rocket runners

[thinkhit 0]

can anyone tell me about the rocket runners and why you would switch blades on the ccm to the runners

[TeamHonda401 54]

The rocket runners were ccm's attempt to have a fused runner. The black area on the steel is some kind of plastic material that reduces weight. They were pretty much a failure. They only last about 8-10 sharpenings before the steel gets too thin to skate on. If you get ccm skates that have the regular scalloped runners, stick with those. The rocket runners are garbage.

[IniNew 53]

The only thing about that post that is true is the plastic part. It's a runner that used plastic in the middle to reduce weight. The reason it didn't take very well in markets is because it was difficult to sharpen for sharpeners that didn't know what they are doing. The plastic part was located on the steel in such a way that if your steel got low enough for the plastic to effect your skating you wouldn't be able to skate on normal steel that was that low anyway. They are very light, and the idea has been expanded on by Bauer with the Fusion Steel. It's a great set of steel if you can find a sharpener that can work with it and have E-Pros on your skates... I thoroughly enjoyed mine on my old CCMs.

[TeamHonda401 54]

If the rocket runners were so great, then why did ccm re-release the u+ without the rocket runner (and give you a free set of rocket runners when you bought the reloaded's). Why didn't they put the rocket runners on the u+ cl. Why didn't you see any NHL players using them. They always swap them out for the regular scalloped runner.

[IniNew 53]

NHLers are creatures of habits. You don't see many if any in the Fusion steel either. Also, I'd like to reference this image of John Tavares using rocket runners.

Aside from that, like I said in my original post the market got cold for them because of the back lash from sharpeners. I had sharpeners tell me straight up they wouldn't sharpen Rocket Runners. You think little Jimmy's dad is going to want to drive all over town to find a sharpener that can work with them? Doubt it. That was CCM listening to it's market and realizing not everyone wanted the runners. Again, like I said in my original post if you can find a good sharpener there's no reason not to go with rocket runners.

[TeamHonda401 54]

I'm just going off of what I have heard about their durability. The people that I have skated with that had the runners didn't have anything good to say about them. Just my opinion.

[EvilPepe 24]

Aside from that, like I said in my original post the market got cold for them because of the back lash from sharpeners. I had sharpeners tell me straight up they wouldn't sharpen Rocket Runners. You think little Jimmy's dad is going to want to drive all over town to find a sharpener that can work with them? Doubt it. That was CCM listening to it's market and realizing not everyone wanted the runners. Again, like I said in my original post if you can find a good sharpener there's no reason not to go with rocket runners.

This. Not a bad idea, but not very good execution. They are not substantially more difficult to sharpen if the person has an idea of what they are doing, but sadly many (most?) sharpeners do not. I've got a few guys who use them but they just play locally and can get them sharpened correctly when need be.

[Race4LastPlace 31]

Never had any problems with rocket runners on my skates. They were light and stayed pretty sharp. Definitely lasted longer than 8 sharpening for me. Worked just as intended, provided a reliable knowledgeable sharpener took care of them. To the op, definitely ask your sharpener their thoughts and willingness to sharpen them. Beyond that just listen to reviews by those who actually skated on them and had first hand knowledge.

[jimmy 194]

The Rockets are really head and shoulders better than regular steel. The edges last double the time of regular steel, they do not need to be sharpened as often, and they are super light. The rumor that they last 8-12 sharpenings is just that, a rumor. In real practice, they last just as long as regular steel. All negatives about these are solely the fault of incompetent sharpeners who don't know what they are doing. As someone said above, they are not "hard" to sharpen. This is spot on. But if the person sharpening them doesn't know how to set up their machine for them, then yes, the person skating on them is going to associate the problems they feel with the blade, and blame it on the blades, rather than the poorly trained, incompetent sharpener. Find a sharpener who can do them correctly and you will love these blades.