B-Nads

Well, since no one seems to have anything to say about it, I`ll pipe in. Profile - 6`3, 230, defense \ winger The only aspects of a blade I care about are their handling & feel, shooting, durability, and price. PRICE - you get what you pay for. This is a cheap blade, but there are better options out there for the same money. Considering mine didn`t last as long as some wood blades I`ve tried, I`d have to say buy a couple good wooden blades instead and get the feel. 5 HANDLING AND FEEL - transmitted little feel other than a twisting on shots. Very clunky when stick-handling, and lots of vibration on receiving passes. 4 SHOOTING - felt ok on the first few slapshots, but got flexible very quickly. Wristers were k, but snapshots and slapshots got wild and inconsistant. 4 DURABILITY - Horrible - broke the first night I brought it on the ice. Luckily enough, the store owner let me take somethign else in a warranty return instead of taking another 6k. 1 Overall, I wish all the teams we play against wetre using this blade - lol. Seriously, not worth the money, and I would not recommend it.

Updates here too: Helmet - Black Bauer 5500 Visor - Yellow Straight Cut Oakley Shoulders 1 - Sherwood 5030 Classic (rock these in beer league) Shoulders 2 - TPS BBA LP (attire for my chippier industrial league) Elbow - Nike V-14 (biceps coverage removed) Pants - Itech HP6600 Shins - DR HG88 Skates - RBK 7k Pump Gloves - Just swapped the Eagle X-70's for a pair of TPS R8 Pro Lites Sticks - Ballistik 45 Caliber 90MC, Warrior AK27 Pro Stock 260 on the way with a H. Sedin Jofa 8850 blade to put in. Upcoming changes: * RBK 6k helmet * Oakley Full-Face Combo * Vector 6.0 Elbows

Skates - RBK 7K Pump Problem - these skates fit my forefoot well, but are extremely wide in the ankle, which led to a poor heel lock and an overall sloppy feel in the skates. Because my heel would shift, especially on crossovers, I would end up with the skates off center on my foot, which would play hell with my skating. Greys - at the suggestion of a fellow boarder, I picked up a pair of the grey Superfeet and a pair of Oxy Socks (I had been using UA's, which are very thin and slippery). Putting these in made all the difference in the world. They keep the skate locked in place on my foot and make it feel like I am in complete control of my skates, and in direct contact with my edges. Without the inserts, I had to lace up my top eyelet - with these in, I can go back to skipping it. The only negative comment I can make on these inserts is that they decrease the volume of the boot. This is tough for me, because I am really pushing the envelope as far as the depth of these skates is concerned. The first 20 minutes or so in these left my forefeet in terrible pain, as there was a great deal of pressure. After loosening the skates a little and tightening them again later the pain subsided. (I was told by the pro at the LHS that this was likely to happen, and would continue until the soles break in and compress a little). Verdict - a great product. These insoles saved me the cost of a new pair of skates, as they allowed me to fine-tune the one problem area I have with an otherwise good fitting skate. Considering the difference between the $300 I paid for the skates and the $34 I paid for the soles, I would easily rate the value a 10 on 10, and would highly recommend them.

