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flip12

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Posts posted by flip12

  1. Posted · Report reply

    I feel you. I juuuuust finally received a pair of like new 707s I found on German classifieds. They fit great except for the heel shape, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to actually test them. From lacing them up and flexing them, they feel very free. I'm used to that now from skating a handful of sessions in 701s. I've yet to try the no laces thing, but the softer ankle of the 701 diagnosed a few weaknesses I had in my stride. I'm working on how to achieve that perfect Frankenskate like you describe, and I think I'm onto something. I just need to get back on the ice and get some test boots made to try it out.

    The 703 tongues I've seen and tried have a bit more stiffness to them than Graf's later tongues. I'd bet the flex and balance function will be quite similar to the Mako tongue. Graf were smart enough to soften them up to accommodate the required stiffer quarter panels. I tried an older 703 tongue, probably of similar vintage to the ones you have, in G35s and I lost almost all my agility due to the overly stiff combination. 701 tongues have next to no stiffness in them and are my go to tongues in my MLX now. I also have a pair of near mint 501s that have a plush and very flexible tongue; can't wait to try those boots out. I see why Fedorov cheated on Nike to get back with those, and Leetch still skates in them last I've seen.

  2. Posted · Report reply

    That makes sense. Do you miss the cushy feel just at the top or all along the foot? I only tried on a neglected pair of Makos that were lying around the rink and actually was impressed by the tongue, and I have extensive familiarity with and appreciation for Graf tongues. I can see where, with the idea of the extreme moldability of the Mako, they went with something a little less bulky, but I have tried several Graf tongues in my MLX instead of the stock ones. In my opinion, the Mako tongue was much more reminiscent of what I prefer and usually find Grafs to be quite nice. Which Graf tongues do you have lying around? They have changed drastically over the years and there have been quite a number of different tongues since the mid-late 80's, which is where my collection begins.

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Tongues have a lot to do with the feel of the boot, especially forward flex and balancing over the blade. If you’re not unhappy with that aspect of the Mako tongue I’d first try to add extra felt to the existing tongue to provide the flop you want without messing with other factors that are more integral to skating rather than purely or primarily cosmetic.

  4. Posted · Report reply

    I also usually add a wooden plug for balance. It feels like it’s mostly a weight distribution issue for me, rather than a question of material/vibrational medium. I tested using a plastic plug with a bolt fed through it. I loaded it up with washers to adjust the balance and I couldn’t really feel a difference between that and having a wooden plug of the same weight.

    The only sticks that I’ve tried that have had great feel without having to add a plug have been Trues. Also a Kovalev gamer but his shaft is heavier than normal and the end plug probably weighs 40-50g as well, effectively reproducing the effect of an end plug.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    26 minutes ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

    The holder has more forward pitch and is taller than the other holders. It's also symmetrical. Those things plus the inability to use the various steel options resulted in a very different experience and "feel" when skating on the SHIFT holder vs others. 

    IMO, while CCM tried to replicate the "feel" of the EDGE holder so that players could more easily transition to the XS holder from the EDGE holder, TRUE instead wanted to change things up.

    These changes resulted in a significantly different experience which some may enjoy and other will not. 

    That’s a great summary, and makes me really want to try the Shift holder.

  6. Posted · Report reply

    3 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

    I like all of the current holders on the market; EDGE, XS, and SHIFT holder. They are all mostly similar but obviously have different locking mechanisms for replacement steel. Excluding professional players, I see more general consumers gravitate towards EDGE holders, or for whatever holder they have extra steel for. 

    I have been testing the new Byonic steel which can fit in both the XS holder and the EDGE holder. If I was on the ice blindfolded I can tell you with confidence I would not be able to confirm which holder I was skating on between the two. I would absolutely be able to tell you when I was skating on the SHIFT holder though since the dynamic of that holder and steel is very different compared to the others. 

    How do you mean, the dynamic of the Shift holder and steel is different?

  7. Posted · Report reply

    32 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

    That's precisely what the Prosharp Project was supposed to address. We all had an amazing opportunity to dial in a profile for far less than it would cost otherwise. It's a shame more people didn't take advantage of it.

    I would have, but shipping to and from Europe would have been too expensive for me. I think that kind of program is the future of profiling.

  9. Posted · Report reply

    What makes a pair of shoulder pads more protective? My best guess is:

    1. Coverage or fit. A good fit, where the pads are properly aligned with where the impact points and prone areas are will protect better. This is a question of size and model. It has to be a good match with the wearer, or even the most protective shoulder pad won't protect as it should.

