Gr8erade

Putting aside that I haven't been able to get to a store that stocks these, I was wondering whether anyone here has gone to the Makos from CCM U+CLs? The CLs worked pretty well for me because they were so moldable. I had volume problems in Vapors and Supremes, but actually found some comfort and had the volume problem solved in the Nexus. I've been wearing 7.5Ds in all of these. However, I'm always interested in whatever comes next. So if there's anyone who went from CLs or even the Nexus, who have a comparison to make in fit, volume, and sizing, I'd be really interested. Also, I was wondering about the wisdom of possibly going to a wider skate. The toe box is another problem area for me (it is often too narrow), and so I was thinking that perhaps a wider, but more moldable skate might be a good choice. Anyway, interested what you guys think.

There's a chrome dolomite in a picture one page back. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

I wish I had remembered this thread before I tossed out the butt ends, but I'm almost certain that the widow and the dolo customs I just had delivered came the same length. Though my memory could be wrong because the order sheet says 56 for the Dolo and 63 for the Widow, but I think I would have remembered if there was a sizeable difference... Sorry I don't still have the ends.... They're definitely the same length now. LOL.

The site seems to be down at the moment, but when I glanced at it this morning, I didn't recall seeing actual specs on the curves. I'd find that helpful. So would pictures of the curves for a right hander. If you have these options, I apologize, I only glanced. The retail curves are easily sought out for comparison at the local stores, but it will be a bit before anyone starts seeing these pro curves, so as much information as you could provide about them would be great. $260 for a sight unseen curve could seem steep... Did the Zetterberg Pro seem to be a bit like the Kovalev, but with a little less of an open wedge? And what is/was the Smythe? Otherwise, what I glanced at this morning looked good.

I agree. Nice. Nice that they're using black thread too.

Well, now that you mention it, its actually got the same pattern that the Widow has. It does have the Diablo taper.

Thanks. I think there was some speculation about what kind of Warrior stick Horton was using when he first started using them and gave up his Eastons. I can tell you that this is definitely a Diablo and not just some paintjob. Its got the shorter taper than the Widows. The curve is sweet. I don't get all the talk about paint jobs either. Sure there are guys using old sticks made to look like the current sticks, but in the case of the RS, I think people forget that hockey players in the NHL aren't all that different than we are, they want to try the latest and greatest too. The RS worked for Krecji, so he abandoned the TotalOne and looks like he did his best to mask that he was using the RS. If anything, in his case, it actually WAS a paint job. He was a Bauer guy using the newest Easton and wasn't advertising it.

Also picked up a Nathan Horton Diablo. The curve is very similar to those Letang and Fisher Prostocks that were on ebay recently. Looks like a 270 flex to me....

Yeah, I think that computer rendering threw people off. That rendering looks like a S19 with a RS paint job. Mine looks exactly like yours, so I'm pretty content that I picked up a RS. That its David Krecji's is a bonus. And as I said, Krecji has no logical reason in the world to be using anything other than an RS. Oh, and because I'm going to use it (and he uses a longer stick than I do), I took off his tape job and noticed that the sticker was still partially intact under the tape. What's left says NHL GR KRECJI R BO8. He hacked off the rest. These are made in Mexico, btw. I wish I knew the flex. It seems fairly stiff.

Well, it is unlike any Easton stick in looks or feel that I have. And I have them all. And it makes no sense given the timing of krecji's switch that he went to anything but the RS. That also explains why he blacked out all the yellow.

012. The stick is game used and cut. That's what's left of the barcode.

No. But most importantly, it feels nothing like an SE16. It is much lighter feeling. And nothing like the EQ50. And its not an ST, and it doesn't have the obvious elliptical taper of the S19. I know that some of you really believe that all these RS's are repainted sticks, but give me one good explanation why David Krecji, who is a Bauer guy and who was using a TotalOne prior to this, gave up the TotalOne for this stick at the exact time that the RS was launched. A) Its a RS and he liked it. But because he's a Bauer guy, he sprayed over the Easton markings. B) Its some other Easton stick that he could have played with all year painted like an RS and then he decided that he'd go paint over that. I'm going with A. And because I have every other Easton stick sitting here in my closet and none of them look or feel like this one, I'm going to go with its not anything other than what it says it is.

I found some old stuff out in the garage. I couldn't get over how heavy some of these are. Used to love these skates! And to that Krecji RS I picked up: Haven't figured out the curve equivalent exactly yet, but its pretty similar to a Datsyuk, I think. Krecji spray painted all the yellow Easton paint flat black. But it is definitely an RS underneath: After I cleaned it up:

I had a pair of carbon retail ones, but couldn't tell you when they were actually made. When I received the custom ones, I was surprised at just how large they were so my perception of what I was getting could have been colored by both the earlier pair of Creepers I no longer had, and those custom Savard Hitmen that I have. I didn't recall those retail Creepers as being particularly tight fitting either, but I'm positive that I don't remember them as being as cavernous as the ones I got from the Custom shop. I may not be completely right about this analogy, but I do have examples of all four of these, so I'd say that those Savard Hitmen and the narrow Franchises are similar in hand width, while the Creepers and the standard Franchises are similar in their width.

Great! And if I cared more, I'd wonder why if that were so, you resorted to IW's description of the glove. But I don't. The true purpose of my replies has been to clarify what you said. And I'm quite confident that nobody reading this thread is now going to be surprised when they order a Creeper and don't get a contoured, "very tight fitting" glove as you described them to be. Have a nice day.