Puckmugger on epinions

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

Really? Where at?

[Jason Harris 31]

I'll PM you on it, because it's a unique concept he's created, and I'm not sure if he'd appreciate me posting about it.

Giving a detailed 400 word review on a stick he used for two shifts is absolutely overselling the experience.

If he's upfront that he's only used it for two shifts, then how is that overselling the experience? I understand you guys prefer players use equipment for 30 days before reviewing, but he's being open with the reader about his experience.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

If I would've done that with the original SyNergy skate, I would've told everybody it was the greatest skate in the world.

Once I kept on using it, then all sorts of problems started to develop. The problem is, I get people coming into my store saying that they saw him review something - obviously his opinion is carrying weight, mind you, a two-shift opinion.

Hopefully we'll be recognized more for our reviews once we launch the new program.

[mew1838 0]

Salming, could you PM me his info too pls? I'm just curious.

[TBLfan 25]

^^^ Like JR said it just isn't a reasonable amount of time to judge a product. For example, If I went out and tried a XN10 OPS for two shifts in a regular flex I would first comment about how light it was and then complain that the shaft is stiffer than it's supposed to be... and hopefully you'd know that TPS sticks tend to break in to their flex rating. Or trying out a XXXlite and mentioning how great of a stick it was and how it felt really durable, because we all know that the XXXlite breaks on the 3rd shift ;)

It wasn't that he wasn't explaining that he only used it for a short while but that he really didn't have any long term usage of the product... Not his fault, you can't try every product BUT you also don't have to try to review every product. With all his reviews and his book to many he must seem like a reliable source but so would the owner my my LHS that said that "all pros use a pro flex which is too stiff for most."

[killthepoodle 0]

Not to beat a dead horse, but this review is entertaining:

http://www.epinions.com/review/Ccm_Helmet_...nt_413588622980

[Chadd 916]

Not to beat a dead horse, but this review is entertaining:

http://www.epinions.com/review/Ccm_Helmet_...nt_413588622980

What an assclown. Cascade is the best on the market? CCM should produce a Zorbium liner? Great, but who is going to buy a helmet that isn't certified? He focuses way too much on the bullshit claims his buddy made and treats them as if they were gospel.

[fatwabbit 93]

I'd take the collective opinions of MSH over those on any other website ANY GIVEN DAY...

[Jim A 4]

I would love to see CCM send the lawyers on him for saying the helmet is unreasonably unsafe...

half truths are the bane of the internet world, EPP is also used in $!50 cycling helmets with molded shells etc..its like saying "composite sticks can be found for $39.99"

Can someone clear this up for me that this guy gets paid for this crap work? There's not a lot of $ to be made on book sales..so that doesn't matter to me..but he gets paid to post this stuff on epinions or is just some dude with a keyboard and internet connection?

[bobovski 1]

I enjoyed reading his book and it made me laugh pretty hard a few times. Don't care one way or another about his reviews.

[gxc999 7]

He seems like another know nothing know-it-all. Some of his reviews were mildly helpful, long ago, before I found this place.

[TBLfan 25]

What a moron. I couldn't finish the first paragraph before my bullshit meter went off to the point that I had to stop reading.

[Jason Harris 31]

He's upfront with how much experience he's had with a particular product. I understand that opinions change with increased use, but shouldn't each reader factor in how much importance they place on longevity of use?

The bottom line is he's a good guy, knowledgeable about hockey, and has an entertaining style of writing. You guys would have a different opinion about him if you had the opportunity to meet him.

[Jim A 4]

Jason,

Had he barely used one of your products and called them unreasonably unsafe how would you feel?

exactly..

[TBLfan 25]

He may be upfront but he is also uninformed and with lacking information makes judgement calls and pretends that he is some sort of expert.

I'd be happy to meet him and tell him that I don't appreciate him giving out misinformation and his uneducated opinion as fact.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

The Vector also has the occipital lock that Bauer introduced to the world. Essentially it’s an adjustment to lock helmet on the back of the neck.

