Does anyone else Feel The same Way?

[GregHenn19 6]

I feel as if Equipment 10 years ago was just plain better then the stuff on the shelves today. I still try and find old stuff that's for sale on Ebay. I have never found a stick comparable to the Easton SE16 or Skates as good as the Bauer 8090. they just don't play as well as the old stuff. I wont even get new protective gear because its just not as comfortable as the stuff years ago. Only new equipment ill buy are gloves. I can't be the only one out there? and why change a good thing? if it performs well, just re-market it a different way, don't change the technology.

[Larry54 243]

 

[Stewie 721]

Every time I check out old stock at my LHS the first thing I notice is how much heavier it is and how much more sweat it would absorb.  I constantly remind myself how much longer it took for my gear to dry out after a game, some of my current gear is almost able to be dry in between games on the same day.?I'll take my modern foams and light weight kit any day. 

[OzziesDad 89]

My biggest complaint is that I just plain miss having lots of brand options.  Its sounds dumb, and it may even be unfounded, I just remember walking into my LHS as a teen and having a ton of brand options back in the 90's.  Bauer, CCM, Easton, Jofa, Sherwood, Micron, Koho, Cooper, Christian, Louisville, Titan, Branches, Montreal, Vic, Winwell, Ferland, my dad's Daoust skates,  Flak, Tackla, Hespeller, Itech, etc.  These are just off the top of my head, and I know some are still functioning.  However, as a person that has always loved looking at all types of gear- I really miss walking into a shop and seeing varying brands.  Having 2-3 major companies, that offer a few different fit options just doesn't do it for me really.  Obviously I know nothing about the business side of everything, and I am purely speaking form nostalgia, but I do miss that aspect of older gear.

However, from a performance aspect?  I'll take the new stuff all day, every day, and twice on Sundays.

[Bakum 25]

The only thing I feel is worse about new equipment is the durability. I had a pair of Reebok shoulder pads that broke down in about 2-3 seasons in a non-check league. Granted they weren't top of the line model but I expected to get a little more wear out of them.I got a pair of CCM RBZ shoulders to replace them so I hope they hold up a bit better. Old stuff would last FOREVER while this new gear seems to break down much quicker. That being said, I'll take new equipment over anything old in a heartbeat. 

[kovalchuk71 212]

double post

[kovalchuk71 212]

I think it depends on the type of equipment. Protective? No freaking way. Everything now is so much lighter and dries so much faster than the protective of the past. Sticks? One could argue that huge strides haven't been made in almost a decade.

4 hours ago, Larry54 said:

 

 

[DarkStar50 679]

With regard to all those older 90s brands listed with gear, as shop buyer there was a tremendous amount of saturation of the same product at the same price point. The herd has thinned out obviously although now it is down to two breeders almost !! As for the last ten years, you know things are screwed up when the top end OPS or skate ten years ago sold for the retail price of the top end OPS or skate at wholesale now. It is the top end price points that have hurt the business end of your retail product selections. We don't need to name names for who pushed outside the envelope on that, do we ?

[the_game 452]

The only thing I really miss is the variety of curves offered and not the cookie cutter options today.

 

[Cavs019 702]

Sticks absolutely. Today we're being asked to pay 2x retail for .5x quality- Which is why I haven't bought a stick outside of MSH, eBay, retailer pro stock, or clearance in about 5 years.

Everything else, no. 

[Anjin-san 29]

I feel that way about skates. Every time I break out my MX3's I end up going right back to my Grafs (first 705's and now Ultra G5's). Comfortable, durable, and they don't feel like casts. I'm constantly scouring eBay for additional pairs. 

[puckpilot 312]

I used to hate changing stuff. Heck, I used the old Messier Cooper helmet till 2000. And I my shoulder pads, up until a month ago, they were Louisville. I had them for like 20 years, and I don't even remember what make they were because all the identifying markers were pretty much worn away.

The reason I had my shoulder pads for so long was because when I bought a new pair around 10 years ago, I realised the padding on the shoulders made me look like a football player and seemed too bulky. But I new pads are CCM Controls and are excellent. From the first time I used them, I barely even noticed a change.

I think there was definitely a period where the ideas for new equipment out reached the ability to execute on the idea. Remember the Nike skates that were super heavy, or aluminium sticks? Not sure if those were any better than the stuff that came before. And then there were the fragile composites the broke when hit by a light breeze. 

But now, I think the tech has definitely matured, and I do notice the difference, specifically in skates in sticks. I don't tend to break sticks, so I have a collection of sticks from the past 10 years or so. I think I can do things now with the new sticks that I couldn't do before. 

[swede 45]

Yeah... like the topic starter i really miss the selection of stuff from the -90's..., where is Itech, where is DR?? It's sad to se all the smaller brands disapearing.. Espessially when their gear was something special.. I still think DR had the best shoulder pads ever made. Only top level Nexus is close. 

