Gear Sightings 2009-2010 Gear Sightings

[VakarLajos 5]

I have a pair and they blow regular steel out of the rink. Much smoother feel and there feels like a spring in your stride.

Also, I skate 2-4 times a week and haven't had to sharpen them since at least early December. As of right now I could use a touch up, but I'm not in need of a sharpen yet. Standard steel I would need to sharpen ever week or so. Probably been on them for 30-40 hours and they're good.

I have not used Step Steel, but I want to in order to compare.

[cptjeff 0]

Posted this in the Goal sightings thread, but I think it bears mention here too:

Watching the thrashers and canes, I noticed Pavelec was using a combat brand goal stick. Google turned up this photo:

Anyone know more about the brand in general?

[shotty 7]

combat is the company that manufactures ballistik hockey products, from what i've heard, they recently re-branded their ballistik line to 'combat' to create a little less confusion and align their baseball products of the same name.

[Da Beez 0]

combat is the company that manufactures ballistik hockey products, from what i've heard, they recently re-branded their ballistik line to 'combat' to create a little less confusion and align their baseball products of the same name.

True. Combat has a good name in the area of high performance softball bats and they wanted to capitalize on the recognition they have in that area. It looks like nice stuff but I can't find the hockey product in any retail locations around here.

[VakarLajos 5]

Their sticks are pretty good IMO. Crappy gloves. So-so pants.

[DarkStar50 679]

For $120 a set, most equipment managers couldn't put it in the budget.

I didn't know equipment managers had to work their budgets out on retail pricing. I would bet that once players feel the weight difference from LS2 to Fusion, the players that want it will be using the Fusion steel anyway.

[VakarLajos 5]

Was the same thing said about composite sticks?

Not that Fusion steel is going to be as much of a game changer as comps, just wondering if that's something that was said at the time.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

For $120 a set, most equipment managers couldn't put it in the budget.

I didn't know equipment managers had to work their budgets out on retail pricing. I would bet that once players feel the weight difference from LS2 to Fusion, the players that want it will be using the Fusion steel anyway.

The same can be said about the RocketRunner.

Also, with unproven tech, EQMs will shy away from it because it may make their lives a little harder.

[DarkStar50 679]

What problem do you forsee for Fusion steel? The Rocket Runner mishap was easy to predict. No surprise there.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

I'm not saying that there will be a problem with Fusion, however, if we just went by your theory and felt how much weight was shaved off by going with an unconventional runner, someone on a NHL team would've tried the RR. There wasn't a RR mishap at pro because nobody wanted to try it. I still think RR was a great idea, just poorly executed because almost all of the people who sharpened them didn't know what they were doing. I had absolutely zero problems sharpening/radiusing RocketRunners. And I'm sure an NHL EQM wouldn't have either.

All I am saying is that at the pro level, new things aren't necessarily adopted right away because they know the old method works.

[raganblink 82]

To me the reason the RR never took off in the NHL wasn't be because of lack of knoweldgeable sharpeners, but because not a lot of people continue to use ccm/rbk holders with their skates. I heard somewhere that 90% of the NHL uses tuuks. We know 90% of the league doesn't use bauer skates, so that mean's there is a lot of players in easton and rbk/ccm that use tuuks. So less of a population to actually use the RRers.

With the fusion being bauer, not rbk/ccm, i expect this to be more of a hit then RRers, by far. Like, by a mile far. Not just in pro level, but in retail, too. We've already recieved some orders for it 4 months before it is out, unlike the RRers, where we had to sell them cheap to get rid of them. We're expecting to sell quite a bit of fusion steel to juniors teams, and i'll be surprised if we don't have to reorder our fusion by october (usually no reorders are necessary). Yes it is twice as expensive, but when you can get as much usage out of them, and they are 27% lighter than ls2, well, players will pay the money if they can afford it, and almost all of their parents can, and want them to be as good as possible, so if they have to spend 60 more bucks, they'll do it. These are the same parents who spent 10K a year + for their kid's hockey career in AAA or HS, so 60 bucks wont be a problem. The adult league player if can afford it i can see also getting this.... all you have to say is it holds an edge longer, which it does, so they'll get it because of that, + it "makes" them a better player b/c its lighter. The only person this really isn't marketed to is the casual rec or youth/mite/etc. player. One doesn't care/might not be able to afford it, the other is still growing and needing new skates all the time.

