sparky1
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Posts posted by sparky1
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Sorry for no updates in a while, been on vacation and trying out another stick that I found recently at my local Pure Hockey till the warranty is up on that.
I was able to use the stick 2-3 more times since the last post and things haven't changed much. The extra flex is a bit frustrating at times, other times welcome.
It is still in one piece though, I'll be going back to using it in another week or two to see how much more life I get out of it.
highlights from my last week's game with the BPM 120 that i'm using now so you have something new to watch instead of my old videos, haha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vuy3BmQeJE
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Back on the ice today with the stick, everything surprisingly felt great.
It's crazy what a few grams of loose resin/material moving around in the stick will do to the balance and feel of the stick.
Overall, the stick feels solid still at this point, it is a lot whippier than it used to be when I first received it. There was only 1 time today that a puck slid under the blade of my stick when I went to receive a pass, so that was pretty good.
However, I definitely have to be more deliberate about catching passes, because if I use my old lazy way of letting the stick flex do the work for me, it'll just either bounce off, or slide under the blade of my stick.
shots came off nicely though, with it being whippier, it was much easier to load up and let off a quick shot.
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Game 4 - Today:
So, Today went pretty great, other than me taking a hard shot off the stick. The stick now feels like a bit of a sloppy wet noodle. No difference in stick handling feel, but shots I can definitely tell a difference where it takes much less effort to load up, so my shots come off funny after the ~1 minute mark of my video.
I took a shot off the stick from up close that seemed to dislodge some of the resin inside of the stick. I took the plug out and quite a few pieces came out. Pictures of that below.
So far though, other than having to re-adjust to the additional "whippyness", it held up for the rest of the game after I expected one good wrist shot to do it in. It did feel a bit off balance when I used it afterwards, but I have since pulled the plug on the end to get the pieces out and it feels back to normal as far as the balance goes.
We will see what happens either this Wednesday or upcoming Saturday with how it holds up!
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Long term review of the new TRUE A6.0 HT
Disclosure & About me:
First off, I just wanted to give big thank you to JR & TRUE for this opportunity to review their newly released stick. I sincerely hope that my words can do it justice, and if that just does not cut it, hopefully you will be able to gain some of the experience from my highlight videos of myself using it.
A little about me. I am 28 years old, 6’3”, 195lbs & currently playing 2 times per week in a church league that ranges anywhere from just started skating to ex- HS/College/Jr. players. If I had to honestly rate myself, I would say that I am C league level, and definitely not the best player out there, but I do my best to stay positive no matter what, be vocal on the ice & always communicate with my team mates. I Primarily play defense where I am hard on the puck and always try to get my stick in the way of oncoming shots to (most of the time) save my goalie from having to make a save & deflect the puck safely into a corner or into the netting. I also enjoy playing in goal as well and have recently picked up the position and have become a reliable backup incase our goalie cannot make it to the game.
My previous stick experiences in order starting with the most recent:
Sherwood EK365 – A very close competitor to this stick & likely the closest comparison
Sherwood BPM 150
TRUE A4.5 SBP
Warrior HD Pro
Warrior HD1
Sherwood EK60
And quite a few middle level sticks before this ranging from the ABHS to some used top-end sticks from previous years to start myself off with the sport.
The Stick, First impressions & My preferences:
So, to start off, JR & TRUE were able to get me setup with a TRUE A6.0 HT stick. 85 flex, MC2 curve in a right handed curve. I added a blue buttendz grip & a 2” extension to it.
My typical stick setup on my last 2-3 stick have been a 95 flex, E28/TC4 curve & an extra 2” Added on due to my height and the position that I play.
My first impressions of the stick lead me right to the subtle graphics design & exposed carbon fiber of the stick. I am not a very flashy person or player in general, so I really appreciate TRUE keeping this stick subtle but sharp.
Overall, the stick felt light, and the flex felt a bit higher than 85 flex, maybe 90 or so without the 2” extension. One thing I did notice and like is that in the process of flexing the stick, there was little to no shaft rotation leading to a very consistent feel to loading the stick. The biggest issue that I’ve had with lower flex sticks in the past is when I go to load it up on the ice and it feels like a wet noodle twisting all around in my hands. I did not get that feel from this stick in the slightest.
Touching on the weight, it did not feel like the “lightest” stick I’ve ever felt, but that is not at all a bad thing. There is such a thing as a stick that is too “light” and this stick hits the perfect balance or light, but sturdy feeling.
