althoma1

The new Fitlite titanium mask is interesting. It gives people another option for very light, rust resistant cages beyond the Re-akt. The large Re-akt I have fits my Warrior Krown helmet very well, but is a bit narrow for my large Cascade M11 and (ironically) Bauer IMS 7.0 helmets - right now I have an old itech titanium that works well on the M11, but if that were somehow damaged it's nice to know there's now a second titanium cage option. I find it a bit odd that puck feel isn't something that's promoted for the top of the line Tacks stick in the catalogue - excellent puck feel is what I noticed the most when I demoed that stick.

I was at a local Sport Chek (Laird/Wicksteed in Toronto) getting my skates sharpened and noticed a clearance table of skates. I was shocked at how low some of the high end skates were going for: · RBK 20K (top of the line about 2-3 years ago) for $239.88 · Bauer Nexus 1000 skates (top of the line 2 years ago) for $239.88 · Bauer One.9 White LE skates (second from the top 2 years ago) for $209.88 · Easton Mako skates (top of the line in 2013) for $239.88 · RBK Goalie skates (don’t recall the price, but likely around the $240 mark based on the rest of the pricing). Those prices are great as is, but you can get an even better deal by using a team assist coupon for an additional 20% off (those coupons expire Feb 28th so it was perfect timing). I used one of them and bought myself a pair of Easton Makos after trying on a bunch of the clearance models and the coupon dropped the price down to $191 before tax ($215 after tax). You can also collect Scene points if you have a Scene card (Cineplex Movie Loyalty program in Canada) and if you have a Canadian Tire Options Mastercard and use that you’ll get approx. 4% back in Canadian Tire money on the card (Canadian Tire owns Sport Chek and offers 10X CT Money or 4% at Marks, Sport Chek and of course CT). I've been tempted to pick up some Makos on clearance for the $299 price at Hockeysupremacy for a while now, but with new old stock KOR Shift 2's in the closet and my current KORs in good shape I could justify it - when I was able to get them locally for under $200 before taxes and get them baked and sharpened I couldn't resist. I've only used them to ref a few games to date, but so far I'm very happy with the purchase. I like them so much I'm almost tempted to pick up another pair for a roller conversion, but know that would void the warranty and have read about the durability issues some people have had so I think I'll stick with my Shift 2 conversions for roller until the Mako II's go on clearance (there was only one pair in my size at Leaside anyway and I don't know of any other Sport Chek's that carry the Mako skates in the Toronto area.) and use the Mako's for ice only so they're still under warranty. So far I've had no issues though - I've reffed a half a dozen games in them and haven't experienced the Mako bumps that many people did (I've been wearing the cut resistant Warrior Dynasty socks; so perhaps that's helped). They also had some sticks on clearance including the Warrior DT2 for $89, a stack of clearance ski and snowboard and winter coats on racks (didn’t look at the ski boots or coats too closely). I took a few pictures of the skate table that shows some sizes available and the prices. I did not capture all the skates/sizes in the pictures. Other Sport Chek locations will have some clearance deals, but I stopped by three other locations (Eglinton/Warden, Fairview Mall and Promenade) and those locations did not have any high end models available – the best deals out of the four stores I visited were at the Leaside location. I bought my skates late last week, but stopped by yesterday after refereeing a game in the area and most of the skates/sizes were still available. The only skates that had sold out were the TotalOne NXG's I'd seen for around $450 (nothing wrong with TotalOnes, but the other skates on the table certainly offer more value to me as long as you can find one that fits you well. They did have TO's in my size last week and I tried them on, but the Makos felt better on my feet even before baking them; so I would've went with the Makos even if the TO's were the same price).

If I were to guess I'd say sometime between mid-April and mid-June. I don't have any concrete dates, but that's when most new equipment is released.

I was definitely impressed by both the Surgeon 500 elbow pads and gloves at Winterfest. The shins were nice, but I'm not sure I love the 360 strap...I think I prefer the type of top strap Bauer Supreme and Warrior Dynasty and Projekt pads use - I'd certainly give them another look if I were in the market though. I didn't really pay a lot of attention to the shoulder pads as I primarily play roller now and have been fine with my Farrells for the times I play ice, however; after seeing them in the catalogue I'll likely give them another look if I see them in a store in a few months.

