Eazy_b97

I'm happy fans of the Drury grips in 85 will have more than 1 option this year.

Where did you see the patterns? Also the M-2 and L-2 will not be offered in grip?

Inno Index

Is the Rubber sleeve for "dampening" purposes? or for durability purposes?

I'd PM Sande with any questions, he has beeen extremely helpful with any questions regarding the company that I have had.

5'10 200lbs Used with 85 flex M-1 and Synergy Intro: I got this in a trade a while ago, and have used it in a Synergy shaft as well as an M-1 shaft, both Broken OPS Stiffness: This blade is very stiff, its just starting to give now after about 2 months of heavy usage for me. Blades generally go soft after 3-4 weeks with me. 9/10 Weight/Balance: Balance has been good with both of these sticks, a little blade heavy, but nothing awful. Could be a bit better, but it is a long hoselled tapered blade, which is difficult to find now. 7/10 Stickhandling/Recieving Passes: I really like the feel of this stick. Coming from a wood stick it was tricky for a minute or so, but I think a bit was the curve switch (Crosby to Drury). After a very small time of adapting its been terrific. 9/10 Shooting: Comes off the blade very quickly, not softening at all nothing to complain about. It's nothing ground breaking, but is better than average. 8/10 Durability: After a few little cracks and a scare or two its still holding up after about 2 months of usage. I thought it'd be done or soft by now, but its still going. 9/10 Conclusion: This is an excellent blade. I only use if for Broken OPS because I only have the one and don't want to cut down another shaft to accomodate this. This blade has given me everything I could've asked for and more. I'm a drury guy so I love the curve, the blade has good, crisp feel and can be found for pretty cheap. I'd suggest it, especially if your looking for blades for a broken OPS because the added height helps with the cutting. Overall: 8.5/10

I'm pretty sure mine at 17", 16" would be the smallest, and I'm only 5'11, but I like'em to come down over my tongues.

Buzz works in a shop, Ponty i'm not sure. They do sell a fair bit on the board, but that isn't nearly close to everything. I just sold off most of my sticks and I still have 3 here, with 2 on the way.

A fair share of people on the board have at least that many. Try looking for the thread where Buzz and Ponty show their collections.

Reviewer: 5'11 200 lbs, defense, but been using the stick for Coaching Blades used: Axion Custom Curve 1, Leetch Woody, P106 Woodie Modifications: Cut, added plug Initial Impression: I couldn't believe the weight of the stick. It was unbelievably light, once I put a blade in it the balance was really off. However an end plug (which was needed anyways) balanced that out and its incredibly well balanced with a Wood blade. Stick Feel: The shaft shape is awesome. I have alot of difficulties going back to Easton since my XN10 (had around 9 months ago), but love the feel of the shaft in my hands. 9/10 Shooting: I love this for shooting, great rebounding, no twisting, feels solid and its just a pleasure to use. I always feel like I'm using an Aluminum because of the shape, but the shaft performs like nothing I've ever used before. 9.5/10 Durability: It's difficult to tell not using it in games. I've always broken blades way before shafts so the jury is still out on this shaft. Conclusion: The shaft is light, responsive, comfortable and has given me everything I could ask for. I will update on the durability once I break it and if I have changed feelings. I've used this shaft for about 2 months now and I've tried many others, shafts, OPS and Woodys to compare it with, but I keep resorting back to this. 9/10

Product - Eagle x70 gloves 5 foot 11, 202 lbs Defense Fit - I had a pair of X70s before I got a good deal on my HBBAs. I love the fit of the X70's, they just seem to work with my hand. They are loose which I love and just seem to flow with me. 9/10 Protection - I've been using these gloves for over 2 months now. In games they haave only seen in-line, but they have been fantastic. No injuries, couple shots and scrums along the boards, I generally don't have issues with this though. 8/10 Weight - I don't ever notice a difference in weight of gloves and this is no expection. I guess it's a little lighter, but nothing ground break, at least not to me. 8/10 Durability -I got these used and they had a nick or two on them, and have got maybe a another since then, but thats bound to happen. The palms are holding up well (knocks on wood). 10/10 Intangibles - The fit for me just seems to flow, thats the main point that I find with them. They don't limit me at all, and it just becomes a part of me almost. 8/10 Conclusion - I got these at a great price, they are beautiful gloves. I have no complaints for anything, I do not know if I would drop huge retail cash (or custom for that matter) on these, but I am not in competitive hockey anymore. I may play competitive roller, but thats only a 2 month season. For my purposes these gloves have gone above my expectations and given me everything I ask for and more. 9.5/10

