customskateworks

They have a laser cutter they use for polycarbonate blockers. That just has a graphic over it. All the ones he makes has the players number and perforations, you just can't tell because most are clear.

Same factory made the Graf G65 pro glove. Complete with the palm wrap on the fore finger and pinky finger.

I can get about a half size out a Bauer toe cap. Sometimes its easier to use the medium sized cage with the small ball on the punch. That way there is less resistance. Another way to get more room in a skate is a footbed that has some arch support. It will pull your toes back slightly.

It's not available at retail yet, there is no marketing info on it. All stock is currently going to pro teams. There are more pics on our twitter page. It isn't designed to directly compete with polycarbonate blockers, it's an option for additional, low profile protection for players who don't like the bulkier strap on guards.

The black material is kydex plastic, commonly used for blockers. Some guys use 3M double side tape to stick it on instead of straps. But, without any kind of padding between the thin kydex and boot, the additional protection is negligible. I've posted some pictures of our new product, Skate Skin. It is adhesive backed impact foam with a tough outer coating. It molds well with light heat and the adhesive is very good. A handful of NHL and AHL teams are currently using it.

Doesn't matter to me. Blue wheels. Loser buys the beer next time.

It's on as long as you don't put maple syrup in my fine Shine again.

Our Blackstone Professional Portable with single Spinner dressing is great. The 4" wheels can't match the efficiency and finish, they don't have high enough feet per second. On a side note, I've been using the new Blackstone Goal sled for the last week and it is great. Especially for cowlings with low steel and rec skates that are hard to get onto other sleds. A little on the heavy side, but the performance makes up for it.

New Blackstone on the left, old Blackstone in the middle, Blademaster on the right.

Remove the holders, cut out grip tape (skateboard grip tape works great) in the shape of the front and rear plates, stick the grip tape cut outs to the outsole, remount the holders. The grip tape gives the holders something to bite into to keep them from shifting and loosening the rivets.

I recently had all of our Blackstone Butterfly gauges replaced. The first batch of the squares had the thumb screws mounted too high, which resulted in the screw usually only clamping part of the top edge of the runner and wanting to pull it to the side a bit. If you compare the height to the BR100 or BR200 you will notice the difference in screw placement. I got the new ones in from Blackstone a couple weeks ago and haven't had anymore problems.

Hang the wheel on something (screwdriver, pencil, etc.) and tap it (I use the wheel wrench). A good wheel makes a "ringing" sound. A wheel that has internal damage, that may not be visible, will make a dead "thunking" sound.

I would not recommend operating the machine without the wheel cover securely in place. While it does not happen often (especially if you're "ring" testing your grinding wheels before using them), wheels do blow up sometimes. When it happens while it's spinning at 4400 RPM, you and any exposed body parts will be thankful those guards are there.

Correct. In a few years you're going to be surprised what 3D printing will do for hockey. I've been to a few seminars here in town where they are printing parts from numerous types of plastics. It will only be a matter of how precise your measurement methods are and how fast your CAD technician can get designs to the printer.

Comfort is on par with my G75's, even though they are slightly big. Mobility wasn't quite as good, but the VH is a stiffer boot and they aren't as broken in as my Grafs.