flip12
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Posts posted by flip12
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Strangely, my VF is incredible at slap shots. I found out by accident because I never take them because it's not allowed for the old players league (over 35), but I took one in warm up yesterday and it was much stronger than any slap shot I've gotten out of any of my other sticks--I have enough for a team full of lefties. To see if it wasn't a fluke, I took a few more, including a last one with about half power put into it. It zipped top shelf bar and in. Overall the stick plays alright, but the slap shot kick really stands out. Not that it's much use to me, but it's kind of fun as a novelty. I'm just curious though, has anyone else experienced this with their VFs? It's possible I'm not engaging the kick right on other shots. It took me a while to learn how to adjust from low to mid kick. I had assumed VF would work with either of those approaches. This feels like it actually has a lot more kick than I've previously gotten out of it.
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12 hours ago, A2rhino said:Agreed. I used it for years and actually still have 5 sticks. 4 OLD SCHOOL Easton S19"s and an old Warrior W12
S19 Darbys! I'm jealous. I have one ST dressed as the Stealth tease. That thing has held up like a tank. I keep coming back to it, even though I'm mostly rotating P28s these days. I keep wondering about the origins of the Darby. I know there's a story about it being named after an Easton exec, but from what I remember about that story, he wasn't even a hockey guy. My guess is it's Ray Bourque's curve.
4 hours ago, sturdy22 said:Being an avid user of the P106 and P89 I agree With your description of the 1616.
I still have P106 and P89 blades that I’m saving and went with the 1616 because of the comparison to the 106 in the description. I have A bunch of PROs and I really Like the 1616 and have been using it for about a year over the others.
my son just got a 1910 in a righty so I can’t use it but it’s a nice curve and I think it will be my next purchase.
That's good to hear about the 1616. I think I'll get one next time I order from Pro. It looks almost exactly like what I want in a curve.
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2 hours ago, pgeorgan said:Inside out, because when you inevitably go to retie them on the bench mid-game, it's damn near impossible if they're outside in. You can't make any micro adjustments you have to undo the whole skate.
That's a good point. Inside-out or under-over instead of over-under is definitely easy to adjust. The counterpoint is, it slips more easily. So while it's easier to adjust, it's also more prone to slips that require adjustment.
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3 hours ago, A2rhino said:My bad. P89. Bauer
Easy Jimi the 6 into a 9 now that P86 is the hot new sliced bread. I wish P89 were the hype. My favorite retail curve of all time, just ahead of E4 and P28.
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1 hour ago, pgeorgan said:Are they? These look pretty much identical shape to the last two iterations.
Pretty much. It's the facing creep that I'm looking at. The first Vapor with injected facing, APX2 stayed true to the classic Vapor L cut. HyperLite pushed it a bit more toward Cupreme C cut. FlyLite is definitely C cut. I get that they have the flex zones engineered into the facing part, but it's a different animal now, in my mind. Plenty of Supremes across the years have been more Vapor than this: 7000 and one90 come to mind.
I get that times change, but to me, quintessential Vapor is 1. L-cut, 2. TechMesh, 3. Low kick tongue. I have and deeply appreciate all sorts of variations on classic Vapors, even Vapor wannabes like EQ5. Each deviation from the three Vapor hallmarks is a downgrade in my experience.
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P86 == Darby? In which brand's catalog?
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I haven't seen it in person, but I'm impressed with the direction their design is going. Both for the holder and the boot. The Shift holders looked way too busy.
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1 hour ago, pgeorgan said:No, I mean more like turning a Fit 1 into a Fit 0. Can I just tell them that? Lol.
Ah. That makes a lot more sense. I imagine since they have all of this 3-D modeled, doing that would be relatively easy. The complexity would be, how much exactly do you want to shrink the Fit 1? It could open up a lot of room for trial and error. But I think that might be a decent starting point for them and they'd just take it into consideration for the classic forefoot/heel width classification. The customs seem to still run on that paradigm anyway.