The First shift & first game impression
On my first shift out with the stick, I ended up getting to the rink late. Because of that, I didn’t get any warmup time to get a feel for the stick, so I knew I was going to be in for a rough game. I ended up getting a pass from someone on my first shift and had it slip right under the blade of my stick (such a rookie mistake)
After that initial slip up, I was able to tweak my game and adjust to the feel of the stick to start receiving passes properly. This is where I came to really love the stick.
With it being a lower flex, my shots came off harder as a result. The stick was super easy to load up on shots & pucks flew off my stick without effort.
The blade of the stick was quite responsive as well, I could really feel the puck on the blade when I was stick handling. I would expect nothing less from TRUE’s 2nd gen BRT blade that I came to know and love with my TRUE A4.5 SBP.
After my first game, I can say that I was pretty much adjusted to the feel of the new curve & flex.
The Second & Third game
Here’s a highlight video I made from my 2nd time out with the stick:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UYwfr_Pa9U
After the initial adjustment to the new flex & curve, I was able to really put the stick through its paces.
I found that my passes were a lot harder & flatter because I didn’t have to worry about catching it with the toe of my blade on my follow through. This helped me get some nice passes off to my team mates on breakouts.
I also found that with my shots coming off quicker because of the lower flex, I was able to catch goalies off guard with an even quicker release than what I was used to getting on my EK365.
My team mates also thought I was crazy by blocking/deflecting some shots with the stick, but what kind of review would it be if I were to spare it from all the normal abuse I would put my stick through? I ended up deflecting a few off the heel of my stick with little to no damage to the stick. Only some light scuffing from what I can tell.
Overall, I absolutely love this stick, and will continue to post my thoughts on it as it ages. I know that my A4.5 SBP that I originally had lasted ~20 skates before breaking, but TRUE was kind enough to replace it under warranty. Its replacement lasted me through a whole year of games before it finally snapped on me after blocking one too many shots. I am hoping that TRUE’s new reinforcements in the stick will further prolong the life of the stick making it an even better value for the money.
edit: 3rd game video
Pictures
After the 2nd game - A little bit of damage to the toe
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Tl;dr:
Check out my video from my 2nd game out(3rd coming soon)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UYwfr_Pa9U
3rd game out https://youtu.be/56VXJi6aRk0
Overall, the stick has a fantastic feel to it, very crisp & responsive blade
Easy to flex & load up for a quick and powerful shot
Very subtle but sharp graphics package. Great for someone not looking to stick out from the crowd
If there is any aspect of this stick that you would like me to go over specifically, or in more detail, please be sure to let me know! I am always open to constructive criticism & new ideas. Writing is not my forte, but I know what I like about my equipment and stick with what fits my play style.
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22 hours ago, chikinpotpie said:And then they were all on eBay and sideline swap......
This is kind of annoying. Been wanting to just spam these people with offers of $20 or whatever for them. Can't blame them for wanting to make money off of them, this is why I hate limited release stuff.
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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.
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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.
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40 minutes ago, badger_14 said:Not exactly - it's an organized pick up, same folks every week. The guy should, however, know better.
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.
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1 minute ago, IPv6Freely said:That doesn't change how unnecessarily douchey what you're suggesting would be.
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
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On 12/21/2017 at 3:16 PM, IPv6Freely said:I'm very glad you're not in our leagues. You would not last. If nothing else, your team would be asking you to not come back.
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.
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On 12/3/2017 at 10:12 AM, badger_14 said:Things have actually been going pretty well with hockey. I have a nice routine down at the gym (and elsewhere) practicing hand-eye with a tennis ball and it's been very helpful. My whole body is still pretty slow, but I track the play much better, so until I shed another (x) pounds and get literally lighter, one does what one can.
Yesterday was a good game for the most part - it's pickup, we played for like an hour and a half, I let in a tolerable number of goals for pickup (like 7 or 8?) - excepting near the end.
So I've just covered a shot. Blocked it with my pad and smothered it under my glove. The puck is covered, it is going nowhere, I am in partial tetris position at the post. This one player, though, keeps jamming at my hand. My teammates are trying to get him to stop (bless them) but it's going on forever with no end in sight. Since I really like my hand, I go to poke this guy with my stick, and accidentally prod him in the crotch. Not very hard, but accidentally pegging anybody in the crotch (male or female really) isn't good, and I take full ownership of that. However, his immediate response was to cross-check me in the head. Hard. Then skate off to the bench and bitch to everyone about what I did. I am dizzy at this point, but it's near the end of the game so whatever.
