Alkali CA9 RPD

[Wicked3Aussie 68]

Size: 8.5

Reviewer intro/specs/previous skates used: 6ft 2" 170lbs(85kg) 25 yrs old, experienced/competetive skater for roughly 17 years, previous hockey skates used Nike Quest Shadows, Mission Wicked 3 & Mission Wicked 1.

Fit: Nice & snug at present, still awaiting a skate bake but what I can notice is they fit like a glove.

Control & energy transfer is light years ahead of anything i've previously used.

Baking should further enhance that feeling. 9/10

Chassis/Wheels/Bearings: The choice of chassis, wheels & bearings really help make these skates great.

This is the first time i've used an all 80mm chassis having come from Hilo & Hilo Vanguard previously, i'll never use anything else again.

The increased agility, speed and surface contact for stopping is amazing in comparison and in my opinion makes smaller wheeled chassis redundant.

One myth i'll dispel is that they do not feel "tall" or like "on stilts", and the forward pitch is the same as my wicked skates.

Wheels are an excellent choice being the Labeda Addiction.

I personally love these wheels, i've used my previous set on wood for almost 8 months now with no chunks, splits or drops in performance, that alone makes them worth the price.

Bearings are swiss and quite smooth, with that said having come from old, clunky, seized up, busted 688 mini bearings any bearing will feel amazing to me! 10/10

Weight/Protection: Weight feels to be on par with my wicked 3's if not abit lighter which is always welcome.

Protection also seems quite good compared to the wicked series although i'm yet to use them in a game so i'll eserve my judgment on this one.

9/10

Durability: Again i'll have to reserve my judgment on these until I get abit more time on them, although they do feel alot stronger than anything i've previously used.

One thing I did notice that I wasn't to happy with was the travel between the axle and the spacer on All wheels(boots came with incorrect spacers, this was an isolated issue and Stephen at Alkali took care of the problem and sent me out 2 sets of replacement axles and spacers. Alkalis customer service is great!)

Makes a noticable clicking nose when weight is put on the skate., I dont think anything is wrong but I plan to message Alkali anyway just incase I damage something. 8/10

Intangibles: They are immedietly noticable and recieved a very positive reaction from everyone at the rink who are used to only having Mission, bauer and to a lesser extent ccm.

Feels good to have something different and in my opinion a much better product. 10/10

Conclusion: After reading Justins thread in the forums here, the excellent customer service, fresh range of products and not to mention being a fan of Justin's work at mission during the Wicked model run I took the gamble to import some to Australia and i'm glad I did.

These are by far the fastest/agile boots i've ever used and have definitely made me a long term Alkali customer.

If you don't want to settle for anything but the best performance , then these skates are for you! 10/10

Thanks for taking the time to read! :)

Edited September 16, 2013 by Wicked3Aussie