stick9

No pics and a question. I'm looking at a strat style with a Floyd Rose. I have four options, a parts build, a Fender HSS Mexican, Charvel So Cal Pro Mod, Jackson SDX (Adrian Smith signature). I'd buying blind, no stores around me have any of these. The Fender would be the safest as I have played many Mexican strats. So, anyone have any first hand experience with any of these?

I'd rather sharpen my skates with a round file and steel wool than a Blademaster Flat Bottom.

I need more time on the 3/4 with the smaller channel. I was trying to adjust to some heel shims which I was fighting, so it's hard to give an accurate asessment. One thing and I don't know if it's the zChannel or the edge holders, but there is a humming sound when you stop at low speeds. If you opt to try it, start small. The grip is insane.

I switched from FBV to zChannel a few weeks ago. The guys at TSR recommended so I figured what the hell. I started off with 5/8th's ROH with a medium channel. I noticed way more bite than my usual FBV, more glide too. I still had more than enough grip and glide even when the blades 'felt' dull to the touch. Hoping to reduce the amount of bite, I went with a 3/4th's ROH and a smaller channel. I am hoping this will reduce the amount of bite, honestly, I didn't notice a difference. For me, first time out on a fresh zChannel is borderline too much bite. I do really like the glide and it doesn't seem to deteriorate over the life of the sharpening. But there is the cost and I do wonder what impact if any it has on the life of ones steel. I might be sold on it...I don't know. I haven't really exhausted all the options yet and I've only been on that second sharpening once.

CCM RBZ Size: 14” Player info: Height: 5’9” Weight: 165bs Position: Forward/Defense Previous equipment – Reebok 14k, Easton ST16, Nike V10 Length of use – 2x a week for 3 months Fit: The RBZ is anatomical low profile fitting pad. The pad offers the right amount of calf wrap without going overboard. CCM’s cross strapping system is a thing of beauty, it totally eliminates the need to tape. The knee cap sits nice and secure in the knee pocket without movement. I wear them over the tongues, without a problem. Though I have yet to try it, I believe they would work equally as well with the tongues out. 14’s fit true to size. 10/10 Protection – CCM’s U Foam offers a good deal of protection without adding bulk or weight. I’ve taken a few good ‘whacks’ to the leg and few hard spills and felt nothing. Padding along the sides of the knee cup could be a bit longer, especially on the outside edge. Easton’s ST16 is the most protective pad I have ever worn, I don’t think the RBZ is quite at that level, but it’s close and it’s lighter and less bulky. 8.5/10 Weight – Definitely one of the lightest pads I have ever worn, lighter than other pads I tried on. The big difference in the weight is that the pad doesn’t absorb a lot sweat and moisture, so it’s weight remains pretty consistent. 8.5/10 Durability – So far no issues,though I have started to wonder how long the Velcro on the pad will last before coming apart. I feel like I am pulling not only on the tab, but the base it fastens too. No signs of wear, but it’s an area I have keyed in on. With that in mind, I am scoring on the conservative side. 7.5/10 Intangibles – For me it has to be the fit and the strapping system. These are two things I wasn’t able to find in another pad, it’s what made the RBZ stand out from its competitors. The strapping system literally has no equal. It’s easily the most effective and comfortable system out there. However, it did come with a hefty price tag. It’s still a solid buy at $139, but one may wonder if the RBZ’s features warrant the bigger price tag. 9/10 Conclusion - Props to CCM here, they put out a solid piece of gear. The key features actually benefit the user every time it’s used. It offers high end protection without adding bulk or weight. It lacks a bit of curb appeal and it may not be the first pad you're drawn to, but if you’re looking for new shin guards you need to give it a serious look. Final score – 8.7

A bit extreme, don't ya think. It's not like you're sending your kids to Harvard off locker room sharpenings.

I got to chat at length with Russ about this project at WF. When we talked about concerns for home sharpening, he had a logical and sensible answer to all of them. Cool to see his idea in action.

