Jump to content
Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble
Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble

Wicked3Aussie

Members+
  • Content Count

    254
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    2
  • Feedback

    0%

Everything posted by Wicked3Aussie

  1. Opposite for me. I've recently had the chance to back to back test some AC1 Inhalers against my CA9 RPDs(both pairs less than a year old) & there was a huge difference in performance for me. - I immedietly noticed the lack of wheel size of the front wheels under heavy, on my toes acceleration.(didn't affect my ability to make the skates perform but didn't feel as nice) - Launches were easier for the first few steps and acceleration was great but to get that acceleration out of the Hilos was a lot more "hands on" and required a lot more energy for comparable performance with the straight 80s resulting in much quicker fatigue(fast quick strides vs fast long strides). -As with acceleration requiring more energy, maintaining speed takes a lot of energy as well but with a noticably lesser top speed(Alkalis are so much easier to reach higher top speeds & stay at top speed) -AC1s were more agile but for me the lack of grip on turns didn't feel as nice(personal thing though completely subjective) In the end I couldn't wait to get the RPD's back on, Hilos are nice in isolation but compared to straight 80s are outclassed for performance(only my opinion). I did this with the older non recessed chassis, in theory your lowered/recessed chassis should be much faster than mine.
  2. Big step up! I really like the placement of the RPD logo and the overall design. looks like the chassis has been slightly modified as well. I'm just glad theres been some actual changes and not just cosmetic changes like the new Mission line. The wait is going to kill me but i'll be ordering a pair as soon as they become available.
  3. Just measured screwdriver it's 3mm.In all honesty I wouldn't fit a smaller size, it's quite a tight fit as is. Heel lock keeps me at the back of the boot at all times and my toes just about touch. No movement whatsoever.
  4. I can only fit that small screwdriver between my heel and the back of the boot. Screwdriver is roughly the same if not a bit thinner than a pencil.
  5. I haven't tried a recessed one yet but i'll be upgrading to Max's in August-September for no reason other than I can't help myself. But in my non recessed Alkali's I found I picked it up straight away, no issues of boot slide. Could just be "out of sight, out of mind", all I was obsessing over was how quick I wanted them to be out of the box. They were. lol
  6. Yeah It took me all of 5 minutes if that to get used to mine, all I was interested in at the time was, "How fast can I go in these things!". lol The whole "straight chassis takes ages to get used to/throws off balance....etc" wives tales are solved by bending your knees more.
  7. I'm curious to see what all the fuss is about with the sprung chassis but not curious enough to want to chop up a perfectly good boot to find out. I got the email last year as well to say they had a new allocation but I decided to pass on it for the above reason. Another one is that "marsblade" chassis thats advertised online although I believe it's only available in Europe.
  8. Get the Alkalis into a skate bake oven & they'll give you the best fit of any boot! These skates are designed to give you the perfect mould, I love mine.
  9. Yep can definitely see myself spending more money really soon. The only other guy that uses Alkali locally just went to them & theyre amazing compared to my RPD's. I don't need them but I really want them!
  10. I got mine done at Albany Creek skateaway. www.skateaway.net.au (Tell them Sam sent you. :) ) They charge $25 for the bake. Digi skate rink at Browns Plains charge $50 for a bake(unless you buy your skates there). And skatebiz charge $25 as well. Hope that helps! :)
  11. I'm a supreme fit guy and my Alkalis fit perfectly after the bake! :)
  12. Yeah i'm also hanging out for the new pants. Was going to get the yellow Max's but those black & red comps look unreal, i'm pretty keen to snap some up as soon as I can. Will the launch be delayed til december like the skates?
  13. My feet are 26.5-27cm and my RPDs are size 8.5, shoe size is 10US. And i'm usually a EE in other brands. Hope that can be of help.
  14. Size: 8.5 Reviewer intro/specs/previous skates used: 6ft 2" 170lbs(85kg) 25 yrs old, experienced/competetive skater for roughly 17 years, previous hockey skates used Nike Quest Shadows, Mission Wicked 3 & Mission Wicked 1. Fit: Nice & snug at present, still awaiting a skate bake but what I can notice is they fit like a glove. Control & energy transfer is light years ahead of anything i've previously used. Baking should further enhance that feeling. 9/10 Chassis/Wheels/Bearings: The choice of chassis, wheels & bearings really help make these skates great. This is the first time i've used an all 80mm chassis having come from Hilo & Hilo Vanguard previously, i'll never use anything else again. The increased agility, speed and surface contact for stopping is amazing in comparison and in my opinion makes smaller wheeled chassis redundant. One myth i'll dispel is that they do not feel "tall" or like "on stilts", and the forward pitch is the same as my wicked skates. Wheels are an excellent choice being the Labeda Addiction. I personally love these wheels, i've used my previous set on wood for almost 8 months now with no chunks, splits or drops in performance, that alone makes them worth the price. Bearings are swiss and quite smooth, with that said having come from old, clunky, seized up, busted 688 mini