Chadd

That's ok, I'm waring a Graf hat. I have a graf bag :) I think I still have a pair of 703 shoulder pads in a bag somewhere. I think it's just about time to ebay all of my old gear.

That's ok, I'm waring a Graf hat.

roduct: Mission Pure S500 Carbon 11 EE Reviewer specs: 6'-1", 230 Intro These skates arrived on a Wednesday morning. I played open hockey at lunchtime that day, my beer league game the next night and a 24 hour charity game on Friday into Saturday. I never had a hot spot, pressure point or any pain, let alone a blister. Fit When you put on an S series skate there is a little "ffft"noise as you slide past the padding and your heel slips into the pocket. Unlike most other skates on the market, the heel pocket is created by building the skate to the form of an ankle/foot joint and not by using a ton of padding to make it comfortable. I found that my S500s broke in almost one-quarter of a size, so I probably could have gone down to a 10.5EE. I thank Justin for answering my many questions about fit back on CB. His guidance got me a lot closer than I would have been on my own. 9.5/10 Blade/Holder Wow. I was a Custom+ guy and I figured I would try this gimmicky new toy for a little while and then throw my Custom+'s on after a couple of games. In fact, the ability to match up a Custom+ to the Pitch rivet holes was a selling feature to me. I never got around to taking my Pitchs off the skates. I tried all three settings and found the neutral to be perfect for me. They use the best steel on the market right now and are very solid. My skates are now over a year and a half old and I still have no problems with the holder or the steel. 10/10 Protection If you're going to block a shot, make sure it hits your toe cap. Otherwise you will get a bruise. That said, I never got more than a small bruise while blocking shots with these skates. They're no worse than the 852s that I used for years before switching to the S500. 7/10 Weight Light enough for me. They about the same weight as a Graf 703 and they were the lightest skate on the market prior to the recent rash of super-light skates. I never notice the weight at the beginning, middle or end of a game. 9/10 Durability I've been using them for 18 months and only one small issue. There was a slight bit of tearing at the base of the tendon guard. I went to a shoe repair shop and had them stitch some black leather over the problem area and the problem was resolved for $20. I think the size of my legs and my propensity to sit back on my heels when playing defense caused the problem to be worse than in most other cases. 9/10 Conclusion It's not a skate for someone learing how to skate who has no ankle strength. It is a fantastic skate that allows you to get the most out of your stride. Factor in the forward-thinking supplefit concepts, the best holder and steel on the market (Pitch) and quality construction and you have one hell of a skate. No tonly do I skate in them, I have my partner at the shop in them and we have at least 8-10 guys that we play hockey with in them as well and they all love them. I've only had one customer that didn't like them and if they said "vapor" on them they would have been fine. 9/10

Product: Mission M-1 pants, black XL Reviewer specs: 6-1, 225 lbs. Intro/Intangibles I just retired these pants after three years. Protection Excellent thigh and hip protection. In fact, the pads on the thighs are so thick that they actually take a little while to really break in and form to your leg. I've never been in pain after blocking a shot that hit any of the padding in these pants. I also love the spinal protection pad. It has a bit of pressure on your back so even if you bend a bit, it stays with you. This feature was retained for the newer pants. 9/10 Fit/Weight The dual belt and laces allow you to customize the fit to the way you like it. They are not a light pant, and considering the amount of protection they offer it's not a surprise. If you have thin legs and like a snug fit on the thighs, stay away from the M1 pant. I have large legs and don't like the legs to be snug and they work well for me. 9/10 Craftsmanship/Durability Every significant part of the pant held up well for me, but there were signs of wear over the years. The velcro tabs would catch and not stay closed so I simply cut off those tabs after a year or so. After three years the material attached to the eyelets pulled away from the pants and the strap buttons started to fall off, but that's not entirely unexpected from a pant with that many miles on them. 7.5/10 Conclusion It's a very protective pant that worked very well for me. They are/were more protective than most other pants in the $99 price range, their original retail price. I got mine much cheaper than that off of eBay and I couldn't be happier with them. Obviously there are a couple minor details that would be nice to change, but the simple fact that I didn't replace them for three years should tell you something. 8.5/10 I'll try not to wait three years before reviewing my new pants, Tackla 9000s.

I can't agree when so many people have never had that problem before using Vectors. It's a very common problem with the top couple models, but not with many other brands. Lace bite is just not common with Vectors here. Never had any customer complain of lace bite on a Vector, any Vector, and I sell lots of them. Compared to a high end Bauer, the toungue is much better and does not break down as fast. I don't see what the problem is. Even my partner at the shop got lace bite from them and he has been playing for 20+ years and never had the problem before. I never had the problem with any skate but I see a lot of people with that problem. 90% of the time it's a 6.0 or higher Vector, the rest of the time it's a Graf.

I can't agree when so many people have never had that problem before using Vectors. It's a very common problem with the top couple models, but not with many other brands.

