Is There Any Brand Name You Won't Use

[Chadd 916]

I am about to boycott easton for overcharging and poor customer service from what i have experienced

dittos on Easton. Worse quality equipment, but sticks, shafts, blades are the worse.

While I don't care for the replacement blades and OPS blades, the shafts are not bad.

[Seth 0]

I'm no longer using CCM after bad experiences with a number of their products. I don't like the direction bauer has taken but certain products i do like: the 8000 helmet, xxx stick and vapor gloves. Don't do easton or mission anymore either.

[chippa13 1844]

In the last 4 years I rediscovered my love for THC/CCM skates with the Externo (improved Koho) line. I wore my E-50's for 2 happy years and replaced with bargain basement E-60's last summer. Not only have I been happy with them but converted 3 guys on my team to E-60's as well. I'm sure that when I'm in the market for skates again the THC brands will get the first shot in what I try on.

There really isn't any company I will refuse to try. I've been happy with Bauer protective, especially the elbow pads that are carry overs from the old Techniflex line of Cooper. CCM skates seem to be a winner for me. The Muskoka gloves I have now are very good, but I have also liked Hespeler, Eagle, and CCM.

I'm pretty much a Mission/Easton guy when it comes to shafts, blades, and OPS althought I was one of the few here who liked the original red/silver Triflex OPS. I'd probably use Bauer OPS again if they came up with an Iggy clone.

[sdcopp 1]

I'll use anything but Easton sticks/blades/ops. I've never liked their stuff in that category, as it just doesn't hold up to normal use, much less actually have a shaft or stick be above average in durability.

Oh yeah, I won't wear Mission inlines, too many quality issues as of late, and the boots get super soft real quick

[Gongshow11 1]

mission ccm nike

[Fletch 219]

The old CCM Supra gloves were awesome. The CCM of the last 10 years or so is terrible. And I hate how they put the NHL logo all over everything. We get the point, you have a deal to use the NHL badge. <_<

[golfpuck 0]

of the people that said the dont like hespeler did you actually ever buy a piece of hespeler equipment? and use it?

i am not saying its the best stuff, but its good value for the money.

not everyone can spend $150 on a pair of eagles, and if all you got is $50 a nice pair of hespeler gloves will fit the bill...

their sticks arent bad either, especially their older line which were basically innos, 9010s, kicklites, F4, even the patriot i thought was a great stick, better than their current stuff.

their classic lite series of equipment was pretty good for the rec level player...

brands.. who cares.. its all a matter of what you can use...

no one's mentioned franklin, their equipment wasnt bad either... lot of advanced features for the $.

winwell, they make decent stuff for the $ too...

[blues_91 0]

I use to hate Easton for when the sales rep accused me of destroying my gloves when I showed him how the backroll and fingers (not palm) were all torn up. Recently I bought some Easton pro stock gloves, and a ST grip I just couldn't resist. They both felt so good in the store, so much for my boycotting Easton. But I am pissed at the durability of the Synth blades.

[sherwood21 0]

I don't really like the fit of Eagle gloves, so I will probably never use them. Any other companies helmet other than the 5000 I won't use, because the 5000 fits me perfect. I don't see myself using CCM skates anytime soon either, I have heard horror stories about the Vector line, but also some good things about it..so it has me torn between the two . I also probably won't be getting another M-1 soon, or L-2 because of the bad experience I had with them (blades being the problem). I do however find Mission's CS and their willingness to do different things impressive, though.

[dix0r 0]

hah, i haven't been playing for very long so maybe i'm more impartial cause i'm not even aware of all the stigma around certain brands. the exception being, i skated on CCMs when i was younger and i still like them now, heh. not that i've tried on tons of skates, but they feel like they fit my foot best. anyways:

like: mission, CCM, some sherwood protective stuff

dislike: itech, nike, bauer (except vapor XX gloves)

i'm not really against any company or anything. these are just generalizations based on the products i have tried. i wouldn't say theres any name brand i won't use.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

the topics name make me think of Is there any place you won't ship because they don't support war.(the topic of zak)lol

