althoma1

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

No, an A7 arm would not work with the A6 frame. You can either use A6 arms or the beefed up A6X arms in pairs. You could use a pair of A6X arms in the front and A6 arms in the back, but you can't use an A6 and A6X arm in the same slot. I have both A6 and A6X arms. Keith aka Sprungster confirmed that A7 arms can't be used with the A6 frame. If they could he wouldn't have needed to develop the A6X arms.

I get the info from measuring my feet without socks on, have actually demoed 7.5EE Supremes (length was good, but had a bit of heel lift in the EE and the D forfoot was too narrow so they weren't perfect) on a few times at Modsquad events and tried on a pair of 8.5 Alkali's. I also use 8.5 KOR skates and according to the KOR fit guide an 8.5 skate is 26.9cm - my very wide 26.7cm foot brushes the toe caps on those skates with thin socks on so that would confirm the length. I do like to wear skates as small as possible without serious pain and have my toes brushing the caps. Some people go longer than they need to allow for a wide foot instead of going down in length and using a wider size/skate. I don't know how wide your feet are in comparison to the length so don't know if that's the case for you. Nothing beats trying the skates on, but if you've measured accurately and your foot is 26cm then my best guess from my experiences are you'd need a 7 Supreme and 7.5 Alkali for that brushing the toe fit - if you like extra room (which you seem to) then a 7.5 Supreme and 8 Alkali would provide that room. Your 8.5 Supremes might not feel like they're at least 1 size too long because you may tie them tight and/or have a wider foot so it feel secure in a D boot. If you went down a size or size and a half and do have a wider foot then you might need to go with a wider size. Your feet being a little off the cap in 8.5 Alkali's is actually consistent with my experience since my feet are almost the same size. The 8.5 Alkali's that I tried on were almost the right size and my feet were just off the cap so I felt that 8s would lengthwise (don't know if they'd be wide enough for my flippers), but there were no 8s to try on - I prefer my big toe to be touching the cap at first and then just brushing the cap after the skates are baked and broken in. That's just a fit preference.

If your feet are 26cm long you would likely need a 7.5 in the shifts and should be a 7 in the one.9. My feet are 26.7cm and I have demoed supremes and would need a 7.5ee. I have tried on 8.5 alkali skates and they were a bit too long so I would need an 8.

I'm looking at the store of the Sprung Hockey site: http://www.sprunghockey.com/store/sprung-frames When you click through to the complete A6 Frames it says 92 in stock, 90 on the A7 page and 99 on the A8 page. On the parts page the stock is much more limited as far as A6 and A7 parts go. A6 arms aren't available, there only 11 A6 frames, 15 A7 Frames, 5 A7 Arms. There are plenty of A8 arms and frames as well as springs, pivot pins and wheel axis assemblies for all frames. Don't look at the old sprunginline site. Go to sprunghockey.com.

The complete frames with rocker arms seem to be in stock in all sizes, but yes the separate new A6 arms have been out of stock for a while now.

I've been using them since November for both playing and reffing - often 4-5 hours per week and a lot more some weeks (for tournaments or reffing a few nights instead of just one). I had one A6X knuckle crack on me and had it replaced under warranty and haven't had any issues since. I also like the tighter tolerances and stiffer feel. I was told that the fact that there were two 2 rockers pair together might have contributed to the knuckle cracking and that they're more durable if paired 1/2. They came this way assembled and new - I actually still have only enough 1's to do two 1/2 sets and have the other two as 2/2 pairs out of necessity. I haven't had any others crack on me though.

Pm'd you about the 76mm Revision Steel wheels

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'd be interested to know the ratings of all the current models as well as future ones. Hopefully they rate current models and not just new releases and the information is publicly available and not just advertised by manufacturers for select models that receive higher ratings. The public should be made aware of the low rated models as well and if they have an older helmet if they should consider upgrading. In the end that could benefit manufacturers as it could lead people who had no intention of changing their helmets any time soon deciding to upgrade.

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.

The knuckles on the A7 and A8 were already sturdy - it was only the A6 that had the more severe knuckle breakage issues. The new beefed up knuckles are a big improvement from the old A6 and brings them up to par with the A7 and A8. So either the new A6 or A7 would both be good choices. With the A6 you'd have a smaller wheel base and turning radius which might be beneficial for the smaller surface you play on. You could either use all 72mm or all 76mm wheels (I use all 76mm). With the A7 chassis you could either use all 76mm or all 80mm wheels - the wheel base would be a bit longer, but you might get more speed at the cost of a bit of mobility; especially if you use the all 80mm setup. The durability should now be the same with either of those chassis.

All the chassis on the site are newer. The older model was sold out a while ago and you'll only find those on the used market. The difference between the new A6 and the old one is beefed up knuckles on the rocker arms and stronger plastic. The design of the A7 and A8 remains the same, but the strength of the plastic was also upgraded on those. I think Sprung13 was just in reference to the new "2013" models, but the naming of the actual chassis wasn't changed. Before they were released the redesigned A6 was being referred to as A6X, but it appears that naming convention didn't get implemented upon release. As for sizing, the A7 would likely be best for a size 9, however; you could fit an A6 on there as well if you want to go with a smaller wheel base. I used to have an A6 on a pair of 8.5 Missions. For durometer, keep in mind that Sprungs provide more grip than a standard chassis so you can go with a harder wheel. If you were using 80a with your old chassis you may want to go with 82a or 84a with Sprungs.

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.

Sorry to read about your trouble. I'm surprised it's happened more than once with the axels in such a short time frame. I've only had an axel get stuck once in the 6 or so years I've used Sprungs. I did have the pivot pins get stuck a couple times and now I always make sure to dremel out grooves in the flat end to prevent this and haven't had any issues since doing this. Hopefully you can reach Keith as if all else fails a new rocker arm would make the skates useable (of course you'd also need one new wheel, two bearings and a spacer).