2011 Tour Thor Line

[Chad Seibel 2]

Who has been on the skates so far and wat are the reviews that you may have from being on them?

[thugnation00 0]

When are the pants from the new Tour line supposed to come out? I saw them at State Wars and have been waiting for more info since the guy at the booth didn't know too much about them.

[iceburg19 1]

Ive been using the tour lionheart pro series pants ,love the full belt and lightweight material,very durable,Im much more happier with these pants then the 10w-30 pants.

[Thockey17 1]

Call me crazy, but the outsole looks VERY sloppy for a brand new ~$450 skate. Far worse than my Carbons that have been beat to hell.

Im not going to lie, im concerned.

[silverclrk 0]

Looks like the first pair of carbons I had. I retunred them to IW right out of the box for the Q's and now the sole plate is peeling away on those as well. I suggest Tour puts some R&D money into this.

[#96 0]

Call me crazy, but the outsole looks VERY sloppy for a brand new ~$450 skate. Far worse than my Carbons that have been beat to hell.

Im not going to lie, im concerned.

Haha, your pic and your comment seem to go ironically hand-in-hand.

That appears to be some pretty shotty craftsmanship right there. You kind come to expect that sorta thing in a skate you've been in for a bit, but outta the box? Dayum! And I was considering a switch to Tours too.

[Thockey17 1]

That appears to be some pretty shotty craftsmanship right there. You kind come to expect that sorta thing in a skate you've been in for a bit, but outta the box? Dayum! And I was considering a switch to Tours too.

I haven't even laced them up.

Compared to my launch carbons, that are what? Almost 3 years old now?

The outsole is far from flush on the ZX-9, with plenty of leftover glue.

Im not trying to scare anyone off from buying a Tour product. Ask anyone in the roller world, they make top notch equipment, which is why I'll be keeping the skates. We'll see how it goes.

[vnderachiever 3]

I've had the same thing on my Cobalt Q's since the day i bought them. it looks like they just weren't sealed correctly. Don't know if that's how they planned it but i sure hope they didn't plan on them being that sloppy

[Gefiltefish 9]

I hate to say this (especially because I know the Tour guys roam the forum), but I am a little disappointed at this years line. Not only does it appear that quality is hit or miss (although I understand we only see the bad cases, not the good ones!), but the line seems to have suffered a bit in my opinion... Perhaps the R&D was done when the economy as at its lowest, but I have noticed a few things after a visit to the LHS and handling a few Tour Thor-series skates...

1. The outsoles, especially those on the new Thor line have seemed to be suffered the most. Last year my $450 pair of Tabu's got me a well constructed full/nearly-full carbon outsole. This year a $440 pair of ZX9's seem to get you a semi-carbon outsole that is a a step-own from the Tabo and similar to that of the previous non-Tabu Code line (I have seen a few Q, 9.9 and '09 Code Carbon users have problems with seperation issues).

2. The footbeds don't seem as good. In the past you would get the memory foam footbed on the Q and Tabu, which were both below/equal to the price of the ZX9. On the new Thor line you have to get all the way up to the EX1 to get the nice footbed. Obviously people replace these and the standard bootbed is not terrible, but still....

3. Liners are the same thing as above. To my knowledge and looking at descriptions the ZX9 liner is not anti-microbial. Again, at the same/lower price point in 2010, the Code Tabu and Code Q gave you the anti-bacterial liner.

4. And this is really picky, but the most common "complaint" I have seen on the Tour line is the tongue. Tour has not addressed this. I understand some may be in love with the tongue, but it sure seems to be a huge selling point for many... I personally like the design, but after a while the plastic gets soft and I get lace bite. I am not alone I am sure.

As a businessman, I will defend Tour and say that the new Thor boot development costs money and they need to recover those costs somewhat. The ZX-9 seems to have ~$300-$350 "features" when comparing it to their 2009 and 2010 lines. Perhaps Tour has spoiled us in the past, but for me the only skate that I would consider now in the Tour line is the EX-1. It is the only skate in the line that is even close to my 2010 Code Tabu's. If the ZX9's were a lateral move, I would consider them - but I honestly think many of the components on the skate are a step down from my Tabu's.

I will also go on to say that the frames, wheels and bearings Tour offers are second to none.

