Chadd

The visor looks huge on that.

Intro The 8025 has been discontinued but it is still available as the 9025. If you're not familiar with the pad, they have no upper cuff and are very minimal. Fit They fit like a second skin to me. I have no issues with them interfering with my shoulder pads and they aren't so bulky that they restrict movement in any way. I've never worn an elbow pad that was close to being as comfortable to me. 9 out of 10 Protection They will protect you if you fall or get bumped into the boards but you shouldn't consider them if you need something that will absorb a lot of abuse. They are not good for growing kids playing in a checking league. Beer leagues and house leagues are where these belong. 3 out of 10 Weight The lack of upper cuff and extra protection make them incredibly light. I haven't put them on a scale but I can't imagine any pad being much lighter. 9 out of 10 Durability I've been using them for over two years and there is a little bit of yellowing from sweat but no probelms at all. I've been very surprised and impressed with them. 9 out of 10 Conclusion Are they good for everyone? Nope. They work well for me and how I play. They're durable, light and comfy, what more could I want? 7.5 of 10 based on pure numbers, more like 9 out of 10 to me.

He's had the same shoulder pads since college at Wisconsin. That's why some of the guys call him "Rags".

That's your assumption. Not everyone skates the same way.

open for review

Open for review

Let's start with the basics. What skate are you in now and how does it fit?

They feel pretty light and you're only talking about a handful of grams in any case.

I hear the renfrew shaft saver stuff pulls off paint, it might work on the grip too. Otherwise try a utility knife.

He was using what ended up as the Hespeler Smyth pattern. Some guys change more often than others though.

Easton is making the Sakic for their new line of sticks The clones are: Rafalski, P92 Naslund, CCM Bonk, TPS Nash, and there may be others in other brands, but I cannot think of them right now thanks, now i might go buy a vector or another brands curve. who makes rafalski and who makes naslund? http://www.modsquadhockey.com/index.php?act=Patterns

I like the new tacks a lot more than the silver, purple and copper colored skates they've been putting out for the last few years. If you want flash, go with the Vector.

Nothing will be a 1252, the new nomenclature is X92. They're probably the new pro tacks or perhaps 992 or 892s. I would assume they are pro tacks though.

I think most of us agree on that.

yes

TPS R2XN10 shaft Usage before review: 2 months+ Shaft shape/flex: R flex is probably my favorite flex on the market, so obviously it was exactly what I like. The flex on the XN10 sticks seem to be a little more flexy than the older designs. The shaft shape is not really a major factor for me, I guess that's a good thing. 9.5/10 Stickhandling/Passing: Very little of the stickhandling and passing come from the shaft and changing blades, changed the feel of the stick. 9/10 Weight/Balance: The shaft is very light so a heavy blade will change the balance. Having tried several blades in the shaft, I had the best luck with my Christian tapered wood blade. It's very light and is wonderfully balanced. 9/10 Shooting: This is where the shaft excells. Wristers seem to really explode with this shaft with virtually no effort. Slappers are good, but snappers and wristers are fantastic. 9.5/10 Durability: This is my only area of concern with this stick. I have seen friends break them on seemingly routine plays. Mine has held up fairly well but I don't use it as much in chippy games. 7/10 Conclusion: Great kick on shots, very light, an excellent shaft for guys who don't play in a lot of traffic and take a lot of wristers. I wouldn't use it if you spend a lot of time in front of the net at either end, or if you use your stick to keep the other guys in line. Final score: 8.6 out of 10

You can get pretty much any color you want.

No, not even close. the 8090 is much wider in the forefoot.

USA Hockey feels that it puts you off balance more than a traditional C-cut. Most guys still do it as long as they aren't being reviewed.

Referee shouldn't be doing a crossover getting away from the faceoff. That's a major deduction in your review from USA Hockey.

I haven't had time, maybe CCM will be nice enough to make a nice PDF of their catalog for us. I believe they said the fit was based on the old 651. Maybe your dad had a pair of them.

Yeah, the vendor only shipped us the 84s and not the 96s or 109s. Hopefully they ship with our 2005 booking order, we're even sold out of the 84s now.

It's a major change.

Mission L-2 shaft Usage before review: 3 months+ Shaft shape/flex: 100 flex is a bit stiffer than I generally like but the closest option for me. Shaft feels a little "beefy" to me, since I have bigger hands that was fine. Flex has been consistant and has not become significantly more whippy with extended use. 7.5/10 Stickhandling/Passing: I don't dangle much but I had no issues with puck feel from the shaft. Changing blades did change the feel so the shaft seems prety transparent in terms of feel. Passes snapped off as you would expect from a tapered shaft. 7.5/10 Weight/Balance: Changing blades changed balance significantly. The shaft also appears to be slightly blade heavy despite having a plug and a decent size butt end. Nothing significant enough to cause problems but it was easily noticed. 7.5/10 Shooting: No issues at all. Very consistant shaft. From one shot to the next, the same amount of pressure produced the same type of shot. That can't be said for all shafts. Velocity was good, accuracy was very good. 8.5/10 Durability: Very durable. When playing defense I always use my L2 because I know it can handle more abuse than my other sticks. Some flaking paint but no structural problems at all. 9.5/10 Conclusion: Very consistant and durable shaft. I've used a number of blades in the shaft and had no issues at all. It may not offer the kick of some other tapered sticks, it does offer the ability to hit the same spot on every shot. It's not the type of shaft you will need to replace within a month or two of purchasing due to breakage. Final score: 8 out of 10

on skates