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2 hours ago, start_today said:Yeah, his description of both Malkin blades as being “very similar” to a p88 is bizarre. It simply isn’t, and that’s super obvious side by side, and I imagine leads to a lot of disappoint. It’s like the curve on the 712 starts more towards the toe enough that it changes your shooting mechanics. And yeah, for a lot of people who aren’t nerding out on this stuff “similar to a p88” is probably true, but he gets so in the weeds talking about he similarities and differences in other curves, it’s weird he’s lazy about that description. He also seems to kinda hate p88s as old fashioned, so maybe that’s it haha.
I keep searching for the p88 variant that will make me happy and shoot harder and more accurate and be a more complete and the answer I keep coming back to is…….just the regular p88. There is absolutely 100% not a life lesson there and I refuse to learn anything, and will continue to spend money chasing the dragon.
As deep as Geppetty's hatred for P88 goes, his loathing for E4/PM9 is even deeper. He refuses to acknowledge its existence, even when it's necessary for explaining both Kovalchuk's and Malkin's curves. Both players have had tons of variations of their curves, but their main set plays on variations of E4/PM9 with a toe curve.
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Do you mean reducing the facing so there's less wrap?
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13 minutes ago, stick9 said:anyone using the PRO21 McKinnon pattern? If so, thoughts?
I have a W10-Gionta in my basement. The P88 flatness of the last 3/4 of the blade always threw my shooting off. I like the curve though. It's nice to stickhandle with. With a PM9 shape would be insane. Kovalchuk's pretty close to that though.
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20 hours ago, apperos76 said:For you curve geniuses here.
This has been discussed on the forum before, but I was a lifelong P88 user but I wanted something with a bit more loft and, because of another thread, I went with the Pro19 from PSHS. And I love it! Sort of exactly what I was looking for except for one thing - I do not like the thinnish blade and P28-like toe shaving. Another problem is that it doesnt seem like the Pro 19 is a particularly popular curve so the OG Red builds are out of stock (and they dont make it in the new sticks).
Would anyone have any idea what I should try to basically get the Pro19 but with a wider face and more rounded/squarish toe. I am researching all of the PSHS curves and am driving myself crazy.
Anyway, to add to the blade discussions for others perusing the thread I have tried the Pro71 (Malkin Pro), Pro1088 (Kane Pro), and Pro19.
For the Pro71 I agree with others here that it is not necessarily a modified P88. I didnt love it and that is coming from a P88 user. Stickhandling was great, but there was just something off about the shot.
For the Pro1088 the stickhandling and passing was amazing, but the shooting was horrendous for me. It was hard to get any velocity on the shot off the rush. Accuracy was ok, but was rarely beating goalies clean.
If you want Pro19 without the toe rocker and thinnish blade face, that's just a classic P92. It's a pretty round toe, but you can always shave it down a bit. Might want to try the superglue with baking soda trick to toughen the exposed part up again.
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18 hours ago, Sniper9 said:Did you find the vf whippy. My 70 flex felt like a 65 maybe even a 60. I've read elsewhere the same thing where it's easily 5-10 points whippier than it's listed flex
It's strange because I've used it half a dozen times now, but I really can't say. It feels like a 95. Just like a 95 I don't feel in tune with. For comparison, it took me a few skates to adjust to a 95 Catalyst because it's been so long since I've used a mid kick. I had the hope that the variable would work even easier--whether I shot with low or mid kick emphasis, it wouldn't matter. Instead it just feels dull. It's not a bad stick, but for the money and compared to my good impression of the OGs, I'm disappointed with the purchase. I'll just stick to the budget lines from now on.
I will say, I have noted it feels soft when I shoot with my bottom hand really low, like past halfway down the shaft, but I don't often have my hands that far apart.
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4 hours ago, Hills said:Balance has nothing to do with gym time and strength. I'll take a nicely balanced 400 gram stick over a super blade light 360 gram stick any day.
100%. My best balanced stick is a Kovalev gamer. It's around 550g. It's surprisingly blade light. It's an awesome piece of ingenuity.
I didn't weigh my trio of VF, OGRed, and OGBlue. I really should have. But both the blue and red felt much better balanced stick handling in the basement and on the ice. I was going to say better balanced in spite of their "heavier" weight (it feels wrong to call them heavy), but I have a suspicion that they're better balanced because of the added weight. It's tempting to thin out the shaft at the top, because that's the least abused part of the stick, but that's where the weight has the most effect, it seems.
