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One word: magnets Perhaps a new box of crayolas and a sketch pad should be in your future? ;)

Reviewer Stats: 5'6, 160 lbs Usage Before Review: 3-4x Previous Gear: Itech full cage on a Bauer 5k helmet, silver inside/black outside Fit I originally had trouble fitting the combo on my helmet, but my LHS fixed that for me. Somethingon the cage was scatching on the helmet and they just "widened" the cage a little, so it wouldn't catch. It now fits like a glove! Comfort The chin guard fits comfortably on my chin. No complaints there. The combo is noticeably heavier than my previous cage when holding them in your hands, but I don't feel a difference once it is on my head. If there is a difference, I quickly forget about it. Visibility The shield portion is smaller than most shields and to me that is a benefit. I want full visibility with no distortion when looking straight ahead. This combo delivers that. Since the shield is smaller, I believe it fogs up less because you don't breathe right onto the shield. Of course you sacrifice a little visibility since you must look through the cage portion when looking down at your feet, but that's ok. I'll take the greater air flow and reduced fogging any day. I think the peripheral vision is good. There are black tabs on the sides of the shield. These tabs stick out about a half inch past the edge of my helmet. This cause you to lose a few degrees of peripheral vision. This may be of concern in a checking league where you might get a warning a nanosecond sooner that someone is about to lay you out, but I find the slight reduced vision to be very acceptable. Performance I LOVE this combo. I've come out of my cave and now I'm on the ice with everyone else. My vision has never been better. I have NO fogging issues. I have NO distortion issues. What I have is a nice view of the ice while protecting my chiseled face, which is exactly what I wanted. I have been hit a couple of times in the masks by elbows and sticks and it has held up just fine. Extras The ability to just snap the shield in and out w/o any tools is very nice. I pop my shield out after every game and put it in an extra hockey sock to prevent scratching in my bag. You can also take the full cage/shield combo off w/o any tools. It takes a little bit of muscle to pop it out of the groove/hinge, but that is another outstanding feature when you want to protect the head, but don't have worries about the face. Conclusion I repeat - I love this combo shield. Excellent vision and full protection is a wonderful thing. Aesthetically it looks a little goofy, but that is a small price to pay for the better performance. I do recommend this product to anyone who wants to come out of their caves and see the full ice. Overall Rating 9/10 Updated to reflect my LHS fixing my fit issues.

PROFILE: 37, 1 full year of experience (although I am a decent player for only playing one year), 5'6", 160lbs. I have skated these for 2 months - 2-3 times per week. FIT: I came from Nike Quests that were too big for me (1st skates). I have a wide foot (8-8.5EE in street shoes) Got fitted in a 6D in these skates. I have some slight heel slippage. IF I skate for 45 minutes and my foot gets nice and warm - I can retighten my skates and that locks my heel in. I can't seem to lock it in from a cold start though. I was surpised when my wide feet fit in these. I did not have an E to compare, but the more I had them on in the shop the better they felt, so I went with them. My only other issue is the felt on the tongue on my left skate is a little thicker than the right at the edges. This gives me a hot spot if I snug the top laces too much. Toe box has adequate width (a requirement for me). Skate depth is very good for my foot. Not too shallow like the Easton's or too deep like my Nike's. 8/10 HOLDER/BLADE: My only comment here is that the e-blade holder is ugly. Out of the box it had me on my heels, but I took a bit off the front to give my a nice forward lean per oldtrainerguy's suggestion. Now they are spot on. I guess that is two comments. 8/10 WEIGHT & PROTECTION: Weight and protection are good for me. I took one shot off the side of the ankle that was tender for a week, but I have felt protected otherwise. 9/10 DURABILITY: So far, so good, but I did have one lace lock break. DON'T pull your laces at an angle - pull them straight out on the D-locks. CCM sent me replacements per my request. Seaming is holding up well. 9/10 PERFORMANCE: My skating gets better every day and now that I'm profiled correctly - I'm living large. I don't have the experience to give any minute details, but I am pleased as heck with my skates so far. 9/10 CONCLUSION: Great skate for the beer-leagues and maybe more. My size and weight dictate that I shouldn't be after the top end boots. This is plenty of skate for me. The only reason for me to switch is to find a skate that locks in my heel from the start. I have put in grey Superfeet and they feel great w/ the insoles. The lace locks are a very nice feature (although they do break. Get spares!). I was surprised the D width fit my Fred Flintstone feet. I have recommended this skate to my friends and family.