darkhors

I came from a 100/50 FBV and I absolutely love the 5/8's FIRE. He may think it's not quite as much bite, but it's there. I've never had an issue holding an edge because of my skates. If I blow a tire, it's because of me, not the skates. I've actually been switching people over to the 5/8 FIRE from 1/2 ROH in my beer league and they're loving it too.

Yeah, you should be fine with the Sr. Mine fits well, it just takes a little adjustment when you first put it on.

They make a Senior and Junior, the same way Bauer does. My understanding with all fishbowls is they are all Sr or Jr sizes. I've never seen an adult have an issue with the senior size fishbowls. Even most of the kids in high school that I know are using Senior sizes.

Yeah, I just didn't want to do that since I had the other ones.

It's on a Bauer ReAkt 75. I actually had to use my old Bauer clips on the top and the j clips because I couldn't get the top clips to push together enough to get the screws into the helmet, so I used my Bauer ones and they worked perfect. The clips are nice though, they look like the modified bauer clips. The j-clips have 2 spaces for the screws and I think they should have made it one long space because I needed to go a little lower and I couldn't because they stopped at the top of both holes. I hope this makes sense, but when you see them you'll understand.

The best girdle I've owned (and currently use) is the RBK 9k pro stock. You can get them on sideline swap if you're not in a huge rush and they are by far, the best girdles out there. They have enough adjustment and the best protection, plus there are so many shells you can use with them because a ton of pro's still wear them. I bought mine on SLS for about $100 brand new.

I just bought this and am coming from the Bauer Hybrid. I wanted something a little lighter and I know how bad the Bauer Concept III can be with fogging. What I noticed right away when putting it on is that the holes are noticeably bigger on the CCM compared to the concept and it sits a hair further away from your face. It'll be interesting to see how it goes when I get out on the ice.

I also sharpen Step Blacksteel in the sisters and it gives a great finish on the steel!

So I have 3 people in my house who each skate multiple times a week, plus my brother and his kid. If you figure $10 a pair x 5 people over the course of a season, we're going to break even very quickly. Here's a few things I really love about the machine. 1.) I don't have to worry about the pressure I'm putting on the skate blades. It's consistent each and every time. I can run 2 passes on my skates before I play or once a week. I'm on the ice about 4 hours a week and 2 of those are just coaching. 2.) it's super easy to change hollows. If I decide to go with something different, I just unscrew the ring, put the new ring in and off I go. I usually check the calibration every 10 sharpenings or so unless I notice something's off when I check the edges. 3.) I can put this almost anywhere. If I want to put in my dining room, I can do that without fear of having metal shavings everywhere. I can also take it with me to tournaments and do it in the hotel room and know that my edges are perfect. We weighed the options, but for us it seemed like a no brainer and less work to achieve the same results. We're also sharpening for other kids, beer league teammates and such so we're making a little money on the side to help offset the cost of rings too. One thing I would say is to get the sparx edge checker. I have the Blademaster one and it's good, but the sparx is better for just a little more money.

Thanks, I totally missed that in the menu.

@JR Boucicaut is the one on the right the flare square?

What about the edge checker from Sparx? Or should I get the BR100? I'm looking at picking up a Sparx over the break so I want to get an edge checker that I could possibly use if I try out the flare. I can't seem to find the Flare square anywhere online to purchase.

Has anyone successfully used the Sparx on these? I'm wondering since the Fire ring is a rounded FBV if that would work and just go with the most shallow ring?

They shouldn't be running "systems" yet at that age. Fundamentals and basic knowledge of positioning is the most important thing outside of making it fun for them. I agree with everyone, pull your kid out and get them on another team a.s.a.p before he never wants to play the game again. That would be the worst thing to happen.

Wear OS is the new version of Android Wear. They just renamed it Wear OS because it's the OS for wearable products. I have a ticwatch S and that's what they use so you can download all apps from the Google Play store.

Any chance you're going to get this on Wear OS anytime soon?

