2009 Las Vegas LPH Show Review

[HattrickSwayze 3]

Went out to a basketball court with my inlines and the greenbiscuit yesterday afternoon and it worked really well. I was really impressed with how well it handled and I will be ordering them for my shop on monday.

I think I'm gonna order one to try out. What exactly are they made out of? I'm assuming it'd work fine on smooth concrete? The site's pretty vague about how it's made and what makes it work.

[Griff 2]

The plastic that it's made out of is hard, think a thick air hockey puck, it's two pucks riveted together with rubber bushings keeping them slightly apart. I'm not sure why it works so well I'm just going to chalk it up to FM theory.

Oh and the concrete I used it on was about on par with most suburban driveways, they said the better the surface the better it works so I'm sure it would work even better on something really smooth like a garage floor.

[mnpucker 33]

I received 3 of them today. I bought them for my boys to use as potential warm up pucks prior to games. They currently use smarthockey and sweet hands balls. The green biscuit slides better than any other roller puck I have seen, the tests online are accurate. As for a replacement to a smart hockey ball>They are great for passing, better than the ball in fact. While stickhandling, they do tend to flip a bit however with increased wrist roll you can settle that down. That can be a god thing as adequate wrist roll is very important to puck control. The biscuit does not slide as easily as the ball rolls while stickhandling but is a great replacement for a puck for passing.

I am not a roller player but I imagine this will be a good product for game play.

[Griff 2]

You can't use the greenbiscuit in a game setting because if you shoot it and hit something hard it's going to break.

[mnpucker 33]

like i said i do not play roller so have no clue but you are right it is a brittle material.

[steve66 45]

Also due to the components in the construction, i doubt it'd be legal/ safe for game play

[DarkStar50 679]

The economy sucks but no Warrior chicks in the booth? "That's despicable!!"

[GH_ID 0]

Man, talk about the economy, most of the booths in JR's picture really suck.

[Chadd 916]

Man, talk about the economy, most of the booths in JR's picture really suck.

I'd rather see good product that a gaudy booth.

[kuazzi 0]

I liked the Brooklynite sticks and gloves. They felt pretty good, and they are at a decent price. The graphics are trendy as well, which appeals to the younger crowd. The Genesis gloves are a size larger than normal, but the Exodus gloves are pretty spot on. I bought alot of their stuff right at the booth and took it back to my shop in Orange County, CA, so if anyone is local, they can drop by to take a look themselves.

I also picked up some Ballistik sticks. It's hard here in Orange County with two of the nations largest warehouse e-tailers in my backyard. So I'm giving all the small new vendors a chance in my store, since it differentiates me from the giants and monkeys of the world.

I bought a Miken stick at the show to take home with me. After further examination, i definitely don't see it selling for $249+. It is as heavy if not heavier than the cheapest one-piece composite of any other vendor's line. For $249, I would want something sexier and lighter than the Easton S17! Some of the more favorable traits are that the stick was all semi-glossy black with simple white lettering. That really gave it a sexy look. The shaft tapers into an ultra thin hozel. This thing is as thin if not thinner than the inner hozel of a tapered blade that is supposed to be stuck into the outer hozel of a tapered shaft. I'd imagine that would give it some crazy kick-point. I really don't see this stick selling just because the weight is way too heavy. And this stick is the only product in their line-up so far.

The Green Biscuit pucks seemed ok. I haven't had anyone ask about the samples in the store yet. I'm waiting for them to make their POS display before I pick up any for the shop. The puck does slide very well. If you don't want any issues with it flipping over when practicing, just don't tape or wax your stick blade, and you should be fine. You'll tear up your stick on the asphalt, so I'd recommend buying a cheap outdoor stick like a koho ultimate, or rbk 1k.

Pear-Sock has nice 2-color practice jerseys, identical to the nice rbk ones, but for less than half the cost of the rbk one. (only $10) This doesn't really help us shops make more money, but it gives players a low cost option to look good in!

My partner picked up a sample Sprung Chassis and loved it when we mounted it back at the shop. I've seen the product before, but it just looked kind of cheap in pictures. He swore off roller hockey a few years ago, but now with this sprung chassis he's played a couple games on my roller team. I think I'd prefer an aluminum or some type of metal version, but i know that many people on the board love this product already, so I won't comment much.

Easton, Mission, Sherwood/TPS were all the same, nothing new there.

Tour had some cool looking fancy skates. They're getting so colorful, it hurts my eyes! Torspo has a line-up of lower end skates for Ice that will be a good low-end option to sell for beginners in the shop. I plan on carrying their new low-end product when it's released in the summer.

Warrior was super busy. Nobody there really paid any attention to me, so I just looked around and left.