Interesting. Didn't know the Vector had one.

Not to mention the amount of zorbium needed to have the helmet pass cert would've been overkill for a hockey helmet.

[Jason Harris 31]

Jason,

Had he barely used one of your products and called them unreasonably unsafe how would you feel?

exactly..

Maybe he's relying too much on nuance, but he didn't say the Vector was unreasonably unsafe. He expressed that he was making a political statement, in that he was he furious as CCM buying a technology he considered safer and then burying the technology. He essentially said that buying a Vector would be rewarding CCM for putting out a helment that is less safe than the technology they possess. He is referring to that act of omission as being unreasonably unsafe. But again, he clearly admits this is a political statement on his part.

Slightly different topic, but you have to understand that I took a chance with him reviewing my products knowing that he could pan them. I had seen and respected his writings on epinions for their forthrightness, then noticed he was from Denver, so I asked him whether he'd be willing to review my products.

(I did the same thing with Chadd way back when -- I asked if he'd be willing to try some products. Subsequently, Chadd ordered some products for the store.)

Scott tried my products, liked them and gave favorable reviews overall. But he didn't ignore the aspects of the products that he didn't like. I don't think one can expect more than that.

[Jason Harris 31]

He may be upfront but he is also uninformed and with lacking information makes judgement calls and pretends that he is some sort of expert.

I'd be happy to meet him and tell him that I don't appreciate him giving out misinformation and his uneducated opinion as fact.

He's not uninformed. He was previously a manager of a hockey shop, plays hockey four times a week, and opened his own shop about 18 months ago. He is probably more informed than 98% to 99% of the people posting here.

Regarding whether he passes his opinion as fact, I don't see it. I think he passes his opinion as opinion.

Again, he's a good guy who knows hockey and wants to help people enjoy their time in the sport. The methods obviously differ, but I don't see how the goal is any different than here at MSH. Trust me, all the gear heads here that notice when Joe Sakic used a different stick in his fourth shift of the second period would enjoy shooting the breeze about hockey equipment with him.

[Jason Harris 31]

Not to mention the amount of zorbium needed to have the helmet pass cert would've been overkill for a hockey helmet.

I was wondering whether Croslite would be a good material for a helmet. Crocs claims the material is 10 times denser than traditional padding, so maybe 3/4" would be ample for a helmet.

[Chadd 916]

He's upfront with how much experience he's had with a particular product. I understand that opinions change with increased use, but shouldn't each reader factor in how much importance they place on longevity of use?

The bottom line is he's a good guy, knowledgeable about hockey, and has an entertaining style of writing. You guys would have a different opinion about him if you had the opportunity to meet him.

His need to opine on every product is his downfall. It's far more important to actually use a product and gain actual first hand knowledge, than just rail about something. The fact that he has posted factually incorrect information in the vast majority of his reviews is troubling as is his lack of concern about doing so. Many of his opinions are based on poor, if any, actual research or information. As JR mentioned, the Zorbium that he seems to think is the greatest material in the world would require a helmet of great gazoo-like dimensions. I have zero respect for him, especially after our PM exchanges after he registered here.

[TBLfan 25]

He may be upfront but he is also uninformed and with lacking information makes judgement calls and pretends that he is some sort of expert.

I'd be happy to meet him and tell him that I don't appreciate him giving out misinformation and his uneducated opinion as fact.

He's not uninformed. He was previously a manager of a hockey shop, plays hockey four times a week, and opened his own shop about 18 months ago. He is probably more informed than 98% to 99% of the people posting here.

Regarding whether he passes his opinion as fact, I don't see it. I think he passes his opinion as opinion.

Again, he's a good guy who knows hockey and wants to help people enjoy their time in the sport. The methods obviously differ, but I don't see how the goal is any different than here at MSH. Trust me, all the gear heads here that notice when Joe Sakic used a different stick in his fourth shift of the second period would enjoy shooting the breeze about hockey equipment with him.