I have the same foot and I'm currently in the Vapors (x90's). Heel fit is perfect and the toe box is good. Other than the Vapors, like Vet said, Ribcore's or Jetspeeds are probably your best bet.

I finally switched to a new helmet and after using it for a few months, figured I'd give a review on it. Old Helmet - Nike/Bauer 5500 Med. New Helmet - Bauer Re-akt 75 Med. Fit - This was a major factor for me. Since my Nike/Bauer was getting old, it would move around on my head and I had to readjust it from time to time on the bench. So it was important that the next helmet I got fit properly. The 75 fits perfectly and I really like the padding that they have inside as it cradle's your head without having any pressure points or excess movement. The helmet just feels like it's part of my head and not something that's sitting on top of it. I use a Bauer Hybrid combo face shield and it fits the helmet well. Once I'm snapped in, my helmet feels like a part of me and that was a necessity. 10/10 Protection - I can't say whether or not this is going to protect me appropriately or not, but I will say that the padding in this helmet is 100% better than the 5500. It has a good mix of the high density foams and mid density foams that make it comfortable and give's me the "feeling" of good protection. N/A Weight - It's not the lightest helmet out there, but I would say it's average. It doesn't feel heavy on my head and the hybrid mask is a bit heavy too so that adds to the entire helmet. That said, once I strap up, the fit of the helmet doesn't make it feel heavy on my head. 8/10 Durability - So far no issues at all. I've adjusted the helmet to where I need it and I haven't had to think about it again. All the moving parts work as they should and the Bauer adjustment wings are easy to use when needed. As of now it's top notch. 10/10 Intangibles - For me the biggest intangible was ventilation. There were good reviews on it, but you just never know until you're out there sweating in it. I couldn't be happier with it. The vents work well and it allows for good airflow. It's heads and tails better than my old 5500 and I can actually feel the wind coming through at times. I never feel hot in this thing even with my hybrid shield. Sweat is also not an issue. The padding actually does a good job of absorbing the sweat instead of just letting it run down your forehead into your eyes. The other intangible is the price. At 119.00 I feel this is the best bang for your buck helmet that you can get if it's the right fit for you. It was also rated one of the better helmets for protection in the Harvard helmet study (take that FWIW). 10/10 Conclusion - I tried on a few different helmets before buying this one such as: Bauer IMS 11.0, Warrior PX+, Krown 360 and the CCM Fitlite 300 and the Bauer just fit the best. It doesn't sit too high on my head, it vents well and feel like a part of my body. For me, I don't think I could have found a better helmet for my head. I didn't try on the Re-Akt 200 because I wasn't about to spend $300 on a helmet, but I still feel like this helmet is right up there with it and again, for the price it's hard to beat. Overall Score: 38/40 - 95%

Got these just after Christmas and forgot to post them. Marner True Pro Stocks, 80 flex, slightly closed P92, Xcore9 construction with A series taper and rounded corners. Gear

What's interesting with the Marsblade is 2 things: First the blade looks to be held in the holder with 2 bolts, but not a direct connection with the blade. The bolts run between the carbon fiber rocker bar (which is held in place at the toe/heel ends of the steel) and the actual steel. So really it's a true floating runner. The second noticeable difference is that the runner sits in what looks to be a polyurethane "boot", if you will, that seems to take up more volume than the runner itself which could be so that it doesn't move side to side.

Yeah I get what you're saying. I'm just thinking that if it's ever so slight it's probably not a huge deal, but I hear what you're saying about progressive break down.

This thread got me thinking... are we making a bigger deal about this than we need to. Given the new, "popularity" shall we say, of the Marsblade ice holders, if the steel is moving ever so slightly up and down would it be reasonable to say that it's similar to the effect that the Marsblade offers? I'm not saying you're going to necessarily get the performance benefits that you would with Marsblade, but my thought is that maybe we're making a big deal about it because we're just used to having the steel be super tight. Now, if the steel is moving side to side, then I think that would be more of an issue because of how the edges would be contacting the ice. Up and down though, doesn't seem to me like it would be that big of a deal. Thoughts??

