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henryb

Revision Variant Plus

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I see that Revision is coming out with a new version of there Variant line of dual pour wheels. They are available by the end of December.

I currently use a combo of Bronze and Gold Variants with my Sprung setup. They are absolutely fantastic, best wheels that I have come across for sportcourt - and I have tried quite a few!

I was wondering if anyone has tried a beta version of these wheels? What are they like and what is the technical difference between these and the previous Variants? The website suggests they have a hard coating (more durable) on the outside? Does that mean they are more like the Labeda Addictions?

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New Variant Plus Wheels use the same structure as the Variant wheel. There are some upgrades that out perform the Variant Classic model.

- reinvented TORUS Structure for a more ideal fit to the platform core

- more responsive TORUS material for higher rebound and responsiveness

- New 200 series Urethane formula is both faster and provides more grip then 100 series Variant Formula.

I would not liken them to Addictions as every wheel composition is a bit different, I would say more like our Variant wheels on steroids if that makes sense.

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That sounds very interesting, I'm anxious to give them a try. Inlinewarehouse says they were supposed to be available today, but now they have moved the delivery date back to Dec 27th. Will put my order in then!

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I have been using Addictions for the past few years and I just put my order in for the Variant Plus wheels a few days ago from IW. I wanted to try something new. I am giving Revision another try since buying their Steel wheels, which I was very disappointed with. Cannot wait until they come in!

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I have been using Addictions for the past few years and I just put my order in for the Variant Plus wheels a few days ago from IW. I wanted to try something new. I am giving Revision another try since buying their Steel wheels, which I was very disappointed with. Cannot wait until they come in!

Why were you disappointed with the Steel wheels? I'm currently using a set and am happy with them (although some are starting to get quite a few lines/cracks, but I have used them for 30-40 games so that's to be expected).

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Why were you disappointed with the Steel wheels? I'm currently using a set and am happy with them (although some are starting to get quite a few lines/cracks, but I have used them for 30-40 games so that's to be expected).

I am not sure if it is the sport court I play on or what, but I could not get them to stick. The first few strides were giving me ZERO traction and I had no confidence cutting at all as my legs would slide right out. It was extremely frustrating. I am not sure if the wheels were defective or what. It leaves me scratching my head though because I had read others reviews that liked the wheels a lot.

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I am not sure if it is the sport court I play on or what, but I could not get them to stick. The first few strides were giving me ZERO traction and I had no confidence cutting at all as my legs would slide right out. It was extremely frustrating. I am not sure if the wheels were defective or what. It leaves me scratching my head though because I had read others reviews that liked the wheels a lot.

Yes, whether they grip well or not would depend on how much you weigh, what chassis you're using and lastly the condition of your sport court (a really dirty dusty or wet court will make it slick no matter which wheels you're using).

I'm heavier than average at over 200lbs and use a Sprung Chassis that provides some grip with its suspension system so have no issues with grip unless the court is wet or really dirty. If the floor is dry and reasonably clean I find the wheels to grip quite well.

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Yes, whether they grip well or not would depend on how much you weigh, what chassis you're using and lastly the condition of your sport court (a really dirty dusty or wet court will make it slick no matter which wheels you're using).

I'm heavier than average at over 200lbs and use a Sprung Chassis that provides some grip with its suspension system so have no issues with grip unless the court is wet or really dirty. If the floor is dry and reasonably clean I find the wheels to grip quite well.

I am a heavier player as well at 225 lbs and I normally completely trash wheels. I have been using the Red Star E Frame Hi Lo chassi for around 8 years now. I tried skating about 5 or 6 games on the same rink with the wheels to see if it was just a dirty rink or hoping they would maybe get better with some wear. The results were the same. When I went back to the "worn out" Addictions that I had used for 6-7 months, they performed WAY better than the new Revision Steel wheels. Maybe it was an anomaly. I am hoping my luck will be better with the Variant Plus wheels this time around.

I guess a good question for the Revision member here is do the new Revision wheels carry a 30 day money back guarantee as the old Variant wheels? I did not see that in the description on IW.

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The new Variant Plus wheels show up to my door tomorrow and I will get to skate on them Tuesday of next week.

Son I am excite.

Well... Did you get a chance to use them? And what did you think?

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Well... Did you get a chance to use them? And what did you think?

I did skate on them last Tuesday. I think the wheel is good, but I was not a fan of the speed. Shame on me for buying a 74A wheel when I weigh 225 lbs. I think this would be a great wheel for anybody that is 175 lbs. and under. I am not sure that even the Blue 76A would have worked for me and I think at minimum I need a 78A wheel.

I do not think that this wheel got a totally fair shake from me as the first time I skated on them was with another chassis that was brand new to me. I am going to be trying to dump the wheels off at a decent discount and move back to the Addictions.

