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Not sure where to post this, so here it is. I'm back! It's been a LONG time since I've logged on here, and I missed the place and people. Life, as we all know, has it's twists and turns, and the last year or so has been an adventure for me and my family. I pretty much took a 2 year hiatus from playing (although was coaching until last year), but am back playing, and the family issue(s) seem to have ironed themselves out. Hoping to be able to contribute regularily again on here!

Not the news I was expecting after logging on after a long hiatus (due to some personal issues in my life as well). Sorry for you loss Chadd.

It amazes me how "low" people can go. At the same time, around here (Windsor, ON) I can't imagine having a car super low to the road. With all the pot holes that re-appear every year, from the ever changing weather (freeze - thaw), plus with your curbs, etc., I could imagine thousands of dollars of repairs every year! I like the look in most cases. I have seen some totally rediculous mods though too around the city. A couple weeks ago, one of these was behind me.....WOW!!! Aston Martin Rapide - in black

Not one to usually vent, but this time it's necessary..... Going through total utter chaos refinancing my mortgage! Started the process pretty much a month ago - same bank, same branch, etc. Was supposed to close Apr 25, nope..... had to have a lawyer officially put my wife on the title ( as I purchased my house before we were married). Got that taken care of in a day. Faxed papers to bank, but they still had to call the lawyer "just to make sure". Now supposed to close tomorrow (May 5), well.....still nothing official yet. It seems I've had more run around than what the Bruins to do the Leafs in a typical game this season! Un-smurf-in believable! Talk about holding up so many other things that are dependant on this!!!!

The main thing is, I am used to "hockey" skates, fit wise. I've been playing hockey, or at least skating since I learned to walk. I want to get the ice hockey feel to the skate as much as possible. I assume a conversion like this is something that a LHS would likely be able to do?

I guess this is right thread to ask this...... I have my old Easton Ultra Lite Pro (not pro stock) skates, that are sitting around my house not being used, as I now have another pair of skates that I am using for ice. I want to get a pair of "rollerblades" that I can use for the summer just to skate around the neighbourhood, trails, etc. around here. I have an old Bauer pair that were a low line model, and what it boils down to is I barely make it 5 blocks and they hurt - a lot! Poor quality skate, bad fit - too tight I think. Anyways I noticed a lot of conversions in this thread - so my question is..... Is it possible with the Easton Ultra Lites? Is that conversion worthwhile costwise? Or is it best to just get a new pair of roller?

Product: Vapor xxxx, right, retail, 77 flex, P91A Staal curve Time of use: Limited pick up over a year, plus some coaching. Stick is currently a back up I use. Also, stick is in virtually brand new condition. My stats: age 37, 5'8 176 pounds. Playing since I was 5 or 6 years old Blade: Blade is nice and stiff, no pinginess to it, not too soft even after limited use. Feeling the puck is top notch. 10/10 Flex: The flex feels much stiffer than what I expected with a 77 marking. I only cut it down maybe 2 inches. I have a tapered shaft Easton 85 that feels whippier than this. I can load it, but still expected more whip. 8/10 Stickhandling / passing: Stickhandling and passing with this stick, IMO, is great. As I said, there is no pinginess when receiving a pass, and can make a pass without issue. 10/10 Shooting: Again related to the stiffer feel than I thought it would be, but for me the shots are where I know they can be. It's not bad, but for me, not what I like. I definately can't knock it much. 7/10 Weight and balance: This is a very light stick, and well balanced. Balance for me isn't a huge factor compared to some. Again though - it is also heavier than my Easton SE 2 pc. 9/10 Durability: I've had no issues or concerns with the durability of this stick. I've taken a few hacks and hard lifts, and given some too. Sure there is a minor paint chip or two, but otherwise a very durable stick. 10/10 Other comments: The look of this stick is excellent. I have the no-grip version. The white upper and deep red colour on the bottom of shaft and blade (showing the weave) make this a very flashy, yet not overbearing stick to look at. Conclusion: This stick was my first venture into a tapered shaft one piece. I like the stick, but the feel of it for me is too stiff for it's rating. Puck feel, shooting, durability are all top notch. I have it as a back up/spare as it is just OK for me. I can't deduct too many points though, as it is a great stick. 8/10 Overall