[sogaduch 0]

I'm not saying that there will be a problem with Fusion, however, if we just went by your theory and felt how much weight was shaved off by going with an unconventional runner, someone on a NHL team would've tried the RR. There wasn't a RR mishap at pro because nobody wanted to try it. I still think RR was a great idea, just poorly executed because almost all of the people who sharpened them didn't know what they were doing. I had absolutely zero problems sharpening/radiusing RocketRunners. And I'm sure an NHL EQM wouldn't have either.

All I am saying is that at the pro level, new things aren't necessarily adopted right away because they know the old method works.

Unless of course the player is John Tavares and is still using the RR since the launch which is a big thing especially for CCM who still want to improve upon the RR.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

To me the reason the RR never took off in the NHL wasn't be because of lack of knoweldgeable sharpeners, but because not a lot of people continue to use ccm/rbk holders with their skates. I heard somewhere that 90% of the NHL uses tuuks. We know 90% of the league doesn't use bauer skates, so that mean's there is a lot of players in easton and rbk/ccm that use tuuks. So less of a population to actually use the RRers.

With the fusion being bauer, not rbk/ccm, i expect this to be more of a hit then RRers, by far. Like, by a mile far. Not just in pro level, but in retail, too. We've already recieved some orders for it 4 months before it is out, unlike the RRers, where we had to sell them cheap to get rid of them. We're expecting to sell quite a bit of fusion steel to juniors teams, and i'll be surprised if we don't have to reorder our fusion by october (usually no reorders are necessary). Yes it is twice as expensive, but when you can get as much usage out of them, and they are 27% lighter than ls2, well, players will pay the money if they can afford it, and almost all of their parents can, and want them to be as good as possible, so if they have to spend 60 more bucks, they'll do it. These are the same parents who spent 10K a year + for their kid's hockey career in AAA or HS, so 60 bucks wont be a problem. The adult league player if can afford it i can see also getting this.... all you have to say is it holds an edge longer, which it does, so they'll get it because of that, + it "makes" them a better player b/c its lighter. The only person this really isn't marketed to is the casual rec or youth/mite/etc. player. One doesn't care/might not be able to afford it, the other is still growing and needing new skates all the time.

And why is Tuuk so popular? And this is not a knock against it whatsoever, but it is much more convenient for EQMs to carry a couple of types of steel than 4. That, and the "if it ain't broke" thought.

We'll revisit your second thought in 6 months. Don't take this as I'm knocking it (because I am honestly not, after all, I'm actually skating on it) but you're talking about mass quantities of people dropping $120 on steel. This being the SAME people who bitch and moan when you tell them they have to pay for two pair of steel when they break one so that blade heights are equal, at $20 each.

I'm not saying that there will be a problem with Fusion, however, if we just went by your theory and felt how much weight was shaved off by going with an unconventional runner, someone on a NHL team would've tried the RR. There wasn't a RR mishap at pro because nobody wanted to try it. I still think RR was a great idea, just poorly executed because almost all of the people who sharpened them didn't know what they were doing. I had absolutely zero problems sharpening/radiusing RocketRunners. And I'm sure an NHL EQM wouldn't have either.

All I am saying is that at the pro level, new things aren't necessarily adopted right away because they know the old method works.

Unless of course the player is John Tavares and is still using the RR since the launch which is a big thing especially for CCM who still want to improve upon the RR.

Wasn't aware - thanks.