I recently put a pair of Lightspeeds on my Graf 609's. Unfortunately I was not able to get the non perf steel I asked for, but that isn't the holders fault. I am coming from T'blades, but have used Driveshaft, Custom +, Graphite Razorblades, ProLites. I am 5'11 and 202 lbs currently. Feel - I like the feel of the lightspeeds. I notive a slight increase of feel of the ice with these. 8.5/10 Steel - The Steel seems good, it is holding the edges nicely. I have been out a half dozen times, and just sharpened my skates again yesterday (partly because I was working and need to practice my sharpenings). I notice these aren't getting nicked up as much as my T'blades, but I haven't played a game in them either. 9/10 Variations - It's nice to be able to change hollows for $5 instead of $20 (with T'blades). I am able to switch holows easier than T'blades, but obviously it is the same as any other non-T'blade holder in that respect. Problems - I have had problems with the screw coming loose, this isn't generally a problem, but with Graf skates there are no holes. I didn't have the tools to get a wide enough hole yet, but it shouldn't be a problem. Next time I am at work I will drill it wider than I have already. The screw it loose, but the blade is not so it's just a minor issue. 7.5/10 Conclusion - I have not profiled my skates yet, but plan to in the near future. I am posotive this will only increase my love of the new holders. I have tried many holders and haven't felt an increase in performance until the T'blades, but with the Lightspeeds I feel I have a little more jump than the T'blades and the flexibility to change is nice. It's also difficult to get T'blades other than M-11 and M-13 around here. I like T'blades and they are great when their aren't good sharpeners around, but if you have good sharpeners in your area I say normal holders, especially Lightspeeds are the way to go. They seem a step above anything I have tried, but they are not game breakers. I see slight improvements, but nothing dramatic. Thi has helped me realize how much I truly like my 609's and not the T'blades. It was difficult because I tried them out together for the first time. I give the Lighstpeeds a 9/10

