Cosmic

I use the Bauer Elite Performance Socks. And yes, I have all kinds of stuff I can use to prevent this from happening again. I got this gel ankle wrap from this local salesperson, that the figure skaters wear- that is best. Moleskin, neoprene sleeves- it all works. I wanted to see though, when I first wore these skates, if I would need to go this route. So, I learned, yes, I need to go this route. I do not think that there is a way to heat mold out of this problem. I mean, sure if someone is an ergonomist, then they may be able to figure it out. I did a pretty damn good job heat molding a hot spot on my instep, if I do say so myself, but I just do not see how to correct this issue with heal molding. I hear that it is a break in issue, and after few months, the issue will go away. So yea, in the meantime, I will just wear my padding, and it will be ok. For me, this issue pales in comparison to the one I was having prior (which completely kept me off this ice), so I just deal with it and it is no big deal. But, if I had skates that I liked, then yea I would try to wait for Mako II. But yea, first time I wore them, I was completely blown away, and knew I wanted them. I really feel like I can skate all day, comfortably, and naturally, after having been unable to skate at all, which is nice.

That big irritated blotch by my ankle- it was on both ankles after my first skate. I felt it forming about 1.5 hours in, but as I was having the greatest hockey occasion of my life to date, I just played through it, and hoped it was nothing. It is, in effect nothing. If I were to play 2 hours per day, 7 days a week after it formed, then sure, I would make a hole in my leg, but I am not a pro, so I was able to take the necessary 3.5 weeks off for this gash to close up.

I have been wearing the CCM CL Shoulders, Elbows and Pants. Love the pants, would not change a thing (does not look like much was changed). But the elbows are short (nice of them to extend them), and the chest protector on the shoulders is not anatomical at all (looks like this was fixed too)

After 1 test run (in my friend's skates at public skating, prior to buying), 1 league game, and 3 drop in sessions, I can say that I absolutely love these skates. They only really "made me a better skater" on the 1st skate, as I think they guy had the perfect sharpening for the ice surface, which I have not yet been able to replicate- I think I will get it next skate though. 2nd skate too, I had the best night of my life, but it was more just me burying shots rather than putting on any sort of skating clinic. Anyway, most skates hurt my feet right when I put them on- nevermind when they are laced up, when I am walking/ skating, etc. These skates, I can wear for 2 hour sessions, and keep on going, for awhile longer. Only issue is the "Mako bumps," but as long as I wear neoprene sleeve and mole skin, I am all set. I actually forget to wear both for my last 2 skates, and no real major issues. There was a major'ish issue with the Mako bumps after the first skate (1 2.25 hour hockey drop in, which required 3.5 weeks to heal), but it was not that bad, just took a long time for the wound to close up. I think the ankles of the skates might be better broken in now, not sure tho- hopefully I will just remember to wear the neoprene/moleskin while this issue sorts itself out. So, I hope that the Mako/ Mako II pending remains true to form, and evolves within their philosophy of the natural movement and the wrap of the eyelets, and whatever else they are doing to provide the running shoe type feel in the skate. (In other words, I hope it does not become like a Supreme or APX and be all stiff and hurt my feet). If you are thinking of going from Supreme into this, then please note 10.0 EE in Supreme One.9 LE = 10.5 in Mako (for me).

Igor Larionov is an agent for VH Footwear?

Warrior Covert DT2 X Bone Gloves (BC Colorway); Warrior Remix LE Gloves (Quebec 1972) (thought I would give the 4 rolls a try, seeing as how I hear how so many people love and swear by them- got these for $50 via clearance +25% off for holiday); Easton Mako II Pro Stock shaft with Warrior Kovalchuk paddle; Mission Inhaler helmet with Re Akt cage, and of course, Mako skates. The monkey made his way into the picture because I just wanted the gloves in a row. And yes, I sleep on a pink bed. As long as my wife refrains from commenting on my equipment purchasing habits, I let her choose the sheets lol. Only got to use the gear once (except the 4 rolls) as I got a bad case of Mako bumps that I am recovering from; but love all of the stuff, even the skates- just need to cover up the area that got shredded (when it fully heals) with some mole skin and I ought to be good.