I have the Blacksteel and absolutely love it. I haven't used the regular V-steel, but I love the polished look of the blacksteel and it holds an edge way, way longer than my Bauer Steel. I hardly ever get rolled edges with the Step, so I think either way you're going to be satisfied with the product.

Is the 1/2 Fire supposed to be the same as the 100/50 FBV?

Reviewer Details: 36 years old / 5’11 / 180lbs Location: Michigan Position: Forward Playing Level: Upper B and C Men's Size: 15 inch Previous Shins: Jofa 6060's (about 12 years old or so) Fit Coming from the Jofa's the Tacks line is pretty much the same type of fit as the old Jofa and Reebok's so when trying them on, I was very happy with how they felt. The strapping on these is very nice and the spandex lock strap is very comfortable around the back of the knee. The padding seems a bit bulky, but I think that is the norm with the newer shins because it felt that way on the Alpha QX's and the Super Tacks that I tried too. Coming from super old pads, mine are likely matted down from the years of use and I think that anything new I try on would have this same feel. The calf wrap covers the back of the leg very nicely and this was a major selling point for me because I felt that most of the other shins I tried (excluding the Super Tacks) didn't cover much of my calf. The Tacks have a deeper leg channel and that helps to get more of the back of the leg protected. The one downside for me on these was when I put them on for the first time with my skates. I think because there's more padding they sit just a hair more forward than my Jofa's which pushes the pad a little into my tongue. I skate tongues out and it's a little noticeable when I'm standing around, but I don't notice it at all when I'm skating. I'm pretty sure that after a little break in, this will be a non issue. 8/10 (great calf wrap and strapping system, but padding needs to break in a bit). Protection So far protection seems great. I've taken a couple of shots off the leg and haven't noticed anything at all in terms of discomfort. They have a lot to live up too though, because my old Jofa's are still going strong and have been since the day I got them. The cap seems very durable and the shin portion looks almost identical to my old Jofa's, so I'm confident that these will have very similar protection. Although I haven't had to use it yet, I really like the calf wrap on these and it seems that it's going to be a bit of an upgrade to my old shins because of the strapping and larger outside flap. 10/10 (pending longer TOI with them) Weight Ice Warehouse says these weigh in at 657g which is pretty much the heaviest shin around, but they don't feel heavy when you have them on. Plus, I'm fairly certain that they are lighter than my Jofa's, but I'm hoping to be able to weigh them in the next couple of days to see which one is heavier and their exact weight. Also, I tend to block a lot of shots even playing forward and I'd rather have a little heavier, more protective pad, than not. 9/10 because they're listed as the heaviest Durability I can't give an accurate rating at this time, but after I get about another month of them on the ice, I'll be back to post an update on this category. ?/10 Intangibles Feel is the key here. I know that has a lot to do with fit, but I have it as a separate category because there were other shins that "fit" properly, but these just have a great feel to them when you have them on. The Alpha QX Pro's felt bulky even though they are lighter and fit decently and the Super Tacks fit great, but those felt like they had too much padding. These shins just seem pretty natural feeling to me, like they're a part of my leg and not something that sitting on top of them. They allow me to just skate and not have to think about if my equipment in is the right place or anything like that. I don't even notice them when I'm on the ice and that means more to me than weight savings. If the protection is as good as my Jofa's, I could see me note having to buy another pair of shins for another 8 years or so. 9/10 Conclusion So far, these haven't disappointed, but again, I'll be back in a month or so to give a good update on these, especially the durability and protection categories. I'm hoping they still feel just as good as they do now. Also, the price point on these pads are great at $100. You get pretty much everything in terms of protection that you would from the Super Tacks, but at 2/3's the cost. Overall Rating 9.5/10 (Pending longer durability and protecting testing).