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On 5/30/2025 at 10:21 PM, A2rhino said:I would highly recommend that you check out his sticks. He has a few different options as well as the retail P46.
He still has the OG RED LOW KICK or BLUE (MY FAVORITE) MID KICK. Or the newer sticks.
PRO46
PRO4466
PRO22
You can even use the 3D CURVE VISUALIZER to see the curve from all angles.
I've tried a few different Praux sticks. I kind of loathe Geppetty's style, but I can't deny the value intrigue and potential offer of his sticks.
First go round I tried the old Kovalchuk because I wanted to see how his twist on the E4-with-a-toe-curve was. It's a nice handling curve, but I got a 3rd Line 85 Flex. It kicks alright and stickhandles nicely, but I've never been able to get it to balance out. I realized it was a bit top heavy, so adding a Nexus plug helped. I'm still sitting on that experiment.
Second go I went for a Red Line, because some teammates got Red Lines and they kicked a lot better for me and felt better balanced as well. This time I got a 77 Flex Kane-Praux curve. I loved the curve. It was magic for making passes under pressure forehand or backhand. Again I struggled with the balance issue. It was also 395g instead of the 375 that was advertised. I get that there's variation due to pattern differences, and Kane's a massive blade, but I was still a little bummed. That one broke clean in the "taper" part of the shaft on a wrist shot from a player with three years of experience (an incredible player for so little experience, but still).
Third time, quite recently, I wanted to get a load of sticks before any potential tarrific world events shifted the stick supply/market so I got three P28s: OGs Blue and Red, as well as VF, all 95 flex. I have to say I was happily surprised by the spec of the OGs--shaft shape and balance feels much better than any Praux I tried previously (though my friend with Red Line Hossas from last season doesn't like his new OG Red Hossa). The VF has the balance issue again. This time it feels blade heavy, especially in comparison with the OGs. Adding a Kovalchuk Tacki-Mac helps a bit. It might need a wooden plug as well. I don't really feel anything with the variable kick. It just feels neither here nor there. The Blue has played nicely so far. I'm kind of just seeing how durable the VF is at this point, but I'm thinking I may dedicate it to off-ice/roller.
As for his curve selection, I'm tempted by some fun ones, like the Ovechkin for instance. I'm pretty sure his Barkov is my jam, but I'd rather stick to P28 so I don't get addicted to something limited and tethered to the whims of one Dude.Another note on the curves, I find it a bit annoying, especially considering his branding choices, that he manipulates the curves. The Kane was nice, but it's more like a Pro Kane mixed with a P28 compared to actual Kane sticks I've seen. I'm sure Kane has probably tried something like this at some point, but his sticks I see popping up don't have nearly the toe pocket of what you find on the Praux Kane Pro. The same for Barkov. I know Sasha used P28M for a season or so, and he's had plenty of variations of his trusty old curve, but the one Geppetty calls Barkov is much more P28 than any of the Barkovs I've seen.
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On 5/30/2025 at 11:58 PM, bl4 said:For my fellow lovers of obsolete tech (i.e., heel curves), has anyone tried the Silfverberg (PRO33), the PRO222 (the Drury w/a toe hook), or the O'Reilly? If so, any reactions?
P28 is adapted from the Drury. Pro's version is on the more extreme end of the P28 variants, but the Warrior and CCM ones are a bit more mild. There's still enough heel curve in the business half of the blade to play it like that. You just have to remember to release your sweep at the mid-point of the blade, before the toe rocker kicks in or you'll flutter your shots and saucers.
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49 minutes ago, A2rhino said:I tried a handful and even had Geppetto make me a mold of what was once my personal favorite curve that is no longer available. The one I did stick with for a while was the Pro38. I can't say enough about what a great mid curve this stick is. But as I'm getting up in age and now play in a league that only allows snap and wrist shots, I wanted to try to get a curve that I didn't have to put near as much work behind as I did with the mid-heel and mid curves. Gradually moving to a toe curve and ending up with this one. The curves I did the best with to make this transition were the PRO38, PRO4466, PRO71 to my current curve the PRO9271. The 9271 has the blade shape of the P92, a higher lie and is a bit longer of a blade than the PRO71. I've considered trying the PRO712 as I do like the squarish style toe and the blade shape seems very similar to the PRO38. My only issue now is that it has a slightly lower lie and is a very long blade. Who knows. maybe I'll get one just to try it out.