Product: Blue/ light Brown Sherwood PMP 9030 Crosby Curve 95 Flex Blade - I didn't notice an increase in feel right away. I have used composites practically all of my life. I have not used a wood stick forever, even wood blades are rare for me. I wanted to compare the feel to my tapered combo I had (graphite blade) so I switched back. I notice the puck jumping off of my stick and an overly stiff blade feeling with the composite, which happens to be one of my favourite blades. The stiffness of the wood has been good and the feel is nice. It's not like the puck feels better on your stick, just seems you can recieve passes better Overall 9/10 Flex It was a 95 Pro-Stiff and I have tried many different flexes. The flex seems perfect for me, I think I may have finally settled on a flex for me, but I did come to the conclusion (that R flexes were probably best for me) before I bought this stick. The PMP just confirmed it. 10/10 (but thats PP) Receiving Passes/Stick handling - Like I said earlier it has helped me remove some of those little bounces when recieving the puck, it seems to take less effort. Stickhandling I don't notice a big difference, you can feel the puck slightly better than an OPS (at least for me), but the difference is not night and day. Overall 8.5/10 Shooting - This is where things gets tricky. My shot have never been harder, the puck feels and sounds like it is about to go through the glass. Wristers have not been as kind, hard as well, but you don't notice it as much. However the puck seems to come off the blade slowly. It takes a second to get going and get off of the stick, but it's heaven once it does. So I am going to split this up. into 2 sub categories Release - 5/10 Speed - 9.5/10 Durability - I's a wood stick and still being broken in really, I don't expect it to last a month, but thats also what I would expect from any Wood stick (part of the reason why I switched to OPS). It looks like it'll hold up to what I want, durability isn't a big factor for me, I'd rather have performance. I got used to breaking easily an OPS a month, and wood blades a week (about 6-7 years ago, when I was 13 - 14) so I don't expect much and this is really another write-off category for me. Overall 7.5/10 Weight/ Balance - I found the balance to be good, and much like recieving passes the wieght was not noticable until i switched back for a little to my tapered combo. My M-1/Comp T-flex was head and shoulders lighter than this stick, although balance is important I do wish the weight was better and that, along with the release, would be my biggest compaints. 4/10 (compared to all sticks) Conclusion - I like this stick, I will continue to use it and decide where I will go from there. I am pretty sure wood, complete wood at least, isn't for me. However it has opened my eyes to the lack of feel I have on my stick. I was ignorant to the fact graphite hinders feel. I thought because I always used composite wood wouldn't help me because I had adapted. I will look to a tapered shaft/ wood blade for my next stick and give the Si-Core a try as well. I am glad I went out and bought this stick (30 cdn) and urge others to do so. It has helped me decide on a few things, flex, blades, opened my eyes to feel, showed what I was lacking (Because I didn't know) when recieving passes. This was a great experiment and it will continue to go on until I break the stick. I say this stick is nice stick, in a bind I would not hesitate to you this, for guys who like wood, look this way. For composite guys it may help unless you love quick releases and lightweight sticks. Like I said it has changed my views on sticks, but I have not been sold completely to go back to wood. 7.5/10

Helmet: Bauer 4000 thinking of switching back to my 5000 Visor: Itech, Pro cut, not sure of the model, but it's not great. Fogs up alot Shoulder pads: D & R Shoulder pads had'em forever. Looking to get some smaller pads. Elbow pads: Jofa 8025 - Just what I like Gloves: Eagle X70, Love the fit feel and the palms are great Pants: Quest 2 - Spine Protector can be a pain, but I love the actual pant Shin pads: Winwell Ait Lites, they were in 17" and they were on sale while I was on my way to a tourney Skates: Graf 609's W/ T'blades. Love the skates, but am going to put regular holders on because I am about to start my LHS job. Stick: In Order from most to least favourite Hull painted UL w/ Custom Curve 1 Axion - Would've prefered the Custom 3, but I like it Tapered 85 M-1 - Drury T-flex - Great stick would prefer grip, but fantastic even after fix-up Pro Roberts 1100 - waiting to be traded, like the stick, but am kind've trying out non OPS sticks Lidstrom Synergy 100 flex - Need to shave the toe and should be good, The Lidstroms a little too much curve for me, but its still 2nd or 3rd on my list from Easton and or the other major OPS makers. I've been a little anti-Synergy since the '03s came out, I figure worst comes to worst I'll have a Synthesis again.

Thats what I was told as well, I remember when they were display only, one of the kids I coach has them now. Don't really match the red and black, but I think they are nice.

Goalie Heaven always has nice gloves. They've had a pair of C94 Eagles up forever now, but they won't drop the price below $130 USD and they aren't the same size (gloves don't match like a retail pair)

I'm not sure, I'm not very knowledgeble gloves, but I see no problems with it. I only asked because I'm considering doing it to my gloves.

Where you taking them to have it done? Just a stitch shop?

Markku why did you opt for Leather rather than Nylon?