He IS uninformed. EPP is NOT in bike helmets, yet he claims it is. EPS is the foam in bike helmets. This is ONE example of many, some of which have already been mentioned.

He was previously a manager of a shop and plays hockey... SO what? call hockeymonkey and see how much accurate information the managers know... Call 90% of shops in the US or Canada and see how much accurate information the managers know.

I know he must be some sort of friend of yours but your arguements are as flawed as his reviews. I could disect his "review" and correct his mistakes if I had the patience to waste time on that garbage but I don't. I'd rather actually HELP people that have questions as opposed to misinform people that are looking for REAL reviews.

[Jason Harris 31]

This is from helmets.org about the foam used in bike helmets:

"EPP Expanded PolyPropylene is very similar in appearance to EPS, with just a touch of rubbery feel on the surface by comparison and a little bit of give if you squeeze it with your thumb. EPP is a multi-impact foam, recovering its shape and most of its impact protection slowly after a crash. It can be trickier to work with than EPS, costs a little more, and has a modest amount of rebound (in technical terms a less favorable coefficient of restitution) that usually requires a little bit thicker helmet than one using EPS. Most of the rebound takes place after test rigs have stopped measuring the impact severity, so that characteristic is not well documented. EPP looks identical to EPS, and only the label can tell you if your helmet has this multi-impact foam or the one-use-only EPS. There are some, but not many, EPP helmets on the market, mostly for multi-impact sports like skateboarding."

Trivial, right? Yes. Except it illustrates that people on this site sometimes think that the members on this board are the ONLY ones who know hockey. I agree it's possible one can own a shop, play hockey and not know hockey equipment, but that's not the case with him.

And, yes, he's a friend of mine, but I have to claim confusion in how detailing his expertise is a lapse of logic on my part. Because he studies the equipment industry more than most of us, he knows more about hockey equipment than 98% to 99% of the people on this board. Regardless what one thinks about his opinions, there's no getting around that fact.

[Jason Harris 31]

He's upfront with how much experience he's had with a particular product. I understand that opinions change with increased use, but shouldn't each reader factor in how much importance they place on longevity of use?

The bottom line is he's a good guy, knowledgeable about hockey, and has an entertaining style of writing. You guys would have a different opinion about him if you had the opportunity to meet him.

His need to opine on every product is his downfall. It's far more important to actually use a product and gain actual first hand knowledge, than just rail about something. The fact that he has posted factually incorrect information in the vast majority of his reviews is troubling as is his lack of concern about doing so. Many of his opinions are based on poor, if any, actual research or information. As JR mentioned, the Zorbium that he seems to think is the greatest material in the world would require a helmet of great gazoo-like dimensions. I have zero respect for him, especially after our PM exchanges after he registered here.

Chadd, has he really posted factually incorrect information in the vast majority of his reviews or are you being somewhat biased? And have all the instances of factually incorrect information been germane to the opinion he is expressing? For instance, take the case of the occipital lock that JR mentioned. I don't know the answer, but is it possible the CCM and NBH locks are similar, but only NBH refers to it as an occipital lock? If that were the case -- and, again, I'm making up an example -- then he'd be factually incorrect yet essentially correct about his review.

Regarding the Zorbium, he knew the designers of the helmet quite well, so I suspect he learned from them more about Zorbium than any of us here.

Last, I've said before that I like the two of you and think you'd get along quite well, but I say affectionately that I highly doubt you gave him a fair shake in your PM exchanges.

[Taoism 0]

He may be upfront but he is also uninformed and with lacking information makes judgement calls and pretends that he is some sort of expert.

I'd be happy to meet him and tell him that I don't appreciate him giving out misinformation and his uneducated opinion as fact.

