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Im late responding to this, but there are a few reputable shops who do sharpening by mail. Usually takes 5-7 days total. If you can make the investment and get two sets, you can use the back up steel for the eel your other steel is gone.

I posted a review of the Surgeon 3.1 elbows, shoulders, and shins on page 7 of this thread:

I have a review of the shoulders like 3 or 4 posts up. I’m in the same boat, and went medium.

If you’re ok moving out of the Bauer ecosystem, I find STX surgeon elbows to be lower volume. I’m thin and tall, and the mediums work fine for me.

Offer to buy those blue Ls2s that someone posted in the Show It Off thread, and rock the F out of them. Those custom+ are already old, even if they haven’t been used. If it were me, I’d save the time and headache and just buy a newer holder. Even new old-stock LS2s would be better than something that has been sitting for close to 20 years.

I use one until it breaks, that way the back up is fresh and ready to go. I’ll use it here or there if there is a tape vs skate blade catastrophe, but typically stick to one. My nightmare would be using both equally, then having them both break or go soft at the same time, and not having a fallback option. The answer there is to have another ”in case of emergency” back up that I don’t use, but that seems like too much*. Over the past few years, I just recently entered the world of having my back up stick be a quality stick I liked. Historically, my back up was something that had gone slightly soft, or a stick I didn’t like much. But, in the rare cases I’d have to make full use of the back up stick, it was a clear step down and got in my head. *realizing right now that I have multiple uncut, untaped to-be-used-later sticks downstairs. Ugh. hahaha Damn you internet/consumerism!!!!

Do wheels degrade overtime? If you skate on those, will they just turn to mush, or are they still viable to play on?

Black chassis, black laces; white holder, white laces? Is that the thinking?

I’m pretty light on sticks, and my blades always go soft before I break sticks. Very few slapshots, I’m not much for slashes and stickwork, and I generally just play soft, haha. I sometimes feel guilty, because the stick is still in working order, but once I can flex the blade with my hand, it goes to that big stick pile that “I’m going to do something with.”

15 years ago, we were all bemoaning how kids spent too much time practice moves like this and super fancy video game level stick handling moves, but weren’t focusing on “practical” skills. Now the NHL is the most creative and fun it’s ever been, and dudes are doing wild stuff at full speeds in game. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I got an EZGoal last summer. Left it outside uncovered in Boston over the winter, and it’s fine. I fully intended to put a tarp over it over the winter. But, life. My one dog occasionally uses the back of it like a hammock, and it’s stood up to that as well If you get one, leave the netting around the top and sides a little loose. Having play allows it to absorb energy so the netting doesn’t rip and doesn’t bounce your pucks far away. (Or just hit the net, but that doesn’t work for me…..)

In adult league, I’m happy as long as the opposing center isn’t turned 90 degrees and one of their wings isn’t closer to the face off dot than the ref. That feels like a low bar, but still very, very hard to meet.

+x for baby powder. Also, I’ve switched to only taping the very buttend knob, no “handle.” I feel like grip sticks are sticky enough, and it’s less tape friction on the gloves.

What made you decide to go custom over the stock?

Some things for some people, other things for other people.

I have the STX surgeon 3.1 shoulders and really like them. Light, mobile, breathable, all that good stuff. Hockeyreviewsca (aka user Hills on here) had a glowing review of the new FT4 shoulders from CCM on their Instagram page the other day.

What’s the trade off or differences in a stiffer holder vs softer. I assume stiffer give you better power transfer, but do you lose something?

That weight/flex “formula” has been debunked for years and years. Kessle and Ovechkin are using 80ish flexes and are 220+ and they do ok shooting the puck. Flex trends over the past years have to drop down in flex and let the stick do the work. Sounds like you got good results after one try. You’ll dial in the pass reception.

re: the crease in the boot. Is this a thing that happens from blocking a shot? I’ve more often seen it on skates that are too big and “collapse” in.

I think he’s just leaning into the Bane/supervillain thing.

In your heart, you knew the answer as soon as you started your question about a hockey product with “found this company on Amazon.”

Too late now, but kinda wish you had gone with the black holders. I feel like that was a very 90s ascetic and would have fit well with those skates. 😀

There’s a guy who used to work at Ko, Jason Binney, who has his own sharpening shop now. I really like him. He’s in Sewickley, but you can mail him steal if you wanna save the drive. https://www.binnieshockey.com

Is there any bad after market steel? Like, say, Tron branded runners?

You mentioned it last time we had a discussion like this, so I put it together based on that. 😉