Profile: 6'3, 235, power-forward. Agressive skater, straight lines and power turns - not much dancing around. Background: I have gone through 5 pairs of skates in the past 4 seasons. Although they were a tad narrow, I did enjoy the Mission L series. The Vectors I had broke down really quickly, and the fit was not right for me anyway. I thought I had found skate heaven in my 8090's, but I ended up trying to punch and force a pair of 9's to accommodate my foot - not to be. The latest episode - RKB 7k Pumps. Weight: When I bought these skates, I was between them and the 972 SMU Tacks (the white ones). The 7k's were noticably lighter than the Tacks, so I elected to go that route. That is not to say, by any means, that these are a light skate. Fot the $$$, they are not much heavier than their big brother, the 9k, but lifting them compared to my old 8090's shows a pretty obvious weight discrepancy - the Bauers also seemed to shed the weight of sweat better, as I barely noticed a difference in their weight at the end of a game, while the RBK'S feel much heavier when getting off the gear. That being said, they are not overly heavy, and can be adjusted to pretty quickly. 8/10 Protection: I would rate the protection on these skates very highly. They are tank-like on the side panels, and the toe-cap deflects impacts well enough that only direct shots really give too much of a shock. The ankle support in this skate is excellent. Were I a player who wore my shin pads inside or above the tongue I would have some serious misgivings about the thickness and padding in the tongue itself, but I wear my shins over the tongue, so it is of little concern. 9/10 Fit: Word is RBK built these on the Tacks last. I would agree with that except where the heel is concerned. The Pro Tacks I tried on were a perfect fit in the ankle area. I would imagine this is done to accommodate the expansion of the ankle area in the skate from pumping the air bladders, but the heel and ankle of this boot is significantly wider than that of a Tack. This caused some problems for me recently, but they were easily solved. I had never been one to lace up my top eyelets in my skates. In these, however, lacing all the way up and putting waxed laces in to give me pressure where I want it has made such a dramatic improvement that I barely even use the pumps anymore. My foot dimensions are wide at the forefoot, medium arch, high bridge, and a fairly narrow ankle. Now that I have solved the pronation problem in the heel, these fit me almost perfectly. I won't give a numeric value to the fit, as a skate is a very individual thing. These fit me well enough that I did not get them baked. Performance: These skates are very good for what I need. My game is not based on agility or finesse - I power in and out of corners, lock down in front of the net, and race straight lines to back-check. That is not to say these skates are not good for those other things, as one young gentleman by the name of Crosby seems to prove with ease, although a profile with a shorter radius than the stock 11 foot would help in that area. These skates also appear to have a reasonable amount of forward pitch. The holder is the normal, neutrally pitched E-Pro, but the boot itself has a toe bias - the stock set-up of these skates feels very similar to my Vectors after I had 3mm heel lifts done. The customer rep at RBK confirmed that they are, in fact, more forward pitched than the Tack line. These skates are very stable, and promote a good knee-bend. If you are in the right size, you should not get any issues with bottoming out. The only skates I ever did this in were a pair that were a size too large. 9/10 Durability: I have about 8 games and 15 outings on these skates now, and there are no noticable issues with them to this point. At the beginning I was fairly concerned with what I thought to be a leak in the air bladders. After contacting RBK about this, I was informed that the initial break-in period would see the expansion of the lining in the boot, and that might make it appear as though there was less air in the bladders. I was told to come back with the skates if this persisted beyond a couple weeks. That appears to have been the case, as I have had no such issues since. The silver RBK logo on the side panels seems to be the only area that shows any abuse, as pucks scuff it up pretty easily, but I would be content to have them all black anyway, as I prefer a traditional, black skate. There are a couple tiny cracks in the material where the achilles guard begins, but that is not a major problem - it is mostly on the left skate, which I usually stretch in some strange positions during warm-up due to an injury, so that is my own fault. The key for me is ankle stiffness, as I am a heavy, tall player, with a history of ankle injuries. So far, I have noticed no discernable decrease in the stiffness of the akles on this boot. 9.5\10 Value: At the moment, local shops are selling these for $549 CAD. That, especially considering they have the 9k Pump on sale for $499, is insane. I paid $300 to a fellow boarder for these earlier this fall. I considered that to be a decent price at the time, although I could probably pick up 9k's at that price now. Considering my Vector 6.0's cost me $300 and taxes, I would say $300 for these is a pretty good value. At release, they were $150 less than the 9k's in these parts. Considering the only real advantage the 9k'S hold over these is a slight weight difference and the option to go with white trim, which I would not opt for anyway, I'd say the value is high. 8.5/10 Overall: I think this is a very solid pair of skates. If you have a Tacks foot, and they are an option at the same price, I'd personally opt for Pro Tacks. If you need the Pump system to give you that extra little bit of lock, then I would recommend these, but only if you can get them significantly cheaper than the 9k's, which are coming down to a more reasonable price lately. The skates feel very solid on my feet, I am not afraid of taking shots in the foot, and they accellerate and corner well. I like the stock pitch and radius of these skates, so no profiling was necessary. The greatest compliment I can give these skates is that I will be very content to keep them until the point where I find a deal on a pair of 8090's or Pro Tacks in my size. Even then, I will keep these for outdoor play and shinny, and use the others for games. 8.5/10 UPDATE - I unloaded these skates not long ago - they were simply too shallow for my feet, and I was busting them open at the hinges. I have since picked up Vector 08's - a more suitable fit for my foot. The 7k's were still extremely solid, and I didn't want to ruin them...or my feet.