He's not uninformed. He was previously a manager of a hockey shop, plays hockey four times a week, and opened his own shop about 18 months ago. He is probably more informed than 98% to 99% of the people posting here.

Regarding whether he passes his opinion as fact, I don't see it. I think he passes his opinion as opinion.

Again, he's a good guy who knows hockey and wants to help people enjoy their time in the sport. The methods obviously differ, but I don't see how the goal is any different than here at MSH. Trust me, all the gear heads here that notice when Joe Sakic used a different stick in his fourth shift of the second period would enjoy shooting the breeze about hockey equipment with him.

He IS uninformed. EPP is NOT in bike helmets, yet he claims it is. EPS is the foam in bike helmets. This is ONE example of many, some of which have already been mentioned.

He was previously a manager of a shop and plays hockey... SO what? call hockeymonkey and see how much accurate information the managers know... Call 90% of shops in the US or Canada and see how much accurate information the managers know.

I know he must be some sort of friend of yours but your arguements are as flawed as his reviews. I could disect his "review" and correct his mistakes if I had the patience to waste time on that garbage but I don't. I'd rather actually HELP people that have questions as opposed to misinform people that are looking for REAL reviews.

Just out of curiosity, you say you could dissect his reviews and correct the mistakes.....So what makes you an expert? I think salmings reply to the above post shows that you are apparently not an expert on bike helmets. So then by the same token why should anyone listen to what you think you know about hockey equipment? viewed in the same light you are judging puck mugger by your credibility is now shot as well.

Personally I like his reviews. I take them with a grain of salt like any other though. He has different opinions and different expectations than I do for equipment I am sure. And nobody writes reviews who doesn't make some mistakes. I also don't think there is such a thing as a truly unbiased review. The list of places available to get any information on equipment, good bad or indifferent is pretty sparse. Some here point to his bashing Nike and vilify him for it. I actually had a bit of respect for his having the balls to say the product sucked...they did. Still do for the most part. I for one am curious to know about this dudes new shop since there are damn few around Wyoming with a clue.

A review is by definition one giving an opinion a product. If the opinion can be backed up by facts, more the better. But in the end it is still just an opinion, and opinions differ.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

He's upfront with how much experience he's had with a particular product. I understand that opinions change with increased use, but shouldn't each reader factor in how much importance they place on longevity of use?

The bottom line is he's a good guy, knowledgeable about hockey, and has an entertaining style of writing. You guys would have a different opinion about him if you had the opportunity to meet him.

His need to opine on every product is his downfall. It's far more important to actually use a product and gain actual first hand knowledge, than just rail about something. The fact that he has posted factually incorrect information in the vast majority of his reviews is troubling as is his lack of concern about doing so. Many of his opinions are based on poor, if any, actual research or information. As JR mentioned, the Zorbium that he seems to think is the greatest material in the world would require a helmet of great gazoo-like dimensions. I have zero respect for him, especially after our PM exchanges after he registered here.

Chadd, has he really posted factually incorrect information in the vast majority of his reviews or are you being somewhat biased? And have all the instances of factually incorrect information been germane to the opinion he is expressing? For instance, take the case of the occipital lock that JR mentioned. I don't know the answer, but is it possible the CCM and NBH locks are similar, but only NBH refers to it as an occipital lock? If that were the case -- and, again, I'm making up an example -- then he'd be factually incorrect yet essentially correct about his review.

Regarding the Zorbium, he knew the designers of the helmet quite well, so I suspect he learned from them more about Zorbium than any of us here.

Last, I've said before that I like the two of you and think you'd get along quite well, but I say affectionately that I highly doubt you gave him a fair shake in your PM exchanges.

Nope, Vector does not have any occipital bone lock whatsoever.

http://en.ccmsports.com/catalogue/vproduct...cat=&pid=43

And my information on Zorbium IS correct.

That being said, I just got a phone call from Montreal. Went to VM, gotta call them back. Y'all can figure it out.