Wow, I just read the story on the Leafs/Chicago game on TSN and they mentioned the passing of Clint Reif. I didn't realize he was only 34. It's sad when anyone passes away, but I assumed that he was a much older equipment manager before I read that story. He was younger than some of the players. That's a real shame. RIP.

Yes, they fit true to size - all my other gloves are 14" and I demoed a 14" pair of Surgeons. They felt as mobile as my fully broken in pair of 2012 Warrior Projekts - those Projekts feel great now, but at first they felt a little restrictive in the cuff area. This was not the case with the Surgeons - I did not feel any restriction in the cuff area at all. They probably aren't as tight as the 2012 Projekts overall, but are still an anatomical glove. If you're buying ASAP then the Surgeons are a fine choice. If you're possibly waiting for the spring the new Warrior Gloves that will replace the current DT1s felt very nice (I didn't use them on the ice, but tried them on and they were noticeably more comfortable than the previous model) and you may want to consider those as well. I won't say much more about those gloves right now as I don't see a catalogue posted for them just yet, but the new Warriors and the Surgeons are the two that stood out for me at Winterfest. The Rekker gloves were also tight fitting through the back roll and had a more open cuff, but felt quite stiff when new - they may break in very nicely, but the STX Surgeons and Warriors felt comfortable without any break in period. There's also a new Supreme model that I tried on briefly - it also felt nice, but I didn't demo it and it didn't wow me as much as the Warriors based on just trying them on. The STX's impressed me quite a bit in use based on the fact that I didn't really notice them while playing. I'd have to say that the STX is also a bit tighter than the Warrior through the back roll, but opens up at the cuff. It's also very flexible as you can see from JR's pictures.

I used the Surgeon gloves at Winterfest and they were very comfortable right off the bat with no break in time. I used them for the warm up and the entire skate and had complete range of motion, but they stayed snug on my hands and fingers. By the end of the skate they still felt comfortable and pretty dry (although the dry part may be more indicative of my lazy skating that day). When I'm in the market for new gloves they'll certainly garner some consideration. The gloves seem to be available now on Great Skate, but I don't see them on other sites just yet. http://www.greatskate.com/12089/STX-Surgeon-500-Hockey-Glove---14-inch/detail.html

I'm looking as well and received a random call about a customer service/sales position I had never applied for today. Apparently when I posted an updated resume on Monster I forgot to set it to limited or private and left it on as visible. I quickly made that change after that call. Getting random interview calls are a big enough pain without getting them for positions that you aren't interested in pursuing.

It's about finding the right amount of bite/grip just like roller. If in roller hockey you have wheels that are too grippy they'll also be slow and you'll expend more energy. If you use a hollow that's too deep then you'll have great grip, but you'll dig into the ice more and will have less glide - you'll have to expend more energy when skating around. You want to have less bite so that you can be more on top of the ice and get better glide, but you don't want to go so shallow that you start slipping out on turns. Just like you'd experiment with different wheel durometers in roller, you need to experiment with different hollows in ice to find out what is right for you. The great thing about FBV is that it allows you to have more glide while still having good bite compared to traditional hollows. For example, I find I have at least as much (if not more) glide with the 90/50 FBV compared to a 7/8" traditional hollow, but when it comes to sharp turns there's more bite with FBV.

Ice won't ever feel exactly the same as inline, but I find using a shallower hollow helps. Either a shallower traditional hollow or FBV. A fairly deep cut like 1/2" is the standard at a lot of places, but is likely only optimal for lighter skaters under 150lbs or those who prefer more bite. I personally prefer FBV. If you have FBV available in your area then try starting with something like a 90/75 and then if you can handle even less bite you can try a 90/50 FBV cut (that's what I use, but I'm also over 200lbs and used to use a 7/8" standard hollow before switching to FBV). If you don't have FBV available in your area then try going to 5/8" and if you can handle less bite then perhaps 3/4".

