Lightspeed 2 to Edge Holder

[Nickmast 1]

Stick with the LS 2 holder on my NXGs or upgrade to the Edge? 

Long story short, my right LS Fusion runner is bowed. I had the shop straighten it out as good as they could but it's not perfect. I need to get new steel but am concerned that the right holder may be part of the issue with the bending. Upgrade to the edge with new runners or just new runners on the LS 2?

[VegasHockey 1280]

Personally, I would wait for the new CCM XS holder to be released and switch to that. 

[Nickmast 1]

Unfortunately my time table won't allow it. I need to get the steel swapped before league starts in 2 1/2 weeks. Haven't even heard CCM was releasing a new holder. I'll have to check it out. 

[Sniper9 529]

Stick with the ls2 or get new ls2 holders if yours are somewhat beat up already. Your lhs should be able to tell if your holder is the reason. I've never been a fan of the edge holders... The steel is way more locked in with the ls2s.. 

Edited January 6, 2019 by Sniper9

[Vet88 674]

If you want hassle free, low maintenance skating stick with ls2, you aren't playing nhl so you don't need the speed of change or the few extra mm of clearance. I've never had a ls2 holder flop on me when I put it in the jig to sharpen but I've seen plenty of edge holders do it and the only real fix is to replace them. For around $20 you can get a new holder (ebay, sideline etc) so get it changed if you think it is the problem.

[sbecks72986 51]

Fusion Runners get bent a lot easier than other runners. I had problem with fusion getting bent after a shot hitting it. I stopped using them a long time ago. I love the edge holders and are currently using step black steel which is the best steel out there in my opinion 

[Cavs019 708]

I haven’t had any issues with Edge holders in 5 years. We really need to relax with the “one bad experience = everyone must have had a bad experience” mentality on this board.

It leads to a lot of bad information. 

[Nickmast 1]

I have a pair of edge on hold at the LHS and some Step STs on the way. Not sure if I'll commit to it just yet though. I do have some time to do so but swapping out that LS 2 holder and replacing the steel could be the better choice. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

4 minutes ago, Cavs019 said:

I haven’t had any issues with Edge holders in 5 years. We really need to relax with the “one bad experience = everyone must have had a bad experience” mentality on this board.

It leads to a lot of bad information. 

I've never had an issue with them, I just dislike that the LS Edge holders have a lot of flex compared to SB, XS and True/VH holders. 

[Vet88 674]

20 minutes ago, Cavs019 said:

I haven’t had any issues with Edge holders in 5 years. We really need to relax with the “one bad experience = everyone must have had a bad experience” mentality on this board.

It leads to a lot of bad information. 

I disagree. I have seen dozens of edge holders develop slop where the steel fits, it is the most obvious thing in the world when we put it in the jig to sharpen them and the boot flops. It may be a generation issue (around the MX3 release it is very common), a change in design / material / production plant or it could be that they just haven't had long enough yet but the problem does not seem so bad on the latest S / X / N Bauer skates (I have only seen 2 so far that went back for warranty repair).

Now dozens of skates may seem insignificant until you consider we would be one of the smaller markets (around a 1k player base in the city) so the amount of failures is statistically significant and is backed up by employees in our LHS (we only have one).

On the other side of the equation "one good experience <> everyone must have had a good experience". As to what causes the issue I have no idea, it seems to be a roll of the dice as I have also seen MX3's that are beaten to death and the steel still sits straight. But there is an issue there (I am not the only person who has sharpened skates who has made this observation on this forum) and you saying you haven't had one does not make it go away.

Which leads to a side issue but one that players should be aware of. Sparx, Pro Sharp and other vertical sharpeners can make the problem worse. The issue isn't apparent when getting sharpened so it requires the player or sharpener to use other measures to check for the problem (and be extra vigilant with maintenance checks). Just trying to wiggle the blade in the holder is not enough. 

