previous skate models: Bauer Vapor X:4.0 (1.5 years) Bauer Supreme One55 (2-3 years) Fit: The forefoot width and heal width are about as perfect as a retail skate can get for me. It is the best of both worlds when comparing to my previous Bauer skates. The Bauer Supreme had a great forefoot width, but the heal was too wide and allowed lift. The Bauer Vapor locked my heal down perfectly, but the forefoot was way too narrow. It actually caused me so much pain that I could hardly walk down the hallway back into the locker rooms after a game. The Easton RS are amazingly comfortable and allow my feet to stay in place without becoming too tight. The cuff of the skate is also cut lower than my Vapors. I cannot compare the height to my Supreme's because it's been too long. I just can't remember how high they felt on my ankle. I was having issue with forward lean on the Vapors because of how tight I have to make the the lace 2, or 3, lace holes. I started skipping the last eyelet on my Vapors to create the feel of a lower cuff. Once I moved into the Easton RS it took little time to transition to the lower cut cuff and has felt very comfortable thus far. It allows for me to have a tight lacing around the ankle but still achieve great forward lean. 9/10 Average depth (closer to Supreme), wide forefoot, average ankle. Could use a skinnier ankle section, but I know I'm not the norm. Performance: It took a little time for me to adjust to the RS from the Bauer Vapor. I had been in my Vapor's long enough that I was very used to their reaction to my skating technique (or lack there-of). The Vapors seemed to be able to react very quickly to my changes in position and making quick cuts on the ice. When I first stepped into the Easton RS they felt a bit more bulky and it took awhile to get used to how to cut quickly in them. My guess is that is a combination of the lower cuff, different holder, and different runner. Now that I've spent a lot more time in the RS I've gained a lot of that back. While I still feel confident I had somewhat better "agility" in the Vapors I most definitely believe I have more power in the RS. Whether it be the difference in model levels or all around brand build differences, but I have more driving power in the RS. I can feel the skate load and in a straight skate have a higher top end speed. The only thing that nags on me is that when making a transition/cut using the inside edge, on one foot, it almost feels like the boot gives in. Meaning that while I'm positioned with all of my weight on the inside edge, leaning forward over the skate, I get the feeling the boot is bending and losing energy. It is difficult to explain, but I believe it's due to the softer boot and lower cut cuff giving great range of forward lean. It is something I've grown accustom to and has happened less and less. Again, could be attributed to my intermediate skating ability. 8/10 Plenty stiff. Allows me to load a top end skate. Cornering feels confident. Agility does not seem as great as Vapor. Holder: I have a tough time comparing holders or giving feedback on them. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know what experience I should be gaining by using certain brand/model holders. As I've stated above I felt more agile using the Vapor skate. I'm not sure if this is due to the holders or the boot or a combination of both. My experience with the RS holder has been good. I've had no glaring issues and they've felt solid as far as I can tell. They are not heavy and the skate, as a whole, seems to be balanced very well. The holder does not seem heavy. I suppose that in the end if I'm not thinking about the holder then it's good by me. 9/10 Holder is not an issue. Has not caused any problems. Gave it a 9 because having to worry about the bolts for the runner bugs me. However, they have stayed nice and tight thus far. Weight: Being a higher end model when compared to my Supreme One55 and Vapor X:4.0 the RS are lighter. Noticeably lighter. I can tell during long skates and also when just hopping over the boards. Was very happy to transition into a higher end skate, that has additional padding, and still coming out as the lighter skate. However, when holding other high end skate brands in hand, the RS "feels" to be a little heavier. Would I notice if I had all the other brands on my feet.....not sure. 9/10 Great weight when coming off a mid-end skate. Understand the RS weigh more than other high end models. Very happy with the weight. Protection: I try to block as little shots as possible. I do not wear skate guards and have been fairly lucky about not getting any major damage to my feet. I've only taken two shots off of these skates. One was at the outside of the toe cap of the right foot (pinky toe area) and came away with just a stinger that was gone by the next shift. No bruising or foot damage. The second shot was a hard wrister that caught me on the inside heal of my right foot. That one hurt. I've never taken a shot there before so it's tough to say how much "protection" other brands offer there. I did not end up with any major bruising and did not feel any pain the next day. So all in all I've been happy. 9/10 Durability: I've had zero durability issues with these skates. I purchased them, used, from a fellow MSH member who had used them 3-5 times. They still had the "out of the box" smell. The holder now has the usual cut and knick marks, but is still holding strong. The boot has puck and stick marks but no real physical damage. The internal liner and tongue are still holding strong showing no sign of wear. All lace holes are strong with no sign of breaking loose. I've been very happy with the durability of these skates thus far. 10/10 Nothing outside the normal abuse of rec league hockey. Aesthetics: A lot of people do not prefer the look of this skate. I have to say that I do like it. It's a unique shape with some uncommon lines. It stands out enough you know what it is on the ice, but isn't in your face flashy. I tend to prefer a more traditional color/shaped skate and I think this leans in that direction. Nothing special one way or the other about the look of the skate in my opinion. 8/10 Nothing stands out on looks. Could have used better color scheme? Maybe. However, it looks just fine in my opinion. Conclusion: In the end the Easton RS is an overwhelming average high end skate. There are very little bells and whistles to this skate. Had I purchased it new at the $600 retail mark I most likely would have been disappointed. Outside of the comfort and padding it lacks features that other brands offer at a similar price point. Key features of the RS are the lower cut cuff, beefed up tongue, extra padding, and a change in aesthetics. When comparing this skate to a mid-end model of other brands it's a great step up. If comparing to other high end models it would be tough to make an argument to switch from those other models to the RS. But, if you are needing to switch out from a pair of mid-end skates and want to upgrade....the RS would be a great place to start. The cost is going down due to Easton's newer models and would be a great bang for your buck now.

I'm still baffled every time I see a post like this. Our league rosters are cemented on the last day of registration. There is very little wiggle room and you cannot add anyone past the 2nd week/game of the season. There are the exceptions that end up being made, but it's never like what you've mentioned.

Ran a "fun" run 5k on Saturday. Most of our hockey team got together and ran it with some friends/wives. Even had team shirts made up as we used our hockey team name to sign up. Was a good time and had a lot of fun. It definitely got me back to wanting to run some more 5k and 8k races.