Easton is kind of a wild card when it comes to skate releases. Most other companies like CCM, Bauer ect. have 2 year cycles for skates. I believe the original Mako was only replaced after a year because of the ankle and durability issues some people had and that had it not been for those they wouldn't have been replaced with the Mako II until next year. The other factor with Easton is the ownership issue - when the hockey department is finally sold who knows if the new owners will continue on with the current lineup or not. Having said that, I think the Mako II's being cleared out in 2016 is probably the most likely scenario. There's a possibility it could be sooner though. If you know a 10EE Mako is a better fit for you, have a handle on the ankle issues, and don't mind the colour then I would grab the original Mako's in a 10EE on clearance for the prices they're going for and sell the 10.5EE's for whatever you can get (probably around $200 since people would need a significant price savings in order to consider used with no warranty vs. new at the clearance prices). Then when the Mako II's go on clearance you can grab a pair of those and keep the original Mako's as backups or convert them to roller ect.

I wouldn't count on a Mako II clearance in summer 2015. You may have to wait until the summer of 2016. Most skate lines last two years - I think the fact that the original Mako lasted only a year was an exception and Easton will wait until 2016 to launch a new model. I know Easton hasn't always stuck to the 2 year rule of thumb, but that's a good general guideline. I've been considering jumping on some original clearance Mako's myself, however; I do have a pair of Kor Shift 2's I've only used a couple times for ice, another pair that's more beat up for roller and two new in the box in the closet. I think I'll have to use one of those two pair from the closet as a roller conversion in the next year or so. The ones I'm using for ice may last longer, however; I've been on the ice a lot the past couple years refereeing so I may need Makos before 2016. I like the look of the new Mako II better, plus the fact that they addressed the ankle issues and changed material to make them more durable makes them more appealing. The $399 price (before a 20% discount code that you can apply to bring them down to $320) on Hockeysupremacy with free shipping in Canada is making me seriously consider the originals though. I'm trying to resist the temptation as I think I can get my Kor supply to last until 2016, but can't be certain. If Easton had showed up on SJ and I'd demoed the Makos and felt they were more comfortable or performed better than my KORs I may have pulled the trigger sooner...so I guess it's good in a way that they couldn't make it as it saved me some cash.

I just found it strange that in past catalogues, like the 2012 and 2013 ones, Rink Rats were used in the top end skates, but on the wheels pages only the Mission produced Hi-Lo wheels were offered and not Rink Rats. I guess Mission must've made a deal with Revision to not only use their wheels for their top end skates, but allow dealers to order wheels through Mission as well.

Interesting that Mission switched from Rink Rat to Revision for their two top end skates. Even more interesting is that on page 34 of the catalogue Revision wheels are listed including those not available on the skates (like the Steel wheels). Did Bauer purchase Revision? It's also nice to see that the 37.5 technology is being used on the top end DS1 gloves - based on the feedback I've read here from those who have used it the technology works well and it will be very useful for hot, humid days in roller rinks.

I only see gloves and bags listed as options. I hope that doesn't mean that custom sticks will no longer be offered and it's just a case of a temp page being put up while the full customizer, including sticks, is updated.

A lot of people in Canada Monday off because Canada Day fell on a Tuesday. Many decided to just take the whole week. Scott may either be off for the week or he was off Monday and Tuesday and came back to a pile of emails he has to dig through. Vacation season has begun.

The main difference I noticed with the RBZ shin guards vs the CLs is that they have Lycra straps instead of standard elastic straps. To me the Lycra straps felt like they allowed me to get a tighter, more secure and also more comfortable fit with the RBZ pads than I remember being able to achieve when I tried on the CLs last year. In this video the CCM Protective Line Manager mentions the changes in the RBZ shin pads starting at about 1:20. She mentions that the shell better aligns with the knee cap and that they revised the strapping system and how some of the foams fit so you get a closer fit. Based on this, the tweaks in the shell along with the strapping likely both contributed to the more secure and comfortable fit I experienced vs. the CLs.