[Nickmast 1]

Regardless of the holder debate, here is my situation and what I'm trying to achieve. I'm 40 years old and played 1 spring and summer session when I was 15 years old. I didn't continue playing because 1. I sucked and 2. My parents couldn't afford to keep me playing. I'm now 40 and never lost the love for the game. I coach my 8 year old sons mite team and this is his first year playing. Being out there coaching and playing really gave me the drive to get back out there so I signed up for the local Hockey North America league which starts on the 22nd of this month. So on to my equipment. I've been gathering all new equipment for over a year, to make the cost easier to absorb. One such purchase was my NXGs that I found for a screaming deal from a player here locally that were barely used. I did notice that I couldn't get on my outside edge on my right side and noticed the steel was slightly bowed. So here I am, trying to remedy the situation so when I do get out there to start, I'm giving myself the best equipment situation to start out with to tackle my skating weaknesses which are weak side turns, stops, crossovers and backwards crossovers. My strongside is a non-issue. 

Edited January 7, 2019 by Nickmast

[stick9 888]

1 hour ago, Cavs019 said:

I haven’t had any issues with Edge holders in 5 years. We really need to relax with the “one bad experience = everyone must have had a bad experience” mentality on this board.

It leads to a lot of bad information. 

I agree, the edge holder thing is a bit over stated. If I am honest, the biggest drawback has been using Bauer steel. Fortunately Step can be had via eBay now and Tydan can be purchased right here from the MSH pro shop.

[Monty22 831]

Ditch the Fusion steel and keep the existing holders. You can find non edge steel for dirt cheap.  If the holder actually breaks at some point you can revisit it then, but I wouldn't swap unless you need the quick change feature. 

[Larry54 243]

15 hours ago, Vet88 said:

I disagree. I have seen dozens of edge holders develop slop where the steel fits, it is the most obvious thing in the world when we put it in the jig to sharpen them and the boot flops. It may be a generation issue (around the MX3 release it is very common), a change in design / material / production plant or it could be that they just haven't had long enough yet but the problem does not seem so bad on the latest S / X / N Bauer skates (I have only seen 2 so far that went back for warranty repair).

Now dozens of skates may seem insignificant until you consider we would be one of the smaller markets (around a 1k player base in the city) so the amount of failures is statistically significant and is backed up by employees in our LHS (we only have one).

On the other side of the equation "one good experience <> everyone must have had a good experience". As to what causes the issue I have no idea, it seems to be a roll of the dice as I have also seen MX3's that are beaten to death and the steel still sits straight. But there is an issue there (I am not the only person who has sharpened skates who has made this observation on this forum) and you saying you haven't had one does not make it go away.

Which leads to a side issue but one that players should be aware of. Sparx, Pro Sharp and other vertical sharpeners can make the problem worse. The issue isn't apparent when getting sharpened so it requires the player or sharpener to use other measures to check for the problem (and be extra vigilant with maintenance checks). Just trying to wiggle the blade in the holder is not enough. 

So we can say that a lot of people who think they don't have a problem with the edge holder, because they don't sharpen skates, don't realize that their blade might not be as solidly held as in an LS2 holder. So their blade may be flexing left and right as they're skating, wasting energy, but it's too subtle for them to be conscious of it. Since I never need to change blades between two shifts, I chose LS2 holders since I had that choice when I bought my skates. Having Edge holders on your skates because it was the only choice when buying Bauer skates is one thing, but I wouldn't swap LS2 holders for Edge holders unless you really want/need the quick-change feature.

[strosedefence34 175]

15 hours ago, Nickmast said:

Regardless of the holder debate, here is my situation and what I'm trying to achieve. I'm 40 years old and played 1 spring and summer session when I was 15 years old. I didn't continue playing because 1. I sucked and 2. My parents couldn't afford to keep me playing. I'm now 40 and never lost the love for the game. I coach my 8 year old sons mite team and this is his first year playing. Being out there coaching and playing really gave me the drive to get back out there so I signed up for the local Hockey North America league which starts on the 22nd of this month. So on to my equipment. I've been gathering all new equipment for over a year, to make the cost easier to absorb. One such purchase was my NXGs that I found for a screaming deal from a player here locally that were barely used. I did notice that I couldn't get on my outside edge on my right side and noticed the steel was slightly bowed. So here I am, trying to remedy the situation so when I do get out there to start, I'm giving myself the best equipment situation to start out with to tackle my skating weaknesses which are weak side turns, stops, crossovers and backwards crossovers. My strongside is a non-issue. 