[Sven 1]

the topics name make me think of Is there any place you won't ship because they don't support war.(the topic of zak)lol

hahaha :lol: :D

[opus22 0]

i have used ccm skates for 20 years - using the 1152's right now. if it aint broke - why fix it. i dont really understand any negativity against their skates. i dont use their protective stuff - not because i dont like it, i just like jofa for that. i hope all the ccm hate is directed mostly to the sticks. i agree their not the best out there. but the ops seem to last the longest, as do their blades - i think there is something to be said for durability. i have some of their ref shin pads though - and they are falling apart pretty quick.

ive never bought nike - just not a fan. never liked easton either but have a lot of their stick related stuff due to lack of choices over the last few years. i dont like rbk getting involved - but i will end up buying jofa stuff with an rbk logo eventually. i like the pants too. i think missions compostie sticks/blades lack feel. i wont ever buy one.

i wont pay more than 60-70 bucks for a pair of gloves - so ill never own anything eagle.

stick wise i wont ever buy another ops. there are enough hybrid wood stick/ blades out there now to satisfy. i may still buy a composite blade or two and a tapered shaft. thats it.

[lecavalier 0]

I used to swear by Easton sticks.They never broke until they actually were worn out for me.Now I swear by almost everything CCM which include sticks,helmets,pants,girdles,skates and shin/knee pads.I can't stand Hespeler for some reason.

[jbyun04 7]

EASTON!!!!! They're stuff just doesn't appeal to me, only their hybrid blades. I don't even like their synergy line up that much :D

Hespeler

[jimmy 194]

I don't really use Nike, based mostly on principle. I don't like what Nike has done to the hockey equipment business. The standard "shelf life" for skate/equipment models used to be 3, 4, even 5 years... now it's more like 1 year, MAYBE 2 years. If the new products coming out were truly THAT revolutionary, then fine, but often, the only changes to products are strictly cosmetic. They're changing just for the sake of changing.

You are so right. Bauer skates in particular don't last long. As a skate sharpener I get to see thousands of skates a season, and see how they are holding up. You can really notice how the Bauers break down quick. Af for changing models for the sake of change, Bauer/Nike is the worst. For example 6 model skates were discontinued by Bauer after being out only one season. I think they change models just to spur sales for those folks who HAVE to have the latest.

[jimmy 194]

We have come a long way, and have a long way to go...I spent my last trip working on making the stuff better and with higher quality. We are trying to makeour product perform better and be more durable. There is nothing I hate more than hearing about product failing apart...

I can tell you, I sold a lot of M-1 shins last season. I always make the customers try on every model. If you can get them to try them on, a lot like the Mission feel. The M-1 shoulders are very nice too.

[A_Steeves12 0]

i swear but bauer for most except of gloves where i swear by eagles, skates(currently wearing easton POS and would like to get in to some 8000's), and sticks but i still like there sticks.

i dont really like hespeler for some reason. or ccm i didnt like there skates.

[cougarscaptain87 12]

only one company i would not ever use again, and thats CCM.... terrible quality on everything that i have used

[jimmy 194]

I'd love to do a blind test, take logos off of all equipment, color everything the same, and THEN have folks try them. Results would be way different than you see in this thread.

I'd also like to make it a law that a company has to make available return/defective data to the buying public. Kind of like what they do for car crash, rollovers and safety ratings. For example when you could see that Easton has a 50% breakage compared to say CCM with 25% (figures made up for illustration purposes) then you could get some true facts instead of hype and anecdotal evidence

[ultraman7k 0]

i say bauer/nike or die! haha...

i love nike sticks, for some reason, all my sticks are nike! hmm...but that's as far as that goes. the rest is bauer with ccm skates...

but anyways, i won't use easton, hespeler protective/sticks (the gloves i don't mind so much). not so much a fan of Koho either, though i did like em back in the day.

[Chadd 916]

only one company i would not ever use again, and thats CCM.... terrible quality on everything that i have used

While I agree many of their products sucked for the last several years, the new stuff is worth a second look. They addressed many of the concerns I had with their equipment.

[Accord 0]

Easton

[djinferno 2]

Graf fucked me over so...

Hespler has nothing for me...

[jigsaw 0]

CCM- i hate the skates i use to wear them until i discover that bauer is so much better. also the pants i bought from them sucked.