I was impressed with the RBZ shins as well when I tried them on. I tried on the elbows and shoulders they felt the same as the CLs, but with a bit more coverage. The RBZ shins have neoprene type straps which I found much more comfortable and secure than the CL straps. The pad also felt very comfortable overall and fit my legs well. I still prefer my Projekt elbows to the RBZs (and anything else I've ever tried on) and my Farrell shoulders feel more mobile and comfortable to me than the RBZ shoulders (although the RBZs are certainly lighter and would retain less water), but the RBZ shins did feel more comfortable than my Projekt shins. It wasn't enough of a jump for me to buy them right there, but the next time I'm in the market for shins they'll certainly be on my short list.

It's great to hear feedback from someone who has used both. The Sprungs allowing for a varying number of wheels to be in contact due to the dual suspension lead me to believe they'd mimic the feel of a curved ice blade a bit better, but having never used the Marsblade chassis I wasn't completely sure. I'll definitely be curious to read your full review once you've had a chance to use the Marsblade in some games. If you still have the Sprungs and ever have back to back games it'd be great if you could use each chassis for one game...or if you had a 2 hour pickup session use each chassis for an hour. It sounds like your Sprungs may be retired though based on earlier posts.

1. Kor Shift 1 2. Kor Shift 2 3. CCM 652 Pump Tacks 4. Nike V12 Flexlite 5. Nike Ignite 1

Wouldn't an integrated sternum pad be less mobile than the floating sternum?

Insurance finally got back to me about the car issue I vented about. The adjuster apologized for taking so long to get back to me and told me that: - They're writing me a cheque instead of repairing the car and the $1000 deductible will be deducted from that cheque. I did manage to get the amount bumped up a little when I mentioned recently purchasing a new battery and two new tires. - They don't consider me at fault for the accident, my rates will not go up and I won't have to use my accident forgiveness option for this claim. - The subrogation department is going to go after the city for the claim and if they're successful I will get my $1000 deductible back (I was going to bring up subrogation, but the adjuster mentioned it first). - I can take the two winter tires off the car and replace them with my all season tires if I'd like. As long as there are 4 tires on the car that's fine. - I don't have rental coverage, but thankfully my in-laws have loaned me their second car. If I do rent a car at any time before I get a new car I can send them the receipts and they can try to get that money back from the city as well. Now I'll likely be out of pocket a bit by the time I find another good used car (I'm likely going to try to find another 2004-2008 Mazda 6 hatchback with a V6 so I can use the winter tires, filters, and oil I already have, but will consider other options), but at least my rates won't go up. So it is still a hassle, but not as bad as I originally thought.

I'd go with the skate that you feel fits best. What other people wear, both pro and amateur, should not matter. The pitch can be adjusted if you find it's too agressive for you - there's been a lot of discussion that issue earlier in this thread. The Mako 2 is not the same skate with no no colours. See JRs 2014 Easton catalog review: http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/65281-2014-easton-hockey-catalogue/ I'm unaware of any Warrior trade in program. They only had the 60 day guarantee where if you bought a DT1 and didn't like it you could take it back within 60 days. Perhaps Easton will try something similar to get more people into the skates, but this thread is the only place I've heard that rumour. I definitely do not think that they'll be allowing people to trade in original Mako skates for Mako 2 skates unless there is a warranty issue with the Mako skates and they no longer have the Mako in that size. As for a release date, I believe the rep at Winterfest said the targeted release for the Mako 2 was August, but plans can change.

Meloche Monnex is my broker - I went through them because I obtained several quotes when hunting for insurance and their price with my Alumni group discount was by far the cheapest. The actual insurance provider on the pink slip is Security national. I say this year because I noticed in previous years it said Standard Insurance or something like that so I guess Meloche Monnex shops around for the cheapest provider each year. I did pay for the accident forgiveness so my rates shouldn't go up this time. I filed the claim on Tuesday afternoon through a phone rep and was given the adjusters name and number, but haven't been able to touch base with him yet. I have left two Voice Mail messages. It didn't help that I use VOIP and my place had no power for most of today - there's a chance he could've been calling while the power was out. It was only supposed to be out from 9am-12:30pm, but it was out until after 3pm as the maintenance took longer than expected. I managed to hook up my phone to the emergency power in the hall before the phone interview I was supposed to have, but there was a power surge about 10 minutes in which reset my adapter and modem. Thankfully the interviewer was understanding and we're going to reschedule for tomorrow. 99% of the time the VOIP is quite reliable, but obviously isn't when there are power issues. If I had my car I would've driven to a friend or family members house. I hadn't given my cell number since it's an emergency pay as you go phone, plus it was low on batteries due to the outage (didn't realize there was power in the hall until I was about to leave to go to a public library to access the net and get in touch with the company at about 2pm). My in-laws are going to lend me a car on Saturday if I don't have rental coverage. I'll bring up the term subrogate when I finally connect with the adjuster. I don't have a specific broker. I have a company that acts as a broker and they have a call center full of reps. I have been assigned an adjuster, but haven't been able to speak to him yet. Thank you all for your thoughts and advice.

