Therma Blade

[Wolfpack_1986 146]

where does the power from accelerating come from? lateral pushing, not gliding. it shouldnt have mattered in the least

[cougarscaptain87 11]

did not notice more push off power, and did not notice increased glide from a dead stop to top speed, but im usually the fast feet choppy strides, therefore the glide i get is minimal anyways.

[colt45 0]

i see what you're saying, they're good, but not worth $400...wish i could've tried them out :( ...oh well lol

[saveourpens 0]

399 for the master pack here in Pittsburgh in Perranis.

no thanks

[Storm 0]

Someone had them on today. I bombarded him with questions seeing he was an excellent skater.

It was his first time trying them and was happily surprised.

His initial concern was that they weigh about 30% more than his tuuks. He said the holes matched perfectly with his LS2 holes(Also they have the shape of the ls2). And that the extra weight is in the back (no surprise there).

He said the extra weight was not a factor and the weight being at the back did not bother him either.

He said the glide was enhanced and consistent from the beginning of the game to the end when the ice had deteriorated.

His conclusion was the same as cougarscaptain87's: good but not worth $400.

[baz5 0]

At the end of the day thats exactly what every one was saying when they brought out ops's, every one was against them because of the high price, saying they are good but not worth it.

right now they are high priced but i bet they will drop the price and people will buy them.

Baz5

[Law Goalie 147]

I'd be willing to bet that every claim of "increased glide" could be debunked by analysing prior footage alongside a few sessions with these things. The skater would likely be trying quite conscientiously to glide far more than previously, to test the claim, and at the same time gliding more efficiently because they're actually thinking about it for a change.

It's like the goalie who tries a new pair of pads, and cries out "These slide better than my last pair!" No, they don't - he's just focussing more on his movements in the pads.

[Storm 0]

I for one hope they don't work, and even if they do, hope the NHL does not allow them to be used.

I admire the people running baseball for not allowing aluminum.

Hockey is sick because people running the NHL are lost. It's been that way from the start. Bunch of old geezers trying to make a quick buck without thinking of long term consequences.

Sorry for venting. But if soccer is slowly over taking hockey in Canada where we have 2 weeks of summer ... sorry i'm getting carried away.

[Law Goalie 147]

Baseball went through its AstroTurf, SkyDome, mismanaged-idiocy phase. I suspect hockey will revert soon enough.

[stickglovesshirt 0]

first off, soccer will never come close to hockey in canada... just wont happen..

second, just read somewhere today that thermablades sz 260 and 280 are on recall already lmao..

[Chadd 916]

Baseball went through its AstroTurf, SkyDome, mismanaged-idiocy phase. I suspect hockey will revert soon enough.

No way, so many people are looking for an advantage without having to work for it that things like this are only going to increase. I'll even go so far as to say that thermablades would sell like hotcakes at $199, $399 is just way too much to have truely significant sales.

[mrusse01 0]

first off, soccer will never come close to hockey in canada... just wont happen..

More people in Canada play organized soccer than hockey.

I tend to agree with Chadd on this one (for once..lol), I think at $199 these things would sell like crazy, or if they can get onboard as an option on retail skates much like the tblades did with CCM I think they would be very popular. It is just really really tough for someone to go out and spend top dollar on high end skates, take off the already expensive brand new holders and steel and replace them with something that costs $399.00.

[DarkStar50 679]

The $400 price tag will be a huge factor in the consumer's decision to purchase. On the figure skating side, spending $400 for steel blades alone is not unusual in our shop. Whether the advantage to Thermablades is real or perceived, there could be a ripple effect as "keeping up with the Jones" is a part of hockey equipment purchasing in certain areas of the country.

[troy 12]

I'm just of the mind that it should be inherently illegal to use a battery or something mechanical in order to increase performance. All the other technological advances in the sport still rely on the player to capitalize upon them, with Therma Blade there's no onus on the player to utilize the technology. Thankfully it seems as though Therma Blade has priced themselves to fail.

[chippa13 1844]

I saw Marc Savard quoted as saying he wants to give Thermablades a whirl.

[Chadd 916]

I saw Marc Savard quoted as saying he wants to give Thermablades a whirl.

At that level (and income) you would be crazy not to try everything, especially given the spectacular job of marketing that they have done. Any edge you can get on the other guys will put more money in your pocket.

[chippa13 1844]

When word broke 6-8 weeks ago that as many as 10 NHLers would receive Thermablades to test in practice, Bruins pivot Marc Savard was eager to get his pair of the heated skates. "I met a guy at a golf tournament over the summer, and he told me about them," Savard said. "I'm still excited about it, but nothing yet." The blades, manufactured just outside of Montreal and expected to retail for close to $400 per pair, include a concealed battery and microchip. When activated, they will heat to over 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which in theory will cut down on glide friction and the resistance a player faces when starting from a dead stop. "Hey, if they're going to help me skate, I'm all for them," said Savard.

Sounds like someone did a great sell on him.

[vitaminZ 0]

Just saw the Thermablade featured in this months Popular Science, these things sure are getting some hype

[cxo 0]

More people in Canada play organized soccer than hockey.

More kids play organized soccer in the United States than any other sport, but Football is still number one here.

There is just no way I'd ever pay any mount of money for these until there's evidence that they have a tangible effect on skating. I understand a lot of people need to have the best of the best as soon as it comes out, I just don't understand why. Sounds like a big gimmick.

[lb33knight 0]

Just saw the Thermablade featured in this months Popular Science, these things sure are getting some hype

Yeah I saw it too. Installed on a XXXX skate and the darn thing looks so much like the LS2 someone should be getting sued. I'm contemplating whether or not to scan it and put it up. Not really any new info on it in the article.

[vitaminZ 0]

Just saw the Thermablade featured in this months Popular Science, these things sure are getting some hype

Yeah I saw it too. Installed on a XXXX skate and the darn thing looks so much like the LS2 someone should be getting sued. I'm contemplating whether or not to scan it and put it up. Not really any new info on it in the article.

Yeah they must have payed NBH to use that design they couldnt be that dumb

[jimmy 194]

I'm just of the mind that it should be inherently illegal to use a battery or something mechanical in order to increase performance. All the other technological advances in the sport still rely on the player to capitalize upon them, with Therma Blade there's no onus on the player to utilize the technology. Thankfully it seems as though Therma Blade has priced themselves to fail.

It's sad though that the NHL has turned hockey into a production or "show" and it's motives are entirely profit based.

I might add that about half of hockey players cannot even tighten a blade (even the ones with external hardware), so changing a battery will really be complex for them.

[Hipster 5]

It's sad though that the NHL has turned hockey into a production or "show" and it's motives are entirely profit based.

I think they are doing what they have to do to keep it drawing enough to support so many teams. Hockey is a game. The NHL is a business. There is an important distinction there. The NHL is in the business of attracting people to watch a Hockey game. 80 of them to be exact. Sometimes between two teams that both suck. When the "game" isn't pretty, the show better be there or people start questioning the use of their entertainment dollars.

The "show" is necessary during the long haul of the regular season in towns where hockey is not in the people's blood, but the Stanley Cup Playoffs is completely different. That requires no extra embellishment. Its still, in my opinion, the most intensely competitive, majestic sporting events among teams of professional athletes.

As for the Thermablades that started the thread. I'm going to try some out soon. If they help me skate, I'll know it and I won't hesitate to buy them. At 40 plus, I have a few more years, tops, of being effective in my drop in group. I don't want to ever be respectfully tolerated as an elder. I want to stay competitive. $400 is nothing in that light.

[Wolfpack_1986 146]

*sigh*

[Havok19 0]

I 100% agree with Hipster.