Profile: 235lb, 6'3, power-forward, heavy on slap-shots and snappers, decent stick-handler. 90 flex MC pattern. Feel - decent feel to this stick (a bit choppy and harsh). The shaft is boxy and larger, which I prefer. You can definitely feel the puck on the blade and it picks up passes well. One complaint I would have is that the toe is extremely round - I prefer a more squared toe - not like a Lecavalier, but not too round. 8/10 Weight - light and well-balanced, somewhere in the 450 range by the feel of it, and long enough that I don't have to add a plug and screw up the balance. 8.5/10 Flex - The 90 flex feels like a 100 flex Easton - a tad stiff, but not too bad...I am sure it will break in to a 90 range, which I prefer to an 85 flex that becomes a 75 flex in two weeks, a la Vector V6.0. 8/10 Shooting and Passing - For flat out shooting release and velocity I always seem to compare eveything to a Response XN10. I definitely got more on my shots with the TPS, but this one is not too far behind. It also doesn't compare to an AK27 for release on wristers, but it is also much stiffer than the Warrior I used. Receiving passes on this stick is very impressive - the puck doesn't jump around as much as it does on my Sherwood RM9 blade. The MC pattern is great for me - a slow mid curve like a bouchard with a slightly opened toe - kind of a tamed down Iginla. 8/10 Durability - I now have about 5 games and 15 open sessions, as well as several nights on the outdoor rink. Durability is definitely the upside of this stick - it is a tank. The only complaint I would have against the durability of this stick is its paint-job. The paint on the shaft and blade come off very easily, and the Ballistik logo painted in swhite chips off at the edges of the shaft, makign a rough, saw-tooth like texture which may / may not have adverse effects on the palms of your gloves...a little sand-paper fixes that, though. 9.5/10 Price - These are on clearance at Rousseau's now for $119 - down from $200. 10/10 Overall - A very goood stick for the money - especially at the clearance price. I would highly recommend it if you can snag it in the $120 or less range. 8.5/10 UPDATE: I started using this stick after Christmas - I now have about 12 games and many drop-ins with too many slapshots to count. The paint is chipped to hell, but the stick is a solid as the day I bought it...insane durability.

Just for some more customer input here: If there's one thing that gets on my nerves it is being chased around the store by employees. One of the bigger hockey stores in this area is sickening when it comes to this - it is crazy. I am all for helpful service when needed, but I also know enough about the equipment to be able to tell if I need help or not - and once I politely turn down help and go through the "feel free to ask if you need further help", I don't need to be harangued by someone else from the same freeking department. I understand that the stock is an investment, and I know there are some dimwits who don't appreciate that, but I am not one of them, and anyone seeing me look through gear at a shop would get to understand this pretty quickly. Maybe this place has its workers on a comission or something, but I seldom go there anymore due to this...it almost feels like they don't trust you around the equipment. The other thing I don't get is the stick flexing thing. I all honesty, I was guilty of this up until I began reading on here that it is a faux-pas - it was honest ignorance on my part. I have to ask, however, and I am asking honestly with no judgement whatsoever - is it that serious an issue? I can understand if some idiot is flexing the stick as hard as they can to the point where they are stressing the fibres and such, but if someone is simply torquing the shaft a little to get an idea of its response, is there much likelihood of damage? Have poeple actually broken sticks doing this in one of your shops? I ask because there is a LHS with a demo area with a net and a plastic floor cover where you can try out any stick on the racks (snap shots and wristers only). Granted, a stick doesn't feel or flex the same on shoes as it does on skates, but isn't it nice to have this option - I buy my sticks there now for this very reason, and I have yet to have one break before its warranty was up. Apart from that store where I buy my sticks, I do everything else at Fraser's on the West Island. These guys are awesome - they talk with you about the gear, they have an experienced staff in both sales and hockey, and they are flat-out honest with you. I brought my skates in for a profiling last week during a slower day and was looking through the stuff there, and ended up talking to one of the reps about sticks for at least a half hour - at the end, a couple other guys joined in. They knew I wasn't buying a stick - I told them so, but we talked aboutthem anyway. Obviously they couldn't have done so during peak hours, but knowing that there is a knowledgeable staff makes all the difference. Finally, in response to one of the guys talking earlier about the customer getting to know their schedule and wanting him to sharpen for him all the time - maybe this is annoying to you in some way, but you should take it for what it is - an appreciation of the job you did - maybe you should have felt complimented by it...it is your job, and you do it well enough that someone decided to be loyal to you and give you their business. Yeah, having to listen to his glorious beer league goal summary might be annoying, but it makes him feel a little better about himself, gives you something to have a laugh at later, and puts some dollars in your pocket.

