dunc19

Sherwood Nexon 12 Flex: 75 Curve: Stastny Height: 5'10'' Weight: 165 Postition: LW Time-frame of use: November 2011-December 2012 Aesthetics: Comes in black with either grey or baby blue accents. I had the baby blue ones. Looked pretty good to me. Not too flashy, had a nice look to it. 9/10 Weight and Balance: Very light, and very balanced. True one-piece stick. Lightest stick I have ever used besides the CCM U+ CL. 10/10 Blade: Not sure exactly what the blade is made out of, but it's the least durable blade I have ever used. I cracked way too many Nexons in the blade, all in different spots but especially the heel. They said they improved the durability of the blade but it didn't seem like that to me. Very bouncy to me. Catching passes was a little bit different because the puck tended to bounce easily. 5/10 Shaft/Flex: The shaft is really skinny. Skinnier than most brands I feel. I didn't mind the smaller shaft dimensions but it takes some getting used to. Found the 75 flex to be pretty true to a 75 flex. They also have a "no-flex" zone if that's what they call it where there is about 3 inches at the top where you can cut the stick and it doesn't affect the flex at all. I liked this because I always have to cut my sticks down and they are always a bit to stiff for me. 8/10 Stickhandling and Passing: Stickhandling feels good with the stick. The blade is very responsive and like I previously said it feels like the puck bounces a bit on you when you receive passes. Takes a bit of getting used to. 9/10 Shooting: My shot is great with this stick. Great for quick release wristers and snappers. My slapshot does lack a bit with this stick though. I'm not really concerned with that because I'm a forward and it's all about the quick release. 10/10 Durability: I only broke one of these in the shaft, but about 5 of them in the blade. I warn you about the blade of this stick...I play in a very competitive league so maybe the wear and tear is just too much for the blade to handle but be careful. If you play in a recreational league I don't think you'll have as much as a problem. 6/10 Conclusion: Great stick performance wise, not so much durability wise. Light, balanced, and a true-one piece for a very reasonable price..you can't ask for much more. I think it competes with other high end sticks and I've seen more Midget and Junior players switching to the Nexon. 8/10 overall. -1.5 because of the poor blade durability.

CCM U+ CL - 9 and 9 1/4 D Foot size - wider forefood, normal heel Play 7+ times a week Last skate worn: Bauer Total One I ordered custom CLs. I used my first pair for a year and a half because of durability issues. They replaced the skates for me and I have been in my new pair for a month now. Looks: (10/10) ------------------- These skates are super good looking. I love how you can customize the color on the back (between red, orange, green, gold, blue) I went with blue. But they look great, not too flashy but they really stand out compared to other skates in a good way. Fit (9/10) ----------- Out of the box I thought I needed an E width due to my wide feet but I stuck with the D. The U+ foam when baked really forms to your foot unlike any other skate. After about 3 or 4 skates the pain completely went away in the skate. The liner is pretty nice, the U+ foam really bakes well. I added a bit of extra padding to the U foam because I've had too many close calls with breaking my foot by blocking a shot. Blade/Holder (6/10) ------------------- Not a fan of E-Pro holders at all. They put you more on your heels which gives you the slightly aggresive pitch. That is the only thing I like about them. Blades also don't hold their sharpen very well. I have used TUUKs my whole life so I added some TUUKs onto the skates with step steel instead. If you've been a Bauer guy your whole life and switch to these, I recommend staying in the TUUK holders as well. Weight (7/10) --------------- These are not crazy light. Noticably heavier than Bauers high end skates when you hold them. But...I can't notice a 100 gram difference or less when I'm on the ice so it's not a problem for me. If CCM wants to call their skates the Crazy Lights, then they gotta make their skates crazy light. Protection (10/10) ----------------- Great protection. Again, with the added ankle padding/foam I added I have very minimal pain when I take pucks to the boot. But overall, these skates are built to protect. A lot more protective then my previous Total Ones. Durability (3/10) ------------------------- These are my second pair of CLs in the last year and a half. I'm on the ice everyday, but I don't abuse my skates. My first pair of CLs had eyelets bending and popping out like crazy. Also the stitching from the inside U+ foam to the outside of the boot came unglued on both skates. Both tendon guards became loose (I take my skates off by the boot) so I do not abuse them. The outside of the boot held up fine, but everything else fell apart. The foam inside the skate by the tendon guard starting coming out too. I don't know if they just made these skates poorly, but they are made in Canada so I'm really surprised. I'll see how my new pair holds up. Performance (10/10) ------------------- They perform just like a good pair of skates should. Feel very confident at high speeds, tight turns, and transitions. I would prefer if they were a little bit lighter but again that doesn't make a difference for me. Overall Assessment ------------------ It's a great skate. It's a little bit heavier than Bauer's top lines but if you don't mind a little bit of a heavier skate then give these a try. The U+ foam molds to your feet so well after baking them and you should have no pain after about the 3rd or 4th ice time. I do have a few blisters from my new skates but I think skates should be used 20+ times before calling them broken in. Beware of durability though. If you play high level hockey, or hockey everyday then I would maybe consider staying away from these. My first pair couldn't survive someone who plays everyday. I am giving my new pair a shot, and hopefully they hold up better. But overall these skates are a good price for what you get. Comfy, protective, and perform well.