Bauer IMS 11.0 Size: Small Player info: Height: 5’9” Weight: 165bs Position: Forward/Defense Previous Helmet: Bauer 7500 Size Medium Length of use – 3/4 months Fit: Helmets always seem to fit me certain areas, but not others. The IMS 11.0 was the first helmet to give me that whole head fit. The Comfort foam layer with PORON front band and the SEVEN tech TPU pods make for a nice comfortable fit. Adjustment system is a bit different than what I am used to, but it’s quick and easy. One thing to note, with most other helmets I wear a medium, I had to drop down to small. 10/10 Protection – The former Cascade M11 (aka Messier Project) with its Patented Seven TechnologyTM impact attenuation liner system, ProFit 2TM system 15 point micro adjustment and solid one piece shell has all the talking points but who really knows. I hope I never find out either. N/A Weight – On par with my previous helmet. In fact, looking at the listed weights is 54 grams heavier than the 7500. I don’t notice it, but I am not blown away by how light it is. 9/10 Durability – No issues so far, things have held up well. However, removing the shield after a few months of use to mount a Bauer titanium cage was a painful experience. Hardware to mount the J-Clips is hard to get to, and almost impossible to hold if it’s rusted. 7/10 Intangibles –The combination of comfort and fit make it a solid choice. But on the down side, it doesn’t breath all that well. If you’re a cage wearer save yourself the trouble and buy the combo. 7/10 Conclusion - I am really happy with it. Would I recommend it to a friend, absolutely…in fact I already have. During WF I told dkmiller to try one on, he did and ended up buying two. Final score – 8.25/10

CCM Tacks Flex: 75 Pattern: P19 Nugent-Hopkins Height: 5’9” Weight: 165bs Position: Forward/Defense Past Sticks: Easton Mako (first gen), Reebok RibCor, Bauer X:60, Miken ZL. Some background: I demo’d the stick at SummerJam 6 in Philly and immediately fell in love with it, so much so that I went out two days later and bought one. I also demo’d the Bauer MX3 and CCM Superfast at SummerJam, and while both were nice I kept going back to the Tacks, something about it just worked. Graphics I prefer simple and understated when it comes to graphics. CCM did a decent job of adding some nice pop to the look while keeping the overall design clean and simple. I especially like the outline logo at the bottom of the shaft. 8/10 Weight, Balance, Overall Feel Bravo CCM… The weight and balance impressed me right off the bat. Anyone can make a light stick, but to make a stick that’s lightweight and also very well balanced now that’s the trick. Something about the way it plays, it just feels natural to me. When I hand this around, people always comment on how light it is and how good it feels. 10/10 Blade The blade has really good puck feel. Until now, I thought the original Mako’s had the best puck feel. The Tacks blade is equal, if not better than that. I found the Mako blades tend to soften up and had a tendency to split at the toe. So far neither of those things happening with this stick. Those hard passes don’t bounce around when they make contact. Nice offering of patterns too. As a diehard Sakic/Hall user, the Nugent-Hopkins looked a little shallow to me and not quite as open. Switching between the two was seamless. 8/10 Shaft/Flex The Tacks is a mid-point kick stick. I have always been a low-kick person, but this stick changed my mind. I have tried others in the past, just never found something I really liked. If you are a low-kick person, don’t totally swear it off. The shaft has some texture to it but it’s covered up with a pretty thick grip coating. I myself would rather not have a grip coating, but so far CCM has yet to offer that option. So it’s grip or nothing (psst CCM texture grip please). The flex seems to true to its rating compared with its competitors. No signs of it softening up or breaking down after three months of use. 8/10 Stick handling, Passing and Shooting This along with the weight and balance is what made me fall in love with this stick. Slappers and wristers leave this stick with substantial pop. I even heard a goalie say “whoa” after I put one up over his shoulder. Really good puck feel, plenty of pop…what more can I say…. 10/10 Durability So far, so good. No real signs of major wear. No splitting or cracking on the blade and both the shaft and blade have not softened up. There is the usual nicks and scuffs, but nothing to be concerned about. Honestly, durability or lack thereof, was my biggest fear when purchasing the stick. CCM doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to sticks. We all remember that infamous night where Ovechkin broke all those sticks. That sort of stuck with me and was even in the back of my mind when I bought it. I knew I loved the performance, but how was it going to hold up… I really need to hand to CCM on this one, everything I expected and so much more. I can’t give it more than an 8/10 at this time. It’s held up well, but it’s somewhat early in its life. 8/10 Overall I really love the stick and can’t say enough about it. Though I would prefer a textured grip and maybe white instead of black but that’s the small stuff. I fully intend to buy another and to continue playing with these sticks. I’ve already recommended it to friends and people I skate with. Overall Score 8.66/10

Put my hands on the 4.5, 5.2 & 6.0 this morning. Very sleek looking sticks. Very light across the entire range. The balance was better in the higher end models, the 4.5 felt a smidge blade heavy, but nothing too drastic. If SJ wasn't next weekend I would have have left with one. The only thing that slightly annoyed me was their pattern chart. I play with a Sakic/Hall, True lists that as a TC3 but look wise it seems closer to the TC2.

