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Did you get just the collar, or the one with the “bib”?

How’s the sizing on these? One size fits all from 11yo to adult makes me nervous they’d be super tight on adult feet.

Last dedicated thread I could find was 10 years old, so wanted to start a new one. Any strong recommendations for cut resistant skate socks? Or advice on brands/models you didn’t like for one reason or another?

Has anyone used the Jetspeed 485 or 680 shoulder pads? Any strong opinions?

It’s also wildly lazy “science.” If I wear a helmet that’s too big for me, and then complain that I got hurt, and you saw that the helmet fit improperly, you’d tell me “hey man, that sucks, but that helmet is obviously too big.” But, these guys as policy use helmets that are too big, give some inscrutable ratings, and have parents wringing their hands over terrible data. Your point that “no one would read all that” is a huge problem with this study. Their testing doesn’t do a good job testing for hockey injuries. It’s all buried in fine print and the results incredibly oversimplified. There are consumers making choices off of bad data. And now companies are chasing good ratings from this study, but the variables they test are so skewed it’s not even viable. We aren’t critiquing a highschool science fair project. If we were, I think people would be right in their “hey guys, they are doing their best and this seems like a neat idea” defense. VT is pushing this as a rigorous study and it simply isn’t. Imagine if they were testing seatbelt safety, but some of the time just stuck the seatbelts into that cushions rather than latching them correctly. Personally, I’d see that and think I can’t trust anything they publish, because the methods are so flawed. But, instead, people are craving this ratings system even though it’s flawed the variables are wonky.

Pretty sure at this point they have zero interest in making the study better or relevant or useful. They’re just doing it and churning out results that people then haphazardly use.

This thread just seems like someone who has enough money that they don’t really care what they spend it on, and then try to justify it after the fact (custom skates last longer), and then when that false assertion gets called out, backpedals to another money flex (I don’t need to buy new skates, I just do).

Because a lot of people can find comfortable fits for stock skates. Especially off the shelf Trues mold and fit so well the non-custom are fine for a lot of people. I suspect a lot of people need to actually just take time fitting their skates and trying things on. There’s a huge gap between ordering Vapors online because “Bauer is the best” without ever trying anything on, and going full custom. A pair of off the shelf $500 Trues would probably be the best option for a huge number of people. But the world too easily pushes the narrative of you need the most expensive things all the time no matter what.

Sorry, let me rephrase. Mot comparing cost of gen 1 or kickstarter. The time before before gen 3 was released, did the gen 2 model cost the same as it does now, or was it more and they have since reduced the price?

Geez, at $300 for holders and steel I’d just buy new skates at that point.

Did gen 2 get cheaper, or did gen 3 just get more expensive? Or both? Honest question, I don’t pay attention to the pricing.

Prostockhockey, while not a scam and gives you what you order, and will answer specific questions about sticks if you contact them, does advertise and awful lot of stuff as “straight from the pros,” but seems to be things that they just order directly from the manufacturer. They can also be brutal on shipping prices.

I assume for a lot of shops that have Sparx the person who buys it and implements it goes all in all the “super duper easy!!!” marketing lingo, then just plug it in, maybe calibrate it once, never clean it, and train people with “put the skate in the skate hole and press the button. Rub that rock on it when you’re done. If you get an error message, turn it off and on until it goes. Don’t forget we increased the price of sharpenings $2.”

This feels like a solution in search of a problem. Were there a bunch of interface problems on the previous gens? The buttons on all the ones I’ve used are pretty simple and direct.

New advertising talks about Bluetooth. If this were being released 6 months ago I 100% would assume it’s an April Fools joke. Why does my skate sharpener need Bluetooth? There’s apparently a new fancy laser thing to improve alignment, but mostly seems like they added racing stripes and fins and increased the price.

I’ve seen that blade master link but a) looks like they won’t sell to US buyers b), like I said, I don’t know where to start with sizes. Are hockey skate eyelets not standardized? After a lot of googling I haven’t found anything that says “buy size X.”

Is there an important difference between the bigger eyelet press like you see in shops, vs a small handheld one? Is the press that much more better, or is it just that those are quicker and smoother so you spend less time? And, for people who replace eyelets at home, do you have a recommendation for where to buy them in bulk? Quality and cost seems to jump around a bit. I’d prefer a seller in the US so I’m not paying international shipping costs.

Do you need a super specific color and design? You should be able to find some prostock M that are +2. I’m 6’2” and wear mediums with the zipper open and they are fine. Have you tried other brands and models?

Nooo, but the guy who makes money by shilling the product told me it was the best! Why would he over exaggerate?

I grew up in Pittsburgh and moved to Boston. I proudly rep multiple cities with awesome townie accents.

Do you guys stockpile sticks you like in case the government passes legislation against one piece sticks? How do you all have so many 3+ year old sticks you’re planning to use again?

There’s a difference in dimensions between a junior and int stick. If you are comfortable with the way the junior feels in your hand, give it a try. A higher flex doesn’t automatically mean more power. It means the stick will rebound more when flexed, IF you can flex it correctly. If it’s too stiff you’re actually gonna lose power on your shot.

Shout out to anyone from Pittsburgh who doesn’t even blink when things are randomly pluralized or possessive because that’s just how we roll. “Yinz got onna ‘em Spark’s machines that do the fires?”

More so than the original Jetspeed blade where people could barely handle pass because it was so pingy and reactive?

No one is disagreeing that “the real data” says you can get a great sharpen on a black stone from a super profesional and experienced sharpener and that it’s noticeably better than a Sparx. People are saying having a consistent 95% quality sharpening from Sparx is better than sometimes getting a 99% sharpening from a black stone but also having the very real risk of getting a 50% sharpening. I’m not going anywhere where I MIGHT get a really really good sharpening, or, if that person is off for the day, I’ll get a high 16 year old who is texting with one hand while sharpening and jerking off with the other and only pretends to change the wheel to the hollow I ask for. And frankly, at most places, that second option is what’s standard. There’s no reason to chase a potentially marginally better sharpening when it’s such a small incremental improvement, over knowing exactly what I’ll get with a Sparx, even if it gets an A- grade instead of an A+. It sucks that an automated at-home sharpener is taking away a skill set and job. I really value the relationships I’ve had with skate sharpeners. But, those people I trust are so few and far between. Way way way too many hockey stores, large and small, have shown they don’t have the dedication or time or money to put toward providing a consistently premium sharpening. I live in Boston, which is a HUGE hockey market. There’s no one around who does FBV by hand that I trust. There is a shop who uses Sparx machines and the guy really loves what he does and pays close attention. I go to him and get a fire sharpening. It’s consistent and feels great. At 43, having transitioned to ice from roller at 28, my NHL window is probably lower than a 50/50 shot at this point, so I’m happy to just have a good sharpening where I know what I’m getting.