Finally, for the ~$300 price range area, Tour offers a lot more skate than the other companies can give you. The GX7 seems to be A LOT better of a skate than the offerings in the same price range as Mission, Bauer, etc. The only skate that I think can compete with it is the 8K RBK, but the fit/chassis/look is drastically different.

Tour's fit my feet though and their comfort is second to none so far for me...

[the_game 452]

I recently traded some emails with Walt from Tour, he gave some great insight into the Thor line (R&D, improvements in the Thor line, and comparing it to the Tabu). Considering it was a personal conversation between myself and Walt, I'd rather not make some of the info he provided to me public.

Hopefully Walt or Chad can come on the board and shed some light on the Thor line, especially considering THockey17's outsole issue.

[#1STUD 0]

Let me just start out by saying I love tour...i really do. I have skated in them the last 8 years of my life. With that being said though, i felt i had to make the switch back to mission again this year. I also feel like tour skates have gone down in quality in recent years. The past few years the tours just break down on me quicker and quicker. The toe caps on them just start to separate on them really quick. I also feel like after i get them broken in, i only get a few months of good skating on them before they start breaking down.

[the_game 452]

Let me just start out by saying I love tour...i really do. I have skated in them the last 8 years of my life. With that being said though, i felt i had to make the switch back to mission again this year. I also feel like tour skates have gone down in quality in recent years. The past few years the tours just break down on me quicker and quicker. The toe caps on them just start to separate on them really quick. I also feel like after i get them broken in, i only get a few months of good skating on them before they start breaking down.

You're not the only one whose had these durability and break down issues with Tour skates.

[tour17 0]

Hopefully the following information may help. I try not to make comments about our products or our competitors products. I don't want it to look like we are using Mod Squad as a sales tool. I am involved in all Tour products. The new THOR line has been in the making for two years. There are three skates in the THOR line that share simularities. EX-1, ZX-9, GX-7. All these skates feature a new support syatem. There is a lot that goes into the construction of a hockey boot, but the core of the THOR line is a new light weight Surlyn reinforcement. The top three skates have this system. It enabled us to reduce the weight, while improving the durability. This should improve the life of our boots. There has been some comments about the Linings and Footbeds. The lining in the EX-1 is new, it's a little softer, some players think it has a little grip, reduces foot slipping. The ZX-9 and GX-7 have the same lining as the Tabu and 9.9. All 3 new models have bacteria resistant linings. Last year we promoted the Bacteria Resistant lining in the Tabu, but found that some customers expected too much from the lining. Boots still need to dry out between uses and such. Because of the nature of some complaints, we felt it best not to over promote the anti bacteria lining this year. These anti bacteria treatments really do work, but boots must be dried out between uses. Concerning the Footbeds. The EX-1 and ZX-9 have the same quality footbed as was used in the Tabu and Cobalt Q. Our footbeds are made custom for us. There has been some brand name changes, but the footbed quality are the same. Outsoles, the EX-1 has a carbon weave outsole, the ZX-9 is Glass and Nylon composite. Both are made with epoxy. The real difference is weight only, and that is marginal. As far as workmanship goes, our boots are hand made, like all high end boots. I am sorry if there is a little glue or epoxy on the surface. We do our best to keep the surface clean. If there is a problem, sole seperation or such, you can contact me through Mod Squad, or contact Tour Hockey direct. We will take care of these issues. I believe the new THOR line to be the best skate line we have ever made. We are lighter, stronger, and accomplished this without loosing the fit and comfort that we are known for. We have also upgraded the lower price points, $130 and up. We introduced several new skates this year.

I have been doing this far too long to think we can satisfy everyone. That's not going to happen. There are a lot of good options for players to choose from. I will never take the position that our skates are better than other brands. No two feet or skating styles are alike. There are plenty of skates to pick from. Find what works best for you and go for it.

Walter

[iceburg19 1]

just curious, where are the tour boots made,what country?

[Gefiltefish 9]

just curious, where are the tour boots made,what country?

My Code Tabu's were made in China. I have not looked at my most recently purchased pair (Cobalt Q's), but I assume the same.

[tour17 0]

The majority of Hockey Boots are manufactured in Asia, Thailand or China.