EASTON SE SHAFT (GRIP) Time Used: 1-2 years Flex: 85 (cut an inch or 2 off stock length) Reviewer: 5'8" 170 lb pick up / rec league Blade: came with Synergy II blade - switched to an SE16 Drury (RH) Shaft Shape & Flex - Shape of shaft is standard square feel. Nothing special, nothing negative on the shape. Flex on this shaft feels quite whippy compared to the CCM V110 & XXXX OPS I have as well. I was surprised how whippy it felt, but I have a feeling it is due to the 2 pc setup versus ops. The flex took only about 10 mins to get accustomed to. 9/10 Weight & Balance - I am not sure on the listed weight of the shaft uncut, but feels very light! The balance (not super important to me) feels just fine. With the basic Easton end plug, and a blade in, it seems obvious it will be slight blade heavy, but the SE16 blade is super light as well. Overall the weight of the shaft with the blade is super. I don't really prefer something super light, and have mostly used sticks that I can really "feel" in my hands, but no complaints at all on this one. Lightest I've used to date. 10/10 Stick Handling & Passing - No issues at all in this department. As posted in other reviews of different shafts, I am confident in passing and stickhandling being more a result of the blade/pattern as opposed to the shaft. However, this shaft really allows you to feel the puck when you have it. 10/10 Shooting - Being a tapered shaft, the kick point should be in the lower portion of the shaft. Being my first tapered shaft I've used, I absolutely love this set up I currently have. I can really feel the stick load for shooting. I am almost exclusively a wrist shot player. Great feel on the shots I have taken. I prefer this shaft and blade I am using over my XXXX OPS (as a reference). Great shooting set up. 10/10 Durability - I see this shaft lasting a long time. I've taken some slashes, etc. and no issues. One small issue in durability is the grip has one area where it appears frayed on one corner of the shaft. 9/10 Intangibles - This is the area where I will touch on the grip aspect. I had never used a "grip" shaft/stick before until I purchased this shaft. Honestly, I am not a fan of the grip feel, and prefer the "clear". It is not a major negative, but just a personal preference. Fans of grip shafts should love this. In terms of "look"... The thing I like about Easton is their sticks/shafts are not overly flashy like say some Warriors are. The basic silver paint and Easton name are all this shaft needs and has. Conclusions - I absolutley love this set up. Has great feel, perfect flex for me, and allows to feel the puck when I have it or shoot. Only issue, as stated above, is that I am not a fan of grip shafts. Ease of changing blades couldn't be better. Grip texture is holding up fine. As I said, this ws my first 2 pc setup I've used since the early '90s Louisville black carbon shafts I had and before that aluminum shafts. I think using this shaft has sold me 2 pc setups. OVERALL - 9/10

Here is 2 shots (of me of course) from summer '09 co-ed league...

Background - I have been using the S9 helmet (size L) for just over a year. The previous 3 helmets I wore (over a span of a couple years - see the following) were Bauer HH4000 series helmets (size M). All 3 helmets cracked on both halves of the shell where the sizing adjustment screws tighten down. Needed a new durable helment, and now I wear the S9. Fit - As JR mentioned in the first post - I too found that this helmet fit very tight at first. Almost to the point of hurting my head. As I wore it, this went away, and now fits great. I have no issues with the fit. As with most hockey gear - break in usually makes things fit the way they should. 9/10 Weight - To me, the helmet is lightweight enough that once you have it on, there are no concerns with the weight. With a visor - it is pretty much the same as my old Bauers. 10/10 Protection - This is the area where you hope you don't have to truly "test" it. I had the unfortunate chance to test it, as I found a rut and crashed head/shoulder first into the end boards. No damage done, aside from a stiff neck! I have no qualms about this helmet not protecting me should I need it again for a similar situation. 10/10 Other Comments - I had an issue with the chin strap on my helmet as well. For me, it was impossible to snap it together. Probably a fault snap - as my LHS replaced the chin strap, and it now works fine. I would agree this helmet is not sweat friendly, but I do not find it to be too bad. I did not cut out the foam vents as others have, and now I am used to it. The size adjustment feature is great too - see my opening remark re: Bauer helmet. I did have a slight problem mounting my Itech half sheild - felt like I was going to almost snap it to get it to fit on right. Conclusion - This is a very well designed helmet. Looks good, and fit and function are top notch. It is not a helmet where you will break the bank on either. For the price and protection provided - I highly recommend the S9. Overall 9/10 score.

