jcp2

I had Bob at No Icing do a set of blades with FVB using the 5/8" equivalent (90/75?). I put them on last night and crashed the last five minutes of my son's hockey class during free skate. Even though I wasn't able to try anything really fast or complicated, it felt like the skates would go on and on forever with a single push. There was some chattering on my stops, but I just need more time on them. It really feels like skating downhill. The only hockey I play now is an informal session on a covered outdoor rink with lots of snow buildup. I'm hoping that these will keep me fresh for the whole session. Who knew that a small investment in a sharpening could get me better results than a large investment in the latest and greatest in high end skates? (Yes, I've stopped looking in the sell section) :)

I chose the curved "sword handle" Ergo Grip model to extend an old Mission Dangler shaft that I had cut down for street hockey. I've tried the black Mission L-shaped end plug in the past, but that one just gave my hand cramps after playing for a while. Weight - Like Eazy-b97 had mentioned, it is heavier than a wooden or composite butt end, so 7/10. Balance - Since I put it on an old heavy shaft, it didn't really affect the balance. I also replaced the wood blade with a short hosel composite blade, so the entire setup was shaft heavy, very much like a wood stick. Since I like wood sticks, 9/10. Flex - There is an increase in the perceived stick flex. The shaft as it was before was much too stiff for me, and adding a wooden butt end to extend it back to the length that I wanted didn't help. Putting the Oggie Grip in helped me out with my shot, and there was some more feel to the blade than with the wooden extension. I don't really have a shot to begin with, but it saved the shaft from the dustpile, so 8/10. Performance - Although there was a slight improvement in my shot and my stickhandling for this shaft compared to before, the greatest improvement was in my stick checks. I was able to get a lot more leverage into moving the stick around and I felt a lot stronger in my one handed sweep checks and poke checks. I'm on defense because I can "skate backwards". We played a team that crushed us last time and with this Oggied stick I was able to break up rushes by their better players with stick checks on a consistent basis, something that I wasn't able to do last game. We won, so 10/10. Miscellaneous - Although the instructions for cutting the length of the stick showed the model hockey player putting the Oggie Grip next to the end of the shaft with the end of the Oggie Grip at the desire length, and then measuring the cut point, I found that it wasn't the best way for me to determine the shaft cut point. I usually make a small ball of tape at the end of the shaft and put that in the palm of my have with my little finger hanging off of it. Since I got the Ergo Grip, I would be holding the entire grip in my hand. To get the same length of stick to work with, I only needed a three inch difference in shaft length rather than a six inch difference if I had chosen the traditional Oggie Grip and held the stick the same way. 6/10 for having to have to figure this out on my own. Overall - JR poked some fun at me when I picked one up "You came all the way here for an Oggie Grip??", but it saved an old shaft, and I learned a lot from this experience. Maybe I need to hold my other sticks with a stronger "shaft in entire hand" type of grip to be stronger on my checks. I have some longer sticks that I haven't cut down yet, and I'll give this a try. I'm keeping the Oggie Grip on this stick, but I'm not going to cut down other sticks yet for other Oggies until I sort this out. We won the league championship tonight, so for this particular Oggied stick, 9/10. It's number one in the rotation now.

I recommend an older Ford Crown Vic with the Police Interceptor package. Safe, fun, reliable, cheap, easy to insure. Not so great on gas, but better than most SUVs. Plus people tend to scoot out of your way when you're in the left hand lane. Lots of room for hockey stuff in the trunk.

Kor Shift 1 Background - 5'8 155 Introduction - My prior skate are Graf 705's, which were the most comfortable skates I've ever had, until I got the Kors. Fit - After molding them (thanks, JR), these skates fit really well. No break in time, no blisters, no foot pain. I could keep them on all day if I had to. Once they were molded, I didn't need to really tighten up the skate in the forefoot and instep area to get really good heel lock. In fact, they are so stiff that when I first tied them, I did them up too tight in the ankle area and ended up feeling like I was wearing a ski boot. The only tricky part was figuring out the right amount of tightness (or looseness) in the ankle area so I could get good flex in my stride. Switching to waxed laces really helped in this regard. 9/10 because of this tricky part, otherwise 10/10. Blade/Holder - The Pitch 3 holder is really nice. Because the blade is so long and flat, I had the tips trimmed away to get a decent length for the working radius. Currently at an 11' radius, and planning to go to 9' if it doesn't work out. I've tried the neutral pitch and the +1, and the +1 works out best for me. I'm a bit hesitant to try the -1 pitch, but someday I will. 10/10 Weight - These are the lightest skates I've ever owned, but I know my other skates are not considered light. I liked the feel of them when I first tried them out, but now that I'm used to them, the novelty has worn off. I am skating better, but I'm not sure it's because of the weight or the fit. 9/10 because others have said there are lighter skates out there, 10/10 for me. Protection - Really stiff boot. I've taken quite a few shots off of them and haven't really felt anything besides the initial thud. 10/10 Durability - The boots look great. There are a few puck and skate marks on the holder, but the composite and uppers still look new. 10/10 Conclusion - I got my skates off eBay brand new because the prior owners bought the wrong size, but I was willing to pay full price if I had to. The boots fit great after molding and the holders are versatile even after having the blade profiled. I would recommend switching to wax laces and experimenting a few times with lace tightness so that you can achieve good ankle lock, while still maintaining ankle flex. Overall 10/10 once those kinks were worked out. Update 12/20/2009: The skates still fit and feel great. On close examination, there is significant cosmetic asymmetry between the right and left skates where the uppers join the lower outsole. It was probably always there, but I really noticed it when I had to make repairs (see below). Both tendon guards are starting to flop at their base. I've also had one of the bolts on the toe of the holder loosen up; it turns out that it rusted out at the T-nut. I replaced it with a longer bolt but I can feel the replacement with my toe in the footbed if I try. No issues skating. The main structural problem that has occurred is cracking of the composite lower outsole where it joins with the toecap at the front of the skate. Little bits come off slowly, much like the toe of a composite stick blade. I've made a temporary patch with epoxy, but don't have high hopes. I've also taken to leaving the top eyelet undone, with no issues with support. I was lucky enough to find another new pair in my size and purchased those. After a couple of skate bakes, they feel just as good. I'm looking forward to another couple of years in this new pair. Updated verdict: 10/10 for fit, performance, and protection, 7/10 for durability. I only play one or two times a week in a lower level non-contact league and didn't expect the composite outsole to start eroding away within 2 years (1 and a little bit, technically, as the problems started in late spring/early summer).

Thanks for the info. Also, thanks for the help with the other stuff.

K2 is an American company based in Vashon, Washington. They make snowboards, skis, skates, and bikes. Their factory for inline skates is in South Korea. K2 Skates Is the name KOR derived from the abbreviation for South Korea in international speed skating competition?

May as well make it a 2007 and show it early. This is getting boring...and quick. Kor suing K2 Maybe this is why they delayed release of the skates.

No picture, but I have a pair of old Easton Ultralight boots with the Bauer Rocker Chassis on it. The wheel setup mimics my ice skate profile, and I just use them to fool around on the street in front of my house. They let me get in a quick "sticks and pucks (ball)" session without planning my whole day around the local rink schedule.

Never mind, I just found the answer in my Inbox from before (duh!)

How do I order your products in Michigan? Do I contact my LHS to order for me or is there already a shop that carries them around here (I'm near Ann Arbor)?