sparky1

My new-ish twigs :) 95 flex, RH, PP28 curve BPM 150 & EK365. So far the EK365 is my favorite. can't get used to the half grip half clear on the BPM 150. I find it very annoying as the transition to grip is like right below where I would place my hands for a quick wrist shot & that throws me off.

Quick question. I've got a pair of goalie skates that i'd need to sharpen now. They are 3mm steel in the cowling. Do I still need to goalie skate adapter? Or can that be sharpened without the adapter? edit: nvm, I knew there was an adapter, but it looks like it comes with the sharpener from what I can tell.

Ah, ok, so that's a bit different then. Your OP stated it was just a pickup, so I just assumed it was a bunch of random people. Either way, I was always taught to defend myself in situations like that, hence my response. If you know the person or play frequently with them and know their temperament for stuff like that, then I would say you could give people the benefit of the doubt. Still wrong for that guy to do that either way.

So you let someone just whack at your glove and then crosscheck you in the head in a pickup game? Sure, it may sound douchey, but this is one of those situations where if you let someone take an inch, they'll take a mile

His situation is not a league where you would typically know the people going. He's talking about a drop in game with some rando. No need to give them the benefit of the doubt there.

Yeah, that's not cool at all. I wouldn't have apologized and had I not been dizzy like you were, I would've used my stick to yank his feet out from under him and beat the crap out of him. What that guy did is not cool. ESPECIALLY in a pickup game.... like that's common sense.

Profiling would be your easiest method. I think for a neutral pitch, the steel needs to be profiled to a negative pitch. Not 100% sure, but I remember it being discussed way back when in this thread at some point. Or if you want to go the extreme route, you can always swap your holder to a TUUK holder. That's what I ended up doing because I didn't like the mako's stock holder.

Looks like all you need is a black sharpie and some of the old easton "razor??" holders & steel.

So my original mako's toe box is starting to separate from the sole underneath the skate. Hopefully they last a while, but i'll be ready if they don't. Ordered a pair of Mako M8's to replace them when my originals finally do kick the bucket.

Well, after ~2 months of use, the stick snapped in half. 12/7/16 through 2/2/17 I'm pretty rough on it with playing defense, so that was likely the culprit. Taking shots off of it, lifting guys sticks, etc I'm probably going to try one of the Xcore sticks that are on sale and see how that works out. edit: as it turns out, I emailed TRUE and they said that they'd replace the stick! We'll see what happens once they get it! Just looked at the calendar and figured that I've only used the stick ~9 times at most. I was out 12/20/16 through 1/18/17 with an elbow injury

Very excited to see the new pants coming out! I'll probably get myself a pair of the A6.0's to match my gloves and stick ;) Also, my old Mako's are getting worn out.

It looks like they're going with different liners/fits for the jetspeed & the super tacks. Not too sure what the liner material and inner construction on them are though. According to CCM's website, the Super tacks is an "Anatomical" fit, so I would imagine it would be similar, but I am not 100% sure as I don't have the $$$ to buy myself a pair of super tacks :\

If you look at the super tacks or the new Jetspeed FT1, it is a monocoque construction of the boot with no outsole like a traditional skate has. The biggest feature IMO of the easton Mako's. Now, it may not have the form fit that the makos do, but with it being a single piece of CF, it should hopefully be heat mold-able like the Mako's & VH Skates are edit: here's a review between the super tacks and Mako 2 that I found online. Surprised someone had posted this. Very rare you would find something like this. https://reboothockey.wordpress.com/2016/12/22/honest-hockey-review-ccm-super-tacks/ http://modsquadhockey.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2016_03/CCM_SuperTacks1.jpg.6d89adc672befb44834beebf601181f6.jpg

It's alright, there's more skates coming out with the same tech. VH namely, and CCM on the new super tacks and the Jetspeed FT1's

