mojo122

Probably just the camera angle as it doesn't seem any longer to me. It even seems less restrictive than my 14" Eagle's that have no cuff. Sorry, never had XXXX's or One95's.

Warrior Franchises. 14" Narrow, digital palms, black thread, black W on the thumb, pro pac, Kovalchuk cuff Kovalchuk cuff. Don't have either the Savard or Hossa cuff to compare it too, but this is a very mobile cuff.

Warrior also offers a 'Kovalchuk' cuff option in addition to the Hossa and Savard. Is that just a short cuff, or something else?

What, no love for us customers that drive a distance?

Interesting observation on push offs JCP. Skated in a game last night and I wasn't sure if my first step/acceleration was a bit slower when compared to the FBV setting. I might just go back and forth between the 2 until I can determine if one out does the other. After just 2 skates I'm not all disappointed with the Z-Channel performance so far.

Skated on the Z-Channel last night. Can't tell you what setting except for Bob going with what he felt would be closest to the 3/4 FBV that I skate on. First impressions are that the glide is almost identical to that of the FBV and I felt that I had excellent edge control. With one skate I honestly cannot say that it was better, but can say that it was very close to the FBV. While I think the FBV is great the Z-Channel is another option, which is great for us. What will be interesting to see is how it performs in subsequent skates and how many hours I can skate on it before resharpening. Bottom line is that I'm fortunate to live close enough to Jimmy's shop and have so many options avaialble whether it be regular hollows, FBV, or Z-Channel.

I like the FBV but also have trust and confidence in my sharpener (Bob aka Jimmy). I plan on trying the Z-Channel and see for myself.

Yeah, push wasn't a good word to use seeing that gear I've gotten from your shop is from no one manufacturer.

That's funny. Jimmy wasn't pushing it on me so I figured I'd let someone else tell me their thoughts on it. Not that I'm at all unhappy with the 3/4 FBV.

Is anyone skating on the Z-Channel? Curious as to the feedback compared to the FBV now that it's been out for a bit.

God, I hated those holders.

Background - 5'9 180, wide forefoot, solid heel, flat arch. Recent Skates CCM Vector U+ and Bauer One 95’s Fit Thanks to an MSH Member and Easton I was able to get these skates quarter sized and wider in the forefoot, so the fit is perfect in both length and width. Having the perfect fit only enhances the performance of this top end skate. I was not a fan of the pre-curved tongue that was on the S15 and the white felt tongue on the S17 is very close to the older, traditional, Supreme, felt tongue that I had on my One 95’s. I also liked the fact that it did not have the loop on the top of the tongue that is found on retail models. 10/10 Blade/Holder I really liked the Tuuk Lightspeed holders and these skates were originally suppose to come without holders and predrilled for the Lightspeeds. The customs department at Easton must not get many requests for Razor Blades as my holders have last year’s graphics and they came with LPS steel and not the newer, elite performance runner. Because of my size, I have not had any issues with the holders or steel and the combination skates well, but my LS 2.1 runners seem to hold an edge longer than the LPS. My preference is for Tuuk Lightspeeds over the Easton holders. 9/10 Weight These skates are slightly heavier than the retail because they have the second layer of composite on the sides. I do not know if this standard for any non-retail S17 or whether it is considered to be their pro stiffness package, but I am happy that they came this way. Comparing them to my One 95’s they are just as light, maybe slightly lighter. 10/10 Protection I would like to say that I am quick enough to get out of the way of the puck, but I guess my bad hockey habit is blocking shots and passes. This is an extremely protective skate just as the S15 was. 10/10 Durability I have had these skates for over 2 months and have skated about 40 times in them so far. No signs of leather separating from the composite boot and the rubber covering over the toecap along with the abrasion guard are showing any signs of wear. 10/10 Conclusion So I was disappointed with the overall durability of the S15, but thought it was a great performing skate and really liked the on ice performance I felt with the coil technology. I had moved on to custom One 95’s, which is a great skate itself. If anything, I felt that the One 95 was too stiff and did not flex forward as well as the Stealth skates. I lace my skates all the way up and feel the S17 would perform even better if the cut of the boot were a little lower. Easton has come a long way with their skate line and as much as I like the S17, I find myself interested in skating in the new EQ5 skate to see how it performs against the Stealth line. Bottom line is that this is one great performing skate. Overall Score 9.8/10

It will be interesting to see how the EQ5 skates and performs. I really felt the coil technology performed well and was not just a gimmick.

And the no binding around the thumbs is the way the gloves are made for him, not something done when they get to the team. Are they CP94's with a shortened cuff labelled as PPF's?

Had mine done on Monday by Jimmy and skated that night. All I can say is WOW. Can’t wait to see what the long term gains will be.

Never post before coffee. I actually ordered them in October and got them in December. Well worth the wait.

Eagle is pretty accommodating. Last December I ordered nylon CP94’s with digital palms, tapered fingers, mesh gussets, embroidered logos, and a shortened cuff.

Figures…..still the nicest glove in the catalogue!

The gloves in the catalogue that I like best are the ones that Thornton is wearing. Is CCM dropping the 4-roll line?

Yeah, dude - you'll be waiting awhile. They (Eagle) have been quoting turnaround times of 11-12 weeks.

