Heel Lift vs Switch to Lightspeed 2 vs. Profile Steel

[hrvd214 0]

Hoping I can get a little help from some of the resident equipment experts.

After 10 years of skating in Grafs I just purchased a pair of Easton EQ5 skates. I am having a hard time adjusting to the pitch on the Eastons and am looking to adjust the set-up to get a more agressive stance.

Basically I've decided that I can either:

1) Buy a pair a Lightspeed 2 holders and steel. (Although I'm not sure if they can be installed because the rivit pattern is so close to teh RBZ11, if anyone knows for sure I would appreciate it)

2) Install a heel lift. Not sure how much, I have never used heel lifts before

3) Just get the steel profiled. Not sure what radius the stock easton comes with or what radius would be ebst for my purposes.

If it helps, I am only a few years removed from playing college hockey. I would appreciate any information and insight, I am pretty lost as I was never to much of an equipment guy.

Thanks all.

[krwwc6 0]

To get the same profile that you had in your graf's you'd probably have to have Cobra 3000 or 5000 holders installed. If you:

1.) lightspeed holder, you'll need to install a heel lift to get a similar pitch to the cobra's

2.) same as above, need a heel lift to get the same pitch as the cobra's

3.) If you get the steel profiled, over time you'll need to get it re-profiled because the profile will wear away over time.

I'd just install a lift and call it a day. Someone else should be able to chime in and tell you what size lift you'll need. I think it's 1/8th, but I'm not really sure.

[wetwilly17 6]

3.) If you get the steel profiled, over time you'll need to get it re-profiled because the profile will wear away over time.

Same is true of the stock profile.

If it were me, id talk to a qualified sharpener about profiling. I had great experience with noicingsports.com because I don't know any good profilers in my area.

[chippa13 1844]

Start simple would be my advice. Profiling the steel will be the easiest and cheapest first attempt to get the pitch you're looking for. It will also be the easiest to reverse and/or tinker with.

[JR Boucicaut 3809]

Actually, I'd say 2nd. Heel lift is the easiest to reverse/tinker as it is not a permanent install and if you remove it, you are back to square one.

[chippa13 1844]

True, but that requires the removal and re-install of rivets and you're a lot less likely to get that done while you wait as you can a profile, at least around these parts.

[krwwc6 0]

You may not be able to get it done while you wait. . . but you can drop the skates off for a day or so and come back and they are done. And this is a fix that will last, rather than having to re-apply the profile repeatedly.

[chippa13 1844]

It isn't that often that a profile needs to be refreshed and, heel lifts or not, the steel will still have a profile that will need to be refreshed at some point. Having heel lifts doesn't preclude steel from having a profile done.

[SolarWind 23]

Hoping I can get a little help from some of the resident equipment experts.

After 10 years of skating in Grafs I just purchased a pair of Easton EQ5 skates. I am having a hard time adjusting to the pitch on the Eastons and am looking to adjust the set-up to get a more agressive stance.

Basically I've decided that I can either:

1) Buy a pair a Lightspeed 2 holders and steel. (Although I'm not sure if they can be installed because the rivit pattern is so close to teh RBZ11, if anyone knows for sure I would appreciate it)

2) Install a heel lift. Not sure how much, I have never used heel lifts before

3) Just get the steel profiled. Not sure what radius the stock easton comes with or what radius would be ebst for my purposes.

If it helps, I am only a few years removed from playing college hockey. I would appreciate any information and insight, I am pretty lost as I was never to much of an equipment guy.

Thanks all.

#1 isn't even an option since the pitch wouldn't maretially change - RBII & LS2 have the same pitch.

#2 isn't a bad choice since as JR said it's completely reversable unlike #3, but it can get expensive in some areas... around where I am it's like $80 or something. re the lift: you'd need at least 1/8" if not more.

#3 might not even work that well given the pitch difference between Cobras (+2) & LS2 (-1) for instance - LOTS of steel to shave...

so I'm with JR on this one and would go with #2.

[hrvd214 0]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to try the heel lifts. Now I just need to find a LHS that can do it.