Before I first tried Mako, I was alternating between Mission Axiom T10 (a bit forward pitched, similar to a Vapor) and Supreme One.9s (rather flat). I felt like, when I was on ice, that I wanted a more aggressive stance. I had used Vapors a few times in the past, but when I quick started I always threw myself over the front of the skates and almost wiped out, if not for miraculous non-graceful recoveries. When I first tried Mako, the forward/ aggressive pitched stance felt perfect (to my surprise). As mentioned, I wanted a bit more forward pitched, but was surprised how perfect it felt. I am pretty upright skater with little knee bend, so it does not seem to make sense, unless the Mako is somehow compensating favorably for my non-technical approach to skating.

I was 10.0 EE in Bauer supreme one.9 LE; 10.5 EE in Mako. I would advise driving to the store; for the money you are gonna spend, I think that 3 hours of time is nothing (unless you are earning $200,000+ per year and your time is actually that valuable)

First hockey skate was 2.25 hours (I did a 20 minute public test skate on my friend's skates, prior to buying). Aside from the "Mako bumps" (chafing above outer ankle on both sides), after the 2.25 hour sesh, no issues whatsoever. I thought the pitch would bother knee tendons, but everything was all good. I had problems with other skates, so I am a happy camper :)

When you say that the holders are stiff and unforgiving, you are referring to the razor blades that you selected to be the holders, right; and not an aspect of the VHs themselves? Or, did you mean that the soles are stiff and unforgiving?

The best goalie, and also the best skater in my area are both Japanese. I will ask them if they know the secret of the swords, and are willing to share it with me.

Does anyone know if this product works? I saw it on a holiday guide buying video. If it does what it claims, then it could be considered to be "The Poor Man's BlackEdge" (if one believes that BlackEdge does what it claims, specifically with the increased glide). "The SK-8T Fuel Ice Skate Blade Coating works by reducing friction between the skate's runner and the ice surface. SK-8T Fuel acts like a lubricant to offer a smoother and more fluid glide when corning, cutting, starting and stopping. After the first use, it increases the edge life of the skates and works to eliminate rust and slush by repelling it away. One jar has approximately 20 applications in it and you only need to re-apply SK-8T Fuel after you sharpen your skates. The usage of SK-8T Fuel has been approved in the NHL and all other organizations. It is safe to use with your honing stone or sharpening machine, the coating simply sticks to the metal particles and is removed along with them."

You are a more brave individual than myself.

Could be. My feet measure right in between the 11.5-12.0 range, so I ought to be either 10.0 or 10.5. Could be that my Supremes were too small- who knows? Either way, yea, these were most ideal, will be interesting to see what it is like to play ice hockey in them. Just a few more weeks.

Got a chance to try these on at the rink in a 10.5 EE. I had been in 10.0 EE Supremes (which seemed long and wide enough, but gave me volume issues, and were just too hard anyway, so they always killed my feet). The Makos were amazing. First thing I did was check the pencil test- barely passed it. I laced them up, and did not feel a need to cinch them tight like I do with my Supremes (which I have actually since sold) and Axiom T10s (which I wear every week, and which are awesome, also 10.0 EE). Despite not lacing them tightly, I still had great heel lock- same as in my Supremes/T10s laced tightly, which I was surprised about. Acceleration seemed about standard for me, it was a public skate so I held back a bit on really getting going. Most impressive feature was turning/ cornering. In my Supremes, before they gave me foot problems, I was unable to corner at high speeds without digging into the ice and slowing down. I figured I was doing something wrong technique wise, which still maybe the case. With the Makos, I was making turns at pretty decent speed, and no ice shaving whatsoever, just tight, fast turns, with the only deceleration coming as a result of gravity slowing me down a bit. I have never experienced this before. So, the Mako either corrected my technique, or it is just allowing me to skate in my natural motion (which, who is to say if it is right or wrong? It just is), and still give me great performance. No one ever taught me how to skate with proper technique, back in the day when I played my only year of organized hockey, our coaches just skated us hard around the circles doing crossovers, and ladders up and down the ice. No one ever said, "Try shifting your weight like this on the turns, or sit on your heels when you drive the net," or anything of the sort. Comfort wise, felt same as my tennis shoes, and I love my tennis shoes. Definitely more comfy than my T10s, which I thought were the ultimate comfort skate. This guy had them baked recently, so either we have similar feet, or just baking them gives them this great feel. My original plan was to wait for the next line of Mako skates to release, and get some cheapo pair of skates to hold me over until then. But, I want to play between now and whenever the Mako skate update launches, so I just placed an order, which I will pick up, and likely use during public skates while I am in the US. Maybe I will play if I can get some gear lendage happening, we will see I suppose. I will be right by the El Segundo rink, Los Angeles area, if anyone knows a group of guys who might need an extra hack.