Okay, guys who aren't UNDER CONTRACT. :)

[DarkStar50 679]

After using Fusion steel for over 6 weeks, I believe the difference advanced by the lighter weight steel makes this a pretty easy selling point over standard LS2 steel. There is a feature with a benefit to show the customer with Fusion steel. I really like Fusion steel a lot.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

I understand.

I also said the same thing about RocketRunner when I skated with it.

The Fusion reiteration is much better because there less chances of failure. Like I said, there is absolutely zero knock against the product, I just don't know if there will be a mass exodus to it.

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

I don't know if there will be a mass exodus, but I can't really imagine players or eqms having anything legit against it. It's not like they require additional work flow to maintain, right?

[raganblink 82]

To me though the people that bitch and moan and don't understand that you need to change the whole set of steel when one fails isn't the person it is marketed to. Those people usually care about cost significantly. I don't know how it is in florida, but here everyone who bitches about that is the person who got skates on discount, buys online so they can "save" 3 dollars from our prices, and then comes in here to bitch and complain. Usually these people who don't want both replaced end up saying "screw it", go to the other shop in town that only stocks low-end steel, and allows you to replace one at a time. Then they tell there friends and are like "yeah don't go to "store name" because they rip you off... was going to cost me 60 bucks to get new steel in these skates... only costed 20 at "other store's name". However their skates are now screwed up, and then will probably come back here to say, wtf is wrong with these...fix them.

Just like the TO, fusion isn't marketed to rec players. Most people who the TO and fusion (to me atleast) is marketed to is people with top-line skates, and people who really don't give a shit about 100 dollars.

To me that means AAA, HS, junior players and adults who want the best that can afford it, then ofcourse college and pro... but it is being sold to the earlier mentioned people. While yes, there are a few in there who are anal about pricing, and don't understand repairs who want the best item they can get, but most of that population doesn't care they'll have to spend an extra 60 bucks. All you have to mention in selling is lighter + longer edge = more cost effective. Now how much more of an edge it holds i can't say, maybe you or DS50 can, but it just seems that all you have to do is mention those things and bam, your selling fusion over ls2 or 2.1. is it noticeable with the longer edge?

[warrior37 0]

anyone know what holder/steel that is on the skates? also any word on retail pricing yet? thanks http://www.mlxskates.com/

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

so, im curious while we're on the topic... is the fusion LS2.1 length or LS2 length?

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

And in my experience, the person who wants to replace only one runner is the person who doesn't care about runners. But, sounds like you got it all figured out. Once again, it's just my opinion, based on my experiences as a buyer. I love the fact that manufacturers are finally paying attention to steel and performance gains you can get from it, but I'm also a realist and know that it will be embraced by a very small demographic. The fact that Bauer is only making 3500 pr of TotalONE echoes my sentiment.

As far as a longer edge, no idea what you're talking about. I don't feel a difference, nor does Bauer claim anything of the sort. It's just lighter.

Dougie - no.

Matt - standard LS2

Mike - stay tuned on MLX/DASC

[DarkStar50 679]

Producing 3500 pair of TO speaks to the market of exclusivity as well. Certainly there is a limited number of players ready to lay down $800 on skates. I agree that Fusion steel may also not be for everyone but will not be surprised if word of mouth begins to help drive sales of Fusion steel. In the big picture, $120 really isn't that much money to a dedicated hockey player looking for any performance edge. And if the player lining up against him has it, sooner or later he'll look to get Fusion, too. Seriously, in tandem with the TO boot, this is a very nice set up on ice for performance. Given that, putting Fusion on any Bauer skate will be an enhancement to the product.

[raganblink 82]

I swear i thought our rep said it is supposed to hold a longer edge. Might have been another set of steel unrelated to fusion however.

[DarkStar50 679]

Oh, I meant to say adding Fusion steel to any skate with a TUUK Lightspeed holder will be a plus. :lol:

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Easton NanoGlide really intrigues me - heard really good feedback on the sharpening side. If it comes in a solid form, even better. That's just the gearhead in me though.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

did somebody say nano?