EASTON SYNERGY II BLADE Curve: Fischer Shaft: Easton Synergy Elite Time Used: 1 full season Weight - This blade has good weight to it. It meshed well with my Synergy Elite shaft. Stick with the blade felt good in terms of balance. Without a plug it tends toward blade heavy, but that is it expected. 9/10 Stick Handling/Passing - I had no problems with the blade feeling soft, or too fragile. Stick handling with this blade was un-noticeable, which is a good thing. I could feel the puck well. Making and receiving passes with this blade gave me a good comfort zone knowing the puck wasn't going to bounce off the blade. 10/10 Shooting - The only issue I had with shooting, was getting a feel of the curve at first. Fischer pattern is very similar to Drury, and I generally prefer the heel curve open toe style pattern. I was able to place my shots were I wanted, and again, I could really feel the puck well for shooting. 10/10 Durability - Now this is where I would place the only knock on this blade. Although I think it is the case with most Easton blades. I didn't really feel the blade get soft, or lose any feel to it. I did however, find the heel chips very easily. I couldn't even remember how, but out of no where, I had a sizable chip at the point of the heel. The blade was still playable in this condition, and in fact I used it with the chip without any ill effects. 3/10 Price - The price on this blade was very reasonable - hence me purchasing it for what I think was about $39.00CDN at a LHS. If you can get this blade for about that price, then it is definately a worthwhile purchase. I would say stay away from it though for much more than that, due the the heel chip issue. 9/10 Conclusion - This blade matches perfectly with the Synergy Elite shaft. Feel is great, price at the time was great, and if not for the heel chip issue I experienced I would rate this higher than I have. If you can pick it up on the cheap - go for it! These blades are expensive but have great feel. If you can handle the higher price coupled with replacing them frequently, they are a good choice. For most recreational players they will probably want something more durable. Overall 7/10

Chadd, Had guys like that in the one Sunday AM rec league I played in years ago. Those guys were the "tough guys", you know.. never played organized hockey, but are out there head hunting. One guy claimed to be the toughest guy in the area JR. C league here (probably 20 yrs ago mind you). I guess for some the dream is never over. You know how all those scouts hang out at rec league games.......

K9 - I am not sure, I don't remember. It was quite some time ago. The shims were a reddish colour plastic that he glue on the bottom of the skate on the inside underneath the insole, plus I think they put shims between the boot and the holder too. Did it help? I don't think it helped that much compared to what I got done at Maximum Edge after the fact. That being said, I'd love to find out what a true pair of custom skates would feel like. Mind you, I don't have any problems with my current set-up (Vapor XXIX - SMU for Perani's, or so I was told).

JR. re: Funny you mention this. I went to see Joe at Brian's here in Windsor for the pair of skates I had before my last pair, and he put the shims in, etc, as I had an issue with one foot pronating, whatever.... I then took them to get them sharpened at Maximum Edge, and the owner (Bob Allen I think his name is) asked why I wasted my money on that and ripped them out and basically spent over an hour tweaking the alignment of my holders. In fact he happened to be on the phone with the Red Wings equipment guy (Boyer?), as he had (maybe still does) done a lot of work for NHL teams with his new sharpening technique/tools, and actually put me on the phone with the guy. He basically customized the blade alignment for me which was great. I don't think they do that anymore now that the business has grown, but I've taken my skates exclusively to them since then. Yeah, I felt like I was scammed by "Joe" basically.

NYR: seriously? I would probably have a pretty good chuckle out of that! Although from reading through this thread, I guess we shouldn't be surprised at anything anymore. Just when you think you've heard/see it all......