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I did skate on them last Tuesday. I think the wheel is good, but I was not a fan of the speed. Shame on me for buying a 74A wheel when I weigh 225 lbs. I think this would be a great wheel for anybody that is 175 lbs. and under. I am not sure that even the Blue 76A would have worked for me and I think at minimum I need a 78A wheel.

I do not think that this wheel got a totally fair shake from me as the first time I skated on them was with another chassis that was brand new to me. I am going to be trying to dump the wheels off at a decent discount and move back to the Addictions.

You actually like Addictions? I tried them for a game, the grip is absolutely terrible, like using inline skates on ice! Im 175lbs, and had the 76a addictions on my skates. The rink rat hornets that came with my skates have 10 times more grip..

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You actually like Addictions? I tried them for a game, the grip is absolutely terrible, like using inline skates on ice! Im 175lbs, and had the 76a addictions on my skates. The rink rat hornets that came with my skates have 10 times more grip..

There are many factors that go into wheel performance and what works for one may not exactly work for the other. I hated the Revision Steel wheels and there are others that have had great success with them. It is kind of mind boggling at times :laugh:

The Orange Addictions are hands down the best wheel I have ever used. They have great speed, amazing grip, and super durability. My first set of Addicition lasted 8 months with me playing twice a week and the only reason I bought new ones was because they were splitting pretty bad. My badly split, 8 month old Addictions outperformed the Revision Steel wheels so bad it was not even funny.

I could see the 76A's being too hard for your weight. What durometer are you skating with on the Rink Rats? I wanted to try the Rink Rat Splits, but have read a lot of people have issues with the wheel removing from the hub. I have experienced that with their old Hot Shot wheels.

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You actually like Addictions? I tried them for a game, the grip is absolutely terrible, like using inline skates on ice! Im 175lbs, and had the 76a addictions on my skates. The rink rat hornets that came with my skates have 10 times more grip..

That's because you didn't let them break in. I have used them for a while and they require a couple of games to fully break in and start gripping well.

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That's because you didn't let them break in. I have used them for a while and they require a couple of games to fully break in and start gripping well.

I have found this true as well that it takes a couple skates to really get good grip.....I think it has something to do with the floors of most rinks being so dirty/unswept it takes a few skates for all that nastiness to soak in the wheels and start gripping! haha

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Greasy17, sorry for the delay in responding but yes the wheel does carry the same 30 day Warranty as the Variant wheel. Not to be confused with a Guarantee though. I noticed your response about the V-Plus 74a for your weight. Please email me at nabeel@revisionhockey.com I will work with you to get some 76a version wheels to try.



Guys as a general response here you should get the best grip early in the wheel life. Once the urethane collects the dirt or dust from the floor it will lose some grip. This is of course given that the wheels were cleaned properly and all the extra release has been removed from the wheel. This is a part of the manufacturing process. The adjustment to the grip tends to be that each wheel technology acts a little differently, and you without really noticing sometimes adjust how you stop/start as you get used to the wheel. Same as breaking in a new blade or curve etc.

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I received my set of Revision Variant Plus 76A wheels from Nabeel @ Revision late last week and got them setup on my skates. I was excited to try them, but I must admit I was a bit of a skeptic considering that past 2 sets (Steel Wheels/Variant Plus 74A) I had did not work well for me. I was not sure if I was going to regret having them on last night.

Fast forward to last night's game...............I stepped out onto the rink in warm ups and started to get some light strides & turns in. I noticed that the wheels felt spot on. I was not pushing them by any means, but there was not even a hint of slippage or a slow feeling to the wheel. Once I was loose I turned up the wick with some short bursts, hard cuts, and stops. Once again the wheels felt spot on.

Come game time I was confident that these wheels were going to perform well, but I just was not sure how well. During the game I was not disappointed at all! The wheels are very fast, grip in tight turns/cuts without hopping, and the rebound is excellent. The only thing that is left out there is the durability aspect of the wheel. I cannot fully comment on that, but the wear on the wheel after the game was non-existent. I would expect the wear on this wheel to be on par with the Addictions based on that.

My next statement is coming from a very big Addiction fan, these Revision Variant Plus 76A wheels are AMAZING! I did not think I would find anything else that would perform like the Addictions, but this Revision Variant Plus wheel is better in my honest opinion. I do not know what else to say about the performance and this wheel is hands down the best wheel I have ever skated on. I have another game on Thursday and I will chime back after that as well.

Nabeel thank you & Revision for the great customer service, you guys hit a homerun with this wheel!

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edit -- answered my own question in re-reading this thread.

I received my set of Revision Variant Plus 76A wheels from Nabeel @ Revision late last week and got them setup on my skates. I was excited to try them, but I must admit I was a bit of a skeptic considering that past 2 sets (Steel Wheels/Variant Plus 74A) I had did not work well for me. I was not sure if I was going to regret having them on last night.

Fast forward to last night's game...............I stepped out onto the rink in warm ups and started to get some light strides & turns in. I noticed that the wheels felt spot on. I was not pushing them by any means, but there was not even a hint of slippage or a slow feeling to the wheel. Once I was loose I turned up the wick with some short bursts, hard cuts, and stops. Once again the wheels felt spot on.

