shoot_the_goalie

Spot on. The one issue with the RBZ line, is that the liners do wear away fairly quickly over time.

Yeah, the RBZ shins are great, but the velcro straps do lose effectiveness over time. However, that cross strapping design imho is so much better than the new strap designs, so much so, that I don't use tape when using the RBZs.

I once had the RBZ pants, which I had to return under warranty (and was replaced by the QLT). The RBZ pants fit me incredibly well (almost felt like a girdle), and they were incredibly lightweight. The only drawback was that they were a little bulky/stiff in the front panels, more than the QLT and FT1. Well, and on my specific model, the stitching was coming apart...thus why I got them exchanged. I'm still using RBZ shins, elbows, and shoulders. Starting to show their age, but still lightweight, low profile, comfortable, and working well.

No love for the CCM RBZ line? RBZ is probably my favorite protective line in recent memory and a lot of that gear is ridiculously light and low profile. Also think it improved on all the minor problems with the CCM CL series.

It's ok to flare out the cuff a little bit. I did so and it works well for me. Still hard to get the boot on sometimes, and a bit longer of a process to put on/lace, but that's a good thing imho when considering the better fit.

I see tons of kids wearing these to the rink these days. Can't say I've seen an adult in them though.

I have the Elite walkable soakers, which are pretty similar to the Treks. They are great soakers, but like I previously said, from experience, if you're walking outside a lot, and you need to negotiate uneven ground, rocky dirt, and/or stairs/curbs, they're not as stable as the hard plastic ones you strap on. They move around some inside the soaker. For flat, even surfaces, they work great. I would recommend the plastic ones with the heel strap. When properly fitted, those suckers stay on very well.

Not sure why, but it seems like a big NCAA thing to have cage hang.

My son and I use the A&R guards similar to the first type you mentioned. They work very well on concrete/asphalt though they will wear over time. They're relatively cheap though. I've seen many a spring loaded guard break. Never seen the step-in type. Do not use the walkable soaker types if you're planning on walking outdoors frequently. I have the Elite ones and they will shift around on you if walking outside a lot. Also going up hard concrete steps with these are iffy. For general indoor use, the Elites are great though. SkaBoots. They seem great, but everyone I know who has them; they seem clunky and the hardest to get off of all these options.

Might be a little late to the party, but you could take the stock insole out and measure against his foot that way. Many of the youth skates even have a sizing feature printed onto the insole.

True. But there can be minor drawbacks to this. Besides the need to get access to a manual sharpener, it's also possible that the radius can get mucked up with the initial manual sharpen. Of course, if you're getting your blades profiled with the initial sharpen, the latter point is probably moot.

The higher quality steels, such as Step, I run about 12 cycles. Lower quality steels, I run 10. Might be more than necessary, but I've sharpened too little before and it's not pretty when you get on the ice...lol.

Sadly, I think you are right. I think Hank's pro career is over. So unfortunate that he might not get to win a Cup. He's my favorite player, and I was rooting for him to go to a contender and win the Cup, a la Bourque. Rumors are (and just rumors) that if he retires, he'll be offered a front office position with the NYR.

Yeah. You're right....it's not a fogging issue. It's definitely a condensation issue. I suspect one of the pros to the UA mask is that it's more breathable, cause it has some gaps near the nose, but my exhales escape there and right up into the visor. I wonder if maybe wearing something tighter along the nose/bridge line would help stop the condensation. I've noticed players who wear surgical masks and visors don't have any issues, so maybe I'll try one of those next time out.

So I wore a helmet w/ a half shield today, and I had my UA mask on as well, and the visor just kept fogging and condensing. Had to constantly wipe it. Any ideas of how to help with this issue? Would wearing a different type of mask help, since the UA mask allows more "breathability" from the nose area? The UA mask works great when wearing a cage, but with a visor, having issues.

But then you get hooked to ModSquad and start to buy gear, and more gear, then gear you think you need but don't, then gear you don't need at all.... lol.

I would only buy a used elite level stick if 1) I could inspect it and 2) it cost no more than $60. To be honest, most players cannot tell the difference between a mid-level vs an elite stick.

Straightening out a curve might be tougher than putting more curve or changing the curve, but you would do it with a propane torch or heat gun. Move the heat quickly on the blade, especially if using a torch, and then mold using the bottom of a strong door. Be extra careful with the wooden blades that have the fiberglass coating on them.

Come to think of it, it does sound more like a metallic rattle than a plastic rattle. Doesn't seem to compromise the integrity of the thumb though.

Out of warranty. Been using them for 2 years now. Glove is fine, but the rattle is annoying. On a side note, wondering when the next line of CCM gloves (FT2?) will come out?

CCM Jetspeed FT1 gloves. Noticed a rattling sound in the thumb of one of the gloves. Glove doesn't seem compromised and seems like the hard plastic inserts are intact. Possibly a small piece of the hard plastic cracked off and is now bouncing around inside? Any thoughts, and any way to get it out?

Just contact CCM's customer service. Unless it's an older gen or pro stock, they should be able to exchange the stick for the exact same stick under warranty. They'll pay for shipping both ways if they approve the exchange, and depending on where you are, it can take as little as 2-3 days to get a replacement once they receive the defective item. In my few instances exchanging defective items direct with CCM, they have been nothing but great to work with. No hassles. They even threw in a free hat once...lol. If you just exchange it, you won't have anything to worry about.

I could be totally wrong but whenever I heard a "crackle" sound with a CCM stick, it's usually the outer carbon fiber layer seperating. Happens usually on the toe of the blade though....never had it happen to the shaft. I would just get it exchanged and not worry about it anymore. CCM is great in terms of replacing defective equipment. I've always have had no hassles with them when replacing items under warranty.

CLs are great as well as the RBZ line.

I have used the original Tacks, Ultra Tacks, AS1, and the AS2. My personal favorite is the Ultra Tacks. Nothing bad to say about that twig, and it has a super smooth and consistent kick point. Such an effortless stick to use. After that the AS1 and the AS2 are pretty similar, but they don't have as smooth of a flex as the Ultra Tacks. The AS1 & AS2 does allow I think a quicker release due to the hybrid kick point, and I personally love the AS2 blade, but I like very stiff pingy blades, versus the more muted feeling blades. That's just personal preference. The original Tacks is a great stick too, but softer blade, and a more inconsistent flex. I think the AS2 is the most durable out of all the ones I mentioned, but that's also a characteristic that's hard to measure.