Warrior Dynasty AXT1 Tapered Composite (Kopitar curve every time but once, Zetterberg the other time) Shaft: Bauer TotalOne Tapered Time Used: 2-3 months Stickhandling/Receiving Passes Both feel great. When receiving passes, the puck feels like it is deadened as it hits the stick. I used cloth tape and Blade Butter over the blade, hard to say if it is the blade or my overall rig. Stickhandling feels good; with the ice puck I get a good feel for the puck, even with inline I feel like I get a better feel over another blade that I use (Easton Mako II). I have had an issue with receiving passes, as the puck slides up over the toe when I catch passes there (because the Kopitar is a bit too open for me). This is more of a personal issue than an issue with the Warrior product, so no points deducted. 9.5/10 Shooting The puck jumps off the blade with slapshots, wristshots, and snapshots. This could be due to a synergistic effect between the shaft and that I am a tall, strong guy with half decent technique. 9.5/10 Weight/Balance This is a light blade. When a friend broke his OPS APX and I fused this blade onto his shaft (I bought a few), he remarked that he could not believe how light it was, and that it seemed lighter than the original blade. He is a pretty strong guy with a bodybuilder physique, but it was after he had played for 2 hours, so he ought to have been tired. 9.5/10 Durability I used this blade about 20 times before realizing I did not like an open face. Up to that point, the blade had a couple of nips and chips, but nothing major, and the performance still felt fine. Around that time, we ventured out to an area where we thought we would have a suitable surface to inline skate on. This was not the case, the surface was too rough. We played a bit anyway, and I used this rig (I have enough blades still new, so no big deal if I trashed it). It held up rather well, the tape took most of the damage, and then the bottom got a little frayed. So, I detached the blade and this became my nephew's. I probably took about 150 full power slapshots with this blade in warmups, just to see what kind of abuse it could take. The blade is still as stiff as when I first got it, no sign of any damage except the nips, chips, and the minor fraying from the hard surface. 9.5/10 Price These blades are less expensive than other top end blades (Reebok 20K, APX2, Mako II). I definitely prefer it over Mako II, but have not tried the other brands so cannot comment. Regardless, I think this is a great price for a great blade. 10/10 Intangibles Just a great blade, nothing more to say aside from what has been stated. Conclusions I just bought a bulk load of Kovalchuk patterns, so as they would say, "The proof is in the pudding:" Overall 48/50