Hey guys, figured I would put up a review of my new-ish gloves. Had them for ~3 months now at this point. I did win them from the TRUE Free gear friday, so that was awesome! Player Specs: 6'3" 195lbs RH Glove specs: 14" TRUE A6.0 SBP Pro gloves (4 roll style) 14" Currently using the Z Pro palms Previous gloves used: CCM 4R Pro 15" Fit - Fit so far is good. I do wish that they were a smidge bigger. Coming from my old CCM 4 roll pro gloves in 15", I do feel like my finger tips are touching the end of the protective part of the glove. On ice though, I hardly even notice it, so it is not that big of a deal. I do like the design of the cuffs though, they definitely feel like I have a lot more free movement of my wrists, but I still have ample protection against slashes and such. Protection - So far so good. Can't really give an honest opinion on this as I do not take many pucks off my glove nor get slashed at much. So far though, the gloves feel like the protection is on par with my old 4 rolls, and the cuff comes high up enough that it only leaves maybe a 1" gap between the cuff and the end of my elbow pad. Weight - Weight definitely feels good! Weight is not something that I really look for in a glove though, so I don't really put much thought into it. Durability - Seeing as I have only had these gloves for 3 months so far, I would say the durability is good. I do have some fraying stitches and such that I am not 100% sure how they will turn out. I know on my CCM's I don't have very many of those, so I will update if it takes a turn for the worse. Using the Z-pro palms though, I feel like they're more likely to wear out sooner than my old CCM's, but that is due to the palms being just a single layer of fabric, where my CCM's and the standard Z palms have a second protective fabric layer stitched into where the butt of your stick would normally go. Intangibles - So, I know one thing that people have always asked is "do you feel the zippers" and the answer is yes and no. On my fingertips/hands, I do not feel the zipper at all, once I am on the ice, I would never be able to tell if there was any zippers or not there. However, sometimes the zipper portion comes out from under the cuff where I try to keep it and it feels cold on my hand, but other than that, there is no difference in the feeling. I was expecting to feel the zippers too, especially considering the gloves are a smidge small for me. Also, the zipper system seems to be pretty fast. I wasn't able to zip them up as fast as I have seen them done in some videos on youtube, but it isn't too much of a hassle to change out the palms. The biggest struggle in it is the sections between the pointer and pinkey fingers in the bottom portion between the fingers. I found that if I pull the fingers apart to make that corner wider that the zipper will go around it much easier. Conclusion - So, in conclusion, I feel that these are fantastic gloves! Equal in every way to my previous CCM 4 rolls, if not better due to the cuff design. However, I think that I probably would have been turned off in the store by there only being a 14" option considering I wear a 15" typically. It would probably be a good idea for TRUE to offer their gloves in a 15" size, or 16" by their standards. I personally could use a little extra room in the gloves as the tips of my fingers do touch the end of the fingers, so if I were to get swatted at, there wouldn't be much protection there. This is just my opinion though, because the 14" is supposed to fit like a 15", but i'm not 100% sure how true that statement is based on where my fingers touch in the glove. Now that I do have these gloves though, every time I wear out a set of palms, it will be super easy to go ahead and replace the palms whenever they wear out. Thanks again TRUE for doing your free gear Friday and for picking me on my birthday!