Product: Inno Fused 1100/Kaberle Pro / 250ish/ left-handed My Stats: 5’11, 190lbs Blade - This was my first Innovative stick let alone OPS. The blade was extremely stiff, great curve, would've liked a little more of a round toe, but the blade was great. (7.5/8) Flex – I generally use the 110 (or comparable) flex, so the added whip I get from the shaft is nice. However it does feel like a 90 flex rather than a 100, but it has a great kick. Also I was unable to check the actual flex, I've just been told that it is around this. 8/10 (personal preference) Stick handling/receiving passes – I’ve used Graphite blades in my sticks for the better part of my hockey career, so I rarely notice a “lack of feeling” in my blades. This was this sticks best feature. The blade had tremendous feel, the lie and curve were exceptional. I was extremely uninformed when I had gotten this stick, but the feel was tremendous and the passing did not bounce off at all. Although I rarely feel a lack of feeling in sticks, I notive an increase with this stick. 9.5/10 Shooting – I liked the kick on the Inno it was the first time I had used a stick this short, I figured Kaberle is my height so I'd give it a shot. This was good for slapshots and snapshots, but wristers were a bit lacking. 8/10 Weight and balance – This stick was incredible well balanced. Although I've took alot of flak for saying it, it did weigh less than the Prototype Xn10 I had. 9/10 Durability – I got the stick from the ACC so I'm not sure how much Kaberle actually used it, but nothing seemed used at all to be honest. Blade was perfect, shaft felt and looked untouched. This stick broke about a month into my use. I was extremely dissappointed because I got a very small chip in the tenon and then that exploded my next ice time, first shot. I have seen similar chips which didn't effect the stick at all. This was right where the stick was fused together. I am fairly heavy on sticks though. 8/10 Intangibles – The balance and blade are what set this stick apart. It feels lighter than it really is and gives great puck feel. Conclusion, I am pleased with this stick. Not the best OPS I've ever used, but I will give this and other Inno's a try again. I'd rank it maybe 2nd behind the Xn10 of my favourite sticks of all time. This stick just gave me a better feeling than the XX which many find comparable. Overall – 8.8/10

I'm 5'10 185lbs. Used either composite or Hybrid blades in the Easton Synthesis shaft. Mine was a grip 100, but is available in other flexes and in non-grip. Used primarily for roller hockey, but did played a few games on the ice as well. Initial Impression: I liked the paint job, the grip is very nice, would’ve preferred a little stiffer shaft. I knew I had a credit at my LHS and figure this would make a nice roller hockey shaft because after all it is a “2-piece synergy” and I could change blades frequently playing on concrete. Stickhandling/Passing/Shooting: I find the shaft shape is great; the grip helps reduce the slipping I tend to feel without it. The stick handling was average, I don’t have difficulties stick handling with OPS and this had very similar feel to me. Passing and shooter were both good but not exceptional. (3.5/5) Weight/Balance: This is a solid stick, It’s not overly light, but is very balanced for a shaft and blade combo. I think it may be due to the short hosel composite blade, but it doesn’t matter because the weight and balance are both very good. (4.5/5) Durability: This is a great shaft durability wise. I had issues with the ’03 Synergy’s and was a little concerned this shaft may fade. It’s still holding up exceptionally. I haven’t put it through an excessive workload, but it’s handled everything I’ve thrown at it and has surpassed my expectations. The grip did start to peel which I was not impressed with, but I could still feel the grip, just not as much. (4/5) Conclusion: This is definitely a good shaft. It was the first tapered shaft I had the opportunity to try and I’ve very pleased with the performance. After trying a few others, I felt that this was a solid shaft, but was nothing exceptional. It’s definitely a good buy if you like the Synergy line and tend to switch blades frequently or need something where the blades can be easily changed. All In All I give it an 8/10