Come game time I was confident that these wheels were going to perform well, but I just was not sure how well. During the game I was not disappointed at all! The wheels are very fast, grip in tight turns/cuts without hopping, and the rebound is excellent. The only thing that is left out there is the durability aspect of the wheel. I cannot fully comment on that, but the wear on the wheel after the game was non-existent. I would expect the wear on this wheel to be on par with the Addictions based on that.

My next statement is coming from a very big Addiction fan, these Revision Variant Plus 76A wheels are AMAZING! I did not think I would find anything else that would perform like the Addictions, but this Revision Variant Plus wheel is better in my honest opinion. I do not know what else to say about the performance and this wheel is hands down the best wheel I have ever skated on. I have another game on Thursday and I will chime back after that as well.

Nabeel thank you & Revision for the great customer service, you guys hit a homerun with this wheel!

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I'm anxious to hear how the Revision Variant Plus hold up over time and if they end up lasting & performing as long as the Addictions.

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I played in the east coast Winter Wars (state wars) this past weekend in Feasterville, PA. Being friends with the proshop owner, I ended up talking to him at the same time he happend to be talking to another guy - that other guy happend to be Nabeel from Revision! (i didn't know what he looked like). Long story short -- i ended up buying a set of the Revision Variant Plus.

Played senior AA - 5'5" ~155lbs.

Very agressive ice-hockey like stopper.

Bauer X60 boot with Mission Vanguard hi-lo chassis (80mm & 76mm).

Revision Variant Plus (red - all 8)

Tron Abec-9 bearings.

First skate -- Just wow. As documented in my other thread, i've been pretty disappointed through quite a few wheel setups-- these Revisions were far beyond anything i've ever felt under my feet. The grip was almost immediate (despite people saying you need break these in). Some slipperiness but cuts and push offs out of corners for the most part felt very responsive. It's strange when I say 'responsive' -- i felt like the wheels were working with me depending how much stress/load i was generating. While you feel this reflexive nature in some other wheels -- what's often sacrificed is speed or explosiveness. Not here. I felt noticeably quicker. Few points in the game where i over compensated thinking i was going to slide, and i didn't.

Second and third skates -- Had a good feel for them by this point. Having grippy wheels gives you confidence as a player and lets you make a few plays (spins, dekes) that you'd probably second guess on sub-par wheels. After the game -- i was shocked to see how much dirt and dust these wheels tracked. Now that's NOT the fault of the wheel, but the dirty rink given the amount of games. Take away point here is that I was stopping and cutting no problem despite this. I know for a fact that on my old setup, i'd be sliding all over the place given the rink conditions. to give you an idea -- there were about 122 teams competing on three rinks over a 3 day period.

No splitting, no pitting, no chunking, and minimal signs of wear. (through 4 games) This is just a short review for now but i wanted to say how impressed I am with these wheels. Money well spent. Even after i had committed to buy, Nabeel took the time to explain to me how the wheel was designed/constructed from the core out. That's good customer service, IMO. The science behind the wheel makes sense.

I'll probably write another review after some prolonged use.

Thanks Nabeel & Revision.

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guys thanks for the great response, I am glad the wheels are working out for you. I know I'm supposed to say this because I work for Revision but they truly are the best wheels I have skated on, it actually saddens me a bit that I am already testing out other ideas and concepts and I don't get to skate on them as much as I used to. We are not always up on checking the message boards although Tyler and I do both pop in every now and then when we get a chance. If anyone ever has an issue with our product or simply wants to know more about it please feel free to email us or call us. All our info is posted under contacts at www.revisionhockey.com . We take every complaint, warranty, praise and feedback seriously and veiw them all as important to the growth of our brand.

Thank You,

Nabeel

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Anyone else coming from addictions have a review of this wheel? I need to order a new set of wheels for my summer season and i'm really wary of switching off my trusty addictions. I've had this set for a year and they still grip pretty well!

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Well it has been quite awhile, but I finally got a set of these wheels. I ordered a full set of Reds, for my all 80mm Sprung Chassis setup.

First impressions were nothing short of incredible. Since I was running on a mix of Variant Bronze and Gold, I thought I would start with all one durometer, then order a set of Blue and try mixing and matching.

My old Variants were almost a year old, but I play alot, sometimes 5x a week. So I was noticing, they were starting to slip in the hardest turns and push offs. But the new Variant Plus Reds had so much grip, I could not make them break free.

After a few games, I was getting used to making max turns and full out stops, but I eventually found their limit... Which is fortunately just beyond my limits!!! The one thing that I noticed different from the Variants is their speed vs a Gold/Bronze set up... They didn't feel muddy!

Now with about 15 games with them, I must say they are holding up much better then virtually all others that I have tried for durability.

Looking forward getting a set of Blues (ordered last week) and trying them on for size... I will report my findings later.

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