stick9

Background - 5'9 165, medium to wide forefoot, narrow heel, flat arch, 8.5/9 street shoe. Recent Skates - Graf 703 & Reebok 8k (first gen, no pump). Fit: Size wise, I wish I could have gone down a quarter size. A size 7D was too small and there is a tiny bit of excess room in the 7.5D’s, which is what I went with. Out of the box (pre bake) they were a little clunky feeling. I had some issues with the factory install heel lifts, one felt fine the other felt like I was too high in the boot (removing them created the opposite effect). Not sure I would have bought them based on their out of box feel. It wasn’t bad, just nothing to get excited about. Once they were baked they felt like a different skate. No more clunky feeling and the issue with heel lifts was gone. The heel lock is nothing short of spectacular. Heel lock has always been hit or miss for me, so it was nice to feel it locked in place. Overall, the skate was comfortable and supportive. Only downer was how high of a cut this boot is. They felt fine just tooling around at public skating, but once I put my gear on I felt like the skate was restricting my forward lean. Correcting the issue was as simple as undoing the top eyelet. 9/10 Blade/Holder: I wasn’t sure if I’d like the Razor Bladz II holders or not. Coming from an E Pro I noticed it was a bit more lively. The LPS2 runner holds an edge very well. No complaints with either. 10/10 Weight: Hands down the lightest skate I have ever owned. So light, that I noticed the difference when skating in them. My feet did feel a little quicker. I’ve never weighed them, but IW lists the weight of a size 9D skate at 864.66 grams/1.90lbs. 10/10 Protection: OK, now the not so hot part. I’ve taken two “good” shots off the foot and I felt every bit. The first was a slapper to the outside mid foot area which left my limping for a week. The second was wrister to the inside just above and forward of the arch which stung and continued to sting throughout the night. I’m rather disappointed with this aspect of the skate. Reading the reviews of the S17 and other composite skates I thought they would be a bit more protective. 5/10 Durability: I’ve had the skate for just over a year and there are no signs of breakdown or unusual wear. The boot is still very stiff yet comfortable. All the seams and stitching are intact with no visible signs of wear. At close inspection I’ve noticed some rusting of the rivets and a slight tinge of rusty transfer on the tongue, nothing structural, just surface rust. 9/10 Intangibles: Bang for your buck. The S12 is essentially a tweaked down S17. Considering what the skate has to offer, I’d expect it to fall in $350-400 range. There are some pretty cool features like Stealth Padlock heel retention system, Bio-Dri™ microfiber liner, Dry Flow™ liner - Drainage system, Patent pending COIL™ technology for greater forward flexion and energy return, and Pro-style white felt tongue with flexible lace bite protection. Conclusion: I’m surprised the level of skate I got for $299. They are solid performers that won’t break you financially. Though I think the level of protection could be better, it’s not something I’m going to complain about. The Easton S12 is the perfect skate for someone looking for a higher end performing skate while sticking to a budget. No regrets buying this skate. Overall Rating: 8.6/10

Hejduksport MH600 Convex Proline visor set Helmet used - CCM 652 size medium. Fit: Not really a big deal since it’s a visor, but I did experience a few issues. I had to trim my earloops down to make room for the one piece spacers, nothing major, but still a pain. The visor is considerably thicker than the Itech I was previously using. This caused the helmet to bow a bit affecting the fit of the helmet. A quick readjustment and I was back in business. 8/10 Protection: Fortunately I’ve never had this put to the test. The Hejduksport visor is far more robust than the Itech Prowave I had been using. It’s thicker and much more solid. I can easily bend and flex the Itech. It took much more effort to bend the Hejduksport. That said I suspect it will be a bit more protective. It sits well and covers the areas it supposed. 9/10 Optics: I found the optic quality to be superb. No distortion or blurring at any angle. I expected a little on the sides, but nothing. I bought the kit so it came with some anti-fog spray. I haven’t had any issue with fogging. I’ll see if that continues as temps in the rinks start to drop. 10/10 Durability: I’ve been using it for about 5 months now and not so much as a scratch. I put small towel over it before placing it in my bag. Like with any other shield, I’d rather have it get scratched then have to get stitched up. 10/10 Intangibles: Without a doubt biggest intangible is bang for your buck. The MH600 visor kit was $59.99 which included the shield, a cleaning cloth and a good size bottle of anti-fog spray. A comparable shield from another manufacturer would have run me about the same and I don’t have to worry about what I am using to clean it. 10/10 Conclusion: I’ve been very pleased with the quality and performance of the Hejduksport visor and the price is hard to beat. If you’re looking for a new visor, give Hejduksport a try. Overall rating: 8.5/10 – Only thing holding me back from giving it a 9/10 is not having the protection aspect fully tested and the issues outlined in the Fit category.

Ack...no more Draper! The new stick graphics are pretty cool. Digging the Projekt gloves, wish they came in red.

I'd be interested in hearing peoples thoughts on the X:40.

Nice mitts JR...love the color scheme.

I've been looking at the S11 skate for 250 at my LHS, but the S12 is only 50 bucks more. Would it be worth it spend the extra money and get the S12's?

AustralianBear - very nice! The pinky stripe is a nice touch.

JR, you gotta post some pics of those bad boys. Looks to be a sweet set up.

The S9 skate and down look like Bauer knock offs.

The protective looks bulky.... I really like the Warrior Pro bag. The Syko bag is pretty cool too.

Did they swap the fit between the Vapor and Supreme gloves?

In comparison, I was thinking One75, Easton S11...maybe even the Vector 08. They seem to be in the price point we are talking.

I think it appeals to the people who want a high end skate but don't want to spend $600.

If I understand this correctly, the 09 X40 will be a completely different skate than the 08 version? It will end up being the new XXII or XVI price point skate with specs geared towards that price.

Kind of a two part question. If the X40 replaces the X25 with the X50 and X60 being new models. Will the X40 be re-branded to remove the Nike name? If so will we see NBH branded X40's on closeout?

Man, talk about building up the hype....

Didn't Bauer have some funky way of attaching a blade to a shaft? CooperAlls are another that come to mind.

Monty, sweet Mega 90's...nice find. I had a pair back in the day. One of my favorite pairs of skates.

Those Eastons are a thing of beauty. WTG Drew!

I notice the S11 has the elliptical taper, but not the TORX technology used in the S15. Anyone else find this odd?

Thanks, that looks about what I recall seeing MIA's for before. Still out of my ballpark.

Should we expect MIA type pricing for the Warrior/MIA gloves?

Ok, officially annoyed with their marketing... Love the new MIA gloves. Wish the syko wasn't their high end stick. That's their best paint job so far.

Goal was a thing of beauty. Haven't been able to see him play much, but the little I have has been impressive.

Yes, there will be a wood and composite XXXX blade along with the shaft. Correct me if I am wrong. The xxxx shaft taper is different then the OPS? I'm using the xxx-lite shaft now, any key difference between that and the xxxx? Can't wait to check out the Vapor protective.