Cosmic

Bauer makes quality gear, but I think that alot of their (perceived) "dominance" is due to their expertise in marketing. If one really looks into each product, then I think that one will find that there are certain things that they do better than anyone else (such as making stiff, super durable skates in their high end offerings, as in Vapor APX/APX 2 and Supreme NXG/MX3 skates). However, in each equipment item, I (and many others) have preference for other brands. Obviously, it is all personal preference, I know, but it seems like other companies have been a bit more innovative recently, and have thus come out with better offerings (like CCM Crazy Light/RBZ U+ Foam for pants/elbows shoulders; Bauer does not offer anything like the Mako skates in terms of comfort). Sure, Bauer is great, and if anyone wanted to give me a $2000 gift card to go shopping in Bauer, then I would gladly take it. However, I would prefer $1000 to go spend at Easton (Mako II skates), $500 to go to CCM/Reebok (RBZ elbows, shoulders; and 20K shins), and another $500 to go spend at Warrior (Covert sticks). http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/64196-2012-product-of-the-year-award-winners/

Height - 6'2" Weight - 215 lbs Shoulder pad size - Extra Large Level of play: Beer Leaguer Location: Indonesia (hot and humid) Fit (& Mobility)- I like the fit- one piece chest guard with floating sternum, one piece bicep guard (I do not like the 2 piece bicep guards and the multiple level chest protectors). The chest guard is a bit boxy, and not anatomical (RBZ looks like it will be anatomical). I like the shoulders, but they seem like they float up a bit. I do not care if I "look like a football player" or not, my concern is vision when looking over my shoulder to a puck coming toward me from the defense (I play Center usually). It seems like slightly better visibility if the pads were a little lower profile. 8.75/10 Protection - Hard to tell, as I play in beer league, but I feel protected enough. UPDATE- I took a pretty hard hit from behind in a league game a few nights ago. As you can see in the video, the guy loaded up pretty good before throwing his shoulder into my back. (The camera pans away right as the hit comes, because the videographer was tracking the puck, not realizing that the period had ended.) Ironic that this guy is actually a teammate of mine on our traveling team. Anyway, 2 nights later at our traveling team practice, he said he was "frustrated," and could not contain himself. When I bought these pads, I thought I was just getting them for protection against myself (because I am not the best skater ever, and figured I might be prone to take a few spills and would like the protection of my upper body for these occasions), but apparently, these will be protecting me against people who think that they are Chris Chelios, playing on a Detroit Red Wing championship caliber team, and who just cannot fathom being on the wrong end of a 4-0 rout (the score at the time that the hit happened; the game ended at 5-1). So yea, I felt like I got hit by someone with intention to screw me up a bit, but it did not hurt, and I walked away injury free. So, apparently, the U+ Foam works pretty well. So, if you watch from about 33:52 on, I am #23 in red, he is #14 in white (the guy banging his stick for a faceoff, who then carries the puck behind our net for a faceoff). We are wearing light and dark jerseys of the same team, but we (about 15 of us that play for this team) all got split up for this league we are in. I clear the puck right as time expires, and about 1 or 2 seconds later, he explodes into my back. Yea, class act: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiukP3SjCHA Updated protection score: 10/10 Weight - According to the numbers I have seen, these are by far, the lightest high end pants, and equivalent weight to low end/ less padded pants. I sweat buckets, and these do NOT hold any water. Most sweat is wicked away, the tiny bit that remains can just be wiped off with a cloth. Needless to say, this is my first piece of equipment to dry, every time. I just hang them out to let the fresh air offset the sweat that I put onto them. 10/10 Durability - So far, so good. Stitch work I would rate as fair to good. Quite a few clunky areas of thread that I cut off (so that they do not snag and come undone). I suspect that these pads will last longer than I will want them. 9 (projection)/10 Intangibles - Nothing additional to report aside from that already stated. Kinda pricey I suppose, but these are unique pads, one of a kind at the time of their release due to the sweat repellent properties. 9/10 Conclusion - Very satisfied with these pads. I could have bought all Crazy Light gear, but believed that the pants, elbows, and shoulders were the only items in this line that were head and shoulders above the competition. In hindsight, had I seen/known of the hugely improved looking RBZ protective line, then I would have bought the cheapest Mako shouldies, and then waited to splurge (like I did on these), for the RBZ shouldies. These are good enough tho, and I expect to wear them for another couple of years, so I cannot really complain. 46.75/ 50.0

That's pretty much what I heard too from a guy who works at one of the major retailers- same skate just really minor tweaks.

The "risk" of getting Mako bumps is really not that big a deal. If you are one of the people who gets these gashes (asI am), then you just note it, and then realize you need a barrier (gel pad/ neoprene sleeve/ moleskin) between your bump prone area and the skate, and you ought to be fine. It's an extra expense and one extra thing to remember when getting dressed, which can be annoying, but well worth it if you appreciate the comfort and performance of the skate. For me, because of my feet issues, and my inability to find another pair of skates that works, this is a relatively minor inconvenience. These are the gel pads/wraps I use- they wrap around the ankle/ lower calf, and work brilliantly. They cost me $40 from a local hockey retailer, not sure who makes them or what they are called. I turned the right one inside out, left one is as it is supposed to be worn:

Height - 6'2" Weight - 215 lbs Pant size - Extra Large Level of play:Beer Leaguer Location: Indonesia (hot and humid) Fit (& Mobility)- lot of room in the butt and thighs, and the pants come down to the top of my knee. If I were a bigger, fatter guy, then these would still fit me just fine. As it is though, (I have an athletic build), it does not feel like I am swimming in these pants. They are a bit bulky though, and I wonder if my stride would be smoother on crossovers if I were to wear a girdle (or if it would not matter, because my stride is just not smooth as silk, as I would like it to be. 8.75/10 Protection - There is so much padding thrown into these, but no plastic. Highly protective, have taken a few pucks to these, and never feel it. Cannot ask for more for beer league. 10/10 Weight - According to the numbers I have seen, these are by far, the lightest high end pants, and equivalent weight to low end/ less padded pants. I sweat buckets, and these hold water, but I assume they wick away a fair amount of water as well. Tough to really judge, as I do not have any other pants/ recent history to compare to. 9/10 Durability - So far, these have been my best stitched/ highest quality piece of equipment, and I pretty much went all top-of-the-line when I got geared up in Summer 2013, as I want to be comfortable when I play. 10/10 Intangibles - I do not think you can beat this protection/weight/durability combo. 9.5/10 Conclusion - Very satisfied with these pants. I could have bought all Crazy Light gear, but believed that the pants, elbows, and shoulders were the only items in this line that were head and shoulders above the rest. It seems that the shoulders and elbows have gotten huge upgrades in the pending RBZ line release, but I think that CCM got the CL pants right, and thus the RBZ does not look like a huge improvement (unless you need the +1 pant length extension) 47.25/ 50.0

I think it is hard to say that the skates do not fit us right. I mean, what is so odd or unique about the area above our ankle? I get length/width/depth, and the importance of getting the right skate that satisfies these matters (which I feel the Mako does for me). Is there a 4th consideration that needs to be considered when buying skates: area above ankle contour? Maybe, I am not trying to be difficult; this is actually a serious question. Also, what is it about the area above our ankles that can be so unique, that one could say that the skates are not fitting us properly?

I support this (free/discounted skates) ... using my gel ankle sleeves now and no problems, but these will wear- hope my skates are broken in by the time my gel pads give.

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?

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: