Salming Gear Reviews

[Chadd 916]

I was sent a number of Salming items to demo and review. I will update this with some of my thoughts as I use the products and answer any questions I can. A full review will be posted once they have been used for a sufficient amount of time.

Gloves: Very nice gloves. Comfortable, loose fitting with a huge soft cuff.

Skates: Very deep fitting along the top of the foot, maybe the largest volume skate I've ever worn.

Sticks: TF1 is very square and the 16 pattern is almost identical to the TPS P13 curve that I really like. It's very grippy, but I was able to minimize that by candcaning the shaft with tape. G1 is a very nice stick, thinner in profile and comfortable to hold in my hand. Both have good puck feel.

[hunter4oz 0]

those sticks sound pretty nice. do you have any guess as to what the prices might be on them when they come out? hopefully not in the 200 dollar range that the stick market is leading into

thanks for the review

[Jason Harris 31]

those sticks sound pretty nice. do you have any guess as to what the prices might be on them when they come out? hopefully not in the 200 dollar range that the stick market is leading into

Hunter,

I'll only be able to give you what I've established as Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, which are obviously based off of my costs. Retailers are free to establish whatever price they believe will help them maximize sales.

The TF1 has an MSRP of $130 US, while the G1 has an MSRP of $170 US.

Sweden announced a new stick, the TF Evolution, about three weeks ago. I've only seen a picture of it on Sweden's website, so I can't tell you much other than it's supposed to be 435 grams with a curve similar to the Roenick. Based on what I heard my cost will be, that may approach the 200 dollar range you mentioned.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Need any extra testers ;) lol

[cobrAA 0]

any patterns close to the iginla...or between the iginla and modano??

[EBondo 233]

Need any extra testers ;) lol

haha im open too :D ;)

[chippa13 1844]

I believe the patterns right now are Sakic, Modano, and Lidstrom.

[Jason Harris 31]

I believe the patterns right now are Sakic, Modano, and Lidstrom.

The 2004 G1's have Modano and Sakic curves and will keep those curves in 2005.

The 2004 TF1's have Lidstrom and Sundin curves and will add the Sakic pattern in 2005.

As I mentioned above, the new TF Evolution is supposed to have a Roenick pattern.

[chippa13 1844]

I was kinda right.

[Jason Harris 31]

I was kinda right.

Yes you were! ;)

[chippa13 1844]

So what's my prize? ;)

I was kinda proud I remembered that considering the beer consumption that weekend.

[Jason Harris 31]

JR was kind enough to upload our 2005 catalogue yesterday, but I think I may have sent him a file that's too large.

I scanned the catalogue, then placed those pages into one PDF file, but it's taking forever to load. It seems obvious I need to make the file smaller. Since I still have the orginal scans on my computer, I have a question for any computer whizzes out there. What settings would you suggest I use on the JPEG and PDF to still be legible for people to peruse the catalogue. Or could it be that the entire catalogue has too many pages and multiple files be better?

Thanks,

Jason

[Chadd 916]

I skated with some of the stuff again today.

I left the top eyelet unlaced and it was much better for me. I prefer lower cut skates and used to do the same thing on my old 852s. The skates still feel a bit back on the heels but I don't know if it is the boot or the t'blades that are responsible. I'll know for sure once I swap out the holder. After skating for the second time I have a major flat spot on the t'blade steel. I was hoping to get more than 30 minutes of skating out of the steel, but that's a holder issue and not the boot. The boots are pretty comfortable, if perhaps slightly small for me.

I ended up taking a pass in the ankle and there was no impact pain at all. The arches and sides were also quite good, no issues at all.

The gloves are very good. A tacky treatment to the reinforced portion of the palm prevents any shaft slippage on shots but allows you to move your hand freely when you release the stick slightly. I let a couple kids try them and they were very popular.

The G1 OPS is a nice little stick. I'm very used to some of the other sticks I've been using so it has taken a little time to adapt to. Puck feel is good, better with cloth tape than friction tape. When you catch a shot just right it really takes off and the rounded shaft edges are very comfortable in my hand.