And, something also happened to the game.. All gear from recent years is much smaller compared to gear from the start of 2000.. The length is still the same, but everything is much narrower. Hockeyplayers nowdays are built like shoe laces.. Not a single muscle on their upper body... Sucks for us bigger guys

[Burning Bear 76]

I think value for your money is something of a factor as well. Ten years ago, $80 would net you a pair of Vapor XV gloves, which, while not top-of-the-line, were very good for the price. Fast forward to today where $90 gets you Vapor X800s, which are dumpster gloves that belong in the trash. I'm not sure how much inflation comes into play, but all I know is if you put those two sets of gloves in front of me for those prices today, I'd go with the XVs in a heartbeat.

[Davideo 99]

6 hours ago, swede said:

And, something also happened to the game.. All gear from recent years is much smaller compared to gear from the start of 2000.. The length is still the same, but everything is much narrower. Hockeyplayers nowdays are built like shoe laces.. Not a single muscle on their upper body... Sucks for us bigger guys

I don't know that players are any smaller, just that the equipment is thinner and more form fitting. I don't think this is specific to hockey only. Look at football shoulder pads from 20 years ago vs now.

[Cavs019 702]

38 minutes ago, Burning Bear said:

I think value for your money is something of a factor as well. Ten years ago, $80 would net you a pair of Vapor XV gloves, which, while not top-of-the-line, were very good for the price. Fast forward to today where $90 gets you Vapor X800s, which are dumpster gloves that belong in the trash. I'm not sure how much inflation comes into play, but all I know is if you put those two sets of gloves in front of me for those prices today, I'd go with the XVs in a heartbeat.

If inflation came into play you'd think Bauer was pegging their prices to Venezuelan CPI 

[swede 45]

4 hours ago, Davideo said:

I don't know that players are any smaller, just that the equipment is thinner and more form fitting. I don't think this is specific to hockey only. Look at football shoulder pads from 20 years ago vs now.

Naah... I have 5 different pair of shoulder pads from the 90's. 2 pair of Jofa Asd 8000, 1 pair of Ccm Powerline, 1 pair of KoHo 4460 and 1 pair of DR ... All size L/180-190cl and fit great. But since all of my "old" pads are falling apart, the last 5 years iv'e tried like 30 different pairs before i found something wide enough.

Only "recent" pair of shoulder pads iv'e manage to find that still fit wide, is Bauer Nexus 8000 in XL.. all of the others are way to narrow and the caps end up sittning on top of my shoulder instead of around it... 

The same goes with elbows.. 

so yeah, the players are smaller.. 

[chippa13 1844]

Nah, I'm an average 5'10" and I'm sporting medium CCM RBZ 150 LE shoulders and medium CCC CS elbows. Both fit fine and close to the body. Pros today are better conditioned and stronger than those of 20 years ago. They aren't shrinking.

[swede 45]

Can u then explain why my old L sized gear still fit, while the "new" XL gear is to small? 

The pads dont grow! 

Size XL in upper body protection today is like L was in the 90's.. Just look at the measurements on an old sizing chart..

The pros nowdays are all just legs... All legs.. Big, strong legs, but no upper body = fast players.. 

[chippa13 1844]

No upper body? Now you're just plain wrong.

[Davideo 99]

9 hours ago, swede said:

...

Size XL in upper body protection today is like L was in the 90's.. Just look at the measurements on an old sizing chart..

...

So you are acknowledging that the size/fit of pads has changed. This has nothing to do with players being smaller, which the are not. Probably the only aspect that is true, is that jacked up enforcers of the 90's no longer exist. However, your average legit player is not smaller.

[Stewie 721]

another thing of note as well, a lot of older equipment "broke in" more than some of the newer materials. my older large CCM shoulder pads fit more like XL now.

[stick9 881]

No way players are smaller today then they were 10 years ago, I can't believe it's even up for debate. 

Advances in tech allow companies to maintain a high level of protection while keeping things low profile. Also, the fit has gotten much better, not in terms of size, but how it fits to you body.

And no, I don't long for the gear of old. The streamlined fit, reduction in weight & moisture wicking/drying are all things I consider game changers.

[OzziesDad 89]

One thing I will add in regards to sticks, I feel like the options and quality of the 150.00(give or take a few bucks) price point sticks is a lot better than it was for mid range sticks 10 years ago.

Say what you will in regards to the technology and advancement of sticks in general in the last decade.  As well as the direction, technology, and price of top of the line models.   However, you weren't getting near as good a stick at that middle tier back then as you do now.

As someone who for years generally went the whole buy a top end on clearance route.  If I can't get the flex, curve, and preferred kick point on a clearance model, I won't hesitate to look into True, STX, or Warriors (just example of sticks I have used and really liked) mid tier lineups for something I like.

Lots of good to be had for most beer leaguers in the 100.00-160.00 MSRP range nowadays.  I generally didn't feel that way with those price points 10 years ago.

[Larry54 243]

If you mean that today's fit player is thinner than the average person, you might have a point since obesity is worse among the general population than it's ever been.