RBK/CCM did have that U+CL (Crazy Light), which was crazy light, but I felt it was still a bit blade heavy. I'm sure the blade is also super light, but it just wasn't very balanced because the shaft-end was so much lighter. (in my humble opinion)

As for girls... the southpoint hotel isn't exactly crawling with hotties. It was more of a senior citizen or family hang-out. I stayed at the hard-rock, which was crawling with 18-25 year olds from the Snow-Sports trade show going on at the same time.

If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

[kallemis 0]

You say that the new 10K elbow pads are identical with the Jofa 5044, what model can be compared with the 9K?

[kuazzi 0]

To all you other shop owners, are there other trade shows here in the U.S. for hockey besides LPH?

[kuazzi 0]

My shop is located in Garden Grove.. Hockey Central. It's been there for about 10 years. (Giant started across the street from us in these small business condos) I bought half the business from the old owner, and now we run it together as partners. Now with two guys running the show, we have more time and resources combined to give the store a fresh new look, that will hopefully ressurect some business.

Before I write anymore, I want to say that I'm really appreciative that you commented on my post. I'm always looking for someone to play devil's advocate with and bounce ideas off of. Someone local is ideal, since they understand the local market landscape. So please don't take anything I write as argumentative, I'm just trying to explain my thought process, and I look forward to more discussion with you...

Also, while giving these smaller brands a chance in your store, if there's no buzz with the product and it doesn't sell through, then, what have you done other than fill your shelves up with shit? Just playing devils advocate here.

I totally understand your perspective. My partner has the same perspective. However, I'm trying to evaluate things in a different light to create a slightly different strategy/business model. My belief is that if my success hinges on bringing in product that has strong "Pull-Through" marketing on, then I'm probably going to lose, because Giant and Monkey have much more floorspace and monetary resources to fill their stores up with inventory. If people want to go to a place to look at stuff they've seen on the internet, tv and in magazines, then Giant and Monkey are probably the places to go, since the probability that they will have the item is greater. (Of course this doesn't mean that I should stop stocking Bauer!)

So what I'm trying to create is an "Alternative Mall" for hockey. 15 years ago, you could go to South Coast Plaza and see all the major name brands, whether low-end or high-end. It had all the mainstream stores. "Urban/street" clothing was not yet popular, so you had to go to certain areas like the "Alternative Mall" down the street that had the only Urban Outfitters store. You didn't go to South Coast looking for clothes like that, and you didn't go to the alternative mall looking for Banana Republic, or Gucci. (I understand that Urban clothing has gone mainstream and the malls now carry them. But somewhere between underground, and mainstream, Urban Outfitters expanded all over the country and became a success story)

I want to start carrying Brooklynite, Ballistik, and any other companies that have a decent product at a decent price. (Miken does not meet the requirements) You're right. I've read the posts on multiple message boards where Joe from Brooklynite exposes his lack of PR skills. The company would have had a better rep had he not posted anywhere. However, I also believe that the internet message board community for hockey, no matter how surprisingly large we think we are, is still only a drop in the bucket of North American hockey. So no matter how bad he looks here online, there will be plenty of people that have not heard all the bad hype.

The traffic in my store is scarce enough where we can actually talk to each customer and "consultatively sell" them something. That term comes up alot in Enterprise IT sales, but I'm bringing it to the hockey community. Instead of waiting to pull out a skate size for somebody, or answering their questions, we are going to proactively ask them if they've tried the Brooklynite or Ballistik sticks and gloves. If they haven't, then we'll guide them to the stick rack or glove wall and show them which ones we mean. We can talk in an educated way about the product and let them feel it out in the store. If they want to give it a shot, we may even give them a larger discount on the spot to encourage them to try it out. In the end, if I have a happy customer, they will come back and buy more Brooklynite from me, because not everyone carries it locally. If they don't like the stick, hopefully they will remember us as "the store that carries the brands that I can't find at Giant or Monkey". I guess I would call this active selling, instead of just customer service (or lack there-of at the warehouse stores). Business school students might call it "Push-through" marketing, as in the opposite of "Pull-through" marketing mentioned above.

Show me what anything in their line does different than what a Bauer can offer me at a lower price. Joe consumer is going to give Bauer the sale 9 out of 10 times.

You're right, What does Brooklynite have that Bauer doesn't? But you could say that about pretty much all of the brands. I assume you're talking about features/benefits of the sticks. The issue here is that most of the features/benefits are subjective. Some people like lower kick points, some like Higher kick points. Some people may think that Ballistik's 80 flex rating is too whippy compared to Easton's 85 flex rating. Others can't feel the difference, and yet others like the fact that they feel it is whippier. And moving away from that all, some kids will buy sticks because the advertisement they saw was really "cool!" Or the graphics on the stick are "awsome!" Or they'll be the only one in the locker room with this "sweet looking stick!". In other words, i agree with your point, however I feel that although our beliefs are the majority on this board, the minority not represented off this board, is large enough to give me incremental business/success. (I have to believe that, or I might as well raise the white flag in defeat to Giant and Monkey).