Hey Guys, Posting up my first review of my A4.5 SBP stick I got a couple months ago. Player Specs: 6'3" 195lbs RH 2 nights per week Beer league Stick Specs: 95 flex +2" TRUE CF Extension TC4 curve RH Blade - To start off, the blade is pretty awesome. Coming from my old CCM Tacks 6092 stick that I was using previously, it feels VERY lively/responsive. I can definitely feel the puck much better! Shaft/Flex - standard concave walls, rounded edges, etc. Flex seems to be on point at 95 flex. With the 2" extension in, it feels a smidge stiffer than my 95 flex CCM (same height), but I am sure that as I use it more that it will become a little softer Shooting - Shots come off nicely! I am using the TC4 curve, so I have to be careful with my shots otherwise they'll go way high. Shots come off nice and powerful, I can definitely feel the stick flex nicely when I let one go. The BRT blade definitely helps keep the blade stiff through a shot and lets it keep all the momentum Weight and balance - Weight is fantastic for this stick! Coming from an EK60, V9E, ABHS and other lightweight sticks (400grams or so), this stick is a huge value in terms of price/weight goes. Not to mention the other stick features you get for the price point. Balance feels great as well, not too blade heavy like I have felt with some other sticks in stores. It's just right in my opinion. Durability - So far after using it for a couple months, it has held up very well! I typically play D, so I am the type to get my stick in a shooting lane, or block a shot with it, so after blocking quite a few shots with it, I am very pleasantly surprised that the stick has not broken yet, and still has great feel to it! Intangibles - The stick feels great, being my first TRUE stick, I would say that the quality and features that you get for the price point make it well worth it. Comparing this stick to anything else in its category is going to leave the TRUE on top of them all, especially for the fact that you get a true one piece stick. Most $100-150 sticks are two piece fused construction. Conclusion - If you are looking for a budget stick with high-end features, this is the way to go. My days of buying high end sticks are over unfortunately, but that doesn't mean that I have to get a stick that is older and may not have my preferred specs in stock, or settle for a stick that doesn't have great feel to it. This stick is definitely for people with high end tastes, but mid-range budget

I would definitely love to know how they compare! between the super tacks and VH skates, those are my likely next purchase next year as my original Mako's start to degrade. Had them for ~2 years so far, so they're about due to be replaced.

Yeah, i'm kind of kicking myself for not getting it at the $600 kickstarter price. That would've made it worth it to me, I like convenience. Fortunately, I have someone right down the road from me and does FBV for $7 or ROH for $5 and does a good job every time, but it is still a hassle to go there, because it's not ever planned, it's just when I lose an edge on the ice or I notice my skates losing their edge that I go there. I'm definitely interested in learning how to use a traditional machine though! So if the local guy ever closes up shop, or I move, i'll definitely be looking in the direction of getting a personal traditional sharpening machine. Thanks for your thoughts!

Thanks for the info! So, this is just my opinion and perspective on this, but what makes a sparx sharpener better than a traditional sharpening machine (x-01, Wissotta, etc) with a shopvac rigged up to catch the sparks/metal filings? There would be a learning curve to properly centering the blade in the holder and the proper technique for sharpening your skates without over-heating and warping the blades. However, a sharpener like the X-01 is the same price as the sparx, but you would get much more life out of the sharpening wheels from what I would imagine (though I am not seeing any info on estimated wheel life). Which in turn, after getting some practice on old steel to make sure you perfect your technique would likely have a faster return on your investment. The Sparx being $1000 for the unit, then $50 for 40 sharpening (potentially double if you do less passes), but you're still looking at paying $50 every 40-80 sharpenings, where I would imagine you could get more from a traditional machine. This isn't me complaining about pricing by the way, just more of a curiosity of what makes the sparx better than doing it yourself with a traditional machine, other than convenience?

So, just curious, on the sharpening rings, I am seeing a 40 sharpening lifetime? Does this still hold true, or do they last longer?

Won a pair of A6.0 SBP Gloves from TRUE! So far, they are fantastic! Love the Z-Pro palms.

That sucks. I just saw the 50% off all Graf PK series sticks email from Total Hockey. Oh well.

So is the replacement for the Dynasty HD series due out next year? 2 year cycle? I'm curious what kind of improvement the QRL line brings over the standard QR stick.

The synergy has an outsole on it by the looks of it. Mako is 100% carbon fiber with no traditional outsole like this.

Looks nice. I wonder how this boot will compare to the mako's. Same design concept with the one piece boot. Definitely looking forward to these if I am not able to find any mako 2's in the future when I need a new pair of skates.