Saw this as it broke earlier but held off on posting. Great opportunity for David to play with some highly skilled forwards. Could be good for both David and the Oil.

Reebok 9K pant (2011) Sz Med. Background – 5'10 175 C-Level Forward (occasional Defensemen). Recent Pants - Mission Fuel-110’s, Vic 750’s (not sure about the model, but great pant). Fit –The fit was definitely different than anything I have used in the past, but not in a bad way. They were more fitted, like a slim fit pair of jeans. First time out, it felt like the kidney pads didn’t extend up high enough to cover the key areas. Next time out I decided to try unzipping the length extender under the belt. That pretty much did the trick. There is a slight issue with the belly pad. Once you cinch up the belt it just bends and flops over. Not so much a big deal, but I’d prefer it stay in place. Overall, the fit is snug, but not restrictive or bulky. They are comfortable first time out, no need for any sort of break-in. 8.5/10 Protection – Protection was the main draw to this pant. I like a well-protected pant, but I don’t want to lose any mobility in the process. The 9k is a very good mix. The tailbone, hip and kidney areas are well protected. No large gaps between sections or overlaps making them bulky. The thigh area are two-piece and rock solid, plenty of protection here. Foam pads on the back of the legs is always a plus. The floating spine protector is a nice feature, but may take a little getting used to. You can feel it against your back when you stand upright. I’ve taken a few hits and a couple of spills, didn’t feel a thing. 10/10 Weight – I think the weight is fairly reasonable given the level of protection you get. They aren’t super light, but not heavy enough to where you notice them. Also, no noticeable increase in weight after playing. 8.5/10 Durability – After four months of use, so far so good. No noticeable signs of wear and all stitching is intact. Reebok uses a 420D nylon shell with abrasion resistant areas to increase the durability of this pant. You’ll notice the heavy wear areas are covered with much more robust material. Overall the 9K looks like a quality made piece of equipment. 8/10 Intangibles – Comfort and mobility with a high level of protection. A simple no fuss single belt system keeps them in place, however and second belt would solve the belly pad issue. Heavy duty leg zippers with Velcro flaps at the bottom allows you to open things up a bit but also keeps the zippers out of the when zipped. Lots of stretch fabricate for mobility and no silly laces to mess with. Conclusion – I was never really a Reebok guy. I’ve overlooked their gear many times because I didn’t like the look/styling or it simply didn’t fit right. That said, these pants have definitely changed my view on Reebok gear. I like the sample styling and clean lines. The fit is exactly what I want in from a pant and the protection is top notch. Overall, solid pant at a decent price. I would buy again and would recommend to a friend. Overall 8.75/10

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.

More than willing to pay for a bake job, no problem there at all. No way in hell I pay 15 bucks for a sharpening. It wasn't about the fee (I can't be anymore clear on that). It was the flat out refusal to do the work is what cost shop B our business. This is a well known ski shop that does tuning all day long. This wasn't a first time set up, this was strictly a tune up (hot wax, edge grind and tweak the bindings as they were popping off a little too easy).

You should never assume. He was more than willing to pay for the service. He wasn't looking for a discount or some kind of special deal. He just want to have his skis tuned up before heading out for the weekend. Look, I'm all for supporting the local shops. However, the day a shop refuses service or decides to charge me more than the going rate will be the last time I do business with that shop. That's all there is to it.

Quick story. A buddy of mine bought some skis from shop A. He brought them to shop B to have the bindings adjusted and the edges done (shop B close to home and trusted we their techs). The owner of shop B wouldn't do it and told him to bring the stuff back to shop A. Neither me or my buddy purchased anything from shop B again. Shop B lost thousands of dollars in business over $50 in tech work. So it's not that I don't understand it, it's I don't think it makes very much business sense. I didn't buy the skates there, so what. I'm in your shop now looking to do business. If you're gonna turn me away or charge me triple, I'll probably never shop there again. So not only did you lose out on the skate purchase, you're gonna lose out on the stick purchase, the glove purchase, monthly sharpens, ect.. ect.. Imagine if auto dealers did this with repairs and service, you'd be looking at a $100 oil change. Hey if you bought the car from them it would have been free. When it comes to baking I understand the charge. It's time consuming and it's part of the fitting process.

So if I buy skates at another shop and don't have them sharpened (maybe the wait was too long or the guy who does it was out or just plain sucks) your shop will charge me $15? Incentive...sounds more like a requirement if you ask me. What if I already know what I need and I don't have them baked or sharpened, do I $45 bucks off?

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.