[jbyun04 7]

holy wowza

that whole lineup of salming stuff actually catches my interest

wouldn't mind trying out a few products sometime in the future myself :)

[Jason Harris 31]

holy wowza

that whole lineup of salming stuff actually catches my interest

wouldn't mind trying out a few products sometime in the future myself :)

That's the spirit! ;)

[Keith 0]

Do these skates still run narrow? I had a pair of S.01s awhile back and the things were incredibly narrow.

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

According to Chad, they are

Skates: Very deep fitting along the top of the foot, maybe the largest volume skate I've ever worn.

That doesn't sound like narrow to me, but perhaps he'll be free to comment otherwise..

[Chadd 916]

According to Chad, they are

Skates: Very deep fitting along the top of the foot, maybe the largest volume skate I've ever worn.

That doesn't sound like narrow to me, but perhaps he'll be free to comment otherwise..

I have the E width, I don't know what the D is like.

[Jason Harris 31]

Do these skates still run narrow? I had a pair of S.01s awhile back and the things were incredibly narrow.

Keith,

They're wider than the S01's; I skated with the S01's for three-and-a-half years before switching to the F1's.

What's interesting is a number of us thought we were wearing E-widths at first, because they are wider than the S01's to begin with, plus the sides are stiff initially. I kept mine tied tightly while in my bag for the first two weeks to "break them over." At that point, they no longer felt too wide.

Jason

[ultraman7k 0]

so when can we expect the salming stuff to be released?

[Jason Harris 31]

so when can we expect the salming stuff to be released?

Utlraman,

It's released now. Outside of the bags and the F3 skates, we have the entire run of 2004 products, while the 2005 products will arrive around Jul/Aug.

However, not many stores are carrying our product yet. Partially, this is due to not having an extensive rep network established, since the retailers need to touch the product to determine if the quality is as good as it looks. Slowly, we're beginning to visit more retailers and you should start to see the product soon.

Better yet, you can ask your retailer to carry it. That always helps..... ;)

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Hipster - go to the review section, follow our guidelines, add a rating to each section and you're set to go.

[jimmy 194]

so when can we expect the salming stuff to be released?

Utlraman,

It's released now. Outside of the bags and the F3 skates, we have the entire run of 2004 products, while the 2005 products will arrive around Jul/Aug.

However, not many stores are carrying our product yet. Partially, this is due to not having an extensive rep network established, since the retailers need to touch the product to determine if the quality is as good as it looks. Slowly, we're beginning to visit more retailers and you should start to see the product soon.

Better yet, you can ask your retailer to carry it. That always helps..... ;)

Even better idea, let the retail stores stock your products with no commitment. If it doesn't sell, you take it back. From my experience, new brands can be flops and we can get stuck losing a lot of money, e.g., .....care to buy some Flite gloves and skates at way less than cost.

[Hipster 5]

Hipster - go to the review section, follow our guidelines, add a rating to each section and you're set to go.

Done. Submitted in the review section

Thanks

[Jason Harris 31]

Even better idea, let the retail stores stock your products with no commitment. If it doesn't sell, you take it back. From my experience, new brands can be flops and we can get stuck losing a lot of money, e.g., .....care to buy some Flite gloves and skates at way less than cost.

Jimmy

To some extent I agree with you. It's better to have the product sitting in someone's store than my storage.

However, I'd want commitment from the retailer that they'll "sell" the product; i.e., they'll explain the features to their customers. I've had some retailers that never include my products in the ones they show to players, whereas other retailers have explained the benefits of the products to prospective buyers. It's easy to guess which stores have had better sales of our products.

However, as I type this, I realize the difference between the two sets of retailers is, "Who's used the products?" The retailers who have used the product have been able to present the product in good conscience, whereas those who haven't used it can't tout it in good conscience, because they really don't know.

Of course, this leads to an obvious suggestion. I just don' think I could afford that solution!