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flip12

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Posts posted by flip12

  2. Posted · Report reply

    2 hours ago, Cavs019 said:

    I am a lifetime Vapor guy who recently switched to fit 1 Machs and the eyelet mechanism differences are reason enough to choose one model vs the other. In my experience:

    - Traditional Mach eyelets: easier to tie, wrap around my foot better after baking, flex better. 
    - Vapor injected system: stiff, doesn’t wrap that well, shreds laces, feels weird and inhibits forward flex. 

    YMMV. You can dial in pitch differences et al with a good profile, lifts, etc. My prior Vapors were custom with traditional eyelets but I’m assuming you’re looking at off the rack here. I don’t feel MOAR POWER or LESS AGILE vs my old Vapors but the Machs certainly fit great which helps me maximize what I have as far as skating ability. I also will take an all black skate over the abominations that are the new Vapor designs any day of the week. 

    New Vapor designs have often been refreshes lately anyway: HyperShite: Mission Pure L7, X: Mission Fly Weight inverted, and so on.

  3. Posted · Report reply

    43 minutes ago, start_today said:

    Hespeller had an offset blade. It didn’t have as many curves and joints, it just jotted “back” and inch so the puck and blade were behind the shaft. 

    It was like 20 years ahead of its time, considering modern shooting techniques that are all about getting your hands in front of the puck.

    The marketing of shooting that way is fairly recent. Shooting that way is not.

  7. Posted · Report reply

    24 minutes ago, 218hockey said:

    I don't get this business. It's based on people wanting an oddball curve? And these aren't CCM or Bauer products?

    I sense a slant here 😛

    But seriously, the price is right even if you're only after a standard curve, especially living in Europe. I'm very happy with a 425g stick. If it's durable, that's plenty light.

    What really has me tempted isn't going away from P28 to one of his two dozen P28 variants (though I'd prefer that curve or S. Niedermayer's softened version of it on an E4 blade shape, but I'm not about to spring for a custom mold), it's that I can get a whole bunch of shaft options that aren't available off the shelf for less than what it costs for a second tier stick at an LHS in Denmark. Shaft shape, finish, texture, and flex might actually be more important to me than curve. If the balance is right, the curve pretty much falls in line for me.

    • Like 1

  8. Posted · Report reply

    On 6/25/2023 at 7:36 PM, birky said:

    Pro stock Warrior Alpha LX2 Pro, dressed as Covert QR5 Pro. Really like the black & white scheme here, and the [basketball?] grip is really nice. Curve looks to be somewhere in between a P88 and P46, possibly? Has more heel and a deeper pocket than the P88, and a tad more open throughout the blade, but not as deep as a W71 or P46 (from what I remember).

    20230625_132710.jpg

    20230625_132010.jpg

    20230625_132645.jpg

    20230625_131204.jpg

    Looks like a P46. What about the blade face?

  9. Posted · Report reply

    9 minutes ago, Sniper9 said:

    How low tier are you talking about.

     

    9 hours ago, Jbear said:

    Top-tier sticks are made for players that don't have to buy sticks. Weight and performance are IT!  Durability is waaaay down the list of priorities. If durability is the primary concern...drop a level or two down from top models.  They'll weigh a bit more but last a whole lot longer. 

     

    4 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

    I actually don't agree.  Ops' are way more durable than the days of the Bauer vapor xx lite and Easton synergies…

     

  10. Posted · Report reply

    16 hours ago, mojo122 said:

    Looks like True is marketing the HZRDUS skate for power and the Catalyst for agility.  Appears as if they are following Bauer and CCM.  If Bauer was worried about True they could just release an updated version of the Easton Mako.  If D'Cosi ever materializes it will be interesting to see how that affects True.

    But both HZRDUS and Catalyst are the same last, so the same fit, from what I’ve come across: two widths instead of three different last volumes for each size. Beyond that they point to their custom offerings.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    59 minutes ago, stick9 said:

    How do know CCM and Bauer are reacting to True and not just following their intend development path? Usually reactions to competition is an obvious change to either the products themselves or how they go about marketing them. I see CCM and Bauer slowly building on what they've been doing over the past decade.

    In reality. True is reacting to CCM and Bauer hoping to gain market share. Multiple skate lines with multi fit options, propitiatory holders and steel and branching out into protective. That's exactly what Bauer and CCM have been doing and have done so since True entered the room.

    There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a niche company/brand/product. In some cases allows you to better focus on your costumers wants rather than doing things that appeal to the masses.

    How do you know True is reacting to CCM and Bauer and not just following their own path?

    What fit options does True have?

    "There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a niche company/brand/product. In some cases allows you to better focus on your costumers wants rather than doing things that appeal to the masses." The only difference I see in your comparison is the niche market is smaller, so that's the market base sustaining the c/b/p, whereas the non-niche c/b/p has the masses as their market base--both are doing the same thing, just at a different scale.