I apologized to him after the game, of course. He did not really apologize to me (there was a "sorry if I hit you", which is bull, because he absolutely hit me), so I'm a little salty about that.
But my play was good, so I feel okay about that at least.
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.
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On 8/1/2017 at 3:25 PM, kyleo29 said:Reviving old thread. So Ive grown tired of the extreme aggressive pitch of my mako skates and want something more neutral. Thinking about profiling or maybe adding a shim to the front. Any benefits over the other?
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.
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On 3/19/2017 at 1:53 AM, IMC said:These look awesome! Anybody have any more info to what they are? Looks like they have some design differences from the Mako IIs, so I'm guessing they're not just blacked out Makos?
Looks like all you need is a black sharpie and some of the old easton "razor??" holders & steel.
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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.
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True A4.5 SBP
in OPS
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
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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.
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1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:I mean, if that's the case that's cool. I'm surprised they aren't worried above losing existing tacks fans by having a completely different fit in the new version.
43 minutes ago, Krev said:The monocoque construction is part of it, and they will be heat moldable, however the liner material and inner construction would need to be the same as the Mako's for the fit to be comparable.
The goal was zero negative space, which was the single biggest feature of the Mako's, and the CCM's simply won't be able to accomplish that. Not that they are since that would severely narrow the marketability of the skate, I'm just saying that the skates won't be able to fit the same.
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 :\
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3 hours ago, Krev said:VH would be the direct replacement for the Mako's, more or less. When Dave went to Easton, Scott went back on his own to VH. If anything, VH is a much more refined version of the MLX than the Mako.
With Bauer acquiring Easton's skate R&D, it would be more likely they'd have the tech implemented before CCM does, though I don't know anything about the Super Tacks or Jetspeeds. I've been out of the gear research and modern offerings for a while. That said, I'd imagine CCM skates wouldn't have the same fit even if they have the same tech put in since each company has their own idea of what a skate should fit like.
Damn. That's kinda cool.
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/
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1 hour ago, krisdrum said:I'm actually kicking myself for not getting on the bandwagon sooner. By far the best fitting, most comfortable skate I have found in my short skating career. Sad to see them going the way of the Dodo. Hopefully mine hold up for awhile.
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
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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!
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True A4.5 SBP
in OPS
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 -
On 11/30/2016 at 0:56 PM, althoma1 said:I can do that, but I'm sure I'm not the only one curious about that comparison. You may want to post in the VH and/or Supertacks threads about it. I don't have a dire need to know as I have a stockpile of Makos that will last a while and the Supertacks and VH skates aren't in my current plans, however; I think it's unlikely I'll be going back to a boot with a separate outsole after using KORs and then Makos for the last decade or so and it's nice to keep tabs on other skates without separate outsoles.
I know when another member, mc88, did a comparison of the Mako II and VH skates it was very interesting reading. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.
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.
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1 hour ago, shoeshine boy said:the Sparx is basically a fully contained unit. I've had a Wissota hooked up to a shopvac for years and while it helps keep the dust down it doesn't capture probably even half of the dust. the Sparx is catching virtually all of it. those of us who got in on the Kickstarter pricing got a HELLUVA deal.
33 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:Better as far as end result? That depends on your abilities. You should probably expect some pretty bad sharpenings for the first few months at least, which is totally fine if you're willing to put in the time. Much much longer to master it. Its also clearly more expensive. I mean, it's unlikely at the $899 price tag plus $50 for 40 sharpenings that you'll ever make up for the $7-8 per sharpen you get locally.
So let's be real here... you buy this machine because a) you aren't interested in learning how to use a traditional machine and b) because you don't have somebody who is convenient/inexpensive/competent near you. If A and B apply to you, congrats, you're the target audience. If you have either A or B, then just stick to those.
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!
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On 11/26/2016 at 2:56 PM, howtohockey said:The wheels come with a microchip that talks to the machine so I don't think you can go any longer than they allow. I haven't used a full ring yet, but I believe the machine won't use a spent wheel.
Speaking with the owner of the company about the quality of sharpens near the end of the wheels life, he said they set the expiration before any loss of quality. So the first sharpen should feel the same as the 40th one.
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?
TRUE A6.0 SBP HT (2018) - sparky1
in MSH Long-Term Reviews
Posted · Report reply
So, i'm playing goal till this next Wednesday. My goal is to go back to using the TRUE stick the following week! More videos/thoughts to come.
For now, here's me attempting to play goalie.