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Leif

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Posts posted by Leif

  3. Posted · Report reply

    8 hours ago, stick9 said:

    Look, biomechanics, off ice training, no laces...all that stuff is great. It's definitely something I would steer my young son or daughter to. However, those learning the game at an older age don't have time for that. Frankly, it's all a bit extreme for an older player who just want to lace em up and go for a rip.

    For a player in the OP's position, a proper fitting skate that won't hinder his stride should be priority #1.

    And while I don't wish to go into here. To say that skate fit and all that is irrelevant is pretty short sighted. Correct your form on crap skates is like racing slicks on a Pirus...

    I’m an older player, 56, and I skate roughly 7 hours a week, 3-4 hours of hockey scrimmage/training. Are you saying I don’t have time for skating without laces? IMO someone will learn quicker with lessons, most of us learn and then reinforce bad habits through practice. 

  4. Posted · Report reply

    1 minute ago, hockeydad3 said:

    OK. 

    But for me it's important to go the quick and dirty way to skating. I'm 52 and want to have some fun playing basic hockey. I will never become a decent skater as my boys are. I didn't do any sports for more than 30 years and had never been on skates. So my biomechanics are not there. 

    You can become a good skater. Once you’ve got the basics down, you should find that one on one lessons will help a lot. The coach will correct poor technique, allowing you to be more stable and skate faster for less effort. I’ve been learning for three years, I started at 53, and I’m making good progress. Sure some youngsters learn faster, but many don’t. 

    One thing that is often ignored is the importance of off ice exercises, such as yoga, gym or a martial art. You can do exercises at home, using inexpensive aids such as large elastic bands, a roller, a gym ball and a hockey stick. Without wanting to be rude, at your age you should be doing exercises each day, not only do you become more flexible, but they will cure any longstanding issues, such as back ache and sore knees.  These sorts of exercises are also known to slow or reverse the effects of aging, and reduce the risk of dementia in later years. I do 15-20 minutes a day, I started out aiming to do 10 minutes, but they are quite enjoyable and leave my body feeling much better afterwards. 

    • Like 1

  5. Posted · Report reply

    40 minutes ago, hockeydad3 said:

    This could be an explanation for the deeper hollows they use, because most profiles are getting rounder over the time due to freehand sharpening. 

    Not in my case.☹️ When I bought new skates last November, I realised why I had difficulties on the old ones: the blades were flat just like goalie skates. Repeated hand sharpening had removed the profile. I now use a Sparx, and even though my current blades are nearly worn out, the profile looks perfect. Round here many LHS sharpeners can’t even get level edges, never mind retain the profile. I can’t speak for other people.

    Round here you struggle to get profiling, and most shops will do 5/8” or 1/2” by default. 

    I’m not disagreeing with you, but I’m with stick9 when he/she says that your suggestions were more like guidelines, which can help someone understand depth of hollow. 🙂

    • Like 1

  6. Posted · Report reply

    14 hours ago, hockeydad3 said:

    All those facts or parameters have a influence on the ideal hollow including preferences as an important part of it.

    Imagine the two extremes.: A heavy skater on a tight fitting stiff skate with a 13' radius and a 3/8" hollow or a lightweight skater with soft and loose fitting skates with a 7' radius and a 1" hollow. 

    Do you know the profiles or the skate fit of your examples? 

    Until recently in my area it was usual to get the 1/2" standard hollow for all skaters and profiling the runners was impossible to get. So I think that a lot of the skates had a banana profile and others said that they don't like fresh sharpened skates. 

    I went from a 10' radius to a 13' radius and that was absolutely impossible to skate for me with the 1/2" hollow I had before. I tried a 7/8" hollow and this is good for me now. 

    Yes, those parameters do have an influence. A heavier skater digs in more. A poorer skater might not be able to use their edges on a flatter hollow. A weak skater might not cope with a deep hollow, due to excess grip. Harder ice requires a deeper hollow to get the same grip. And so on. But personal taste is a big factor. I like 7/16”, but I found recently that I can still find my edges on 1/2”, and it is less tiring, and kinder on my knees. I will go even flatter and see how it feels, simply because I might get more speed, less effort. Some people favour speed, some favour grip. If you look at NHL players, you’ll see a huge variation. 

    As to your question, without doubt almost all if not all of the players I know skate on stock profiles. The decent skaters wear decent boots.

  7. Posted · Edited by Leif · Report reply

    1 hour ago, stick9 said:

    I wouldn't dub those points as facts. They're more like guidelines, and fuzzy at that. Though changing hollows with changing ice conditions is not uncommon. 

    It's very much personal preference. There are too many examples to say otherwise. 