Update: June 28, 2008 Background - 5'9 180, wide forefoot, regular heel, fairly flat arch. Previous Skates Graf G35’s, Bauer Vapor XXX’s, and Bauer One90’s Fit My Vapor’s were an EE width and my One90’s a D width. Regular width in a size 7 was a good fit both in length and width. The skates are extremely comfortable right out of the box. I had them baked which really helped the ankle padding form to my feet. Since I wear my tongues beneath my shin pads I’m not particularly crazy about the pre-curved tongues on the S15’s. They haven’t affected my skating or the skate’s performance, but they have started to wear away the bottom lining of my shin pads. The perfect fit for me is probably ¼ size down, which is something isn’t available from Easton at the retail level. 9/10 Blade/Holder I really liked the Pitch holders that I had installed on my Graf’s, but also liked the LS2’s and the LSP’s. The Easton holders are no where as stiff as the LSP or Pitch holders, but the fact that I’m not that big a person didn’t cause me to notice any flex problems from the holders. The Easton steel seems to hold a decent edge as well. 9/10 Weight These skates are ridiculously light. Although I can’t see skates much lighter, I’m sure that the skate manufacturers will continue to try and push the envelope on fit, weight, and performance. 10/10 Protection I am forever sticking my feet in the way of shots and passes and the S15’s have to be the most protective skates I have ever worn. I broke my left foot while wearing the One90’s and have since taken several shots of the same foot while it was healing wearing the S15’s and didn’t feel a thing. 10/10 Durability I’ve been wearing the Easton’s 3 times a week since the beginning of June and the skates have held up just fine except for some cosmetic scrapes from skates, sticks, and pucks. I feared the shredding toe caps some of my friends experienced with the 1300’s and 1500’s, but don’t see any indication that it will happen to my S15’s. Shortly after writing this review the leather areas began separating from the composite shell in many areas. To date I have glued and re-glued just about every part of the skate. While a great performing skate the durability issues and time I have spent doing home repairs don’t make it worth buying another pair. Conclusion This was the first pair of Easton skates I have ever owned/worn. I was tempted to try the 1300’s and 1500’s, but had concerns over many of the issues that were identified by many MSH Members and my co-skaters. My experience with the Stealth S15 has been nothing but positive and although this is the first Easton skate I have purchased, definitely not the last. I hope Easton continues to refine the skate, perhaps making the cut slightly lower and looking at tweaking the tongues. Rumors of there being an improved holder in the works will hopefully improve upon what is already a great skate. Overall Score 9.5/10 Updated June 28, 2008 – Durabilty and high maintenance drop this skate to 7/10

University of Maine One90 Gloves Have no idea what they're asking for them.

Do the shafts come with wood end plugs? I just got a few Pro Stock Adrenalines and they all have wood end plugs. I was hoping they would have the composite plugs, but the Easton SL plug fit just fine.

Graf G35’s Background - 5'9 180, wide forefoot, regular heel, fairly flat arch. Introduction I grew up skating in CCM Super Tacks except for a pair of Bauer Supremes and Supreme 7000’s. This was my very first experience with Graf and really wasn’t sure what to expect. Fit My previous skates were Bauer 7000’s that were causing me considerable pain around the ankles despite having been baked and then later punched. I was fitted for a size 7W that gave me a snug fit that I have always preferred, but without any noticeable pain or discomfort. I had them baked, which only improved upon the fit for me. 10/10 Blade/Holder Mine came with the t-blade system. I did give these blades a chance, but in the end since expert sharpeners are readily available in my area, I had the holders/blades swapped out for Mission Pitch 3 holders/steel and had them profiled to 9’. Maybe not the lightest holders out there on the market, but in my opinion certainly one of the best. N/A Weight Certainly not one of the lightest skates around, but not what I would consider to be heavy either. That is, until you skate in them. I applied silicone waterproofer at the beginning and then again on a monthly basis. The more I skated, the heavier they got. It almost seemed like the liners were sponges that refused to dry out. I’ve heard that this has been fixed. However, I’m a little hesitant to shell out another $450 to see if that’s the case. 6/10 Protection The techlite quarters provided adequate protection for me. Maybe not as protective as my Bauer 7000’s, but I took a few shots off the skates and didn’t find it to be much of a problem. After all, hockey players are tough. 8/10 Durability Over the 8 months that I used these skates I didn’t notice any durability issues. They remained stiff and supportive. 8/10 Intangibles These skates represent one of Graf’s top of the line models. The initial fit and finish seemed a bit sloppy, but no different when compared to some other top end skates. However, when the holders/blades were changed out, it was noticed that the outersole was initially drilled for Cobra holders and then elongated to make the t-blade holders fit. In addition, the innersole was separating from the outsole. The rivets of the Mission holder fixed this, but as far as I’m concerned this is totally unacceptable since this is supposed to be a high-end skate. Conclusion This was once again my first experience with Graf. I loved the fit of the skate, the forward flex and pitch, and the overall performance. What I didn’t like was the lack of quality control as evidenced by the initial holder installation by Graf and the innersole/outersole separation found during the holder swap. Maybe I just got a skate from a lot with bad liners? Graf needs a hydrophobic type liner for their top end skates. Unfortunately for Graf their impression made was not a good one. Overall Score 7/10

All 3 worked fine for me.