Product: Graf Laser / G4 Pattern / Stiff flex / left-handed My Stats: 5’11, 190lbs Blade - This was the first time I used a blade this thin. It was a strong blade that had minimal “jump” on it. The curve was nice, a small heel curve, but the G21 would’ve suited me better. 4/10 Flex – I generally use the 110 (or comparable) flex, so this stick was right in the range where I normally use. It was alright it seemed to flex at the right points, a little on wristers and a bit more on slap shots. 7/10 (personal preference) Stick handling/receiving passes – I’ve used Graphite blades in my sticks for the better part of my hockey career, so I rarely notice a “lack of feeling” in my blades. I didn’t notice any added feeling with the Laser. The thin blades provided a little extra feel, but nothing major, I didn’t notice it improved my stick handling at all. 7/10 (personal preference) Shooting – I’ve used a lot of OPS and I found this to be the worse for shooting. Normally I can feel the “extra-kick” or “quick release” with OPS over wood, but I felt that the Laser gave basically no kick and had minimal performance. 4/10 Weight and balance – This is the heaviest OPS I’ve ever used. The balance felt a little blade heavy, which I don’t mind, but would’ve preferred a better balanced and lighter stick. 5/10 Durability – This stick held up great it has a 45 day warranty and mine broke on the 44th day. Which is great for me, I was breaking OPS about every 4th week at this time. The shaft broke during a slap shot, and had been under a lot of strain. I used this stick something like 40 days out of the 44 it was under warranty. 9.5/10 Intangibles – Busch has been making OPS for a while, and it seems that they chose to keep working with their sticks and focus on durability rather than performance. I am not in the market for a low performing, high durability OPS. If I wanted to sacrifice the quick release on my shots, I would’ve opted for a strong shaft/blade combo. I am pleased if an OPS is durable, but it isn’t my main concern in purchasing my sticks. 6/10 Conclusion – It’s nice to see a company worried about the durability of their sticks, and have the faith to back up the product with a 45 day warranty. I thought the stick was at best less than average. I felt no added kick, minimal added feel, and a lack of curve selection. It would’ve been nice to have a grip option, but they’ve addressed that this year. I was pleased with the durability, but was not impressed with the performance of the stick. With performance as my main objective in buying sticks I saw not a big point in having the Laser in muy collection of sticks. I've had shaft and blade combo's that would be at least this durable and the shot performance would be about the same. Overall – 5/10

Product: Graf 609 w/ t'blades (size: 7W) Reviewer specs: 5’11, 190 lbs., flat insteps and arches, mid- wide heel, wide mid and forefoot. Intro I bought these skates seven months ago. It wasn’t an easy transition at first. This was the first time I had tried t’blades and graf skates. I was coming from one year of Mission Amp Fly’s and years of top of the line CCM tacks. Fit These skates fit my foot incredible, the soles of my feet had almost no break in time. I have had a lot of issues with the sides, because of the deep fit. It caused a lot of pain in my ankles, but it is a fit that I love, now that I’ve gotten used to. I love the forward flex of the skate, I feel it provides me with great maneuverability. Overall I liked the fit of my previous skates, but feel it will be hard to switch from the graf line now because the feel so comfortable and provide e with great support. 9 out of 10 points (would’ve been 10, but took a while for my ankle pain to go away) Blade/HolderThe skates did not come with T’blades. I had the Cobra holder replaced, because I got a good deal, and have been overly pleased I made the switch. I will try normal holders again, but doubt that I will continue to use anything, but T’blades. I am unbelievably surprised in their performance. I had never really noticed a difference in holders until I started with the T’blades, but I was also not on any boards with indepth information on these either. Awesome glide, hard bite, constant edges. I had issues with the rivots they used to attatch the holders, and still am having a little bit of difficulties, but that’s the shop not so much the holder. I’ve always had a bit of problems with holders staying in. My LHS is great, they just aren’t used to handling T’blades, but they have done everything possible to help me out. The runners are staying sharp forever, and I couldn't be more pleased with the length a pair will last me. 8 out of 10 points ( Deducted point for difficulties) Protection I’m not playing at as high a level as I’m used to, but it has protected me excellently so far. I’ve blocked a few shots with minimal pain, and the tongue does a great job as well. 8 out of 10 points Weight I’ve never really took weight into consideration when buying a skate. The T’blades help, it’s not a top of the line skate, so I don’t expect a lot. 7 out of 10 points (I’m more than willing to sacrifice a little weight to gain durability) Durability I switched to Tacks for the extra support on the sides, I found Bauers to cave in. Missions held up great, and the Grafs look basically brand new. I feel no difference from my first skate to now, seven months later. I couldn’t be happier with how they are holding up. The T'blades have held up great, I find that they cost me less than normal holders would've9out of 10 points Conclusion I now wish I had gone with the 709 model, because I feel it would’ve been an Improvement, only because I feel it’ll last longer in the end. I went with the lower model because I had never worn Graf and didn’t want to waste the money a top end model would cost. I found these to be a great trial pair. The feel and comfort were at least on par with the best skates I’ve ever worn. I love the T’blades, insoles and forward flex. I’m giving it to markings. One on a mid-range skate level, because I’m aware that other top end models would’ve been better overall skates, but I’m marking this compared to other skates in it's price range so people have a little to compare with. I will also add an overall review considering in all models I've been lucky enough to try. My only concern is that the performance of the T’blades have too much of an impact on my feelings towards the skates and may cause the rating to be too high, but I guess they are also part of the skate. Overall 9 out of 10 points (for a Mid-range skate) Overall 7.5 out of 10 points (for a Top-end model)