  12. Posted · Report reply

    6 hours ago, stick9 said:

    When you compare total sales to Bauer or CCM, it's a niche skate. Some would argue CCM is a niche skate when compared to Bauer.

    Let’s look at some data. They’re trending up. Bauer and CCM are doing a lot to try and recover any ground gained by True with each release. To me that says a lot about niche status as well. Do the big players take notice of what you’re doing and make adjustments? Then you’re not niche. I would argue.

    • Like 2

  14. Posted · Report reply

    5 hours ago, Westside said:

    I was trying to come up with a clever, click baity title, but just went with the obvious to the questions I’m about to ask. After taking a break from playing after high school/college, I got back into hockey wearing Bauer skates; the last of which being 2017 X900s which I enjoyed. When the True TF9 was released in 2020 I tried out a pair for roller and then subsequently ice. Those skates were like a revelation to my feet. I don’t have abnormally shaped feet apart from my left foot being 1/8-1/4 longer than my left. Still, how well the skates wrapped my foot, how connected to the ice I felt, and how much my outside edge retention improved I became a true True convert and believer. 

    I used the TF9s year-round since getting them until one of the heels cracked. I then upgraded to a pair of Cat Pros which I’ve been using for the last couple of months. While I have no need or reason to get another pair of skates, I got a deal I couldn’t pass up on CCM FT6 Pros and after seeing initial highlights on the skates, I was really interested to try them out. Since I have experienced cracked carbon with True skates, I was contemplating switching to something more durable. 

    FT6 Pros arrived, and while they already come with the ‘game ready fit’ that is supposed to wrap the facing of the skate around your foot better, I baked them the same way I do my Trues with how I apply pressure to the facing and how I wrap the ankle area to create a tighter wrap around my entire foot. Skates fit like a glove and were really comfortable in the house. Toes brush the cap, no heel lift, can’t wiggle my foot in the boot, just pass the pencil test, and everything fits the way it should.

    So here’s where the issues start to arrise. I take them out for their inaugural skate using the same Super Feet I use in Trues and the same Step Blacksteel I use on the Trues (they have XS holders mounted). Getting onto the ice, my ankles feel wobbly as hell as if I didn’t lace the skates! With Trues, I barely have to tighten them because of how well they wrap my foot and can drop 1-2 eyelets and still keep them loose just fine. I didn’t leave the FT6s loose, but didn’t crank them either. So I get off the ice, and start to crank the laces pretty hard bottom to top to ensure the boot is pretty damn snug. They felt *better*, but no where near as good as the Trues. 

    Then there was issues with the steel. I’ve been using primarily 9/16, but sometimes 5/8, for the last 6-7 years at this point. Never had an issue with bite regardless if I was on Bauers or Trues. I felt like I had zero bite on the FT6s. I also didn’t feel like I could get out over my outside edges in the way I’ve come to get used to with Trues. 

    My current plan is to rebake the skates and try to tighten the wrap more (if it’s even possible) and maybe try getting a 1/2 sharpen on a pair of steel to see if that fixes the bite issue. 

     

    TLDR; I’m just wondering, has anyone else skated in True and then moved onto another skate? Did you find a learning curve to get used to it? Any suggestions on what might help any of the above issues? It’s been a few years since I’ve skated in anything other than True, but I used to not have any problems moving from one skate to the next whenever I wanted. It’d be a bummer if I’m totally ruined by skating in True skates. Hah! 

    Well, Dave Cruikshank says D’cosi should be ready for release next year, so there looks to be some more direct competition with True on the hazy horizon.

    There are others here more familiar with all the latest boots, but my impression is True is cut lower so they encourage wrapping the upper cuff close to provide the stability other brands achieve by making the boots taller. But when the boots are taller the degree to which they would impinge on ankle ROM  goes up too, so they pad like mad around the malleoli (protruding parts of the ankle) and then thin out, carving out a funnel of space for ankle ROM to compensate. Older boots used to crease/collapse so as to overcome the funnel, but the current demand from many players is this strange combo of committing to the wrap but not really.

    I think the next five to ten years could change all of that, to a greater degree than even 703, Vapor 8, one90, or SVH boots did at points over the last 30 years.

  17. Posted · Edited by flip12 · Report reply

    On another note, is it possible to find the extension plugs with foam filling?

    Adding 50g of mass at the end of my HyperLite makes it play much better for me. I did it with a wood plug that worked out perfectly, but it’s opened up my curiosity about what’s out there.

    Edit: I have a retail 4” Vapor end plug that with a void all the way through. It weighs 22g.

  18. Posted · Report reply

    If I remember it, Holmes says it was his custom pattern with Sher-Wood; Sakic says his was a weekend where they flew the big name players in and had them make their own patterns for fun, and he made that one.

