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Leif

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Everything posted by Leif

  1. If you were in the U.K., then consumer law would most likely protect you, as a good has to be fit for purpose, and an ill fitting custom skate as you describe would not be. Do you have such laws in the US and Canada? Of course Bauer should do the decent thing, assuming such an event were to happen. I think in reality my concern is how good a fit you get in practice, and whether they are consistent. That said, Bauer is a big name, and given their NHL involvement, you’d expect quality. A friend has ordered Bauer Customs in the U.K. and I’m thinking about getting some, so it’ll be interesting to see what he makes of them.
  2. Thanks all. The speedplates go in in place of the stock insoles, and not on top of them. The speedplates are only a month old, the first ones cracked after a year, so I fitted new ones.
  3. The standard insoles that came with the skate, which are really no more than a thin layer to cover the rivets. I wear socks, just whatever I happen to be wearing that day. A really good skater saw me do crossovers last night and said I need a deeper hollow, 7/16" maybe, and not 1/2". I'm just over 11 stone (~160 pounds), and 5'11".
  4. I had a sharpen from a Sparx machine in the U.K. and it was a very good sharpen. The owner of the machine might end up being the U.K. distributor/retailer for Sparx, so I hope you guys sort out all the details soon as I am tired of driving 25 miles to the good sharpener.
  5. Coach Jeremy has a short mini review of these on YouTube. Someone posted a comment that they own some, and they lose a couple of rivets each month, and they have several friends with the same problem. Can I assume this is BS? Presumably it is someone who sells some other brand of skates, and wants to discredit True. Or a childish ‘prank’.
  6. Over a year ago I bought Bauer Speedplates for my Bauer S160 skates. I was over the moon, as it felt like I was getting more control and my skating improved immediately. I’d been trying to master a forward hockey stop for ages, and the first session with speedplates I succeeded. Up till then I was unable to correctly use the outside edge on the trailing foot. A few weeks later I forgot to put them in, and I felt really awkward, and my skating went downhill. My feet felt loose, even though there was a good heel lock. The skates themselves were a good fit. Anyway, skip forward over a year, and a week ago I forgot to put one in, and my edge control on CW crossovers improved. I’d been having problems with my right skate sliding sideways during crossovers for reasons I can’t figure out, but that time I could feel the edge biting in to the ice. So yesterday I tried both skates without speedplates, and it felt like I had more feedback from the ice, my edge control was better. Forwards crossovers were better with no sideways slip. I tried forwards and backwards hockey stops, and tight turns, and all felt as good or better. So for now I will skate without Speedplates, which will save money since my first pair lasted one year before cracking. Anyone else experienced this? Why would I like speedplates initially, but not so much now? You would think they would help given that top end Bauer skates include a pair. I have a suspicion that it is related to the fact that I first used them in new skates, and now the skates fit my feet much better. Perhaps the skates now provide a better lock, due to being worn in, and the speedplates are now superfluous?
  7. If they sell at less than MAP, they risk undercutting shops, which would seriously pee them off, and might induce many to sell only CCM etc.
  8. Thankfully I use two decent sharpeners, who know what they are doing, so it shouldn't be a problem.
  9. Thanks for the comments. I use Step steel, love it, my next blades will be black Step steel.
  10. Don’t forget that these blades aren’t just for top notch hockey players. They will also sell to shinty players (yes I did spell that right) and freestyle skaters too, who might want some colour. I happen to love gaudy laces and they help identify me in videos and photos so I can see what I am doing right/wrong. I. Just admit coloured blades are not for me, I’m not convinced the black carbon ones offer any real benefit.
  11. This topic made me wonder if I should have different sharpenings for hockey and public skating, given that the hockey kit weighs a ton! Which then raises the question of which holders are best for regular blade changes, in terms of reliability I.e. not falling apart.
  12. I returned the BAT gauge but not having heard anything I assume it has been lost in the post.
  13. I examined one yesterday. They are very different to the old ones. The plastic is black, and at least twice as thick, maybe more, which presumably improves durability. Also they have a thin layer of padding on top, apart from the front toe area, which should improve comfort, although mine are very comfy. My only concern is that the increased thickness will reduce the skate depth, which might make lace bite more likely, hopefully not. Other than that, I’m sure they will be good. I’m a huge fan of the originals even though my first pair only lasted 1 year.
  14. Thanks all. 18 months ago I was fitted with skates by someone who works as a hockey coach. No pain, apart from when I regularly fell on my backside when moving slowly and my feet shot forwards, and once I left blood on the ice from a head wound. I soon realised they were way too big, and bought boots elsewhere that fitted. In 18 months not one single unexpected fall due to feet shooting forwards. And no head wounds. It sounds like I can’t go wrong with the VH, even though I might not gain as much as hoped. I had a look at the Bauer 2s yesterday. Very very stiff. Massive tongue, and I mean massive, with hard plastic on the top side. Large tendon guard. Loads of squishy foam in the ankle area to compensate for the lack of custom fitting. I’m inclined to think they are way beyond my needs. As the lad (and co owner) in the shop said “you could skate in them, but you don’t need them”. I’ve examined VH skates, and they are more like hand made gloves.