Product: Vapor XX / P71 (Peca) Pattern / 102 flex / left-handed My Stats: 5’11, 190lbs Blade - This is the first time I've used Bauer OPS. Definitely a stiff blade, I did not notice anything spectacular about the blade. It’s held up well so far, a crack across the middle which seems to be slowly widening yet, not affecting the stiffness of the blade of the quality of shots. Feel is comparable to a Synergy 8/10 Flex – I generally use the 110 (or comparable) flex, so the added whip I get from the shaft is nice. However it does feel like a 90 flex rather than a 100, but it has opened my eyes to whip sticks. 8/10 (personal preference) Stick handling/receiving passes – I’ve used Graphite blades in my sticks for the better part of my hockey career, so I rarely notice a “lack of feeling†in my blades. I found the lie to be very deceptive with this stick and near impossible for me to adjust to. I’ve mainly used lies from 5 to 6 lies, but this 7 lie (although it is disputed) is difficult to handle. It seems like every pass is a struggle to hit my blade. I’ve had it for over a month and still have trouble adjusting, the shots are fine and I’ve adjusted to that, but the passes are another story all together. The actual blade is very stiff like I mentioned, but does manage to give a little when receiving a pass. Because I am used to graphite blades I would’ve preferred it to have a little more kick in the blade. 7/10 (personal preference) Shooting – Coming from the Xn10 the two did not even compare, the XX just seems to be a step behind and I cannot get the extra “kick†I was getting. It definitely has a fair amount of kick to it, just not as much as the Xn10, but I’d say it’s definitely at the top of my list, behind the Xn10 and 1100 fused. 9/10 Weight and balance – This stick weight is deceiving it’s listed at 445, but the balance of the stick makes it feel much lighter. Great balance and weight to the XX 9.5/10 Durability – Shaft is good, cracking around the fuse point, but has not come loose at all. Blade has a horizontal crack which is slowly widening, yet the performance seems to not be effected, yet. Compare to the other OPS I’ve tried it’s outlasted the majority and is still going strong. Edit: Took Blade out tonite due to an increase in the crack, which heavily effected the performance. Stick ended up lasting 59 days, with poor performance in the last week due to the blade crack. Still a long time for an OPS. 9.5/10 Intangibles – The balance of this stick is what makes it. I haven’t notice a huge advantage in anything other than that. It’s incredibly balanced, the performance is good, along with pretty well everything, but the balance is this sticks strong point. 9/10 Conclusion, I am pleased with this stick. Not as much as my Xn10, but it’s definitely a wise investment. It provides a strong blade which is not overly “active†so you can handle the puck well, yet still fire off rockets. I was trying out a new curve and lie, I hadn’t used anything this closed for a while, which took a little getting used to and In retrospect I regret the curve and flex they just aren’t for me, but all things considered I was definitely happy with what I received from the stick, but will opt for another OPS in the future. I like the stick and am happy, but feel it wasn't above the other OPS' I've tried. Overall – 8.5/10