Bauer Total One .520 Tapered Shaft -Height - 6'2" -Weight - 215 lbs -Level of play: Beer Leaguer (ice and inline) -Position: "Center Lite" (I play right on front of the net on both ends, with as little puck carrying responsibilities as I can get away with. Sort of like a Center in basketball, but nothing like a traditional center in hockey. So on D, I just try to clear out the area in front of the net the best I can. On O, I suck the D in and free up space on the perimeter for my line mates to cycle the puck around, and occasionally bury a rebound of theirs.) -Blades used- Warrior AXT1 Kopitar & Zetterberg; and Easton Mako II Iginla -Flex- 102 and 87. I used 102 for the first 20 sessions or so, and 87 for the last one. The 102 rips slapshots at insane speeds. However, I rarely seem to ever find myself in position to ever take slapshots (even when I am assigned to play D). In warm ups tho, this thing blasts rockets. I have not taken any slapshots with the 87 flex yet. I switched to 87 just last game because I was feeling like it took too much time and effort to load the 102 for wristshots. I often find myself in position for wristshots, and wanted something I could snap a little easier, still getting decent speed and power on my shots. -Shaft Shape/Grip- Boxy shaft, Tac Spiral Grip, no sticky stuff (none needed). My gloves are pretty grippy as well (Vapor APX), so my hand does not slide as easily up and down the shaft as I would like, but my grip is always strong. Shaft feels nice in my hands. Score: 9.5/10 -Stickhandling/receiving passes- My stickhandling is the weakest part of my game, so I just created a position for myself where I camp the net on D until the puck clears the zone, then beeline it for the goal we are shooting at as the puck carrier leaves our end, often dragging 2 guys with me. So, cannot really comment on the stickhandling for this stick. It feels good when I am just practicing and warming up, but in games, forget it, that is not my thing. This stick does feel nice receiving & sending passes, but I think that is really more the blade than the stick. FWIW, I love stickchecking too with this stick, it wields similarly to how I would imagine a fencer feels about his sword, and I am pretty good at knocking pucks off guys's sticks. Not sure if the stick has anything to do with this, or if any stick would work when I find myself in proper position with the right angle to knock pucks away. I guess balance might come into play here, and if this is the case, them this stick is right. Score: 9.5/10 Shooting- It is my understanding that this shaft was designed to harness the power of TotalOne with the tapered release. It does cover all 3 shots nicely, as I can rip off rockets on all three. I definitely feel a nicer wristshot with the 87 flex than with the 102. The release is not quick though- maybe it is my poor technique, or maybe it is the stick. I am curious to try a Warrior Covert or Easton Mako/V9 to see if I can get off quicker releases on my wristshots. Score: 9.5/10 Weight and balance- I think that this shaft weighs in around 300 grams, so throw a 125 gram blade on it, and I imagine that I am coming in around 425 grams + the tape that I use to shim the blade. Not a Sherwood Wrecker sub 400g stick, but they were not out when this stick released. Balance wise, feels right. Score: 9.5/10 Durability- This is where this stick shines. I fired off tons of slapshots as hard as I can, as it has been a long layoff, and I want my body to balance itself out with the force dynamics of shooting. So, the 102 flex probably has about 100 slapshots on it, plus all the stickchecking, and is showing no signs of abuse whatsoever, with full pop still intact as from the first day I got it. Score: 10/10 Intangibles- Perfect combination of durability and performance. For me, the durability is key, as I am far from an LHS. I am pretty well stocked on these (they are on clearance right now), so I have been intentionally hard on the 102 flex, just to see what these can do. Score: 9.5/10 Conclusion- Great all-around shaft, especially at $67 after coupon code (EMAILME is the coupon code for 5% off, at the only vendor who is still selling these sticks). Hard to find anything wrong with this shaft. I am pretty sure that all struggles that I am having are related to my own skill set liability issues, except the seemingly slow release, which I think is a combo of stick+ me. Even so, when Bauer made this stick, they could have gone for a lower/more taper for a quicker release, but they seemed to want to retain the T1 power, which they certainly have done. Total Score: 57.5/60

Can anyone comment on when Mako 2 will release, without getting into trouble for leaking? I am guessing that you cannot give an exact date, but if I just knew a quarter (Winter 2013-2014; Spring 2014, etc.), then that might be helpful. I am going to the US for Winter Break (Dec 22-Jan 8 2014), was considering a pair of Makos, but may wish to wait for Mako 2 (or get Mako hen it goes on clearance), if I knew the estimated release date.

If you click on "FIT CHART," from this link: http://grafcanada.com/product-lineup/skates/ultra-g7-classic/ Then how would you describe (in the Mako) what this site is calling "Heel Instep"? I am learning that my heel instep is large, and I am thus requiring a deep Heel Instep. Does Mako provide this?

I am in a similar position- Mako or VH? (or maybe Nexus/Graf) I think the Mako will end up being a bit less pricey when all is said and done (because I will be in US over Winter Break and will find a deal on Boxing Day). The question thus becomes whether the VH will provide significantly more comfort for the ball of toe issues I have been having. Style is not a consideration for me- I actually like the look of the Makos; and find the VH to look rather unappealing. Even with color customization; I think the style of VH is just wrong. But, I really do not care; I just want my feet and wallet to both be happy. Not sure if this video of this kid's goalie skates has been posted yet:

My background: I just am getting back into hockey after a long payoff. I have been playing inline and ice since my return. The inline is on a hot court, probably 85-90 degrees or so with 100% humidity (at night, which makes it tolerable). Ownership: ~3 months & 20 skates Fit - I purchased the Medium/Medium combo (head size=23.5 inches). The helmet did not seem narrow enough for my head, but it somehow seems to have taken form. The cage was way too short with the chin-cup sitting right on my mouth, so I had to buy and install the Large cage. Now that I am properly fitted with Med bucket/Lrg cage, everything feels pretty much perfect. 10/10 Protection - Will hopefully never need to be able to really comment on this. Thus far, just a couple of sticks that grazed my cage, which would have hurt had I been not wearing it, but the cage did its job. I play beer league so no contact aside from random collisions and just jockeying for position in front of the net. n/a Weight - The #s do not lie, and I believe this is the 2nd lightest high end helmet behind the Easton E700. However, the difference between this and the Easton is that the padding in the Re-AKT repels sweat, whereas the padding in the E700 absorbs it. So, by the end of a skate, I wonder how much the water weight bridges the gap in weight between these two helmets. Cage is the lightest on the market. 10/10 Durability - So far so good. Hopefully I got the new and improved anchor screws. One day I had the helmet fit particularly tight and forgot to use the occipital slide to loosen the helmet each time I took it off on the bench, and I scuffed up the back of the helmet (and my shaved head) as a result. My fault though, as this has not happened since, as I now slide this each time I take off the helmet. 10/10 LATE EDIT- So the top center piece of EPP foam is starting to come undone. This makes for a really difficult fix, as the SuspendTech is in the way of my being able to get glue up in there safely. I mean, I could get the glue up in there, but chances are, that the glue will not end up where it is supposed to be (between the shell, and the inside of the top/ center piece of EPP foam). I tried to fix it, but my fingers are too big and clumsy. Hopefully, this issue does not spread and become a plague of loose EPP foams. -2 for (updated) Durability = 8/10 Intangibles - Visibility seems pretty good. Also noteworthy is the sweat factor- I sweat like a faucet, and I never get sweat in my eyes. Sure, when I take off my helmet, my shaved head is drenched, so a quick towel off and I am feeling good. I towel off the inside of the helmet after each skate, it stays surprisingly dry. So, I do not know where the sweat is going, perhaps it is evaporating? If so, then great!! 10/10 Conclusion - Sure, the price is expensive, but I play with guys using 1980s Koho and Jofa helmets. (Late edit- I do not think that this helmet will last 25 years, as the foam is aleady coming undone.) So, if I use this helmet for years and thousands of skates, then it will come down to 1 cent per skate, is how I see it. It is hard to find anything wrong with this helmet. At first, I was lukewarm on it, but the more I use it the more I have grown to like it. For pure value, sure, you can pick up the Mission Inhaler or the CCM V-10 for half the price, and get better than half the helmet. But, I am happy to shell out a little extra money to be perfectly comfortable when I am playing a pretty challenging (physical, fast paced, requiring endurance, etc.) game. LATE THOUGHTS (after having bought and tried the Mission Inhaler) - In the initial review, I discussed what I thought might be low cost/ high value alternatives. I have since tried on the CCM V-10 (which I had seen had gotten good reviews) and it does not fit my head at all- a piece digs in to the top middle back of my head like a knife. I have since purchased, and have been using the Inhaler, and actually prefer it to the Re-AKT. The Inhaler's top center piece of foam is easier to re-set, due to lack of SupendTech, and ease of access. I also get a more snug fit with the VN foam, and find that the perforations keep it from getting too hot. So, if you have a head like me, and are trying to decide between a $100 Inhaler or a $200-$300 Re-AKT (new on is up there in price), then I would advise considering the Inhaler. Remembering though, that I am a beer leaguer, and I appreciate that full contact might necessitate "better" protective technology (realizing that nothing is concussion proof, and some statements about the "revolutionary" protection may just be marketing) Final Score - 40/40 (updated for durability issue = 38/40)