Why Ballistik hasn't taken off the way Combat Baseball has is beyond me. They make/source some great stuff, Ron McLean had the stick and gloves this past Saturday on HDIC, and they still cannot move hockey products. I know the sticks are great, not sure about the gloves, but, maybe moving away from the direct route wasn't the right move?

You're right again. All the reviews of the ballistik stick on modsquad have been above par. I use their 52 and 50 cal mid-curve on the ice and love them. They're light-weight. I cut the 52cal 80 flex down to weigh it against my S17-intermediate flex and the 52cal was actually lighter! This stick is not only the lightest stick on the market, but it is also very durable according to our own reviews, correct? In all the reviews here on Modsquad, we also pretty much agree that the S17 is one of the easiest sticks to break and most fragile blade, too. So why is ballistik not successful, and Easton still popular as ever? Well, whatever it is, I'm trying to leverage the cause for that disparity to invest in these smaller companies. I think marketing has a lot to do with it. Flashy graphics on a stick is part of the packaging, which is one of the "P"'s in marketing (product, packaging, price, ...etc.). Why was innovative a failure and warrior so successful? Same group of guys coming out with innovative (no pun intended) products, right?

Well, I'm probably beginning to ramble and have scared away many readers, so I'll wait for any responses before I continue to write more. Again, I welcome the discussion, it helps me sort through my thoughts!

[TBLfan 25]

I don't want to take this off topic but I believe that your business has the ability to give one thing HG/HM don't have, quality and personable service. I don't think that bringing in the bottom-feeders of the equipment world(to be blunt) will help you expand or support your business. I don't believe that is reason to stray from these vendors BUT don't buy just because they are different. I would buy for quality and value, your customers will appreciate that. Otherwise, you're almost giving off the impression that you are the payless shoe store of hockey equipment. Your average hockey consumer isn't going to know that such-and-such is made from the same company as what-have-you. Look at how long it's taken Peranis to get the Winwell sticks off the rack.

That is just my opinion, I don't mean to sound like I'm telling you how to run your business. I wanted to share a third person view of your idea.

[kuazzi 0]

Thanks TBL, I appreciate any and all feedback. I definitely won't push something that is sub-par on the money:value ratio to my customers. That's why Miken will not get a spot on the stick rack.

We do offer quality and personable service. Every customer that walks in is greeted and helped out, unless they'd rather be left alone. However, that can't be the only differentiator, because often times our advice and knowledge is taken down the road and applied at giant or monkey.

The prices on the brooklynite and ballistik sticks definitely do not give off the impression of cheap. Yes, they are cheaper than their Easton or Warrior counterparts, but shouldn't give off the payless vibe.

Actually, the payless strategy might not be a bad business model, especially in this economy. It may not be very prestigious to own, and you probably wouldn't bring your friends to the store to show it off, but it generates capital. hahaha... Anyone ever heard of a lipstick-economy?

I guess I'm just trying not to think too much like a hockey player, and try to think more like a business person that understands hockey. Try to understand where I'm coming from. I'm like the mom&pop grocery store (not even a big grocery chain), sitting inbetween a Costco and Sam's Club. hehehe :)

[kuazzi 0]

Yep, you hit it on the nose. Westminster shutting down hurt our ice business a lot. We get the loyal customers that come in because they like the sharpenings or because of the personal touch, and the customers that live close-by. We also get some customers playing at coast2coast indoor roller rink.

We're also supporting the new youth league out in Paramount. They get an equipment discount for buying their equipment from us. With the kids, they grow out of stuff, so they buy gear more often, albeit the gear is much cheaper than adult gear.

The league across the street is still steady, but not growing so much. They have men's foothockey with the mylec balls, and youth roller. Of course, outdoor hockey means a lot of ABS/fiberglass blades and cheap wood sticks with ABS/fiberglass bottoms. We are on the verge of starting up an adult roller league, since there hasn't been one in years. Cypress outdoor inline league closed down a couple years ago, too. We feel that starting a league there will help generate more foot-traffic and awareness. We have enough teams to start, so we are planning on setting a start date of mid-next month.

At this point, i'm trying to throw all sorts of ideas on the wall and see what will stick. Total shotgun approach. Frankly, i don't know how long we can survive if we just cater to the outdoor league across the street. That business barely keeps the doors open. Forget about product selection.. there's just not enough walk-in business period.

You're right about the location. It's not very convenient for anyone. At this point we are trying to make it work. The last resort for us would be to change locations. But it would be a shame. That store is like a landmark in the local hockey community.

[NJ2000DEVILS 0]

Hey Billy Ray Valentine,

do you have any pictures of the Pearsox jersey that looks like the RBK practice jersey?

I need some new team jerseys soon and it sounds like they would be a good deal.

Thanks.

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

http://www.pearsox.com/Pearsox_Catalog.pdf