I love the RibCor I had with P46, except for the huge heel curve on it. That with the heel and toe pockets switched would be my dream (also with the E4 toe shape restored).
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12 minutes ago, A2rhino said:I ended up going with the PRO9271. Everything about this curve has worked great for me. It also made me realize what a HUGE difference a higher lie made when shooting and and stick handling. If I was to nit pick and make this 100% perfect for me, I would make it into a Max height blade.
What patterns did you try before and what didn’t you like about them?
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21 minutes ago, bthompson1286 said:Is it better to lace skates from inside out or outside in?
There is no better. There is only personal preference.
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On 5/3/2025 at 6:26 PM, shoot_the_goalie said:I spot 3 major design areas that could use refinement - 1) the toe cap, 2) the holder, 3) the carbon fiber bulge at the heel of the boot.
But like I said, I'll take functionality in a skate over design any day, but don't think the two need to be mutually exclusive either.
I think the toe cap could get better. Holders get swapped so I’m not too worried either way, though they could spruce those up as well. The heel bulge is a feature in my mind. That’s what a lot of people’s anatomy looks like. The straight angled heel of most skates is puzzling to me.
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14 minutes ago, stick9 said:Screenshot from IG, sorry I forgot who posted it. Finally a good look at the new Jetspeed. Looks like they're using the Forc composite, toe caps and tongues from the latest Tacks. I think they look pretty fantastic.
The recent CCM tendon guard is the ugliest thing in hockey since the Nike Quest helmet.
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7 hours ago, shoot_the_goalie said:Still rocking the original True SVH customs and still love them, but man, True skates still look ugly. You would think after all these years they would finally have a good looking custom boot. I get fit is paramount, but....
A few tweaks would go a long way. It's the details they can't get right. The base of what they have is good enough. It just lacks the necessary finesse and understanding of the precedents.
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15 hours ago, stick9 said:You think the two are the same??? Personal preference is different from increased or enhanced performance...which is what you were eluding to earlier.
BTW, I know all about those examples and could probably add a few more.
What’s the difference?
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Fedorov also wore his Grafs in at least one game of the conference finals.
15 hours ago, stick9 said:Meh, I'm not buying it...well not fully. I have said here many times, some things work for players some things don't. While I truly believe in that I don't think it has all that much of an impact on elite level professionals. They've put in too much work for me to buy that.
We're talking the new all time leading goal scorer, not some plug who put up 40 out of nowhere.
If the elite level professionals agreed with you they wouldn't cheat on their sponsors.
Other players who were notoriously picky about their sticks:
- Heatley: on podcast recently said that he was very standard in pretty much all of his, except for sticks. With sticks he had the same Easton build with a particular emphasis on balance.
- Spezza was way more intense about it though, according to Heatley. He had his sticks catalogued and would request them by city and number.
- Kovalchuk was notorious for his scrutiny of his sticks as well.
- Mike Green missed CNT Stealth so bad he bought his used ones back from private collectors and hunted down NOS retail years after Easton stopped producing them.
- Mogilny (the gear nerd GOAT) obsessed over his sticks and skates and would talk about them so much that it would annoy his teammates and coaches.
I'm sure the list would be huge if we had time and access.
VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne
in Ice Hockey Equipment
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I don't know how, but my Catalyst 7s were absolutely killing my back last night. I strained something in my upper back sleeping on it funny or something and it felt like a robot was trying to pull my upper back apart like pulled chicken when I was skating in my Cats. I switched to X:60s midway and not just the pain but the tension in my back went away completely.
I've tried everything I can think of to make Catalysts work for me. I had a good skate or two in there, but in the end, they're just like trying to shoot with Chara's stick and my lesser frame and incomparably inferior strength. Boots that have more flex in their ankle like Vapors, especially tech-mesh builds, are just so much better for my performance and general wear and tear it seems. I'm almost certain that was the last time I'll try those skates.