    I could see Sakic thinking he made something they used, when in reality it came from somewhere else. Holmes would have that insider angle but looking at the legal situation surrounding his transition over to Warrior, it might be worth seasoning his statements with an appropriate amount of skepticism.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    9 hours ago, Neo5370 said:

    Super interesting interview with one of the creators.  This guys channel is pretty awesome too. He does quick and to the point reviews of old shafts and sticks. From what I can tell he's a former pro and he has seemingly an encyclopedic knowledge and a HUGE collection. 

    https://youtu.be/qqvJNKOyA3E

    https://youtu.be/s4gHwEnaTro

    Good listen. Interesting Holmes takes credit for creating the Sakic pattern. Sakic says he made it.

    • Like 1

  22. Posted · Report reply

    If you go to https://grafhockey.com/downloads and click on Graf Hockey Workbook 2020/21, page 4 has a teaser on custom orders. (Google Translate converted the German...)

    Quote

    https://grafhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GRAF_HOCKEY_WB_202021_low.pdf

    FIT COMES FIRST SPECIAL ORDER

    That's our goal because with better skates you can accelerate faster, brake harder, turn tighter and train longer. A GRAF extra production is worthwhile for players who want a custom-fit ice skate or who have problems with ice skates from the trade.
    These skates are manufactured and processed exclusively in Switzerland.

    Some of our options:
    ONLY BOOTS, ALTERED BLADES
    SPECIAL WIDTH, SKATES ACCORDING
    TO TRACES, HEAT MOLDING
    EXTRA-STIFF/SOFT, SPECIAL TONGUES, MATERIAL ADDITION/ CHANGING
    REACTIVATION OF OUTDATED MODELS, SOLE PARTS OF OTHER MODELS
    DIFFERENT SIZES L/R, HEEL PADDING AND MANY MORE
    Many professionals count on the quality of GRAF custom-made products,
    improve your performance too!
    Ask your GRAF dealer or send us an email to support@grafskates.ch

    Don't know if that's still current or a forgotten link or what, considering the date on the catalog.

    • Like 1

  23. Posted · Edited by flip12 · Report reply

    19 minutes ago, start_today said:

    Wasn’t the e36 just a p88 clone with a bunch of fancy marketing jargon to convince people it was something new and exciting? 

    Not quite. Scott Bjugstad took credit for making it. It’s basically a P92 curve with a touch of toe curve. The face is PM9 with a shaved mid-toe rocker.

    It’s a nice curve. I just wish its toe pocket were bigger than its heel pocket. It shoots out so much already on its heel curve that it can get in the way.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    4 hours ago, Scotty said:

    Preface: I'm a lifelong PM9 user and working on switching to something with slightly more curve, so I've tried PRO's Panarin/1910, Barkov/1616, and now the Backstrom/019. I really enjoy the dead straight section with essentially no loft on the first portion of the Barkov, but the mid-toe curve and slight twist to initiate the degree of loft has made for what feels like a smaller sweet spot to shoot from. I'm used to shooting off the mid-toe portion of the blade, but there's been a learning curve. Given the smaller amount of loft than the P92 you're used to, that smaller shooting pocket and heavy rocker on the bottom may be giving you issues. Whereas the P92 is a consistent transition both in terms of curve and degree of loft, the Barkov almost has a distinct spot where the blade bends in comparison.

    I would love a PM9 blade face with Barkov's curve. I'm tempted by the Barkov. It might be close enough to perfect for me.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    On 5/18/2023 at 5:51 PM, VegasHockey said:

    What's funny is when I first saw the FT6P all the rep talked about was the addition of the facing allowing more forward flex and wrap on the foot. He was super excited about it. 

    Some feedback:

    The addition of the eyelet facings provide a nice amount of forward flex and foot wrap. I don't know how they measure the stiffness index specifically, but the skate feel the same as the FT4P and does not feel as stiff as the AS5P. This leads me to believe the stiffness index is actually 195 and not 215. The new modifications to the boot make it feel like V2 of the 100K if you were testing it blindfolded.

    Small additions, like the asymmetrical neck of the boot and revised foams, are enjoyable.

    The new boot last is interesting. In current retail models, I have always fit a regular boot, but it was a tight fit. In the FT6P I had to go with a tapered fit as the boot is very much cut like a V. The regular and wide boot feels huge on my feet with too much depth and width. This might be helpful for those with wider or more voluminous feet. 

    Also, the added weight is noticeable if you are coming from a FT1/FT2/FT4P. I assume the changes to the revised shell and padding are responsible for the increased weight. It was immediately noticeable when I first got on the ice, but after a few skates I was able to adjust. 

    Disclaimer: I have the pre-release model, so it is very possible that changes could have been made in the retail production model. 

     

    How does the facing allow more forward flex and wrap?

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