    2. Material composition. There's usually a base of softer foam for comfort and some protection, paired with plastic and or denser foam for higher grade protection, resisting impacts of greater force. The top end pads are usually tricked out with what could be viewed as gimmicks: fancier foams, range of motion provided in dimensions that the body itself doesn't use, etc. You can get a sense of how protective the pieces are and where their respective strong and weak points are in person. It can be a little hard to get a sense for that shopping online.

    george-lamberis-youtube_00i2uxdxbae.gif

    3. Deformation depth: Just like how a golf ball collapses when struck, the stiffer parts in protective equipment (hd foam or plastic) also compress or collapse on impact. If there's more of a crumple zone in the high impact areas, there's ample space for the pad to bend inwards on impact (sometimes it's called absorbing the impact) and not reach the body of the wearer underneath.

    I used to have light and slim shoulders (Easton Pro Light Design) that were light for their day but had minimally deep shoulder caps. Ultimately I replaced them because I was playing with some chippy idiots most of the time and wanted better protection against hacks and cross checks. The 20 years between that pair and my Warrior AX1s did a ton for improving shoulder pad protection and performance. I got the AX1s over Bauer Vapor APX2 shoulder pads because I got the AX1s for a great price on closeout. They're not impressively light compared to the APX2, but they are light enough that I don't notice them when I play. The fact that they are extremely mobile also contributes to that. When I took them out on the ice the first time, I was blown away at how much more mobile they were while also being much more protective than my previous shoulders. Although they don't pass the "looking cool in minimal shoulders department," I got over that by looking at how cool Fedorov looked even in bulky shoulder pads (we're about the same height) and figuring I wouldn't have to worry about looking cool anyway. Instead, I'm more concerned with whether or not I'm safe on the ice--before getting these shoulders, I didn't feel protected enough given the group I played with, sad but true--and whether or not I'm having fun. It's much easier to have fun with these shoulder pads on than my previous ones, and I have no motivation to change these at all until they fall apart.

    For reference, I also wear full face coverage when I play. It has saved me a few times when I've closed on puck carriers faster than they realized and they stuck me in the face as I approached. No scars or dental work necessary.

    • Like 1

  10. Posted · Report reply

    6 hours ago, dkmiller3356 said:

    ok...  first off I think they are fugly...   like it's 3am, I'm still at the bar and the chick at the end must have lost 40 lbs over the course of the night come on honey lets do this fugly!

    2nd... I had Vector pros and liked them and thought they were pretty cool looking.

    3rd..   at this point I will wear whatever fits me best and helps me skate better.

    Vector Pros weren’t bad. They were a bit odd but they had a solid look. They also stuck to the black, white, and grey color scheme.

  13. Posted · Report reply

    CCM has had a slew of fugly designs over the years, especially the Externo line comes to mind, but just about everything after the 952 was a belly flop in a surfing competition. I submit the Vector 10.0 as the ugliest and guiltiest of all time.

    18-4539.jpg

    Prior to this, skates were black, white and grey. Not the flashiest color palette but workable given the multitude of schemes every skate would invariably pair with, as well as the effect of wear and tear on their looks. Enter the 10.0, with it’s suitably repulsive name, and suddenly arbitrary colors were involved. They were impressively competent at finding a color which looks good with exactly no other color as well, just to touch bottom on the first go. Ever since that, skates’ looks have been been irrevocably tarnishes.

  14. Posted · Edited by flip12 · Report reply

    On 11/18/2020 at 4:06 PM, oldtrainerguy28 said:

    That's actually the preference with them now. Not do top 3 and use shrink wrap at the top

    I didn't use shrink wrap anywhere. I let the top three eyelets flare outward to allow for ankle rotation when I skate. It almost got me the same amount of room as in my 703's but not quite.

    Next time I bake them I'll wrap all the way along the foot up to the top three eyelets and leave them open again.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    23 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

    You can look at how much space there is at the front and rear of the holder to see the length difference. 

    I noticed that in the first go 'round. However, looking at it more carefully now, there's a notable difference in the articulation of the heels of the two skates. The heel of your custom boot is much more radiused. A visual guess at what an x-ray might reveal makes me think there's more negative space in that bottom triangle between the horizontal of the boot becoming the vertical. I have no doubt the stock boot would pass as bigger if we could slice both down the middle and inspect the volume better, both metrically and visually, but there are still some apples to oranges issues I'm seeing in the comparison itself, visual illusions that contribute to the perceived size difference.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    It's a bit hard to see much with any precision when looking at your pictures, @SkateWorksPNW. Your camera looks like it might be handheld because the floor line slants down to the left and you tend to put the smaller skate on the left. The skate on the right looks bigger in both cases, but in the True custom / True stock photo, it appears you might also be positioning the camera closer to the skates, which would make the scale different in the two shots.

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