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Not having an endcap gives me nightmares about butt ending myself in the zamboni door and impaling myself. (I don’t think I’ve had a stick stuck in the boards in years, and taping a butt end would disperse enough of the force that it wouldn’t be any more painful than normal. Still. Nightmares.)

I picked up 3.1 Shoulder, Elbows, and Shinguards around american thanksgiving. I was on the IR/COVID list for a bit, so I've only played two games with them. I'm 6'2", 185-190lbs, kinda thin build. I tend to be a medium in volume for most stuff, and a large in length, and often go the medium route. For all three sets of pads, once I put them on, I didn't think about them being new and didn't notice them while playing at all. My previous elbows and shoulder pads we probably 12ish years old. I've played with other stuff, and nothing felt as good as those. These, I like. Other new pads I've worn I keep readjusting during the game, until they eventually conform to my body. All of these felt like they fit my body right away, and I didn't find myself readjusting anything once I got on the ice. One thing I noticed when I first tried them on, it felt like all of the strapping was appropriate size for a medium. Because of my body size/shape, in other brands I often have shin and elbow straps as tight as they go, and I have trouble imagining what type of body would need the straps at maximum extension. It's like manufacturers create too much room to open up, but don't allow well for pads to tighten smaller. I don't have any of the straps on the tightest setting. Both the velcro attachment points and strap size means that if the straps start to stretch after a few years, I still have to room to play and retain the same tightness. That's not to say they have a shallow fit or super tight fit, I think STX was just more mindful of ways to design the velcro to offer more options on the smaller side. Shoulders(medium): (Previous pads Mission fuel 90, M) These fit close, but not tight or awkward. For me, the fit was comfortable, but not ground breaking. Visually, I don't feel like they are anymore low-profile than my 12 year old Mission Fuel shoulders, but those seemed relatively low profile, to me. On a profile scale, the STX are much closer to 5030s than Douglass Defenders. Bicep straps are fixed on the pads, so there's no velcro. I've always set those straps then never undone them, so I like this. I just now noticed that the bicep guards are attached to the shoulder caps with velcro, so you can move those up and down as you want. There's a horizontal strap sewn into the should cap, then another thick nylon strap loops through that, and velcros to itself. This gives a little bit of play, which I think will keep the bicep pad centered on your arm, and offer more freedom of movement without sacrificing protection. Front has a hard plastic piece down the sternum, and firm foam to the sides of that. Back is firm foam down the spine, and softer foam to the sides. On the front and back, you essentially have three areas- rigid middle piece, foam to the side of that, and kidney/rib padding toward the bottom. They are attached to each other via well sewn neoprene, which I think offers a more flexible fit, rather than all being one or two pieces. It keeps all the pads close together, but gives enough flexibility that it doesn't feel restrictive. I do kinda worry about how that neoprene will hold up over years and years. Regardless of my mirror-test rambling above, these feel more low-profile than other pads, and fit snug to your body and move with it. Elbows (medium): (Previous pads reebok 10k, M) The first thing you notice is the neoprene sleeve that your arm fits into, which effectively replaces a third strap. I was nervous about this, but after putting it on, didn't really think much about it. It is a full sleeve that your arm goes through. Before seeing them, I thought maybe it was just attached to the top, and your elbow rested on the pad the way traditional elbows do. The area under/around the sleeve does appear to be finished like a normal pad, so if you somehow ripped out the sleeve, it's not like your arm would be sitting against uncomfortable material. Fit was comfortable. The forearm strap runs 360 degrees around the whole forearm and secured with velcro, which I like. Felt like the strap really secured it evenly, as opposed to most pads which just pull the top pieces together. I think this strap will accommodate more arm types. Pads are hard plastic along the bottom and back, and firm foam towards the sides and top of the arm. I worry about the long term durability of the sleeve, but looking at the inside of the pad, you might be able to rip all of it and have the pad still function. Bicep strap and forearm strap seem secure enough that they can do all the heavy lifting in that scenario. Shins: (Previous Pads: CCM QLT 290, 16") I bought 16" because I have longish legs and wear the pads over my tongues. They felt like they might be a touch longer than other 16". Padding around the edges and back feels more sturdy that on the QLTs I'm moving out of. Strapping on the calf is thick, and actually tightens enough around my calf. Calf strap is also wide enough that it won't create some weird obvious pressure on your leg. The strap that sits just below the knee is great. Similar to the elbows, the strap goes all the way around the shinguard, the same way tape would, so it provides a nice snug fit. You could also easily cut this strap off if you are one of those people. I do wish this strap attached a touch lower, the very top of the strap rests sort of on the back of my knee joint. But, everyone has different bodies and if it fit me perfectly, it might be too low on someone else. Flexibility and comfort are good. I do notice the top flap on my left pad catching on my pants. These are pretty thick foam, thicker than I've ever seen there. This is good for extra protection, but means I can't quickly bend/deform it to keep from snagging my pants. I assume it will break in. (I also suspect better skating form and sitting a little lower would help here. But that's another thread.) Padding in the knee seems good. I haven't taken a fall straight on them yet. There's both adequate padding in the shinguard, and the liner also has some padding in it that feels thicker than other pads.