If your LS2 holders are in good shape keep the holders and just get new steel.  Have the LHS check and make sure the holders are just aligned properly. 

[start_today 770]

Plus, I imagine Step or other aftermarket steel are extra inexpensive for ls2s, since it’s outmoded tech. 

Ditch the fusion, which is reguarded by pretty much everyone as the worst possible steel choice. 

[Nickmast 1]

So I got the step steel ST edge runners in today and boy are those heels huge. Not sure I really want to pay the extra $ for profiling + the edge holders just to get step steel in there. Now the question becomes, what LS2 holder steel to get that won't have to be profiled? I'm used to skating on LS Fusion. Thoughts on Blackedge? They look to have the same profile as the fusion runners. Any other choices? 

[Sniper9 529]

7 minutes ago, Nickmast said:

So I got the step steel ST edge runners in today and boy are those heels huge. Not sure I really want to pay the extra $ for profiling + the edge holders just to get step steel in there. Now the question becomes, what LS2 holder steel to get that won't have to be profiled? I'm used to skating on LS Fusion. Thoughts on Blackedge? They look to have the same profile as the fusion runners. Any other choices? 

You should generally get steel profiled regardless of what their radius is out of the box to ensure it is what you want it to be. I wouldn't trust factories that spit them out by the boxes. Just get them profiled. If you think spending 30-40 bucks on profiling is a lot and rather buy an inferior steel, I don't know what to say. Even ls3 is a stock 10' (or even 11') radius. So unless you get the ls2 which is a shorter steel, I'm not sure what options you have which come 9' out of box. 

 

Edited January 8, 2019 by Sniper9

[Nickmast 1]

It's not all about the cost but more about getting the most out of my purchase. I don't want to pony up $130 for step black though as my talent level would be a waste on it. Which would be a more logical choice, Step ST, V steel or Blackedge on the LS 2 holders?

Edited January 8, 2019 by Nickmast

[sbecks72986 51]

4 minutes ago, Nickmast said:

It's not all about the cost but more about getting the most out of my purchase. I don't want to pony up $130 for step black though as my talent level would be a waste on it. Which would be a more logical choice, Step ST or Blackedge on the LS 2 holders?

Didn’t you say you didn’t like the extra heel on the step ST? The black edge has the same profile as the ls2 runners you should prob go with them

[Nickmast 1]

Sticking with the LS2 holders shaves $110 off the cost. I'd just profile with that cost savings. 

Edited January 8, 2019 by Nickmast

[Vet88 674]

LS 2.1's are similar to the fusion in profile. Whilst they don't hold an edge as well as Step steel I think they are better than LS2 steel. Last year a pair of training boots I have had 2.1's and the blade cracked on me, I had some LS2 steel as spares, put them on and sharpened them and there was a noticeable difference in the time between sharpens for me.

Edited January 9, 2019 by Vet88

[mickz 107]

LS2 is fine.  Just make sure whoever services your skate doesn't over tighten the nut on the inside... or worse, drop it inside the holder.

[Sniper9 529]

On 1/8/2019 at 9:34 PM, mickz said:

LS2 is fine.  Just make sure whoever services your skate doesn't over tighten the nut on the inside... or worse, drop it inside the holder.

Never had a problem just shaking the nut out of the home... Twss

[VegasHockey 1280]

On 1/5/2019 at 4:51 PM, Nickmast said:

Unfortunately my time table won't allow it. I need to get the steel swapped before league starts in 2 1/2 weeks. Haven't even heard CCM was releasing a new holder. I'll have to check it out.