VegasHockey

The new skates have a different type of hook/loop velcro that is much more durable. However I would love to see them use snaps or something more durable as some players really yank on the skate tongue. I get a lot of customers requesting to hard stich the tongue in their skates or to add button snaps.

Size 8.

So I got my new pair of TRUE skates and the weight change is significant. Previously my skates weighed in at 979 grams and my new pair tip the scales at a light 869 grams. https://www.instagram.com/p/B1FN5wkA2g8/

I assume because there is a significant difference between the Sparx FBV (Fire) and the Blackstone FBV. I tested with the Bldemaster FBV (X cut) and it also seems to work, though not nearly as well as Sparx. With Sparx using a smaller flat surface area and larger "fangs" there is a larger "sweet spot" to getting the FBV to cut properly on Flare. As you sharpen you change the overall width of the steel but the attack angle doesn't change. You always have the 6 degree attack angle until the steel is worn to a point where you would typically change it. Also, since you are going with a more flat hollow and the steel is wider I find you don't need to sharpen them nearly as often. I know many players that go 60+ hours of ice time before they sharpen them. This is good for the players but bad for pro shop owners like myself 😉 I've tested the steel wearing them down to nearly no flare being left and the entire time continue to use the same hollow I always skate on and didn't notice anything specifically. However, I skate on a relatively flat hollow to begin with even on standard steel so maybe I am just not as sensitive to the change in width and such. As I mentioned above though, many players change how often they sharpen their steel which usually prolongs the life of the flare width.

I would look at the tongue with enhanced impact protection. They are the same thickness but have a beefy metatarsal guard.

The width doesn't matter. It's the increased angle which makes the Flare ideal.

The new thin tongue is now the standard. You can still get the thicker tongue, which was the standard on the previous version. You just need to specify such in the order. As for the thickness of the previous standard version, about 3/8" is correct.

Had a customer who wanted to use a Fire cut on his Flare and with the help of Sparx and the aid of computer software we were able to determine the following: The takeaway was that for a 3/4 FIRE, you could get a sharper bite angle for the same depth as a 1" hollow on a Flare blade. Therefore, the 3/4 FIRE might be a good choice for Flare blade.

Yes.

The new standard tongue or the previous generation?

All I can say is, WOW. I grabbed one of these for myself, and I am shocked. The shots come off so hard and fast with this stick its unbelievable. I usually use a shorter stick, top of my collar bone, as it helps decrease the swing weight feel and makes it easier for controlling the puck with one hand. With this stick being so light I increased the length to just slightly under my chin which also allows me to load the shot better and the puck literally rifles off this thing. While I am still adjusting to the increased length my shooting has been unreal. Last night I was practicing one timers from the top of the circle and shattered a glass pane which is something I haven't done in quite a long time. All of the shots came off blistering fast with a ton of power even when the puck wasn't in the "sweet spot". Also, everyone was right that the top 4-6" of the stick is double walled and once cut it dropped a TON of weight.

It looks like they mounted it specifically for the player who might have pronated or supinated... Can you take picture looking straight down with the whole skate and holder in the picture.

Yes, brand new ring.

Yeah, I don't go very far up on the toe/heel. I only sharpen the area players actually skate on. I have no idea why some people sharpen the entire surface area. It baffles me. Its one of my personal pet peeves.

We got two of these units for our travel team yesterday. When they are on the road they will go with the club team and when they are at home we will keep them in the shop and use them if we are super busy or have overflow and the workers are buried. We did about 50 sharpens yesterday and my overall impression so far is good. Edges are usually level or very close to level, off by half a line on a Wissota “Elite” Even Edge Checker or perfectly even. I would say the uneven edges are very rare, 95% of the time I would say the sharpening is spot on. I think its quite strange that multiple pairs in a row will be perfect and then one pair will not and assume this has to do with the general condition of the steel. The more mangled the steel or low quality, the more likely it will will not be perfectly 100% level and will sometimes require adjust of the Sparx alignment. The finish is not as good as hand sharpening, which I kind of expected. I dont think its bad, but if you have been sharpening by hand or even using a Pro Sharp AS machine, its just not as polished and smooth. You can polish out any of the "marking" with a leather hone and "magic sauce" but it does require more attention to detail. There are absolutely more burrs when using the Sparx which I find a bit annoying. When I hand sharpen I have little or no burr on the steel, regardless of the steel type. This is usually the same with Pro Sharp too. With the Sparx, even with the highest quality steel, it will usually leave a decent sized burr that has to be worked out. Not a huge issue, but it does require attention to detail. Final thoughts, these are a great addition for club teams that travel and need consistent sharpening or for families with multiple players. I can see these being really great for low volume stores too, maybe doing 100 or less sharpening monthly, but a high volume store doing 400+ sharpening a month just doesn't seem like these would work well for such. Ill add more information and feedback as we continue to use them but this is what I noticed in a very small-time using the machine.

Looks off to me. Can you put the skate side by side and take a pic of the bottom.

We have don't a lot of junior skates and haven't had any issues except for one recently which was a size 3 for a high level female player. Everything fit well except she felt the toe cap was too roomy and not snug enough.

You can upload the pics to https://imgbb.com/ and just share the link .

I use them and love them. I am a very picky person when it comes to shoulder pads, I hate wearing them but refuse to play without them since I would prefer to not get hurt. The RX3 are the only shoulder pads, other than the new TRUE XC9, that i really like a lot. They are light, flexible, breathe well, and offer good protection without making me feel like I am wearing football pads.

Right now I think timelines for delivery are about 3.5 weeks including shipping time.

The heel matches, mostly, but you need to redrill the front.

Was not sure if the newer ES100 models the NFC reader in the is sharper does not allow/recognize the XG (cross grind) wheel.

Has anyone been able to use an XG (cross grind) wheel on the ES100 since they stopped selling them for general use?

Yeah, had a chance to cut and weigh it and it tips the scale at 366 grams cut to 57" without any tape. The blade seems slightly different than the factory ADV so I think this player went with a Nexus blade. Overall, very lightweight. Maybe too light.....