Equipment reviews from Summer Jam skate

[MLSman 22]

I have seen some comments, but I thought it would make sense to have a specific post for the equipment reviews on the various things we had the chance to observe and play with at the summer jam skate in the equipment section.

Bauer Total One stick - with the success of the One95...there was an awful lot to live up to with the TotalOne stick. The weight of the stick was about the same as my One95 retail. I chose the P88 Kane as I have used the Lindros for many years. The balance felt the same to me as the One95. What felt different to me was the flex. From a stiffness perspective, it was the same, but the flexpoint felt lower. As I have been using the U+ CL with a tapered shaft and a low kickpoint, the TotalOne felt more natural when shooting versus the One95. That was a pleasant surprise.

Reebok 11K stick - I was a pretty big fan of the 7k shaft and used it quite a bit, so I wanted to try the new 11K and see how it felt. Upon the first feel, the OPS was a bit heavy on the bottom towards the heel. I used it during the first 15-20 minutes, and was pretty impressed with the feel. One of my issues with the original 7K OPS was the feel of the low kickpoint. It felt rather uncomfortable and was difficult to control wrist and snapshots for accuracy. The 11K was a major improvement on shot consistency, but was still a bit heavy for me. It seems to be one of those issues with using the CL the last 9 months. The weight of that stick almost makes everything else seem like a tree branch.

CCM U+ CL Skates - After a rather steep investment on custom U+ pro reloadeds, I was in love with the fit of most of the boot. The weight, toecap, and the bottom of the quarters fit like an absolute glove. My major disappointment in fit was in the top of the boot. There was too much volume, and I just never got the ideal wrap I needed for my skinny legs. Although I am not in the market for skates, I had to give them a try to observe the fit. As suggested in preliminary discussions on the boot, it felt like they narrowed the volume in the quarters. They also did a great job on the graphics, and the boot looks very solid. CCM did a fantastic job on the boot.

Easton S19 helmet - I have been wanting to try this out for some time. The weight is insane. It literally feels like a baseball cap. With no side adjustments, you can only adjust the length, so if it is too narrow or too fat...you are out of luck. I want one...but not planning on dropping that kind of coin when I have 3 V08 helmets.