thanks Fatwabbit!! New: Oggie Ergo Grip 8K shins Jofa elbows I already had the T1 tapered shaft/ Easton Mako II Iginla pattern Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Height - 6'2" Weight - 215 lbs Pad size - 16 inch (tucked behind skate tongue) Level of play:Beer Leaguer Location: Indonesia (and thus distance to nearest LHS that stocks my size, where I can try things on, is about 10,000 miles +. Special thanks to all the guys here who helped me sort out the details of proper sizes to buy, as most of my gear has been dialed in pretty nicely. As described in various posts of mine, I am overseas, far from an LHS, and thus I have to rely on reviews and sizing estimates to order my gear prior to having it shipped out here. And once I have it, shipping back creates an expense that is prohibitory. Fit - 10/10 These are very comfortable and hug the leg well, even before strapping in. I wear these for inline without tape, socks, or anything else holding them in place, and they sit really nicely on my leg. When I wear under Reebok Edge Compression hockey socks (when I play ice), these shins completely fuse with my leg, and I forget that I am wearing shins. Only issue with fit is the area at the bottom does not give much of a comprehensive wrap, if you want to tuck the skate tongue behind the shin. It can be done, but you leave yourself pretty vulnerable down there around the lower shin/ankle. Not deducting points, as Bauer offers Nexus for those who want to tuck skate tongue behind shin guard. The stated focus of this shin is anatomical fit, I assume when tucking behind skate tongue, and this pad accomplishes this. Protection: 8.8/10 This is by no means a beefy shin. The plastic and padding is fine, for pucks coming straight on. I have taken a few ice pucks (hard shots) straight on and did not feel anything. I did, however, take a weak inline shot head on and for some reason felt a knock- no pain, but I felt it. This was odd, after having not felt hard shots from ice pucks. As far as I knew, the shins were being worn properly. The knee protection (PORON XRD foam donut at knee) and calf wrap (big piece of Vent Armour Foam on outside of each shin) are great. I also like all of the Vent Armour foam flaring off of the knee area. However, the inside of the shin offers very little protection. I instinctively stick out my foot sometimes to block shots (I wear Skate Fenders so I am well protected in my feet) and took 2 inline pucks to the inside of my calf in the same session. Each puck hit the low density foam on the inside of these shin guards, but still stung and left bruises. I would like to see a bit more padding in this region. Weight - 8.8/10 According to IW, a 14 inch weighs 612 grams. This seems about standard for a high end shin guard. If this shin brought about protection above and beyond the norm, 50 grams under standard weight, then I would give it a 10. However, it does neither. Somehow (according to IW), the Nexus weighs in lighter, even though it is a volume fit and thus seemingly a beefier shin. Durability - 10/10 After about 8 ice sessions and 8 inline sessions, these are holding up great. I always remove the liner and air dry as soon as I arrive home, and these pads are in turn looking good as new, except for the scuff on the face where I slid on my knee during inline (on a rubber sport court) to try to block a pass on D. No real damage done, just a little scuff. I expect these to last quite a long time. The skate guard pad at the bottom, to add life to the skates. This seems standard on all high end shins. Intangibles 9/10 Nothing really significant, beyond that which already stated. They look cool, which I do not really care about, but alot of the younger guys at inline comment about how much they love the look (since it is too hot to wear inline pants where we play, so the shin guards are actually exposed during those sessions). Value wise, I think that Nexus 1000 might be a better value ($30 cheaper, 34 grams lighter in the 14 inch model, and beefier; albeit minus the Vent Armour Foam and PORON XRD donut), especially if you tuck the skate tongue behind the shin guard. I have not tried on the Nexus or seen it in person since I got back into hockey; I am just going off my assessment based on reviews and videos I have seen. Conclusion Great comfort and fit, seemingly protective enough in the areas that you will need it, standard weight for the type of shin that it is. I am happy with this shin for inline and tucking behind the skate tongue. If tucking over the skate tongue, then one might want to consider a higher volume fit down at the bottom of the shin, as these are made to contour around the lower shin, and seemingly not around the skate. Overall score - 46.6/50