  15. There are some new models below the 2s but my understanding is not as many as before. I handled two of the new models today along with the 2s, and the new speed plates. The 2s is quite dramatic, not sure if it’s for the likes of me though.
  16. Thanks. All To be honest when you're my age an extra few hundred pounds for a skate that will last years is neither here nor there. I recently upgraded to top end pads, and the increased comfort and mobility is well worth having, and I feel I am playing better as I no longer notice the pads, apart from the weight of course. The question I have is whether or not a better skate fit is anything more than a lack of spare space inside the foot. Sorry if this seems to be a stupid question, but the space around my toes in my Supremes does not bother me. In other words, does it have a practical impact? Of course comfort is worth having if it makes you skate better.
  17. I'm sure it's not hockey specific, long distance running has "hydration products" etc. To be honest these terms turn me off, it just makes me think they are selling snake oil. That's a shame as the new Bauer pads I have are actually rather good. What I like is the improved comfort and mobility, neither of which are mentioned in the marketing BS. As for them staying dry, which is claimed, nope!
  18. I’ve had my Bauer S160 skates for 18 months, and they fit pretty well. They have some superficial tears but they will last a year or two more. However, I will upgrade to a more high end skate just before Christmas 2018. Several people have told me that a higher end skate will improve my skating. Do others agree? Going from 20 year old entry level Vapors to the S160 did hugely improve my ability. I am a good skater by local rec standards, but not when compared to the really good players. Secondly, a friend bought VH skates as off the shelf skates would not fit his very wide feet. Given that Supremes fit me (seemingly) well, would the VH offer any benefit over the Supreme 2s? From what I can see the VH should fit snugly, whereas the 2s will be slightly less snug, using internal padding to fill voids, but with some accommodation when heat moulding. Or perhaps the 2s is far more than I need? Incidentally money is not an issue, it’s the fit and performance benefits if any that matter. Oh, and I’m 54 but very fit with a lean build, if that makes any difference.
  19. I do wonder about Bauer management given that they are the leading brand and yet they’ve had some dire financial problems of late.
  20. Maybe they want to sell something else? I was told by shop owners who have close contacts with Bauer that they are rationalising their ranges, as they have too many different levels. They are currently refreshing the Supreme skates and they let stock r7n down before introducing the new ones. A pain for the customer, who cannot buy old or new skates.
  21. Their product descriptions are very basic by today's standards. Surely the hockey pants should have UltraFoam inserts with PuckOff protection and MeshTech fabric. Obviously they are no good. Does anyone else laugh at the marketing nonsense employed by the big name equipment makers? I checked my top end Bauer shin pads recently. Behind the Curv composite (1) are some blocks of expanded polystyrene. No doubt they have a high tech term for it. (1) What Bauer don't tell you is that Curv is a fraction of the cost of carbon fibre and less strong. It's decent stuff though.
  22. Do you do the usual tests when trying on skates? Check the toes brush the toe caps, make sure the heel is locked, check for sufficient depth with the pencil test etc? I suspect you know the various online guides. I think you really need to go to a shop you know you can trust and which has sufficient stock and range. In my country many shop staff are useless, whereas one shop is excellent. In my case Vapor was too shallow, and Nexus did not lock my heel, it was really obvious which fitted, and I’ve never had problems, though I might just have ‘standard’ feet. A friend had to go to VH skates.
  23. Essentially Bauer have three lines of skates. The key difference is the fit. Vapor have narrow heels and are shallow. Nexus have wide heels and are deep. Supreme are in between. Bauer use slightly different technology for each, possibly to see which works best, but at a given price point they are comparable in quality. CCM also have several different fits, though I am not familiar with them.
  24. Vapor, Nexus and Supreme are quite different shapes, so you can’t fit all three lines. Your post suggests you are a Vapor fit. In which case Supreme will not suit you. Nexus is the other extreme to the Vapor. One suggestion is to try Bauer Speed Plates to support your arches. However, if the skate does not fit, it does not fit.
  25. I used to curl my toes when I started doing edge drills, but as a I got better, I stopped doing it. I suspect it was because my balance was poor, and I was trying to cling onto the skates. I’m not saying that is why other people curl their toes, there may be many reasons. I did buy powerfeet, but gradually came to the conclusion that in my case they were psychological and not needed. I also thought they were expensive for two little bits of foam that sucked up sweat.
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