Profile: 6'3, 235lbs, forward who hangs out in front of the net, aggressive skater. Fit: As the others have said, these tend to fit a narrow to medium ankle with a wider fore-foot. I was wearing Vector 6.0 in 9E, and I have these in 9.5D and while still a little tighter than the CCM's they fit my foot perfectly. They lock the ankle very well. (I won't give a score for fit because they will either be a 10 or a 0 depending on your foot shape). Weight - Performance: Considering the quality and protection of these skates, the weight is absolutely amazing - basically a tank that has the weight of a feather. They are extremely stiff, and will not break in easily for lighter, less aggressive skaters. I thoroughly enjoyed skating on them, and they weren't even properly profiled for me - will update the performance after I get them adjusted if there is any major + or - difference. (10) Protection: I like my skates tight (I wear 11 shoes), but this means you feel the shots off the toe a bit more. I got one in my first outing on these and I felt it, but it wasn't real bad. The boot does a great job of apsorbing side impacts. (10) Holder: Seeing as how I am accustomed to a forward pitch, this was a problem -a 9 radius had me rocking quite a bit, and the heel-loaded pitch took some adjusting. Also, the fact that these blades were a bit shorter than the 288's on my Vectors made me feel like I had almost no blade on the ice at all. I had this adjusted to an 11 radius with increased forward pitch - I will update after the next excursion. The LS2 felt very light and responsive though, so I am hesitant to replace it with a Pitch 3 as I had initially planned. The blade is not perforated, so hopefully it will be more durable. (pending update) Durability: All reports have these skates as among the most durable available. It is amazing that Bauer can cram so much protection into such a light skate and have durability in the mix (The durability of the Vapour line emphasizes the difficulty of achieving this), but this boot appears to have accomplished that. I will give them a 10 based on others' experiences and update if needs be. Overall: This is a sweet looking boot if you are a traditionalist. They do not have the bling of the Vectors or the Synergies, but I actually prefer a black hockey skate. The workmanship of these skates is impressive, to say the least. They are easily the best, most performant skates I have owned to date, and will be in my bag until they die - if the durability reputation is well-deserved than they may outlive me - lol. I would recommend these above any other skate if they fit you. If they do not fit, do not get them - you will not break them into a proper fit, as they are extremely stiff. In my first game with them on this past Monday I had 3 offers to buy them on the spot in the dressing room - guess they have a reputation.

Heel lifts?

I got mine in Large, and they fit very well. I was looking at the NBH 8000's that were on sale for the same price as these, but these fit larger and had more mobility. I've got no complaints whatsoever with them, and at 6'3, 230 I ain't small.