Interesting he said “g3 curve.” I wonder if he misspoke, or didn’t quite know what was going on with his stick.

Marchand has that weird shaved wooden butt end, plus holes in his gloves. I don’t know if they PHEW facebook group is still a thing, but he must give people on there fits.

I hope when Bauer launches their new $20 laser snipe dangles wooden insert that we get a cut of the profits.

2020 stick, 2005 butt end

I would assume it’s this. Johnny Suburb wants the best most elite stick possible, and wood is old fashioned. Who cares if the stick doesn’t feel as good or is balanced weird. Plus, the mid 00s had a widespread obsession with saving weight, regardless of practical effect, and having a wooden end plug adds fives of grams.

Check out this new Italian Hockey company. Bags are a little pricey, but we always say we wish we had more options.

One league I play in is really good about sharing info. But, then they are also reliant on players contacting them, so they are limited by that. The other league does not seem to be aware that COVID is a concern to any degree, beyond MA curfew limiting their access to ice time.

They shoulda got Snoop to be the model for the Pens jersey.

Ugh. Tested positive this morning. I don’t leave the house except for hockey and grocery shopping and walking the dogs. I always wear a mask when out, and keep one on (correctly!) all the time I’m in the rink and when playing, and only take it off to drink water. Even when you are careful things can still happen, and we can’t control other people’s decisions/actions. Bummer. Stay safe, be smart.

I just saw a Reddit thread where someone asked about RX3 vs 3.1, and someone from STX posted this: “STXHockey·316d Hey! Thanks for the love. Here's the thing. Both pads are great. It all depends on your preference and what experience you are looking for. The RX3 is our elite level pad. It includes the best foams and materials to make for a lightweight feel, while maintaining an elite level of protection. The RX3.1 is for someone who may not care as much about a slight weight difference. Different foams and materials make the pad a bit heavier, but still allow for maximum mobility and protection.”

For elbows, what size do y’all wear in STX compared to other brands? I float between M & L depending on the design.

I usually wear contacts with no problem, but had to wear glasses last weekend because of an eye issue. Mask was fine around the house, but like you said, fogged real bad on the bench to the point where I took off the glasses. I couldn’t find a way to situate them to decrease fog.

Has anyone used the Surgeon 3.1 or 3.2 level protective? In my life, I feel like the tier one or two down from the top usually serves me best. It’s hard for me to differentiate them on the STX page because it’s mostly jargon.

It doesn’t matter if we all hate it though, right? It’s directed at teenagers, and all the better if a bunch of out cranky adults are annoyed by kids today and their garish skates.

Why a two piece? Are you actively looking to try a two piece stick, or just looking for less expensive option for messing around? You can probably find a midrange stick on close-out or used for less than a shaft and blade.

Tapered or standard? People went nuts trying to find the tapered version. It was an SMU or European order or something.

that’s definitely how it’s designed to fit. To me, the level of breathability for any mask is an individual calculated risk. Outside of some sort of ventilator, you can’t have a mask with both great air exchange and maximum coverage/protection. Re “getting comfortable”: To me, the fact that it is thick and in front of my mouth and nose, means that it’s hopefully collecting droplets that leave me. And, because the air is coming in/out from those sides, it’s hopefully minimizing the air that I’m breathing directly from someone else.

The nuts in that holder that attach the steel are notorious for coming loose. Add some blue locktite and you should be fine. I’d poke around and see if you can find a replacement set, just in case you do lose one. I had two different skates with that holder, and even re-tightening before the game they still got loose, until I put on the locktite.

They did. You’re looking for Step runners that fit the Epro holder. Might be harder to find since they haven’t made those holders in a bit, but also might be cheaper.

What’s your goal with putting the insole under your foot bed and possibly experimenting with pitch? Do you not like the current stance and think you’d feel better with some forward pitch, or do you just want to experiment and try something new to see what works? Before messing with pitch of the steel, you could find someone to put a shin under the back tower, which would change your pitch, that way you aren’t messing with your steel, and it’s easy to go right back to where you started. Or, a lot of people on here have had success with multiple radii profiles (double, triple, quad). Which depending on the profile, can feel like there’s more forward lean, because of the smaller radius towards the front, particularly with an quad radius.

@sticktime , what profile do you have on your blades now?

I know it’s still super new, but curious how shops feel about Pro Sharp launching this brand new product after they’ve already bought the quad and zuperior templates and still trying to get customers sold on those. Seems like they are making a jump from a technology with proven success that a lot of people can/have benefit from (current profiling options) to “this one goes to 11!” type marketing that we see on sticks where you’re not really getting anything new/better, just a bunch of jargon and price increase.