#28

My CCM FT1s cracked on the knee caps on both. The crack started at the corner of the vents. If the vents had rounded corners, they'd probably be fine. The thigh guard flap above the knee cap is pretty worthless. It's a super lightweight soft foam that doesn't offer much protection. Other than those two problems, they are very lightweight and comfortable. They are vented well and stay mostly dry.

I like my CCM QuickLite 250 shoulder pads for beer league. They are light, with enough protection in the right places.

Holy crap. My first post here since 2006 lol. Back in the game playing beer league for a couple years now. Here's the equipment I'm using these days: Helmet: Bauer Re-akt Cage: Bauer Profile III Shoulder Pads: CCM QuickLite 250 Elbow Pads: Bauer Supreme Ignite Shin Pads: CCM FT1 Pants: Bauer Supreme 2S Pro Gloves: Bauer Nexus 1N Skates: Graf G5 (New old stock pair I found on eBay about a year ago) Sticks: Bauer Nexus 2N Pro Grip, PM9, 87 Flex, and a Bauer 1N, PM9 102 Flex. Some overkill stuff for beer league, but some games can get rough and it's nice to have decent protection so I don't show up to work all banged up the next day lol.

Graf 709 or Graf G9

Helmet: Bauer 5000 Cage: Bauer 3000 Shoulder Pads: '04 Easton Synergy (now the 900) Elbow Pads: '04 Easton Air Shin Pads: '04 Easton Air Pants: Mission M-1 Gloves: Mission M-1 Skates: Graf G5 and Graf 709 Sticks: Bauer Vapor XXX Lite PM9 87flex, Easton Synthesis Grip 100 flex w/ composite Forsberg Synthesis blade, Easton Z-Bubble Grip w/ Modano Z-Carbon Blade, 1st Generation TPS Response reg. flex, w/ Tucker pattern.

Bauer 8090s are great skates and can be bought at a reasonable price on closeout. You cant go wrong with the Graf 700 series. They may be expensive but they are about $100-$150 cheaper than other high end skates such as Synergy 1300s, Vapor XXXs, and RBK 8k & 9k. In my opinion, their performace is just as good if not better than the skates I listed. Graf makes a boot to fit several different foot types. The 703 fits a narrow foot, the 705 fits a midsize foot (similar to ccm fit), the 709 fits a wide foot with a high instep, etc. The Graf 700 series skates are comfortable if you get the right boot and size. They are also very durable. My last pair of 709s lasted me over 2 years and they still are in pretty good shape.