     

    I’ve been asking people what hollow they use, and I agree with you. I know a very light (10 stone or probably much less) superb adult skater on 5/8”, a heavier excellent skater on 3/8”, a very heavy skater on 1/2”. However quite a few have no idea. I think here in the UK we are less concerned, most people I know are on 1/2”, 7/16” or 3/8”. I’ve never come across flatter than 5/8”. However, that is not to say each person is on the ideal hollow, it’s not easy to try out alternative grinds. 

    I suspect a deeper hollow helps on glice and other artificial ices. 

  8. Posted · Report reply

    On 2/4/2015 at 8:15 PM, beanhead said:

    I am 140lbs and use a 7/8" hollow. I feel I am one of the very few around here with a hollow that shallow as the guys who sharpen them always double check what I say. They always say "you mean 3/8"?

    I find deeper hollows fatiguing and my knees get sore.

    Exactly.

    I started out on 5/8” and accidentally tried 7/16” thanks to a shop mistake. I was unable to skate on the 7/16”. But over the years I went down to 1/2” then 7/16”. Maybe my leg muscles had got stronger, who knows. Then after a year, and some skating lessons, I decided to try a 1/2” hollow. I was surprised to find that not only can I skate well on this hollow, but it is significantly less tiring. The skating lessons have given me better edge control, which means I don’t need so much grip. I think I will will try 9/16”, 5/8” and 11/16” and see if I can still do tight turns and crossovers without losing an edge. 

  9. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, Left Wing King said:

    Just one on the Bauer scanner, does it offer all ranges of its boots say going back to 2016, or is it current year stock only. I say this as out of interest I watched Chase from Hockey Warehouse do a review on Bauer 2Ns and he said they're an in between of the old 1n and n9000 (which I own)

     

    Or does the scanner say you should be in a Nexus range this length and this width then it is upto you to find what boot from what year etc?

    This should answer your question: 

    https://my.volumental.com/en/bauer/2f029e24-c1e1-4885-bd8a-706f9cc01baf/?utm_medium=myvemail

    The scan is from last year, hence last season’s skates.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    4 hours ago, SparxHockey said:

    Hey guys - Steve Jones here from Sparx. Thought I would make an "official" Sparx Hockey account to answer any questions that have (or will) come up! We recently changed some of our marketing language around pairs of skates per Grinding Ring. We initially based the 40 pairs of skates on everyone doing four cycles, but based on the actual useage of our entire customer base - specifically the home user -  they are doing far less passes per sharpening (which makes sense, because if you are sharpening more often, you can easily do fewer passes as a quick touch up.) We have seen rings last 80-90 pairs of skates and on the other hand, we've seen some last 40 pairs based on four cycles as originally estimated, but the actual average is closer to 60 for the home user. Again, it all depends on how many cycles you are doing per sharpening. 

    Hope that helps clarify any confusion - it was a running change on packaging, so there are definitely some boxes with the old language still out there!

    Thanks Steve, that clears it up. I also heard from Lisa, your colleague, equally helpful. 

  12. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, Nicholas G said:

    Does it say this on the website or the box itself? 

    The 7/16” box says 40. The 1/2” box, as well as the Spaxx and Monkey Sports web site say 60. Apparently they used to do 40 pairs at four passes per skate per sharpen if you loook back to oage 7 of this thread. So either I have old stock, or new sock in an old box. It is possible all that has changed is the RFID chip ie they decided they could cut more pairs. Alternatively the cutting surfece of the ring might have been improved. I have contacted Sparx. 

  13. Posted · Edited by Leif · Report reply

    I bought two grinding rings from Monkey Sports in Europe. The sales page say each will sharpen 60 pairs of skates on average. The 1/2" packet says it will sharpen 60 pairs of skates. The 7/16" says it will sharpen 40 pairs of skates. Have they changed the wheels recently? Do I have an old inferior wheel? Or have they changed how many passes equate to one complete sharpen? 

  16. Posted · Report reply

    18 hours ago, Nicholas G said:

    This is actually a problem that CCM and Bauer are specifically trying to fix. Players getting skates that are too stiff for them and their skating ability because they either have the money to spend or think that buying a more expensive skate will either last longer or provide better performance. The most expensive skate is never going to be the best option for most people. Modern skates are way too stiff for a lot of players and unless you are a very big guy or you skate 7+ hours a week its likely that choosing the most expensive skate is actually hampering your abilities. 

    CCM is now publishing the flex rating of their skates and has a ton of education for retailers attempting to educate them to not always push the top tier skate. Bauer is also doing the same this with Bauer University. 