I've seen more cases of lace bite from Vectors than any other skate.

There's a guy here who does 9/16 for forwards and 7/16 for defenseman, regardless of age. size, ability, etc...

Not as many as your dad's shop, but I don't have the space for all of the crap he wanted me to buy. Not to mention the stuff I have is much nicer than his pile of crap.

When Bob started telling me I would be better having a couple of table top machines, then pay extra for his personal exhaust, his cross grinder, etc...than I would be with a double or triple head system,he lost a lot of credibility

I've said similar things about M-E, just about everyone I know who has talked to him has said that.

this is hollow and I'm fine with it, not radius. If you change your radius, you may need to change your hollow.

You can't have a radius that is great for agility and very stable, those concepts are at odds with each other. If you have a problem with the radius you are currently using, post that info and I'm sure someone will be able to make some suggestions as to what you should change.

Quick update: Gloves are still holding up quite well. The only visible signs of wear are on the palms where the grip was applied. The grippy stuff is peeling off in some spots but that's not surprising given the amount of use.

Not too bad from what I recall. I haven't seen them in quite a while though.

The new rebellions are vertical like a tuuk but it's exposed.

The Crews on the Rebellions I tried were pretty bad. Rebellion has a new holder this year that is actually pretty nice. It's like a Cobra or ICM but uses the same type of attachment system as a Tuuk Custom + and will come in white or clear.

They're actually not too bad. One of the guys on my team has them on his old Salming boots and he hasn't had any problems with them.

His Hespeler retail pattern was a YP.

If you aren't happy with the gloves call epuck and explain the situation to them. If their customer service is as good as people say, they will resolve the problem for you.

I would raise hell with them, man. For what you paid for a pair of custom gloves they are supposed to get ALL the details right. Either get them to repair the gloves (new rolls), make new gloves or get them to give you a discount on them considering it was their mistake. Assuming you asked for it to be in all capital letters.

Open for review

I use them so the wax on the blades doesn't mark up the inside of my car.

Fit - My It's a bit more rounded than some other helmets and not great for those with thinner head shapes. Fortunately, it fits me quite well. I can actually wear either a medium or large, in fact I have one for playing and the other for reffing. I especially like the soft foam lining found in the original 690 series helmets and not the style found in the newer style 690s. I liked the older style so much I bought every one I could get my hands on from wholesalers on closeouts. 9/10 Protection - No issues at all here. Protection is good and the soft foam lining is sufficient to absorb impacts in conjunction with the impact dispersion properties of the EPP foam. 8/10 Weight - It's not heavy. Quite honestly I never notice the weight one way or the other when I'm on the ice. Isn't thinking about the weight something you shouldn't do when you're playing? 8/10 Durability - I've been using one of my helmets since January and it still looks new. The only issue I've noticed with the padding is if you leave it in your hot car all day. The adhesive tends to get loose and the softer foam can be easily moved. Cooler temperatures lock the padding back into place. 7.5/10 Intangibles - Cooling is pretty good with this helmet as it has more vent holes than any other helmet I've ever used. The other thing about this helmet is you either look like a Euro player or a dork in it and I don't look european. The Itech HS22 wave visor I've been using lately adds to the whole bug-eyed look as well. All that aside, I really like the helmet. 8/10 Conclusion - Very comfy and cool helmet for those with wider head shapes. People either love or hate the look. If you love it, get it and you won't be disappointed. average score 8/10

Used at times with Oakley straight small visor and without protection at other times. Fit- For the most part the fit is excellent for me. In almost every area the helmet was perfect. The only area that gave me a problem was the spot behind my right ear where the liner snapped into the shell. The helmet rubbed and gradually got more annoying over time. It was most annoying when I reffed two or more games in a row and wore the helmet for more than 2 hours straight. 7.5/10 Protection- Sticks and pucks to the head did nothing other than chip the paint a little. Even getting nailed into the boards and bouncing my head off the glass was never a problem. Absolutely a fantastic helmet. 10/10 Weight - It's larger, and obviously heavier, than other helmets. The difference is in the way it sits on your head. I can honestly say I never noticed the weight in any way. 7.5/10 Durability - I wore this as my primary helmet for close to a year and the only flaws were with the chipped paint. I regularly washed the liner and it held up quite well. Unlike most other helmets, the shell itself isn't black or white. It's painted black or white and that paint will chip. Other than the paint, durability is great. 7.5/10 Intangibles- I love the fit, with the one exception, and I like the "Great Gazoo" look of the helmet. The fit was damn near perfect for me, something that's important on a non-adjustable helmet. Considering when the helmet was initially released, it was a true innovation in the hockey industry. 8/10 Conclusion -I probably could have resolved the minor fit issue but I'm lazy and have access to other helmets that are very cheap. I'll probably get around to fixing the problem at some point and using it again. total score 8/10