[JR Boucicaut 3809]

It isn't that often that a profile needs to be refreshed and, heel lifts or not, the steel will still have a profile that will need to be refreshed at some point. Having heel lifts doesn't preclude steel from having a profile done.

Absolutely right

#2 isn't a bad choice since as JR said it's completely reversable unlike #3, but it can get expensive in some areas... around where I am it's like $80 or something. re the lift: you'd need at least 1/8" if not more.

That's ridiculous if a store charges $80 for heel lifts...

That being said, your math is completely wrong. When talking about pitch, we generally are talking in increments of 1/32". He may only need that much; I'd say the most he would require would be 1/16" to get a Graf feel on those skates.

[adam14 182]

and LS2's can go on Easton's, I got it done to my EQ5's without a problem.

[Deerok 3]

Why not just put Cobra holders on the skates?

[dsjunior1388 81]

Can someone elaborate on these heel lifts? Are they typically homemade or are they a product to be purchased and added on. I have access to a rivter and have done hem many times before so I can do that myself, but I've never done heel lifts or seen them done and I think I'd like to put them on my skates to try and recapture the feel I had on my old Grafs.

[hockeymass 11]

Can someone elaborate on these heel lifts? Are they typically homemade or are they a product to be purchased and added on. I have access to a rivter and have done hem many times before so I can do that myself, but I've never done heel lifts or seen them done and I think I'd like to put them on my skates to try and recapture the feel I had on my old Grafs.

It's just a custom fabricated piece of plastic. If you look on page 2 of JR's TotalOne NXG Initial Thoughts thread, you can see an example.

[dsjunior1388 81]

It's just a custom fabricated piece of plastic. If you look on page 2 of JR's TotalOne NXG Initial Thoughts thread, you can see an example.

Thanks, anyone able to point me to a tutorial about how to make these?

[Biscuit+Sauce=Cele 0]

I went from Graf's to Bauers and had them profile 9' front 11' back radius and 1mm forward and it is almost the same as my Cobra's were. But I am interested in these heel lifts too. Might have to do this when I switch my LS2 holders over to Custom+

[theflash0000 0]

Thanks, anyone able to point me to a tutorial about how to make these?

Don't know if there is a write-up, but the method previously suggested by the Mods (which I followed successfully) was to buy a sheet of the plastic material at Home Depot/Lowes/Etc. in the desired thickness; remove the rivets from the heel, slide the plastic in between the heel of the boot and the heel "post" of the holder; trace the outline of the holder post in pencil; remove the plastic and cut with a Dremel tool; then re-rivet with the plastic lift.

Worked perfectly for me. If you want to make it slightly simpler, get another holder of the same size so that you can trace it onto the plastic on its own.

[dsjunior1388 81]

Don't know if there is a write-up, but the method previously suggested by the Mods (which I followed successfully) was to buy a sheet of the plastic material at Home Depot/Lowes/Etc. in the desired thickness; remove the rivets from the heel, slide the plastic in between the heel of the boot and the heel "post" of the holder; trace the outline of the holder post in pencil; remove the plastic and cut with a Dremel tool; then re-rivet with the plastic lift.

Worked perfectly for me. If you want to make it slightly simpler, get another holder of the same size so that you can trace it onto the plastic on its own.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

[dsjunior1388 81]

Found a forgotten dremel tool in the back of the rink, picked up some lexan at Home Depot, and put these together, installed and skated on them this morning. Exactly what I was looking for. Feels like my Graf pitch again. Not the cleanest job because the Dremel was partially broken so I could only use two tips, but they do the job.

[malcb33 100]

Sorry to dig up and old thread, but I was wondering if someone can help me out. I tried searching, but couldn't come up with a solid answer to the Cobra to LS2 pitch question. I have Grafs with Cobra 5000 holders, but want to move back to Bauer skates. I really enjoy the pitch of the Cobras, so I would like to add lifts to my LS2 to achieve the same pitch, does any know exactly what thickness of lifts I would need?

[SirJW 207]

How durable is the lexon? What is the best material to use?

[JR Boucicaut 3809]

HDPE is the best material to use. Lexan is harder to manipulate - you can cut HDPE with scissors.