    I don't lump TRUE into this specifically because their skates aren't designed in the same manner as Bauer and CCM. I have never had a player tell me their TRUE skates don't allow them enough forward flexion and such. The only complaint I heard more than a few times was the skates are heavier than the players current skate. My reply to them has been "don't skip leg day" because there are plenty of players in high level hockey that have no problem with the weight of the TRUE skates. While they may be heavier than retail skates, take any Bauer or CCM with a pro specification and you will see the weight difference is negligible at best. 

    I’m 155 lb and 5’11” so fairly light. I changed up from mid range skates to Bauer Custom 2s Pro and love them. I can skate for three hours with no pain. I’ve never had lace bite. And I feel the ice better. I’ve been learning to skate for three years, and skate 6+ hours a week including 3-4 hours hockey. I guess I should try not using the top eyelets and see what happens. 

    My LHS told me that they make less profit on high end skates, and they don’t keep them in stock because they will lose money when the next model is introduced. I thnk that is why they like customs. 

  17. Posted · Report reply

    37 minutes ago, flip12 said:

    The nature of True’s zero negative space fit could lend itself to these struggles too. Comparing them to what you see from Bauer and CCM at retail isn’t really apples to apples. 

    Yes, I agree, they should be compared to Bauer/CCM customs. I know four people with Bauer customs, including myself, all are perfect. But I won’t draw conclusions from a small sample. Incidentally I don’t have a dog in the race. I would have bought Trues if the shop wasn’t 250 miles away, compared to 25 miles away for the Bauer dealer who now stocks Trues! 

    • Like 2

  18. Posted · Report reply

    4 hours ago, Nicholas G said:

    My opinion.

    I think any issues with QC for most players are quickly ignored, unless they are a structural deficiency, because the skates are going to get beaten up playing hockey. If its anything that is only aesthetic most people don't really care all that much. I mean, I play with guys that have their hockey pants falling apart, gloves with holes covered in tape, shin pads held together with gorilla glue, and helmets that the liner wont even stay in. Most people aren't going to care about a little glue or whatever if the skate performs well and the cost for a full custom skates is significantly less than other brands. 

    Here in the UK True skates are only slightly cheaper than Bauer customs, £733 compared to £780, so it’s a wash. What’s more, True charge for each customisation, eg £25 for letters/numbers on the tongue. To be honest this thread puts me off True skates. A friend has a pair, they do have globs of glue on them, they are wearing much faster than my Bauer customs, and he says his feet are numb after an hour skating. My Bauers were flawless, and they get more comfortable with skating, I’ve done 3 hours on the go and no problems. You’ve said True are no worse or better than Bauer, maybe, but this thread is one bad advert.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    3 hours ago, Nicholas G said:

    Ok, with TRUE they collect the payment directly. The shop does not. We aren't doing Bauer customer skates at the moment, so I am trying to understand their process a bit better. Maybe I will go to a local store that is offering it to see the program first hand. 

    That is weird, I guess True have a good reason for that. I’ll ask a friend about his UK True skate purchase. 

  22. Posted · Report reply

    4 minutes ago, CigarScott said:

     

    According to a video Bauer did with Ice Warehouse, 50% of people fit in Supreme, 35% in Vapor, and 15% in Nexus which is interesting when looking at your sales numbers. Seems a lot of people should be wearing different lines than they currently do.

    I know someone who went from Nexus to custom Vapor. Whatever the reason, someone fitted him wrong originally cos the Vapors are comfy. My first decent skates were fitted casually, no attempt to see which line was best. They were a size too big. 

  23. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, Left Wing King said:

    I use a fishbowl, and smear washing up liquid on the inside of it before use. Never had a fogging issue.

    I have a Bauer fish bowl, I used it once and moisture was streaming down the inside, it was completely unusable. On our rink even my washing up treated glasses fog up. It is a very humid rink. Some of the Olympic women's teams wore fish bowls, so they do work sometimes.

    4 hours ago, Vet88 said:

    It does exist, someone posted a picture in another thread of Putin wearing one but I couldn't find anything similar to what he had. Possibly the bottom wire cage he had that clipped onto the visor was custom made. However Boulder are about to release something similar, the "Zero Plus Senior", it comes out mid Sept. https://hockeyfaceshields.com/

    Looks good. I like the fact that the visor is quite separate from the cage, giving plenty of ventilation. I hope these will be available in Europe/UK. 

  25. Posted · Edited by Leif · Report reply

    I was talking to a rink owner yesterday about his Sparx, which was one of the first in the UK. He travels with it, and on one occasion he dropped the bare machine (not in a case) from waist height down a flight of stairs. It bounced down 7 steps. It has also taken direct hits from a puck, including to the glass, and has some cosmetic damage as evidence. It still works perfectly, which shows how solid the internal mechanism must be. The fact that it is not out of alignment is surprising. Mine copes with the stresses of sitting on a carpeted floor. 🙂

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