I paid for a 4 wheel alignment in November, a new car battery in December and two new winter tires last Friday night. Then on Saturday evening, I was driving home and did not see a big pot hole since the sun was setting, there was a puddle flush with the road and the portion of the road that had a the pot hole was darker than the rest of the road due to a previous repair. I hit the pot hole at approximately 60 km/h and heard a large bang and felt the car bottom out. It was apparent I had a flat tire and I slowed down and safely pulled over. When I got out of the car I noticed that not only was the tire flat, but the side skirt on the passenger side was barely hanging on. On the other side the tire was not flat, but one of the treads was torn off (I believe this was caused by loose asphalt on the road). So I'm thinking I'll probably have to get 2 new tires, possibly a new rim and get the skirt put back on. I missed roller hockey Sunday because I didn't want to drive on the space saver tire any more than necessary. I picked up two used tires and then carefully drive to my mechanics on Monday. He showed me all the damage I didn't notice - there was damage to the front bumper, right fender, right mudguard, right panel, entire front right suspension (bent), right tie rod, steering boot, wheel hub, stabilizer boot and rocker moulding. Oh, and the skirt would likely have to be replaced as well. The repair estimate was $5053.06 - this is a 2005 Mazda 6 with just under 200 thousand km (125 thousand miles) on it so it's not really worth it for me to pay anywhere near that for repairs. I call my insurance company - I can pay a $1000 deductible as I'm considered at fault since it's a single vehicle accident. My premiums shouldn't go up this time since it's my first at fault accident and I have an accident forgiveness feature, but if something else happens in the near future my rates will skyrocket. They say I can try to make a claim with the City of Toronto so I look that up and then use my in-laws car to take pictures of the location on Monday. I notice in the light of day on Monday afternoon that there are wheel covers strewn around the area and a shredded tire so I wasn't the only one who had issues with this hole. The loose asphalt had been moved the the grass and there was caution tape wrapped around a nearby pole - it's right in front of a Catholic school so I think it's possible the school did this and not the city since the huge pot hole was still there and there wasn't even a caution cone. I then hear a story on the radio about pot holes (there are A LOT of them in Toronto right now since it was freezing at the beginning of last week and then we had a warm spell later in the week) and in the story they mention that 95% of claims to the City of Toronto are denied. The assistant manager at the auto shop told me another customer said that in order for the city to approve a damage claim you have to be able to prove they knew about the hole and didn't take action. So I called my insurance company and started a claim today. I also submitted a claim to the city, but they mention it takes on average 90 days for them to make a decision and I don't like the odds that they'll approve the claim since I don't have any concrete evidence that they knew about the hole and loose asphalt. Although one would think that someone would've reported that large of a hole and loose asphalt while it was visible during the day. It wasn't easy to see in the fading light. Oh, and I'm not sure if I'll have a rental car to get to the games I'm supposed to ref tomorrow - I'll get there by transit if I have to, but it'll take me 4x as long to get there and back. I'll have to talk to the insurance adjuster assigned to my case tomorrow. For this to happen while I'm not working full time and using officiating, a bit of freelance Marketing and writing work and my savings to get by is especially stressful. I do have a phone interview on Thursday, but my mind wants to focus on the car and finance issues rather than the interview. Sorry for the long post. I just really, really needed to vent. I know people have worse problems, but it sometimes it helps to get things off your chest.