Yah - I cut the bicep off because it was really high, and tangles with the bicep on my shoulder pads. I had it on there for most of the season because I couldn't find any shoulder pads around here in XXL, and ended up cutting my 652's apart to make them bigger - at that point, it was easier to go with the biceps left off the shoulder pads and use the ones on the elbow pads. Since switching to a more competitive, and dirtier league, I am happy to have snagged a good pair of XXL shoulders off DamnLocust on here and they fit well with the bicep pads, so I butchered the elbow pads.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l188/B-N...Winter07009.jpg No top of the line stuff in here - my budget for gear has to split between music, hockey, golf, and softball - and that's after the wife and kids are through with the paycheque. :o I just got my Vectors back from the lift-job, and have decided I will, in fact, be changing them. I don't care if I had trouble with my old ones, I am going back to Mission - they fit better than anything else I have tried. Pretty much everything there was bought at clearance price - I snoop around a lot of LHS's in the Montreal area when the wife isn't looking, and pick up pretty good deals from time to time - I got those V-14 elbows for $50 new, the TPS for $150 CAD - I had 2 but I traded one for another AK27 which is en route. My favorite has to be either my gloves or my helmet - 55oo with the yellow Oakley - that thing is sweet. I got those X-70's for $135 CAD at Frasers, and was happy about that find as well. Tossed my old jersey in for kicks - I wouldn't fit in that without gear on anymore - lol.

I was looking for a backup to my Ultra-Lite earlier this year, and figured I'd give one of these a try since the price was similar. I bought this one in a lighter flex than I typically use becaue I started playing from time to time in a no slap-shot league. First Impressions: I didn't care for this stick at the beginning, as the flex was light, and the blade I had it paired with was too heavy (not the shaft's fault). After switching to a lighter blade and practicing a bit with the shaft, however, I warmed up to it pretty quickly. Flex: The flex feels a little lighter than the stated 85 (probably increased by the long butt I had to install and the longer hosel blades I use). I would give it 75 or 80 flex by Easton standards. In its defense, however, I have got quite a bit of playing time on it, and the flex does not appear to have weakened much - still good pop. 8.5/10 Weight: This shaft weighs in at about 295 - 300g, much like the Ultra-Lite, so heavy blades will tend to make it bottom-heavy. 9/10 Shooting: I bought this mainly for snap and wrist shots. I have taken slapshots with it, and it does well - I would definitely pick up a 100 flex for my normal league. It performs much like an Ultra-Lite in this category as well - good whip through the puck, and a nice, even flex, although the kick-point seems to be at mid-shaft, unlike the lower kick of an OPS or tapered shaft.I prefer it to wood, but it is no XN10. 7.5/10 Passing and Handling: Because there is so much feel and touch involved in these two skills, I tend to discuss them together. The AK27 is a very smoothe shaft for stick-handling, and sends passes off quickly and crisply. Much of the feel will depend on the blade you install, but I prefer the feel transmitted by this shaft over that of the Ultra-Lite and my Responses, particularly with the more concave walls it has. The extra weight it has on the Responses I typacally use also improves my stick-handling when I need it (I am more a power forward than a dangler, but if a lot of stick work is in the bill I go with the Warrior). 9.5/10 Durability: This is a durable shaft. The paint will chip to pieces on it, but that is cosmetic, and will happen to any composite shaft. After 15+ games, the integrity of the shaft is still solid, with no signs of trouble yet. 9.5/10 Overall: This is basically the Warrior version of any other standard top-end shaft. It does everything well, has a reasonable weight, and allows you to chose from all the OEM blade patterns. It represents a great value in its price range, and is a good alternative to the pricier OPS. I would highly recommend this shaft. *Update* Mine bit it tonight - got a slap shot dead center one the lower shaft and it snapped like a twig. It had gotten a fair amount of use, so I won't complain.

Helmet - Bauer H5500 with a Oakley Pro-cut half yellow half visor Shoulders - I had been wearing a pair of CCM 652 Tacks that I customed to fit, but have recently purchased a pair of TPS BBA LP pads off the board Elbows - Nike V-14 Gloves - Eagle X-70 Pants - Easton Synergy 500 Shins - Bauer 2000 (they are finishing their last season now and will be replaced with Mission Fuel 85's next season). Skates - Currently using Vector 6.0 in the arena and Tacks 700 outside, but will be ditching the Tacks and getting either 8090's or L7's for inside next season and relegating the Vectors to outdoor use. Sticks - 2X TPS XN10 Response, Stiff flex, Tkatchuk for the arena, and a Warrior AK27 with a St. Louis Bauer V2 blade for outdoors.