bearings any bearing will feel amazing to me! 10/10 Weight/Protection: Weight feels to be on par with my wicked 3's if not abit lighter which is always welcome. Protection also seems quite good compared to the wicked series although i'm yet to use them in a game so i'll eserve my judgment on this one. 9/10 Durability: Again i'll have to reserve my judgment on these until I get abit more time on them, although they do feel alot stronger than anything i've previously used. One thing I did notice that I wasn't to happy with was the travel between the axle and the spacer on All wheels(boots came with incorrect spacers, this was an isolated issue and Stephen at Alkali took care of the problem and sent me out 2 sets of replacement axles and spacers. Alkalis customer service is great!) Makes a noticable clicking nose when weight is put on the skate., I dont think anything is wrong but I plan to message Alkali anyway just incase I damage something. 8/10 Intangibles: They are immedietly noticable and recieved a very positive reaction from everyone at the rink who are used to only having Mission, bauer and to a lesser extent ccm. Feels good to have something different and in my opinion a much better product. 10/10 Conclusion: After reading Justins thread in the forums here, the excellent customer service, fresh range of products and not to mention being a fan of Justin's work at mission during the Wicked model run I took the gamble to import some to Australia and i'm glad I did. These are by far the fastest/agile boots i've ever used and have definitely made me a long term Alkali customer. If you don't want to settle for anything but the best performance , then these skates are for you! 10/10 Thanks for taking the time to read! :)
  15. After staying up all night so I could drive to fedex first thing I finally have my CA9 RPD's(btw what does that stand for?). Initial thoughts are these skates look amazing, and the stiffness is great. I'd go as far as saying theyre stiffer than my barely used Wicked 1's and I believe that's saying something. Design of the skate is very different to what i'm used to but in a good way, compared to my missions my leg is more forward of the eyelets. Was worried I had the wrong size at first because of this but after a quick roll around I've found its perfect for the boot and chassis. The supposed excessive forward pitch that some people were fearing is rubbish, the pitch is exactly the same as both my wicked skates which is exactly what I wanted. Heel lock is great, you don't realise how good that is until you experience it, cant wait to see how that translates to my agility tonight at the rink. I can still manuever just fine if not better, these boots allow much better side ankle movement. Another myth I can dispell is the height, they don't at all feel tall or "like on stilts", they feel normal. Bearings are smooth and fast, no noise at all. These addictions feel much stickier than the new set of white 688 addictions I have sitting here, very impressed. Weight wise they feel on par with the wickeds if not a slight bit lighter which is always welcome. Hot spots around my big toes in both skates which the bake will take care of. I wasn't originally expecting these skates to arrive until next week so don't have time to bake before the weekend sessions. Delivered in only 4 days from from California to Brisbane, Australia. I can't wait to see how fast these bad boys are tonight. Hopefully i'll get some video action. Words really don't do the quality, fit and finish of these skates justice. A credit to Justin, Joe, Jay and the Alkali crew. If you haven't already tried these do yourself a favour! :) PS Justin being fairly aggressive on my skates I tend to damage boots so i'm going to be taping these up as a precaution. Would you guys ever consider releasing Alkali and/or RPD branded hockey tape? I'd love to tape these up but still rep the brand. Thanks again for all your help! :)
  16. Just ordered my CA9 RPD's Justin, was trying to hold out til September/October but need new skates now. Can't wait to get these! I ended up ordering a size 8.5 because I have a 26.5-27cm foot, does that sound like the right size? Thanks again for all your help! Sam.
  17. You most likely can't answer this question but no harm in asking, has the chassis redesign affected the pitch of the boot? It just looks a little lower in that pic compared with pics of the CA9 RPD. The aggressive forward pitch was a huge selling point for me on the Ca9 RPDs.
  18. Hey Justin, What specs/info can you give us on the new RPD Max skates and when will they be available for shipping? The new chassis looks sweet too! I need my new skates asap but i'm holding off for the new ones and am quite keen for any info. Thanks, Sam. :D
  19. After reading this entire thread i've had a few revelations. After trying on AC1 Inhalers(not aware of Bauers ownership of mission) coming from Wicked 3s I was a little disappointed with the lack of stiffness and the almost non existant forward pitch. Learning about your role in Mission Justin when my Wicked lights were current, how good your current products are and not to mention excellent customer service i've decided that the CA9 RPD's are the best possible successor to my long serving Wickeds. If they're anything like the wickeds they'll be rockets! The change to all 80mm will be a breeze and wont make much of an impact on my skating apart from the increased speed, if I can survive the regular bleeding ankles of the Wickeds I can handle anything and i've got the permanent ankle scars to prove it. lol If i'm coming from a size 10EE wicked 3 what size CA9 RPD will I need? Thanks in advance, can't wait to get my CA9s. :D
×
×
  • Create New...