stick9

Golly Gee, thanks for explaining it to me. Here I thought I was going waste a bunch of time commenting on a bunch of stuff I knew nothing about..................

Looks like a 100k Pro...

So I'll be the one who asks... I'm a Sparx owner. What's the benefit to me as a player to go back to a manual sharpening? Not the smoothness and all that blah blah blah. I want someone to tell me the actual on ice benefits gained by going back to having some rando sharpen my skates... I work in product development engineering. Part of my job is doing competitive eval. Measurements are only a portion of the procedure. Once a product is measured. I set them up in a blind A/B, equal environments and situations. Then we bring in people to experience the products and track their feedback. It's 100% about the users feedback. Just because you can measure something doesn't mean you can experience it. If I were doing these tests. I would have given 50 users two sets of steel. One set with a Blackstone hollow (no sauce), the other a Sparx. Same steel, same hollow, same profile...ie completely blind. This was not the case here. I find the entire discussion irrelevant and the data to be incomplete.

No, it's not. A true comparison would be the Blackstone without the fine shine. Or a Sparx with a final pass by hand using the fine shine. It's beyond silly to argue otherwise. End of story.

To add. Of you read thru the site. I think you'll find that no one has ever said a Sparx sharpening is better than a really really good hand sharpening. It is however far more consistent and convenient. I was a Blackstone customer for years and currently own a Sparx. I have never once had a bad sharpening on my Sparx, never. I have however received uneven edges, incorrect hollows, burnt edges and ruined profiles from some very highly regarded hand sharpeners. TBH, I think the market has spoken.

Not a legit A/B IMO. We compared a traditional Sparks Machine home sharpener, to a Blackstone Sharpening using a yellow wheel and fine shine oil for it's final pass.

Haven't we done this before.... Needless to say, I disagree.

Wouldn't swapping the holders out be the best and most logical solution?

This area here. It should be on the outside of the elbow cap as shown in the very first pic in the thread.

The UltraSonics do the same thing. It's really annoying. I thought about warming the area up with like a heating pad and bending it outward.

I struggled with contacts at first too. I remember fighting with one for almost a half hour one night. It can be frustrating at first. Stick with it. It gets much easier once you get the hang of it.

A little late but... I've gone as far as to pack all my clothes and gear in my hockey bag and stayed below the 50lb limit, 47 IIRC. I put my clothes in air tight travel bags to keep them from smelling like hockey gear. The most important bit. Your bag and sticks are considered one item. Don't let them charge you extra for the sticks. It's outlined in their checked bag policy under sports equipment.

After wearing them a few times. I'm kinda meh. I can and will continue to use them. They are protective, comfortable and look well made. They're kind of bulky though and I really don't care for the extended bicep guard. It feels like it's in the way when I strap them how I like. The quest continues.

Only took em what, three years to react. Better late then never I guess. I wonder if it's a true Benn Pro or something closer to what CCM and True are doing...which are pretty close. Knowing Bauer it's probably completely different lol.

Actual use. Most recently but not excluded to, my FT3's lasted no longer than my FT5 Pro's. I also use top tier sticks but I don't pay retail for them. $340 for a stick is just absurd. Especially when you can find pro stocks for a little more than half that. Now, when it comes to pro stocks, they never feel the same as their retail counter part. I've experienced this from CCM, Warrior & Bauer. So if the other part of your comment was true, they would feel and perform the same, no?? I'm not talking with reps or customers who broke their stick on day 29. I'm talking about actual on ice usage from the same player playing in the same groups and leagues.

I don't know if I fully buy in on "lower tier sticks are more durable". That hasn't been my experience. I definitely don't buy in on "top tier sticks are made for people who don't pay for sticks". People who don't pay for sticks, aka pros, generally don't use off the rack retail twigs. While the cost of breaking sticks doesn't affect them, breaking sticks during play does and that's far more costly than the price of the stick itself. Ovie's infamous 8 stick game and the WJC OT game quickly come to mind.

Looks like a real Easton Sakic.

Got the UltraSonics yesterday. Overall not bad. I really like how my elbow sits the cap vs my Tacks. More emphasis on padding in the Bauers. Hopefully I don't need to test em. Elbow is still 20 shades green and yellow.

I got a bit of the pointy elbow syndrome going on. When my arm is bent, the point of my elbow can touch the exposed D30 in the elbow cup of my Ultra Tacks. Which is why I didn't just upgrade to the ASV's. After some suggestions here and much online research. I ended up grabbing some UltraSonics on closeout directly from Bauer. If they don't work out I can return them or flip em on sideline. If that happens. I'll be on the lookout for some Warriors or maybe I'll revisit the Mach's or M5 Pro's.

@xstartxtodayx Dang, that was data dump. Thanks! I tried the FT4 pros when they came out. I didn't really care for the fit and they seemed short to me. I figure the FT6 is built upon that so I've kind of crossed that off my list. The new Tacks stuff is just an evolution of what I already have, so that's a no go. I tried the new Mach and M5 elbows yesterday. Neither really wowed me but I did notice you point about the cap design. I might try an UltraSonic. Bauer has them on closeout for $112. If I don't like them I can always return them or flip em Sideline. @noupf It's funny you mention warrior. I have wanted to try their protective for so long now its not even funny. Too bad I never get to see them in a store.

Looking for some input on what people find to be the most protective elbow pad available. I'm currently wearing some Ultra Tacks and while they are a decent pad, I find the point of my elbow sits too deep in the pocket. A spill or bump against the boards will bruise my elbow up pretty good. Also, any input on CCM's U+ Pro pads would be appreciated.

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.

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.

Meh, not sure I agree completely. I find the Benn pro, pro-stock CCM P90T and the retail CCM P90tm almost indistinguishable. There are however some subtle differences. The lie on most Benn pros and pro-stock p90t's is usually a 6 where as the 90tm retail is a 5 or 5.5, I forget. The blade on the Benn and 90t is also a slight bit shorter than a retail 90tm. I think the retail CCM P90tm has evolved slightly since being introduced. At some point between the FT3 and FT5 they tweaked the lie and moved the kink in the toe back. They still feel and play the same. I only noticed it because when I cut my first FT5 to the length of my ft3's it played short to me. I added a 1/4 inch and it was fine. If you like a good mystery, dive into the Benn pro world. 😁

I've been in 100k's since right about when they launched. Whats that, almost three years?? Anyway, I play 2-3 times a week year round. I have had zero issues with the boot or the holder. The only issue I've experienced was a broken runner which was under warranty and quickly replaced. I saw that pic too. I think it was just one of those things.