PROFILE: Used to play a lot, but took a few years off and am just getting back into it the past 2 seasons. Playing a couple beer leagues and one reasonably competitive league. 32 YOA, 6'3, 230, power forwardish winger - usual hang-out - front of the net. FIT: Coming out of a pair of Missions L4's, I would say these, like other CCM's I have owned, fit very large. I was extremely snug (by choice) in 10.5 E L4's. I just got my Vectors in 9D, and could have easily gone with an 8.5C. In spite of that, however, these skates fit well - snug in the ankle, and just right in the forefoot. 9/10 HOLDER/BLADE: If this were a higher end skate, I wouldn't hesitate to have the holder yanked and replaced with a Pitch holder. As others have said, these holders feel a bit stiff, but I have only skated on them 3 times now, so there will surely be some loosening. 8/10 WEIGHT & PROTECTION: They are not overly heavy - they certainly feel lighter than the E40's I had a couple years back, and are also lighter than the Missions I was using until they discintegrated. I did take a few shots off the feet with them yesterday and felt no major pain - granted, I didn't have Sheldon Souray shooting at me, but at my level I won't have to worry too much about that anyway. I would say they have a great combo of weight and protection. 9/10 DURABILITY: It is way too early to tell, so I won't comment much, although I've never had any durability issues with CCM products before. PERFORMANCE: I got rid of the Externoes I had because they were so wide they had a tendancy to bottom out on sharp turns, leaving me on my arse. This was a concern i had with the Vectors, as they are based on the Externoes, but they don't seem to be as wide in the fore-foot, making them a little more stable in turns. The lace-locks are also a great feature, as I like my skates to be really tight around the foot, but looser in the ankle - this accomplishes that without wax laces. I would prefer a stiffer boot, but that comes with a stiffer price-tag. I would also prefer a slightly more aggressive pitch, but I don't think I'll invest that kind of money into a $300 skate (CAD). 8.5/10 CONCLUSION: Overall, this is a great skate for the price. They have clarino liners, the lace-lock system, the FIT system, and are a relatively light skate considering the protection they offer. I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants a near pro-level skate without the pro-level price tag. My intention is to use these primarily for outdoor hockey after this season, and I was leaning towards a high-end Synergy to use in the arenas, but I will have to take a mush harder look at some of the higher Vectors as well, as I am duely impressed with this skate. **UPDATE** - Tonight was the 2nd game on these and my 5th time wearing them in total. I was lacing them up before my game and one of the lace locks snapped right off (yes, I know how they work and how to use them). Needless to say, I am pretty dissappointed. I think I will just put wax laces in the skates and skip the lock thing all-together. ***UPDATE*** - I found a LHS that stocks the lace-locks and sells them for a buck a piece (I bought 10), although I haven't had any issues with them since the initial breakage. I did have an eyelet start to come apart, but I snapped it back together and it hasn't been an issue since. I have found that keeping the wax laces in allows me to custom the bottom fit without putting too much pressure on the locks. The skates are currently at the shop getting a heel lift done - I am warming back up to them...hope they keep holding up. ****FINAL UPDATE**** - I got back on the ice with these a couple days ago after the lift, and they felt better after adjusting to the change. I did experience some foot discomfort after, but it is certainly not the boots' fault, as they didn't cause any such pain prior to the lift. What is most concerning, however, is the obvious decrease in stiffness I have noticed in this boot since buying it. I would say I have about 30 hours on these skates now, and while they were respectably stiff for a non-pro-level boot upon purchase, I am now able to nearly squeeze the ankles together on these boots. I think that my weight coupled with my aggressive style of skating and the amount of time I skate is too much for a boot of this level. I may give some consideration to the V10.0 or last year's Vector Pro, as I do like the fit of this boot, I just need something stiffer.

Sticks: Easton Ultralite 100 flex, Foresberg Z-Carbon blade Warrior AK27 85 flex, Bauer Vapour2 St. Louis pattern Helmet: Bauer 5500 Visor: Oakley Pro Cut yellow Shoulder Pads: CCM 652 (on the way out for the new TPS) Elbow Pads: Nike V-14 Gloves: Eagle X-70 Silver and Black Pro Glow Pants: Easton Synergy 500 Jock: I-Tech Compression Shin Pads: Bauer 2000 (last season) Skates: Mission L4 Purefit