Height - 6'2" Weight - 215 lbs 15 inch Level of play: Beer Leaguer. Played for one year in 7th grade (1988-1989), and 3 months when I was sophomore in college (1995-1996). So, I have not really had the experience with all of the different evolutions of gear, but I try on what I can out here when I have a chance to see what the other options are for gear. Location: Indonesia (and thus distance to nearest LHS that stocks my size, where I can try things on, is about 10,000 miles +. Special thanks to all the guys here who helped me sort out the details of proper sizes to buy, as most of my gear has been dialed in pretty nicely. As described in various posts of mine, I am overseas, far from an LHS, and thus I have to rely on reviews and sizing estimates to order my gear prior to having it shipped out here. And once I have it, shipping back creates an expense that is prohibitory. I ended up getting 2 pairs of gloves in this model due to my not being sure if I was going to be able to have my gear hauled. So, I saw this in a shop out here, tried them on and loved the fit, so decided I would just ensure that I at least would have gloves. I was fortunate to then have my friend haul the motherload, which included a pair of these inside. Fit - 10/10 Last time I played, there was no such thing as tapered or contoured fit. It was all "traditional fit," so to speak, but since this was the only option, no one even called it that. So, I wore some high cuff Coopers back in the day, rich in negative space at the hand, which I do not like. When I was researching gear and planning my purchases, it seemed that tapered fi would make the most sense- tight in the hands, but loose in the cuff for mobility. These gloves literally fit like a glove in the hand. I love how tight they- really perfect. I have standard hands I suppose we might say; not beefy hands but also not ET type fingers. So, for standard proportioned hands, these will give a nice anatomical wrap in the hand, without limiting mobility in the wrist. My friend says there is one particular angle where wrist mobility is hindered, a certain way of flexing where the cuff gets in the way, and I think I found this one angle, but for me, with my bender style, I cannot say that this one particular semi block gets in the way. For a real slick stickhandler/wrist roller though, maybe it might bother him/her. FWIW, I have tried on a pair of Warrior Franchises out here, and was not impressed with the fit in the hands. I could see how it had a more smooth wrist roll, but the difference is so subtle that I would not minus points from the Vapor APX. All personal preference of course, I just do not like traditional fit/ 4 roll for gloves. Protection: 1/10 I have taken 2 ice pucks off of these gloves- one off the backhand and one off the cuff. I felt neither. Both were just saucer passes that floated, but still, 50 mph ice pucks can hurt if one is not properly outfitted. So, in these mini tests, we have success. No one slashes me, or at least I never feel the slashes if they are. I suspect that there are better choices for those encountering high velocity slapshots (Pro Stock, maybe NXG); but for beer league with mostly fellow benders, these are rather ideal. LATE EDIT: I took an inline puck slapshot to the right thumb last night. I felt it pretty much immediately, even though I took the shot to the glove right where I thought I was fully covered. Here are pics of my thumb, 14 hours later, after ice, anti inflammatory, and some cream: Turns out the thumb block below the Bauer embroidered cuff logo, and the Bauer Vapor APX logo'ed block, is PE insert only, no foam, and so of course the puck found its way there to hit me. And it is a good thing, because if I took an ice puck there, thinking that I had protection and just being (unknowingly) brave, then I would been smashed pretty good, and not so optimistic about a rapid and speedy recovery as I am about this occurrence. It may seem extreme to drop the protection score to a 1, but in this case, I feel like a product is only as good as its weakest link. And if this block of protection cannot even protect me against an inline puck, then I hate to think what would have happened if an ice puck were to have hit me there. Weight - 9.3/10 According to IW, these weigh 297g in 14inch; CCM CL500 weigh in at 272g for same length. I think Easton has a high ender at 14 inch coming in high 260s/low 270s as well. So, not the lightest high end glove, but light regardless. Durability - 10/10 After about 8 ice sessions and 8 inline sessions, rotating 2 pairs, no signs of wear. Each pair of gloves looks good as new, and I sweat like a faucet, so this is significant. I suspect that these gloves will hold up well. I bought these with durability in mind; the black palm has some sort of super durable liner and features, and it is holding up. I have been using Tack Macs, which I also suspect are also helping, and I air dry immediately after each use. Just a random tip that I gathered somewhere, when air drying, hang upside down so that the gravity pulls the water out. Also, don't forget to pull the little flap out. Intangibles - 9/10 I knew that the puck feel would be compromised due to the super durable palm, but this is something that I just figured I would live with. No one counts on me to carry the puck from end to end anyway; if anyone did, then our team would be in trouble!! Personally, I would rather have a compromised puck feel, with gloves that will hold up for a couple of years, than great puck feel, with palms that sport holes. Maybe the puck feel is actually great, but I have dulled senses and it is me lacking puck feel. Most likely, a combination of both. So, a bit of a trade off with these gloves with performance maybe taking a bit of a hit. What sets the scales into the positive are the silver shavings in the palm. Maybe this is gimmicky and just satisfies my psyche, or maybe the silver shavings are actually warding off staph infection. Conclusion These are about as expensive as you can go for retail. For comfort, durability, and hygiene, I think these fit the bill. However, for performance, these may not be the most ideal option. So, if comfort, durability, and hygiene are a priority, with performance still of course being of importance, then these are a great choice. Otherwise, if performance is a higher priority, then the Pro version (or anything with a thinner palm) might be the better option. Overall score - 39.3/50

How is the depth in the Easton Mako, in the area that I am failing the pencil test in my Bauer Supreme One.9 LE's? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GM6Ms-ZoAc