CCM U+ CL Flex: 75 Curve: Nugent-Hopkins Left Height: 5'10'' Weight: 165 Postition: C/LW Time-frame of use: Since January Aesthetics: Looks great, not too flashy. Huge fan of the matte sand paper finish. Added the type of grip that made it easy to hold onto the stick, wihout the feel of actual grip. 10/10 Weight and Balance: So light. At 425 grams I think it's the lightest stick on the market. Felt really balanced to me, not blade heavy at all. 10/10 Blade: Blade held up decently. I found it to crack a little bit too easily in the toe but other than that the blade was fine. Always feel in control when the puck is on the stick of my CL and giving and receiving passes feels nice and crisp. 9/10 Shaft/Flex: Shaft is the perfect diameter. Not too boxy, not too round. I'd say it feels like a true 75 maybe even a tad more whippier. 10/10 Stickhandling and Passing: Stickhandling feels great. You definitely notice how light the stick is and it handles very well. All of my passes are crisp with this stick and I can control them very well. Stick is very responsive. 9/10 Shooting: Love it for shooting. My snapshot is unbelievable with this stick. Feels like you have to put in very little effort to get the velocity you want. Tapered shaft isn't a problem. My slapshots are OK with this stick, but other sticks have provided me with a slightly harder slapshot and one timer. Not much of an issue as I mainly use snapers and wristers. 8.5/10 Durability: The stick felt like it got whippier pretty quickly. A little bit disappointed that my 75 flex felt like a 70 flex after not a whole lot of use. The graphics chip pretty easily but that's like any stick out there. The blade is pretty durable but I noticed it to crack a bit too easily in the toe. 7.5/10 Conclusion: Great stick. I recommend it for all players especially forwards who need a stick for quick release snap shots and wristers. It won't disappoint. Lightest stick I have ever used and I just broke mine and will be going out to purchase another one. 9/10

Warrior KGB Flex: 70 Curve:Kremlin (Ovechkin Authentic) Height: 5'10'' Weight: 150 Age: 15 Position: C/LW Level of hockey: AAA Time-frame of use: Two Months Looks: Decent looking stick. Warrior tends to release the more flashy graphics which I can't say I'm always a fan of. Think they got the right idea with this stick, but I don't like the "naked" looking girls on the stick. Other than that, it's a pretty smooth looking stick. Warrior nailed the colours pretty well for Ovechkin and the Caps. 8/10 Weight and Balance: Feels quite a bit heavier than previous sticks used (one 95, x:60) even though this intermediate model is supposed to weigh in at 444 grams. Took a while to get used to the heavier feel and the first thing you'll probably notice is that it's blade heavy. OK balance, but you'll notice much better balance in a higher end stick. 7/10 Blade: As the other poster said this blade feels similar to the original dolomites. However, at the bottom of the blade in the heel section it is chipping noticeably. It's not holding up too well there, as I continue to use it it looks like it'll continue to get worse. Not impressed by this at all. 5/10 Shaft/Flex: Shaft feels pretty good and durable, kind of like the Hitman. Feels a little heavier once again but this isn't considered a "high end" stick because it's mid price point. Really nice shape to the shaft with the concave walls, it feels "right" to me in terms of how a shaft would feel. Flex feels great, a bit stiffer than 70 and I didn't cut it down. I like the whip to it but it feels a bit more stiff. Stickhandling and Passing: Stickhandling feels natural with this stick. It's something about the stick itself that makes me so comfortable when I have the puck on my stick. It was tough the first few ice times with the Kremlin curve as it was a big jump from my P92. Once you get the feel to the curve stickhandling feels great. Passing was really hard to get used to also, but after a few ice times it will feel pretty good. You can get good sauce out of the Kremlin curve but sometimes when I try to pass it along the ice it jumps up on me because of the sand wedge curve. 8/10 Shooting: Great stick for shooting. With the whippier flex I get a lot of power into my shots. With the Kremlin curve you have to be careful to keep it down but one you get used to it you'll have great accuracy. It's a piece of cake to go upstairs. Backhands suck with the Kremlin curve it's a flutter more often than not. That's the only thing I don't like about this curve. 9/10 Durability: Stick is like any other in terms of durability except for the blade. As mentioned earlier the chips are not normal, it seems like the stick was poorly made there. Normal wear and tear on the stick and it's still holding up great.. 7/10 Overall: Overall this is a decent hockey stick. For the mid price point you are getting a very good stick. I only usually buy high end hockey sticks, but I went with the KGB to give the authentic Ovechkin curve a try. I only bought the stick for the curve offered, and if your itching to try the authentic Ovechkin then you should give this stick a try. I won't be going back to this stick in the future and it's only a limited edition. I think this curve is a bit too much for me but I may have to consider a CCM in this pattern when they are released. 7/10

Helmet: Nike Bauer 9500 w/ 9500 chrome cage Shoulder Pads: Nike Bauer Vapor XXXX Elbow Pads: Nike Bauer Vapor XXXX Shin Pads: Easton Ultra Lite Pants: Nike Bauer Vapor XXXX Girdle w/ ccm pant cover Skates: Nike Bauer One 75's Sticks: TPS R10, TPS R8, Easton Synergy SE, Nike Bauer Vapor XXXX

Should I black my one 75's out like this except the whole skate? because there worn out completely..